I swallowed the lump in my throat as the Alpha's presence loomed over the table. The others around the table only raised their heads once a greeting of "Alpha" escaped their mouths. I pursed my lips, turning my attention to Eve who gave me a wide eyed look. I frowned at her when she darted her eyes between the two of us persistently.

With a sigh, I turned my eyes back up to the Alpha to find him already staring down at me. His face was stern, yet I could see the signs of agitation in the way he was clenching his jaw. I remained silent, and I knew he didn't like that but I refused to give him my compliance when I didn't want to be here. I felt a surge of confidence against him, and knew that the strange magic hold he had on me meant he wasn't going to hurt me. I had felt it the first time I lay eyes on him and I knew it now, deep in my gut.

I always trust my gut.

"Ailia..." Eve cautioned.

I rolled my eyes, dismissing the Alpha again as I looked to her. This resounded in another growl, one that had me jump slightly from its pitch.

"Ailia." His voice rumbled, causing a strange wave of pleasure to run down my spine. "You do not ignore your Alpha."

His voice was deep, raspy and practically pornographic evidence to my ears. But what he said also caused my anger to hitch up a notch, barely tangible but hiding in the shadows. I looked back to him, lowering my eyebrows to a glare.

"You are not my Alpha." I spoke sternly.

His lip curled in a snarl; his eyes dark in colour. I wonder why the blue always disappeared, he was a lot more attractive with blue eyes. His hair was messy and wild on his head, probably from the hunt that Eve told me about. Crazed wolf-man out hunting bears; he was basically suicidal.

"I am your Alpha. You reside in my pack, so you respect your Alpha." He snapped.

Dammit why was his angry voice so damn hot? I would never win an argument if this is how he spoke all the time. It sent rumbles in my chest, a pool of warmth between my legs. He had to be part warlock, or wizard, or whatever it was, because this cannot be normal. The power I felt from him, the emotions I detected from his mere presence, were not normal. I am human, he is a wolf; it could not happen.

With my body betraying me, I felt the rising flood of emotions over take my mind. I didn't want to be here, and quite frankly this spell he had me under was making me feel out of sorts. I didn't like the numbness he gave my mind, the way his harsh glare seemed to somehow still make me feel comforted. I didn't like the control he had, and it was causing my anxiety to sky rocket.

So with a bubbling pot of anger in my stomach, I rose from my chair. Hands placed firmly on the wooden table top, I glared right back at the man who apparently would not hurt me.

"Well, perhaps I do not want to be here, did Alpha think about that?" I quipped, glaring at him.

There were small shocks of surprise, but he didn't react. He held my gaze, crossing his arms against his chest as though he was trying to distract me. It worked of course, my eyes falling to the bulging muscle only caused me to curse internally. He was going to break my resolve.

With a huff, I pulled my legs from the table and stumbled out of the picnic bench. He didn't react to my outburst, and that only seemed to rile me on even more. I stood opposing him now, and the tension was undeniable amongst the other wolves who watched with bated breaths. I only came to the man's shoulder, meaning I had to tilt my head up right to glare at him.

With gritted teeth, I leaned into him, poking his chest. I tried hard to ignore the way a warm current flowed up my arm, but a small shudder passed along my shoulders. I was going to test his resolve, see if this man truly was as harmless as people said he would be to me.

"You do not get to control me." I whispered into his face.

Up this close, his scent was invigorating. I inhaled it greedily, a musky spice that reminded me of a heavy wooded forest. My lips parted, my body reacting to his rugged handsomeness. With fascination, I watched as the darks of his eyes shifted, swirling with colour until the deep blue was back. My breath hitched as he leaned closer to me, his nose almost touching my own.

"You are mine." He mumbled.

I shivered, uncontrollably so, when his breath caressed my cheek and lips. The tension grew stronger but I found myself hesitating my answer, too obsessed by those eyes and his smell. I mean, in another world, I would not mind being this man's thing...

I blinked, my eyelashes brushing my cheeks as I thought to come up with a retort to his softly spoken words.

"I..."

The ghost of a smile quirked on his lips and I licked my own in response.

"I...."

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smirked at me for not having a reply.

"I...and I am married!" I huffed, stepping away.

There. That'll do it, I thought smugly.

However, my retort did not have the desired effect. His smirk dropped from his face, his lips pulling back into a snarl. I had no time to think before his hand darted out to grab me from moving. I gasped in alarm when he locked his fingers around my shoulder. The warmth spread across my skin like a fire when he pulled me to him, before moving to cup the back of my head and make me look up at him.

"You will do best to not remind me of your previous endeavours." He snarled, causing me to flinch. "You are my human."

His teeth were bared, sharp canines glinting back at me. I wondered if they hurt, if he always had them out? I had never seen his mouth before, so I didn't have much evidence to back my theories up on...

When I didn't respond, his fingers flexed on the back of my head before pulling it gently to the side. I winced at the exposing angle; my neck lay bare for him to gaze at as his face came down to my throat. His nose brushing along the skin caused my hands to raise to his chest, ready to defend myself if I had to run. But nothing further happened other than his large inhale and his feather-light lips pressed to the base of my throat. I swallowed loudly, and his tongue darted out to catch the movement which caused me to freeze and my heart to race.

He could truly rip my throat out right now and I was too much in shock to even react otherwise.

With a loud sigh, he pulled his face away from me, his hand falling from the hold it had on my neck. I stumbled lightly, moving uncomfortably on my injured leg. I gripped the table top for support, both for my leg and my mental stability. This man had barely done anything and already he had me flustered. I have gone through so many emotions the past ten minutes...

I awkwardly avoided the gazes of the surrounding wolves, swallowing loudly as I grabbed my single crutch to support my weight. I cast a nervous glance back to the Alpha to see him glaring down at my leg. I shifted my weight, putting some distance between the madness of this pack.

"I... I'm going back to my room, Eve." I stammered, shooting her a look.

"Oh, but you finally came out..." She whimpered; her face crestfallen.

Through the racing anxiety of my flustered heart, I felt bad for her reaction. But I was selfish, and did not want to be here when the Alpha just showed me up like that. It was too awkward.

With one last glance at the Alpha, I flinched at the sharpness of his eyes before practically scurrying away. My leg burned with the effort, trying to push it to go faster than it could.

If this was to be my home, and that was to be my husband 'mate'... Then this was a strange way of showing hospitality.

Thankfully I had a good memory, and remembered where I had to go in order to get back to my room. I barely made it to the elevator when someone dashed in front of the button, preventing me from pushing it. I glared up at the figure, wondering why they of all people had come to me.

"What do you want?" I huffed.

"Well, looking at how well you are walking with that leg..." Mya snorted. "I figured you could do with some help."

I clenched my jaw, looking away from her. I didn't have a response and turns out I didn't need one because she had already pressed the button and the elevator doors opened. She gestured for me to enter with a sarcastic wave, and I begrudgingly entered the metal death trap. Only because I wanted to go to my room...

Mya entered behind me, waiting for me to press the button. She hummed when I pressed the number five; there were six floors to this building, and the sixth had a special golden circle so I assumed it was some kind of presidential suite.

The elevator shifted, my legs wobbling as I gripped the railing for dear life. I would rather walk, but not only was this less painful, it was a lot quicker.

"So..." Mya began, causing me to lift my chin to look at he. "Do you get off on riling up an Alpha wolf or...?"

I rolled my eyes. "For your information, I had never met a wolf until I was savagely chewed up."

"Well, you must taste bad because you survived." She chirped.

Her teasing did not go unnoticed by me.

"Maybe your kind just have defective taste buds." I huffed.

"Maybe you're too lean to even be tasty. No muscle nor fat on you. You must've tasted bad."

"Are you saying you want to test your theory?" I wondered raising an eyebrow.

She laughed. "The day I land my teeth on you, I think my cousin would have my head on a stake outside."

"Cousin?"

She shrugged. "Alpha Asra is my cousin. Our fathers are brothers."

"So, you are Alpha blood?"

She shook her head. "I would be, but my father did not get the gene."

The elevator shifted and my stomach lurched. We were silent as I lead her to my room, opening the door and granting her access into my humble abode. Sitting on my bed, she took the chair by the window, peeking out of it with curiosity. I studied her whilst she was distracted. She was just like Eve; dark skin, eyes and hair only hers was shorter, wilder and more untamed along with the scars on her skin. She was tall and lean, taller than me for sure. She wore athletic shorts and a form fitting purple t-shirt, bare footed too.

Clearing her throat, I blinked out of my scrutiny to find her grinning at me. Every wolf here was attractive and I was starting to question my sexuality the longer I looked at them.

"So... what do you mean your Dad didn't get the gene? What gene?" I wondered.

She slumped into the armchair, her legs hanging over the arm of it. "The Alpha gene. When wolves shift, they are either blessed with it or not. You have to be of Alpha blood, it is rare that a non-alpha blood shifts into an Alpha wolf. It's the same with a Beta."

I cocked my head, frowning in thought. "So, between your father and his, only his father could become Alpha?"

She nodded. "That's the way it is. Back then, if his father was to die, there is the chance my father would get the power to rule but he would not be as... dominant."

I nodded, thinking it over. It made sense... a little? I guess. You had to be of dominant, alpha blood to shift into an alpha wolf. Asra's father got it, and passed it onto his son, who obviously also got it.

"Are they still around? Your fathers?" I asked.

She snorted and the sound made me uneasy. "Unfortunately."

"A bad thing?"

"My father is fine. He's... gentle in nature, which is the complete opposite of my mother... and also Alpha Asra's father, Alpha Nikolai... He is not a kind man; I don't think he would take well to you..." She gritted her teeth into a sorrowful grin. "He does not like humans; he is one of the original wolves that started the hunt."

"Thanks for the wonderful story of how even more people may kill me." I groaned, falling into my bed.

So not only was I surrounded by wolves set out to feast on human flesh, this pack's very own elder Alpha hates humans. My mother would be having a field day right now. She would be laughing in my face and telling me it was what I deserved. If only she knew I didn't plan on staying here long enough to see the eyes of the devil elder Alpha.

Oh well... Family dinners were going to be interesting.

**********

Question of the Day:
Any good movies you've seen lately? Old or new. I've been looking on Disney for something old to watch and I cannot decide lol