Bite Marks

Pheromones

I was babbling and apparently I had no filter. Where was the fear and aversion I had felt toward Kane?

Before I could take my next breath it was my turn to be pushed down into the bed. Kane's weight settled on top of me in a span of seconds. The hard warmth of his erection again pressed into me. A purr formed deep in my throat.

"So you like this huh?"

The hard on in question was being ground into my belly and I sucked in a gasp. Kane's voice had dropped lower than I had ever heard it, his words punctuated by a low growl.

Before I could respond Kane lowered his lips to my neck. Any words I might have spoken were frozen in my throat. His hand slid down my side. I tensed remembering Miguel's hand following that same path.

Just as suddenly as it had started his weight left me. I let out a sigh.

"The hell?"

I finally managed. The memory of Miguel retreated when he did. He ran a hand through his hair. I wanted to do the same, but figured I should keep my hands to myself. A relationship with Kane was the absolute last thing I need for more reasons than I could count. Aidan!

The embarrassment, of forgetting about Aidan was severe. I had never been a cheater, and even though Aidan hadn't actually said we were official, I knew that musing on titillating thoughts about Kane was bad. It wasn't right to Aidan, and it said something about how absolutely fucked up I was that I could even imagine anything intimate after almost being raped less than twenty-four hours ago.

"That was a mistake, it's hard to control myself around you right now. Even though you haven't completed your first change in its entirety you're throwing around enough pheromones to have every male wolf in a fifty mile radius trying to mate with you."

"Excuse me mate? I'm still playing catch up here. So you're not a crazy cultist, you're werewolves... Well I guess being a werewolf doesn't necessarily mean you aren't the leader of a cult but I digress. And apparently I too am a werewolf... never thought I would say that out loud... but now, you're telling me I basically smell like sex on a stick and all the other werewolves want to mate with me!?"

I was trying to be cavalier about this whole thing because I had decided in my bathroom meltdown that one of two things was going to happen. Scenario A. I was going to wake up any minute (probably in bed next to Jason knowing my luck) and bullshitting around about the werewolf stuff would be a moot point anyways. Or B. I was a werewolf, and it didn't seem like that was going to change any time soon so again bullshitting around would be pointless. Really it just boiled down to the fact that I wasn't one to bullshit around. It was what it was.

"When a female has her first change, she begins giving off pheromones, similar to a dog in heat. These are meant to attract the strongest mate. The stronger the females pheromones are the stronger the mate she will attract.

A weak female will give off weak pheromones, and the stronger male wolves will have a much easier time resisting the urge to mate than the weaker males will. Being a werewolf is all about control. The more you have the stronger you are. And I have a lot of control Cassie, but you're making me lose my mind. I don't think that you can leave the house for a few weeks."

Kane seemed apologetic, but there was no way I was staying cooped up in this ridiculous mansion.

"So you're telling me that I'm going to smell like this until I mate?"

I was still skeptical about this pheromone business. I resisted the urge to give myself a sniff.

"Well, not necessarily. Werewolf mating isn't quite like what you would read about in a fictional book. There's no mating bond at first sight. Fate isn't really involved in the process, because even though we do have animal instincts we are humans too. When a wolf finally settles down and mates, it is for life, and a mating bond does occur, but because we are people we like to make sure we are compatible first.

If you smelled a little less delicious it would probably happen like that, but Cassie, I've never smelled anything like you. I'm not sure you wouldn't drive a lesser wolf mad with lust."

Kane seemed sincere, but I still wasn't completely sure what I thought about this, there had to be female werewolves out there who were single! I mean come on it was the 21st century for crying out loud. I could be a strong independent werewolf who didn't need no mate.

"Okay so you're telling me I have to mate with one of you assholes?"

"We are not assholes," Kane growled at me angrily. "I don't let my wolves run wild like some of the other packs. We are disciplined and civil. But no you don't have to mate, you can wait the pheromones out, but if you do that, you have to be ready to fight off the males around this time every year. It's unnatural for a wolf not to mate, so your body will keep trying to form the bond."

"Fucking fantastic. What do you mean fight off the males?"

"A female will only mate with a wolf of equal or greater strength to her, but that doesn't mean that weaker wolves won't try, until the female asserts her dominance."

"Well, shit. What does asserting my dominance consist of?"

"Normally just a fight until the other party dies, or yields," Kane explained slowly. Trying to gauge my reaction to all of this new information.

Before I could respond there was a knock on the door and one of the many body guard types walked in.

"Boss I- oh sorry I didn't know there was anyone else..." he trailed off as his eyes glazed over, and his nostrils widened as he inhaled. Time slowed down as he began growling. I sucked in a breath, and then he lunged.