Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 46: 45

All the anger I felt when I found out about him and Marilyn hit me with an absurd force. I clenched my teeth, lifting my lips and showing him my fangs. I leaned in, assuming the same predatory posture as he did.

"Did you forget that I feel what you feel?" I shouted, overcome with hatred. "I know you had sex with Marilyn! And it wasn't just because she rubbed it in my face at the first opportunity, it was because I felt it. And no, I don't care, but my wolf seems to think otherwise. She was the one who removed the mark, she's the one who's offended by you." He straightened his spine and blinked, surprised. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling the strands back. And something very, very strange happened. He blushed. I felt the citrus taste of his shame.

Fenrir Dăneşti, the arrogant and powerful alpha, was ashamed of his actions. For a moment, I questioned my sanity, if I was actually seeing it. But yes, I was.

A shaky sigh escaped him.

“I’m sorry, Savannah. I didn’t know your wolf felt this way.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Your apology isn’t enough for her,” I said. And it wasn’t. The animal part of me was furious with him, hating him for what he did. Sometimes it would forget and forgive him, but it always brought it up. “But don’t worry about me, I don’t care about you enough to feel any different about it.” I adjusted my tight clothes and pulled my panties down, covering my swollen, wet pussy. I bent down, picking up my book. “I’m… going home,” I warned.

He cleared his throat and closed his hand around his cock, over his jeans, adjusting it, looking uncomfortable. I watched him, arching an eyebrow. I pressed my lips together, trying to hide my satisfied smile. He was excited, dissatisfied, and showing off my recent mark on his neck. This was much better than I had imagined.

“Do you only know how to read this book?” he asked, changing the subject.

“What?” He pointed with his chin to the book in my hands.

“Ever since you got here, you’ve been carrying this same book everywhere.”

“Ah!” I gasped, embarrassed.

I didn’t know he was paying enough attention to me to notice that I only had one book.

“Tell me the truth,” he insisted.

“It’s not that… it’s just… I stole it when I ran away. My father wouldn’t let me read novels, he said they were stupid and that I couldn’t pollute my mind with them.” I held out the book, shaking it. “This one was my first and only, that’s why I carry it everywhere.” He frowned thoughtfully, as if he was expecting any other answer but that one.

" Don't you get tired of always reading the same thing?

I shrugged.

" Lately, I only read my favorite parts. And yes, I have everything memorized, but it's still a way to distract myself and pass the time. It helps, most of the time. — I pointed in the direction of the house. — I'm heading back. I need a hot shower, food, and a bed.

He waved, looking up at the calm water behind me.

" I'm going to take a bath in the lake first — I said, pulling my shirt up over my neck.

I swallowed hard as I stared at his sun-kissed skin and the defined muscles of his abdomen. I looked away, breathing hard.

A part of me, a small, irrelevant part, would love to share the lake with him. I ignored it and nodded, continuing on my way without looking back.

I heard the rustle of his clothes being removed from his body, the thud of his jeans hitting the floor. I could very well turn around and take a peek, but I didn't, I kept going strong.

As I pulled away enough, I could no longer control the smile that spread across my face. It wasn't a silly smile, nor an innocent one. It was a radiant smile that expressed what I felt. My animal part had marked him on purpose, so that Marilyn or anyone else could see, while the two of us remained unmarked. And that, yes, was satisfaction. Besides, of course, my body was tired after the satisfying orgasm he gave me.

***

POV Fenrir Dăneşti

I analyzed the reports from our last exported shipment, satisfied with the results. Our company was growing every day, becoming stronger in the market.

The pack didn't need that much money to survive; it was mostly self-sufficient, and the supplies acquired in town were insignificant compared to the number of members.

Because of our healing power, it was rare that we used medicine, and when necessary, it was provided by Jax. All natural, derived from herbs. The human pharmaceutical industry was toxic to us.

However, everything had to be paid for. Anything any of the wolves bought, whether inside or outside the pack, was paid for. That's how things worked well, and it forced everyone to work to earn a salary at the end of the month.

I rubbed my face, trying to stay focused on the work ahead and ignore the guilt that kept manifesting every time I closed my eyes.

I should never have let myself be carried away by desire. Not again, and especially not by Savannah. But most of all, not in that lake. Right there, of all places.

I was a failure. As a male and as an alpha.

Over three hundred years and I couldn’t control my hormones, letting myself be seduced by a twenty-two-year-old she-wolf. On top of that, I was tarnishing Catalina's image, fucking the little she-wolf in that damn place.

I let out an exasperated sigh and raised the papers before my face, forcing myself to read each line and push any thoughts, other than business, out of my mind. I was finally focused when I smelled the female approaching, invading my office.

She smelled good, but nothing compared to Savannah's scent. It was deep, exotic, even intense, to me.

“Fenrir?” Marilyn called from the door.

I lifted my gaze to her and lowered the reports, pulling my feet from the desk, sitting up straight. I noticed the exact moment she saw Savannah's renewed mark on my neck. Her pupils dilated, and she faltered before stepping forward, confident.

She gritted her teeth, forcing her jaw muscle.

“I have… something to tell you,” she murmured, unable to take her eyes off the mark on my neck.

I couldn’t feel what she felt, as I did with Savannah; that didn’t happen with anyone but the little she-wolf, but her displeasure was quite obvious. Marilyn was furious.

“Please,” I gestured toward the two chairs in front of my desk.

She ignored the chairs, remaining standing, and approached, placing her hands on the back of one.

“At the assembly, you said anyone who had information about Savannah or Hunter should report directly to you.” I nodded in agreement. She continued: “Well, I heard something around...”

I squinted my eyes and leaned in.

“What did you hear, around?”

She licked her lips and shrugged.

“I heard that Hunter regretted ignoring Savannah and wants her back, no matter if she’s marked, because he will force her to perform the ritual.”

I pressed my hands into fists, feeling the anger seep through me and corrode my veins.

“And where did you hear all this?”

“In town.”

They were forbidden to wander among the territories of other wolves, but not to go into town for fun, as long as they stayed discreet and didn't cause trouble.

“I think one of the wolves who came to us let something slip during their stay in town,” she continued, removing her hands from the chair and crossing her arms.

“That’s not going to happen. I’ll kill Hunter before he has a chance to lay a paw on Savannah,” I hissed.

Something flashed through her brown eyes.

“And what if she wants him?” she retorted. “Everyone knows she removed his mark from her neck. She might still love him; after all, they were engaged, they have a past, a history.” I took a deep, slow breath, trying to calm my troubled temper. Imagining Savannah with Hunter caused chaotic reactions in my wolf. The girl said she hated him with all her strength, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that she had shown interest in the ritual. “She could… you know… tell him our secrets. She’s a risk to us,” Marilyn declared.

And as much as I hated her way of thinking, she was right. Besides, Savannah sometimes seemed upset, sad, as if lamenting something. What if she still had feelings for him and was just trying to deceive me?

If she ran, she would tell Hunter all our secrets. She already knew everything: the limit of our territory, how things worked, where our traps were. If Savannah betrayed us, we would be ruined.

But above all, I would be finished. What kind of alpha would I be if I allowed something like that to happen? The elders raised and shaped us not to forgive traitors, but how would that work if the traitor was directly connected to me?

I would never allow that to happen.

I shook my head, letting out a low growl.

It was an absurd idea. Hunter had killed her entire family; why would she run into the arms of the male who caused her ruin? Although, she was upset with me and my affair with Marilyn, she hated the life she led in the pack. They didn’t like her, didn’t respect her, and didn’t trust her. She had no happiness being with us, even though she was forced to stay because she was tied to me.

I rested my elbows on the desk and massaged my temples, trying to ease the stabs that hit me from the stress.

“So, what are you going to do with the information?” Marilyn asked.

“Nothing.”

She huffed and walked around the desk, stopping beside me.

“You know, I was invited again to the party tonight,” she purred in a velvety tone. “We can repeat what we did at the last one, as we always do at these little parties.”