Chapter 11

AYRA




"Sawyer and Shane are trying out to be part of the Pack Enforcers," Reese said as we moved down the produce aisle.




It had been two weeks since Ishmael had tried to help me recover my memories, and during that time frame, I'd tried out some other potions. None of them worked, so I finally gave up.




It was pointless, anyway. It only put more stress on Ishmael, but the sorcerer didn't seem to mind. He promised to track down the sorcerer who put the lock on my memories even after I'd asked him not to.




"Good luck to them. Right now, my brain is fried from the excessive work Kimberly and I have to go through."




"You wanted the job," Reese pointed out.




"Yeah. It helps to keep me busy, but at the end of the day, it leaves me feeling like shit from how tired I am. I don't know how Kimberly does it. She never looks like she's tired."




"I've heard orgasms are great stress relief. You should try it sometime," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "You've got someone who can help scratch the itch close by. Grab the opportunity."




"I am not having sex with you-know-who," I said, conscious of my surroundings.




Rumors flew fast around here, and with their enhanced hearing, the residents had no trouble picking up a new subject for their gossip. Mentioning Nathaniel's name in an open place like this would be a recipe for disaster. It wouldn't take long before the news that I was fucking their Alpha circulated.




"How do you know I'm talking about you-know-who? I could be talking about Seth."




I tossed some vegetables into the shopping cart. "Yeah, right. Seth doesn't talk to me anymore."




I found that strange seeing as we didn't have much interaction in the beginning. Everything had changed drastically after the day he'd ignored me in the guesthouse.




I tried to initiate conversations between us when I visited, but all my attempts failed. Soon enough, I gave up on trying. If he had something bugging him, that was on him. We didn't have to like each other, anyway.




"He's nursing a broken heart. You turned him down, and within twenty-four hours, news about you and the Alpha spread like wildfire. Now that you live with the Alpha, the rumors have gotten more graphic."




"Right. Just because two people live together, it does mean that they're having sex."




"Many of the people here are werewolves. Sex is a norm for them. They don't see it as a big deal. To them, it's not farfetched if there are rumors about you having sex with the Alpha. It's something that is natural and celebrated."




She had a point. When she-wolves went into heat, they had an unquenchable sexual itch that needed to be scratched. If they weren't mated, they could pick a partner. That didn't make others paint her as loose. It was something biological, after all.




Planning the Blood Moon Festival had given me time to learn more about how the ceremony worked, and I knew for sure that sex was a big thing during the time of the festival. It was unavoidable, especially for newly mated werewolves.




"That doesn't justify Seth's coldness. It doesn't bug me, per se, but it just aggravates me that he's mad about it. He could've asked. Even if the rumors are true, he has no right to get mad. I didn't make any promises to him."




Reese chuckled. "You try telling that to a werewolf with a bruised ego. I understand what you're saying. Entanglements can be quite messy"




"Tell me about it."




We'd moved to another aisle by now, and as I was going through the mental list in my head, Reese gasped.




"What is that on your collarbone?"




Shit. I'd done a good to in hiding the mark from everyone else, but I must have forgotten about it this morning. I threw on a baggy shirt when I woke up, so the neckline must have slipped down enough for Reese to see the bite mark.




"It's nothing," I said, yanking the neckline up.




"Ayra, when did this happen? Did the Alpha put the mark on your neck?"




I silenced her with a glare. "Why don't we leave first before we talk about this?"




"Come on. Let's go pay for the groceries."




We were out of the store in record time and inside the car.




"Go on," Reese urged as she started up the car.




"Listen, it's nothing. It's just some stupid bite mark."




"I know what it is. Who put it there? Was it the Alpha?"




"Yes. It's been there for a while now."




Reese took her attention off the road. "Oh, my goodness. Why did you hide it from us for so long?"




"Eyes back on the road," I said, sternly. "I didn't say anything because it's not important."




"Not important? The Alpha marked you! I don't think he has marked anyone before. Even if he did, their marks must have faded a long time ago. I don't think he has, though. They'd have bragged about it."




"I don't know what goes on in Nathaniel's head, but this mark on my neck doesn't have a sexual attachment to it. It happened in his office during an argument."




She fanned herself with her hand. "So hot. Did you two do the dirty?"




"I just said the mark doesn't have any sexual attachment to it."




"So, he just… marked you? Doesn't make sense. He must have felt something. He wouldn't have marked you otherwise."




"I don't know, Reese."




"I can't wait for the girls to see it. They'll be over the moon."




"Of course. At this point, one would think he marked all of us."




"Silly. He's all yours."




"All mine." I snorted, throwing my head back against the headrest. I had to prepare myself for the screams and giggles when we got home.




***




"What's wrong, Nikki? Why did you bring me into the bathroom?" I asked with a lowered voice.




I figured she didn't want anyone to hear our conversation since she locked us in the bathroom.




"What is that on your collarbone?" She murmured.




My brows bunched together in confusion. "It's a bite mark."




"I know it's a bite mark. What type of mark is that?"




"Okay, now you've lost me. What are you getting at?"




"That is not a werewolf mark."




"How so?"




"Have you seen Kim and Reese's marks? It's on their necks, not their collarbones. It's more delicate-looking if that's explanation enough, and most importantly, it's red. Yours is black, and it almost looks like a thorn-like tattoo."




"Really? I never noticed. Maybe this one is different because we're not mates?"




"No. All werewolves put their marks on the neck, and it's always red. It's the same with everyone, mated or not."




"Did he not mark Sandra? Was hers like this?" I asked.




"I don't think he marked her. She would have broadcasted that shit for everyone to see. He might have staked a temporary claim on her, but that was it."




"So, what do you think this is? Why is Nathaniel's mark different?"




"There's only one answer I can give to that. A different creature marked you."




"No. It was Nathaniel. I saw him."




"Ever heard of a hybrid before?"




"So, you're saying Nathaniel is more than just a werewolf?"




"Yes," she confirmed with a nod. "The girls must have missed the difference out of excitement."




I took a look at the mark in the mirror. It did look different, but I never thought much of it. Nathaniel had a lot of questions to answer, and I wasn't taking no for an answer.




***
"I need to speak with you," I said, drawing the attention of everyone in Nathaniel's home office. Well, everyone except the one person I came here for.




There were about ten men in the office, but I could only recognize Kai and Logan from the bunch. Their uneasy stares bounced between me and Nathaniel, but they said nothing.




"It's urgent," I added when he kept looking at whatever file had his attention.




"Kai, do another check by the borders with Spencer, Patrick, Andino, and Sky first thing in the morning. If you're feeling too risky, head back to the building and see if there are any signs of the Nighthowler. If there are any clues, don't act on them. Bring them back to me and I'll handle everything myself.




"Logan, Chase, and Theo will deal with the tryouts by the end of the week. We should have a handful of people join the team by next week. Trey and Ryan continue picking apart the components of the poison. If you're successful, finding a cure shouldn't be that difficult. That way, we won't have to worry about the poison affecting us. That will be all for today. Get to work."




"Yes, Alpha," they chorused before making their way out, closing the door behind them.




"You're seriously going to ignore me?"




"You have my attention now. What's so urgent that you had to interrupt my meeting?" He asked calmly, straightening up the files on his desk.




"What are you?" I questioned. If I wasn't looking closely, I wouldn't have noticed the way his hands tensed up on his desk. "You're more than just a werewolf, aren't you?"