Alpha Charming | Rheon

SEVENTEEN

"The lime, the lime, the lime!" Someone shoved the slice into my hand, and I popped the entire thing in my mouth. "Not what I meant, but I like your energy."

Rheon was patting my back and holding back my hair until the coughing ceased. I imagined what I must look like to him; red-faced with my mascara smeared everywhere. His eyes held concern once I looked at him. "Are you alright?"

"That..." I cleared my throat, "...that was disgusting."

"You've passed initiation." Seren clapped her hands and slipped out of the booth, "Next round's my turn. Any requests?"

Most of them asked for a regular beer while I stuck to cider, which was all my mother allowed me to drink before I turned twenty-one. Once we all had a drink in hand, the group disbanded. Craig joined the chatter at the bar, Seren and Victor challenged Reyna and Alexander to a game of darts, which left me with Rheon.

My heart missed a beat when he draped his arm across the back of my seat. His cologne invaded my senses and I found myself actually scooting closer to him. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alex wrapping his arms around Reyna from behind while she aimed a dart at the board, catching her off guard. She shrieked as he attacked her neck with kisses and nibbles, hardly caring if anyone saw them.

Alex's words from yesterday repeated in my head. 'All I know is the moment I laid eyes on Reyna; I loved her. It's just how we are.'

Since then, there was a question I was burning to ask, and thanks to the tequila and the cider in my hand, I had the confidence to ask it, "Tell me about the mark. How does it work?"

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I swear I saw a pink tint on his cheeks which he quickly covered by taking a sip of beer. "It's... a long story."

"And judging by the way Craig's talking to those men at the bar, I'd say we're gonna be here a while." I knew I had won when the look of utter defeat dawned on him.

"Where to start?" he muttered and fiddled with the coaster on the table, "The mark is basically something we do to our mates to show other wolves they're taken. Usually, it's the male who marks the female, and it's done by biting their neck which leaves a mark that lasts forever."

"Like a permanent love bite?"

"Something like that. After the male has marked his mate, their bond is enhanced, and they feel more drawn to each other than ever. My mother and father, for example, can feel each other's emotions and share their thoughts with one another. And..." he cleared his throat awkwardly, "...and with the mark, it becomes nearly impossible for mates to resist each other."

My brows nearly flew through the roof as I swallowed a mouthful of cider. "You mean..."

He nodded.

Blood rushed to my cheeks at the explicit thoughts that came to mind.

"The only reason why Reyna and Alexander weren't screwing each other against every wall, was because he had marked her months before the wedding. They went on an early honeymoon to get it out of their systems for the castle's sake."

My hands covered my burning cheeks to cool them off - I will never be able to unsee what was playing off in my head. Glancing over my shoulder at the newlyweds, I searched Reyna's neck for any bite marks but found none. "But I don't see any marks on her neck."

Rheon breathed a laugh and said, "Well, we werewolves try to blend with humans as best as we could. Overly large bite marks in our women's necks tend to draw attention, so we try marking them where they can cover it."

At that moment, Reyna strutted past us with Alexander on her heels to get another drink. She paused at our table, leaning down to whisper, "Alex marked me on the inside of my thigh." With a wink, they continued their trip to the bar.