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“Okay, thanks, Patrick. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good night.” I rushed to end the call, ignoring the growl he gave from being cut off. In addition to being possessive, his wolf sometimes got it in his head that he had the right to punish me for stupid shit like that. But that’s just another danger of sleeping with a werewolf; they all wanted to become anauthority in your life.
The restaurant was oddly empty for a Friday night, with only a few cars parked outside. I spotted an expensive-looking SUV, guessing instantly that the handsome stranger was also probably wealthy. He projected the confidence of someone who could do anything he wanted, which was a little off-putting.
Ignoring my wolf’s whine, I walked up the steps and through the front door that was held open for me. While our pack had sufficient funds to care for all its members, Dark Claw was not a wealthy pack like some others in the area. This was the fanciest restaurant on our lands, a place that I had never visited and was typically only used for special occasions. With about two thousand wolves, there were always more than a few anniversaries or pregnancies or birthdays being celebrated on a given weekend. It definitely wasn’t a place where a broke library assistant went for dinner.
I picked up his scent right away; it was warm, sweet, and intoxicating, like spiced rum. He must have scented me, too, because soon he was walking toward me from where he was waiting at the bar.
“After I left, I realized my error in not getting your name,” he growled near my ear as he enveloped me in a hug. It was a polite greeting at first, but the deep tenor of his voice and the feeling of his arms around me created a pulse between my legs, and I felt the warmth of my need spread.
I blushed at my own reaction, knowing that he would easily be able to smell my arousal. His nostrils flared when we pulled apart, his grin showing elongated fangs. I cleared my throat, expecting my voice to crack. “I’m Mariam. Andyou are?”
“Alexander,” he replied, grabbing his glass from the bar, and guiding me to a nearby table. A waiter was already hovering nearby. “What would you like to drink, Mariam?”
“Wine would be great. White, please.” I didn’t know much about alcohol, but white wine seemed to taste better than red. Alexander nodded as the waiter made the note and left. I looked around the room. It wasn’t completely empty, but there were only a few other patrons. The pack’s alpha, Jeremy, raised an eyebrow at me from a booth in the corner.
I dropped my gaze, suddenly self-conscious. I knew there had been whispers in the pack about my decision to not remain a virgin but being out with a male and making no mating announcement was basically advertising that I was a whore.
I gritted my teeth at the word, triggering myself with the thought. Somehow, being a sex-positive female meant that I was a whore in the eyes of my pack, but I refused to believe it for myself.
Alexander regarded me with interest, noticing my change in demeanor as his eyes flickered to Jeremy. “Your alpha doesn’t approve of you dating?”
I smiled at his bold question. “We don’t usually date in my pack. Wolves stay single until their true mate presents himself or until they enter into a mating agreement with someone else if they don’t want to wait.”
“That’s very conservative of them. But you have decided to go on a date with me tonight anyway,” he said, leaning in with a curious twinkle in his eye. “Am I your first date, Mariam?”
Another bold question. I was beginning to like Alexander. “No in some ways, yes in others. This is absolutely my first time having dinner at this restaurant.”
“Good. Hopefully you enjoy it,” Alexander said, leaning back in his chair. I wasn’t sure if the answer I gave was what he was hoping for. His expression gave nothing away.
“I’m sure it will be wonderful,” I said with a smile. And truthfully, the food was delicious. Alexander was good company, and he kept me entertained with stories from his travels. He worked as a consultant and was visiting my pack to have a meeting with Jeremy and his beta the following day. He was only in town a short time before returning to his pack for a much-needed break from work.
“I’m staying at the Feldman,” he said, glancing at me discreetly. Part of me wondered if he was just saying that to test my reaction. Would I storm out, offended by the innuendo, or would I stay and talk about his hotel?
Of course, I chose to stay.
“I’ve heard that’s a nice place,” I said casually. My tone caused him to smile wider, this time showing a dimple on one side. Once again, I was lost in his eyes.
“Would you like to see for yourself?” His offer was little more than a growl.
In the corner, I saw Jeremy stiffen, and I wanted to hide under the table. The last thing I needed was for the pack’s alpha to be privy to my sex life, especially when it was so clear that he disapproved of sex outside of a mating bond. I snuck another look at him, only to panic as he stood and approached our table.
“Mr. Simon,” Jeremy said, extending his hand to Alexander. “It’s been a while.”
Alexander gave him a smile in contrast to Jeremy’s stern glare. “It is good to see you again, alpha. I was just getting to know a member of your pack better. Mariam has been very welcoming.”
Jeremy’s eyes flashed with anger, and my blush deepened and spread. I pushed my chair out to stand, but my alpha placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I’ll make this simple for you, Alexander. I was looking forward to our meeting tomorrow, but I think it is best that you leave this evening. Please go and collect your things from your hotel room.”
Alexander chuckled and placed some cash on the table. His demeanor was unbothered, but an alpha telling a wolf to leave their territory was serious. He had no option but to go if he wanted to keep his life.
“That’s a shame. Maybe another time, Mariam?” He leaned forward to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. His finger traced my face, falling short of touching my neck when Jeremy bared his teeth.
Alexander held his hands up in mock surrender, his eyes sparkling with humor. He swaggered out the door without looking back.
I ventured a glance up to look at Jeremy. His jaw ticked, betraying his anger, so my eyes returned to the ground. As much as I wanted to believe that I didn’t care what people said about me, what the alpha thought was the one thing that did matter. He had the power to isolate or exile members. I heard from Ella that he even had the ability to require wolves within the pack to mate, which was why I tried to avoid him like the plague. Jeremy could be within his right to bind us together, breaking any true mate bondthat might exist for us with others. At least, that’s what my sister told me.
“Let’s go,” Jeremy growled, helping me to my feet and steering me back to his table. My wolf was alert, knowing instinctually that our alpha was not pleased with us. The emotions warring within her spilled over into me. I tried to soothe her, but I had no idea what was going to happen.
