Page 58 of Fated to the Rogue

When I opened my eyes, I found Zephyr staring at me with a horrified expression.

20 | Mark

After my mate ditched me - for good reason - I lost it. I was angry at myself, sad for disappointing her, afraid I was going to lose her. The worst part was, I had no idea how to let my feelings out. As an Alpha, I had been taught that showing emotion was a sign of weakness, and the first time I really wanted to scream and cry, I didn’t know how to do it. Instead, I locked myself in my room, where I just laid on the floor to stare at the ceiling for a good half an hour.

It took Dawn, Malin, Amaya, Zach, and Alex to make me realize not all hope was lost yet. In need of guidance, I called my team into my office, where they proceeded to say I deserved it after ignoring their many warnings. The only one who stood by me was the Beta Female, which shocked me. She also gave me the most useful piece of advice: instead of focusing on my past, I should prove to Valentina that I could be a better man in the future. So, I left to prepare the best date setting in the shortest time possible.

I finished putting everything up in roughly two hours. It took me a few deep breaths to gather the courage to mindlink my mate. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead as I waited for her, but as soon as I laid my eyes on her again, my fears immediately vanished. I was over the moon when she granted me her forgiveness.

My joy soon turned into lust as I got the chance to admire her beautiful naked body over the crimson blanket. The moon shining onto her skin, white and delicate as the most precious lotus flower, as the dandelions danced with the wind around her, was a sight to see. I wanted to paint the image to make sure I would never forget it, but my instinct urged me to claim her.

It wasn’t until I finally had her that I realized how boring sex with other women was. Making love to her was an incomparable experience, and I knew it would become my favorite pastime. Valentina Quill was a drug, and one taste was enough to get me addicted to her. As I was coming back from my high, I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into her skin; brand her as mine forever.

Yet before I could, I was stopped by my she-wolf’s screams, warning me not to mark my fated mate.

“Why the hell not?” I didn’t bother trying to hide the annoyance in my tone.

Marks were sacred among our society, and they could only be placed with the moon-chosen partner’s consent; it couldn’t be forced, as it would heal like a normal wound if it wasn’t accepted. It was how other wolves knew someone was taken, but it meant a lot more than just staking a claim over one’s mate. A fated couple couldn’t be fully connected until they were properly marked. Needless to say, I was more than intrigued to know why I shouldn’t go through with it.

“I…I don’t know.” Her words almost made me scoff, but it didn’t take me long to realize she was genuinely confused. “It just…It doesn’t feel like it’s the right time for that yet.”

“Seems like the perfect time to me.”

“Trust me,” she insisted. It was probably the hardest decision I had to make in my life, but since she had been right every time before, I reluctantly forced my canines to retract.

As soon as my conversation with Dawn was over, I noticed Tina watching me with wide eyes. “Dusk said we shouldn’t mark each other,” she whispered at last.

“Dawn strongly believes so too,” I sighed. There were enough mysteries regarding me, my mate, and our counterparts. For now, I just wanted to celebrate how I had earned Valentina’s trust back and the completion of the mating process. Everything else could be ignored. “Whatever. I’m more than happy that you have given yourself to me, mate. The marking can wait.”

I smiled against her lips, kissing them one last time as I finally pulled out of her. She gasped at the sudden emptiness, and that alone made me want to fill her again. Fighting back my urges, I slowly rose back up to my feet, offering her my hand to help her do the same. Only after making sure she was dressed and steady did I let go of her to put on my trousers.

“We should go back to our room. It’s late, and I don’t wanna risk anyone seeing what’s meant to be mine.” A low rumble echoed in my throat, and I was taken aback by the sense of possessiveness I didn’t know I had.

“Technically, I’m still free game until you mark me, Alpha.” A smart-ass smirk spread over my mate’s lips as she stared defiantly at me.

“Don’t tease me,” I warned her, growling into her ear. My hands traveled down her back to grasp her ass tightly. She moaned, and I joined her with a groan as I realized how perfectly she fit into my hands. “There are other ways I can stake my claim on you. Test me, and I’ll make love to you until my scent is so deep into your skin, all other wolves will know exactly who you belong to from a thousand miles away.”

“We wouldn’t want that, would we?” She chuckled, staring straight into my eyes. No one had ever challenged me like that; of course, my mate would be the first. My mate, who hadbeen pure until a moment ago, yet now seemed infected by an insatiable flame.

“Room. Now,” I ordered, though I wasn’t sure I’d be able to let her sleep any time soon.

***

It felt different to wake up next to Valentina the next morning. Of course, sleeping with her in my arms had always been comforting since the first night we had spent together, but I felt much more connected to her now. I could hear her heart beating as if it was my own, feel her every breath as if it filled my lungs too. If just the completion of the mating process had provided such an intense change, I wondered how it would be once we got to mark each other. Hopefully, our wolves wouldn’t hold it off for too long.

Since my mate was still a little sore from our first time, I decided to ask Mrs. Robinson to bring up our breakfast while I prepared a warm bath for Tina. Once the food arrived, I actually joined her in the bathtub, where we ate together; not the most traditional place to have a meal, but everything was amazing as long as I was in her company.

As I was getting dressed after we left the bathroom, I linked my Beta to ask if he was ready for the long day ahead of us. We usually didn’t work on Saturdays, but a few leaders from other packs had agreed to see us, and we were running out of time to find ourselves some new allies. First, we would be heading to Golden Lake Pack, which was about an hour away from our territory. From there, we would stop by two other packs on the way to our final destination for the day - Blue Creek Pack. They were all smaller than us, but since we didn’t have any luck with larger packs, we figured it would be our best shot.

After talking to Malin, I reached out to Alex to make sure the car was ready. As soon as our connection was cut, my eyeslanded on my mate, who was sporting one of the Delta’s long dresses. Since she was a bit taller and curvier than my fourth-in-command, the fabric gripped her body really tight. I frowned in frustration as I was reminded of how my Luna didn’t even have her own clothes yet.

“We should go shopping tomorrow,” I suggested, catching her attention. “It’s about time we fill your closet with proper attire.”

“Oh.” She blinked a few times, shifting her gaze between me and her outfit. “Is that your not-so-subtle way of saying I don’t look very Luna-like?”

I widened my eyes. “What? N-no, that’s…that’s not what I-”

“Relax, scared kitten.” She chuckled, stepping closer to me to cup the side of my face with her hand. “I’m just messin’ with you.” She winked before walking right past me, heading towards the door.

---