Page 15 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

I wanted desperately to heal her ache, help her uncover the reasons why she had been raised in secret as a human. To help her process these complicated feelings and bring her peace. But I kept my distance for now. I would need to wait until she made it clear she was open to my advances.

“Anyway, what were you saying before, about alphas needing help sometimes with an omega?”

“Ah, yes, about that…”

The bell above the door rang, and I cursed under my breath as Camden stomped in. He shook the snow off his coat, his eyes scanning the room. They widened and a smile grew on his face as he headed over.

Marlowe noticed my gaze and turned around to see what had taken my attention. “That mother fucker…” she whispered.

I growled. “My thoughts exactly.”

“Marlowe, Professor! Fancy seeing you here!”

6

CAMDEN

Ismelled them as soon as I walked in the door.

Archer was my pack mate; I could pick up his scent a mile away. I knew it almost as well as my own. But Marlowe’s pistachio and honey perfume was even stronger than it had been that morning, and her arousal was like a punch to the gut. I wanted Archer to win her over, and with his pretty face and calm personality, I knew he was our best shot. But it wasn’tmebringing out that response in her, and the feeling was more upsetting than I realize it would be.

The pack and I had never dated the same female before – betas weren’t made for that, and despite our best efforts to preserve our shifter ways, the disappearance of omegas and our dwindling numbers inevitably meant human culture was going to creep in. We were raised on the virtues of monogamy, and I had long resigned myself to the idea that I’d be settling down with a beta someday.

Not that betas were bad. I had dated a lot of beta females, and some of them I might have even considered marrying.

But thank the Moon I had never pulled that trigger, because now that this sweet omega had walked into my life, I’d never be able to settle for anything less than her. And that meant learning to share.

The look Archer gave me was positively murderous.

Good. He’d had enough alone time with her tonight.

I’d asked Elias to look up as much information on her as he could after she left his office. She’d gotten a master’s degree from Stanford, so she must be smart. Maybe that was why she seemed to get along with Elias and Archer so well.

But brains didn’t always mean paychecks. I might have looked like the scruffiest out of our pack, but I was actually the wealthiest. Wolfcrest Construction had been started by her dad and mine, and I had been the one in charge of the whole thing for the past few years.

Archer could run a lab, Elias could run a courtroom, and Nolan could run a city council meeting, but me? I ran a multi-million-dollar company. Maybe I couldn’t debate politics or literature, but I certainly wasn’t dumb.

I needed to start over with her, show her I wasn’t a mindless grunt. That I could provide for her, build her a big house with a custom-designed nest, whatever she wanted. Whatever she needed. I’d be her willing slave if she’d let me.

But the look she gave me when she finally found the target of Archer’s glare told me I had a lot of work to do.

“Marlowe, Professor! Fancy seeing you here!”

I sat down next to Marlowe and hid the disappointment on my face when she scooted as far away from me as she could. However, the way she was trying to subtly sniff the air, and the wave of her perfume that followed meant she liked the scent I was giving.

Good.

“Camden,” Archer said through gritted teeth. “I thought we agreed that you needed to give Marlowe some space.”

I ignored him and called to the waitress for a menu. While she made her way over, I looked at the table. “Frozen margaritas? Damn, sounds good.”

I ordered three more, along with a carne asada plate and some nachos.

“So,” I started. “How much of the lesson have I missed, Professor?”

He let out a low growl and I puffed out my chest in amusement. Riling him up was too easy.

“Why do you call him ‘professor’?” Marlowe asked.

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