Nathan follows Audrey to the Sullivan back yard where the party has resumed for the second time. Her hand is grasping his, pulling him forward and all he wants to do is to yank her back into his arms. His need for her is overwhelming. He can feel her emotions and her wolf is constantly at the back of his mind, telling him things Audrey couldn't bring herself to say. Her scent is mixed with his and every time he breathes in, he can smell it and his pride swells. She's all his and he wants nothing more than to drag her home and ravish her raw. Unfortunately, being the next Iota has her running around making decisions and being her mate means he gets dragged along.
He doesn't mind becoming the next Kappa. He'd prefer to be in charge of the army but being Kappa has its advantages too. It just means more responsibility and a bigger pack to run - the entire Wolf Country. He's not intimidated by the title like Audrey. He can tell she's hiding her insecurities about it but he doesn't blame her for having them. She hasn't run a pack let alone a country and she probably isn't aware of how much work it can be taking care of one hundred wolves alone. That's why he's here though. He knows that no matter what, she is his priority and anything she wants to work on, he'll do all he can to support her.
When did he become such a girl?
Audrey's blue eyes look at him and he mentally freezes. Those crystal eyes have him enchanted, completely under their control. She could ask him anything and he'd do it with one look from her. His little mate is going to be the death of him.
She pulls him to a stop and he wraps his arms around her. He can hear the praises from his pack as they look at the two with hidden smiles and smirks and he can't help but feel powerful knowing he has their support and he has Audrey's acceptance.
Ralph and Roman are in the middle of a vicious fight. He can hear Moore and Sullivan wolves cheering on each one as they look with excitement and amusement. Gavin and his mate stand close by, watching with cautious eyes for anything that might get out of hand. Simon, he realizes is nowhere to be found. But Luke hangs up on his cell phone and is walking towards them.
"Blaze and Jasper won't get here until tomorrow night." Luke reports with a frown. "The other alphas will be here in the morning or so Simon says."
"That's fine." Audrey's sweet voice replies, leaning back against Nathan. He nuzzles her neck, leaving feathered kisses. The taste of her skin is becoming his favorite flavor and if he thought he suffocated from her scent before, he was dead wrong. It's what he lives off of now. He needed it at all times.
"What did you decide? Where do you want to build your castle?" Luke smirks at Nathan, his eyes running over how his arms are wrapped around Audrey. Nathan glares at him but keeps his growl to himself.
"From my house," He says. "The Moore pack has enough strength to keep off any attackers and protect their Iota and Luna."
"I don't doubt it." Luke chuckles. "With my pack joining them soon, a small army will be defending your castle, my lady."
Audrey snorts. "Small? Have you seen how many Moore wolves there are? Everyone here is just a small fraction of it."
Nathan smirks. "There's over three hundred right now. Once the Crowe pack comes, there will be over five hundred wolves under my name."
Luke whistles. "And most of those are warrior wolves. I think staying at the Moore pack house will be great for you, Audrey. A guaranteed safe house."
Gasps filled the party atmosphere and Nathan looks ahead. He can feel Audrey tense in front of him as they watch her brother pummel Roman without mercy. Roman viciously continues to fight back and it looks like the amusement of it all has left.
"He's such a jerk." Audrey comments, letting out a loud sigh. Nathan tightens his hold on her, engulfing her in his warmth and she relaxes against him. "What happened to the pack that was attacking?"
Nathan tenses as Luke's eyes lock on his but he quickly manages to come up with an explanation without explaining the gruesome details. "They were taken care of. It was a short little spat with a few surrenders. Nothing compared to what's going to hit us soon, I'm sure."
Nathan can feel Audrey's suspicion growing. She knows Luke too well and can see that he's holding back some things. Nathan doesn't mind sharing everything with her but at this time, she has enough stress and he remembers she wasn't that great at war in the first place. Part of him fears of disappointing her if she finds out he killed Alpha Tate and most of the Tate pack was taken out by Melissa's pack with a little help from his own. The other half has faith that she'd understand. They grew up around warfare and it won't go away so easily.
Audrey glances at him as he leans forward to steal a kiss. She frowns and he can tell she knows that he's trying to distract her but he doesn't give up. His fingers falls under her shirt, touching her skin at the hip and he feels goose bumps rise on her arms. Smirking, he steals another kiss and she lets it go, leaning back into him and looking back at Luke.
"Then they were after us?" She asks.
"Not anymore." Luke shrugs. "Simon should be around here somewhere. He deliberately sent them towards us and I'm going to kick his ass for it."
"Don't worry about it." Audrey shrugs. "Most likely, he would've taken care of it himself but he felt too lazy and wanted to leave the hard work up to others."
Nathan frowns. "You think he could've taken on the entire pack by himself?"
She stares at him for a moment. her brain running with her own thoughts and then smiles. "Simon's pretty relentless. He's found himself in that situations lots of times."
"I don't like how you know that." Luke mutters and Nathan agrees. He moves his arms to hold her more securely, feeling his protective instincts rising and he rests his head on her shoulder, whispering against her ear.
"Please tell me that he did not put you in that situation."
"He didn't put me anywhere. He just showed up and defended me, is all. Ralph knows about it. That's the only reason he hasn't destroyed Simon. You know he wouldn't mind putting me in a few days shock worth if it got rid of someone he finds annoying. He just goes around pretending I'm the reason and Simon plays along for the sake of things." She argues, shivering from how close Nathan is. He enjoys making her feel like this. But right now, he's pissed that she was in a danger position before.
"Just how many times have you been in danger, Audrey?"
"Counting the time when you almost killed me or since then?" She asks. Nathan feels a sharp pain stab him and his inner beast whimpers at the back of his mind. Looking at her, he finds that she isn't angry but annoyed and he finds some comfort in that.
He doesn't regret his actions then. The idea of killing her makes him suicidal but back then, he was doing the right thing for his pack, regardless if she was his mate or not. Back then, he didn't care about finding his mate. He was focused solely on the war and expanding his territory for the pack's sake and she was just a prisoner who ended up escaping. He doesn't regret trying to stop her even if it meant he was going to hurt her. He's just glad it didn't happen and that fate got in the way of it. He's not happy about the scars she received or the wounds she got from that night, regardless if he delivered them personally or not. If he could go back knowing who she was, he wouldn't have gone through with it but then Audrey wouldn't be who she is today and he likes her spitfire attitude with him.
Still, it does pain him to know that he's caused her wounds but she doesn't look like she holds it against him.
"All times," He answers.
"Well, let's see." She starts. "There's the time my parents were killed. The time the Holts were killed except Roman."
Nathan lets a warning growl. Just hearing his name pisses him off.
"There's the time when Sullivan pack went to war with that small other pack," Luke adds. "Then the Moore pack, then rogues, then Blaze and Jasper went and pissed off another alpha."
"Yes," Audrey sighed. "That was irritating."
"Why is it that you seem to be friendly with all of these other male wolves?" Nathan brusquely asks, tired of hearing how many times she's been put in danger. It would all stop with him anyway. He won't let her witness it anymore. Audrey gives him her sweet smile and shrugs, making him want to forget about the entire thing and kiss her senseless. Luke's chuckling keeps him in check though.
"I told you, Moore." He starts. "She has powerful friends."
"When did you tell him that?"
"Before our date - the first one with the Italian food." He explains and Nathan growls at the memory.
"Aw, don't worry. I'll be sure to ask your permission first before I take her for date three, future Kappa." Luke teases before adding in a not so secretive whisper. "That's when I'll make my move."
Audrey laughs, a sound that rings and echoes in Nathan's ears moments after she's done. Because of it, his glare towards the other alpha is lessened and Luke is still smirking at him like he won another one of Nathan's Camaros. Audrey kisses his cheek, warmth spreading from it down his neck and spine. He wonders if her new mark still aches and gets an idea. He leans over and softly kisses it. Audrey tenses and he has a feeling she's biting her lip again. He can sense that kissing his mark sends her nerves a signal that has her heart racing like wolf paws on soft earth. Letting a low growl escape him as he enjoys the sound, his tongue brushes over it. Her hand grips his arm, warning him and he stops with a smirk against her skin.
"That was rude." She mutters as he discovers Luke's left them. Chuckling, he kisses along her jawline, letting his teeth tug every now and then.
"Sorry," He chuckles, leaving another kiss under her earlobe. "I can't help myself."
"Well, learn to control it. We're being watched by everyone here - asides from Ralph beating Roman." She chides and he chuckles.
"Well, why don't we just go home then?"
"But what about-"
"There's nothing else we need to do today." He argues, turning her so he can face her properly. "The other packs won't get here until tomorrow along with those two others and all that needed to be taken care of today has been taken care of. With the exception of one thing."
She frowns at him. "What?"
With a smirk, he leans forward so that she will be the only one to hear him. "You need to mark me."
Her face turns pink and she avoids looking at him, opting to stare at his chest instead. He ties his hands at her back, pressing her against him. Her hands rest on his chest and he waits for to calm down enough to say something. He loves that he can do this now.
Before, he appalled the idea of it. Watching Luke only pissed him off and his own little moments with her meant nothing to him. But before he knew it, his mind was imagining holding her like this, keeping her in his arms and out of reach from anyone else. He imagined being able to freely do all the things he wants to do and now that he can, he doesn't plan on stopping.
If he only he can get her to the damn bedroom to finish what he started.
"You're not mad about that?" She timidly asks, blinking up at him from under her lashes. He shakes his head.
It's a lie. Of course he's mad about it. He's pissed that his mark didn't mean shit. He's pissed that while it kept other unmated wolves away from her, his mark did little to claim her because she's royalty. It's a stab at his alpha prowess and it hits his pride hard.
But Audrey is his and his alone. And he's not going to let some other pup take her mark, not when he's right here. The sooner she does it, the sooner his mark will overpower her and will finally be the true mark it should be, regardless of her rank. The sooner he gets her to mark him, the sooner his will be permanent and he needed it to be permanent. He won't rest until it is at this point.
Audrey's frowning at him. She can see he's lying but he hopes she understands he's trying. In the end, she lets it go and rests her face against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. His nerves jolted. He can feel every curve pressing up against him as he holds her. She's so tiny compared to him, it's almost like she's fragile and to him, she is. She's the most important thing now and he'd do anything to keep her in his arms like this where he can guarantee her safety.
At the same time, her intoxicating scent and her soft, warm body pressing against his is making it really hard to control his urges. Before, he thought it was hard but now that she's accepted his mark, he's more aware of her. He can hear her heart, her blood rushing through her veins. He can sense her emotions and her trail of thoughts. He can sense all of the little things: every jolt of her nerves when he touches her, every jump of her heart when he's near. His want for her increased tenfold in the last four hours than it has all week and if he didn't get her home, away from prying eyes soon, she would have to deal with the risk of getting caught.
"Is it really okay that we leave though?" She mumbles, breathing in his scent. He chuckles.
"Audrey, you're Iota. I'm pretty sure no one is going to stop you."
"Exactly. Shouldn't I stay here at least until things go back to normal?"
Nathan sighed with annoyance. She looks up at him and he doesn't hold back his alpha force. "As your alpha, I'm ordering you to go home with me."
She blinks and then forms a smirk herself. "And what if I decline as your Iota?"
"Then as your future Kappa, I'll force you."
Without waiting for an answer, he throws her over his shoulder and turns away from the party. He can hear Leon groan as Millis is cheering in front of him, obviously having a bet on him and Audrey and the rest of the party whistles and laughs as they watch him drag his mate towards his beta's car. He stops in front of Leon who glares at him while digging in his pockets.
"Couldn't last just two more hours, could you?" He scowls, dropping his keys in Nathan's hand. Nathan ignores him, giving off his own smirk.
"Make sure the pack behaves, Leon."
"Leon!" Audrey screams at him while Nathan starts to walk away. "Don't let my brother do anything cruel! Keep an eye on Simon! Make sure he doesn't leave! No more bets on us, okay? And for Fenrir's sake, Nathan! Put me down! I'll walk on my own!"
"No," Nathan argues simply turning to face his beta. "Ignore all of the Iota's requests. Just make sure the pack gets back together and do whatever the fuck you want."
"Nathan Moore!"
Nathan didn't hold it to himself to not smack her ass. Her gasp amused him and he turns his head, kissing her exposed thigh thanks to the short shorts she's wearing. She jerks, letting out a low growl.
"Put me down, Nathan."
"Gladly." Nathan drops her to her feet, trapping her between the opened passenger door of Leon's car and his own body. She glares up at him, her eyes lighting a fire deep in his gut.
This is what he always imagined. Pissing her off before ravaging her until she forgives him. But he hasn't got her the way he wants just yet.
Pressing himself towards her, she backs up until she stumbles inside. He smirks and leans forward, kissing her cheek. She opens her mouth to say something but he slams the door on her and makes his way towards the driver's side. Getting in, he can see she's fuming.
"Nathan Moore," She starts calmly. He ignores her, starting the car and speeding off of the Sullivan pack house property and onto the opened dirt road that leads up to it. He can sense her anger growing with him and he holds back his chuckle.
"Audrey," He starts, glancing over at her. She's staring out the window, her arms folded in front of her, announcing the presence of her chest well. He mentally groans as he further takes her in. Her long legs are crosses and her leg is twitching again. He's learned it as a habit of hers when she's anxious or annoyed. His bet is annoyed right now. Reaching over, he grips her bare leg and she jumps, glancing at him. He focuses on the road, enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his as he rubs her thigh.
"Stop it." She snaps and he sees her move to try and push his hand off. He squeezed his grip, crawling further up her thigh, towards her hip. "Nathan."
She has a warning tone. He can't help but want to test it. He blinks at her, his face as impassive as possible. "Yes, mate?"
Her cheeks tint pink and he finally lets out a smirk. Her blue eyes turn to their zaffre hue and his inner wolf grumbles his approval. The beast loves that shade. Nathan does too but if he's honest, her sweet azure, crystal like eyes were his favorite. He wonders what shade her eyes will be once she's under him.
"You're pissing me off." She glares, letting out a growl. Nathan chuckles, speeding up once they're on the high way.
"What are you going to do? Bite me?" He teases. Her blush becomes more prominent. He doesn't hold back his chuckle. Continuing his massage, he glances back at her. "Come here."
She blinks at him. "You're driving."
"I didn't ask."
Her eyes narrow at him but she complies and leans over the middle, pressing her chest against his arm. His grip on her leg tightens and he steals a kiss from her. She kisses back but he can tell she really struggled doing it. She's trying not to fall for his charms. He smirks as he quickly glances at the road and then kisses her again. His teeth takes her lower lip and he bites on it softly, earning a soft gasp in return. He has her where he wants her.
He pulls back, removing his hand and staring intently back at the road, trying not to look entertained. He can feel Audrey staring at him, burning the side of his face but he doesn't turn to look at her.
Her fury ignites.
The rest of the ride is in silence. Slowly, he can feel Audrey's emotions build and build as he continues to ignore her presence. He doesn't take her for a fool. He's sure she knows what he's doing. It's probably her pride that's raging her emotions as she thinks of his actions. Knowing her, she's trying hard to ignore him but her senses are just as high as his and it's making it difficult to let it go. Frustration builds and soon, he'll have his angry Audrey to ravish until dawn.
His pack house comes into view and he pulls the car to a stop. Audrey doesn't wait and immediately hops out. He watches as she stomps her way inside, ignoring the few wolves that were sitting on the porch welcoming her as their Luna. He laughs as he cuts off the engine and gets out with a weightless feeling he hasn't felt in a long time. He leaves Leon's keys in his car and makes his way towards the house. His wolves greet him with grins and one of the elders shakes his head at him, able to tell what kind of situation is happening. Nathan ignores him and walks in.
Audrey straightens as she talks with Jenna. He can see she's trying her best to be civil but her anger with him is making it difficult. Purposely, he winks at her and she scoffs before storming off towards the stairs. He has her exactly where he wants her now.
"You're playing with fire, Nathan." Jenna greets him and he laughs.
"A fire that's all mine to play with." He replies and leaves her before she can say anything to ruin his mood. Instead, he hears her laughing lightly after him and he takes the stairs two at a time.
Audrey is in the closet, throwing her things around. He can't tell whether she's packing or unpacking but either way, he doesn't care. Her growls and mutterings makes him laugh and he leans against the door frame, watching her as she straightens herself and looks up at him. Her eyes are alight with fury and it makes his body throb for her.
"Don't even think about!" She hisses, pointing her finger at him. He looks at it for a moment and then, before she can defend herself, he grabs it and pulls her towards him. Her body shivers from his touch and he nuzzles against her neck. His inner beast at at the edge, wanting to break through and take her himself. Nathan holds him back, running his fingers up her arm and enjoying the rise of goose bumps. He wants her to enjoy this just as much as he does.
"Think about what?" He mutters, kissing her throat and moving her back towards the wall. He has her trapped now but her hands are already resting on his shoulders and she's already allowing him more access to her neck as he continues his sampling.
Her breath is shaky as he presses himself against her and her hands have traveled to the back of his head, where they run through his hair sending pleasuring signals through his body. His hands lift her up and her legs wrap around him instantly as she gasps.
"I'm still pissed." She breathily states, pulling him away from her neck. Her eyes are hazy with want and pleasure but he can still see her anger. They're practically glowing and he finds himself emitting a growl of approval.
"I know." He takes her lips, not allowing her another word of argument for the rest of the night.