Chapter 5: What The Hell Do You Think You Are Doing?!

Natalie’s first stop had been her dad when she realized she was going to be mated to Alpha Mark. But since he wanted an alliance with Mark, she quickly discovered she wasn’t going to get any help from that corner. Her next stop should have been her Alpha, but because her dad was the Alpha, that avenue was closed off as well.

She could try leaving the pack, but that wouldn’t improve her situation. As a lone wolf with no protection, pack, or territory, she would be easy pickings—and she was very sure Mark would, without a doubt, be the one to pick her.

The only other person she had was her aunt—her deceased mother’s only sister—whom she hadn’t seen since the woman mated into another pack three years ago. Natalie planned to ask her to approach her Alpha with the idea of accepting her into their pack, but she wasn’t optimistic. Although she was a fixer, she was also Kage, and she couldn’t envision any Alpha being enthusiastic about taking in a Kage wolf.

The question was: even if the Alpha did take her in, would he be willing to challenge Mark or her father if they—angry at being thwarted, as only control freaks could be—came to drag her back?

She thought about telling Dominic that she liked Mark even less than he did, but sometimes it was a case of better the devil you know—and this particular devil was possibly worse than Mark. Instead of answering Dominic’s question, she settled comfortably in the seat, crossing her legs yoga-style, and sipped the coffee Davina had placed in front of her.

“Does your silence mean you haven’t set a date yet?” Dominic asked.

Natalie slowly smirked.

“Oh, didn’t I answer? That’s probably because it’s none of your business.”

His mouth twitched into a smile. “You must be looking forward to soon becoming an Alpha Female of a pack.”

Something about his tone made her frown. “Are power-hungry females the only type you’ve known?”

He shrugged. “Isn’t that what every female wolf dreams of?”

“Oh yes, I’m bowled over with excitement at my upcoming position,” she replied sarcastically, sending him an evil smile.

Only if he knew.

---

Strangely, Dominic found that he liked Natalie’s sarcastic streak. He loved how she held her ground, pushed him, and bantered with him. It meant she wasn’t as useless as he’d assumed she would be.

“I thought you were a fixer?” Dominic asked.

She sent him a flat look. “I am.”

“Typically they have gentle natures.”

“I fall flat there.”

“I heard you’re a powerful fixer. Mixing medicine and moon magic to heal.”

She was. There were three different types of fixers. Some worked on an emotional level, neutralizing or healing emotional wounds. Others drew aches and pains into themselves, acting as a sedative and ensuring a quick recovery. Then there were those like Natalie, who could heal actual wounds within minutes, guaranteeing complete recovery.

“I wouldn’t call it powerful,” she said. “Odd, maybe. But not powerful. Not yet.”

Dominic grinned. “Do you always sit in odd positions?”

“Always. On the roof, the cliff, your head, or even your countertop. I especially like that one.”

Maybe because it reminded her of all the times her mother had sat her there while they baked together. Maybe not.

“What about in the bedroom?” he asked, wearing the wicked, suggestive grin he knew she’d recognize. “Do you get in odd positions in there too?”

“Depends on whether the male can succeed in pinning me down.”

“Ah, of course. You’re an alpha.”

Alphas—whether leaders of a pack or simply alpha by nature—did not surrender without the male proving his dominance. Just the idea of fighting Natalie into submission had Dominic’s cock throbbing and his balls aching. He knew she would fight him like a wildcat.

He liked his women strong and feisty, but most were too intimidated to challenge him. If not by his unapproachable air, then by the heavy dominant vibe he exuded. And if it wasn’t either of those, they were terrified by how close his wolf was to the surface. That was assuming they weren’t already scared senseless by his reputation.

The only female who had ever stood up to him—and still did regularly—was his aunt.

“Do you have any cookies or something to go with this coffee?” Natalie asked.

Davina immediately placed a pack of cookies beside her mug as if she had been expecting the request. Natalie sent her a warm smile and instantly delved into them.

Dominic frowned. He didn’t like the way they exchanged that look.

Natalie darted her tongue out and placed a round cookie on it, and Dominic’s gaze was helplessly drawn to her carnal mouth as she chewed. Images of those lips around his cock flashed in his mind, making his wolf growl in his head.

Then his entire body clenched as she sucked the dribbles of coffee from her fingertips.

Well, fuck.

What made it even more of a turn-on was that she had no idea she was being watched by every male in the room. She was innocently, unknowingly provocative.

Of course, Mark would want her—but it still made no sense. Mark was far too controlling to mate with a spitfire like her.

What Dominic found even harder to understand was why Natalie would want Mark. Females tended to like Mark’s charming manners, which disguised his coldness, but Natalie seemed like someone who would snort at flowery words and resist being controlled. They didn’t make sense. None of it did.

Which was why Dominic suspected the mating wasn’t what it appeared to be.

One of his enforcers, Trevor, had seen Mark and Natalie struggling at her pack house during the time he’d been tasked with watching her. Trevor had been prepared to intervene—until he saw the fresh nip on her skin. A claiming of some sort.

No wolf with sense interfered in a fight between mates.

Still, the scene had bothered Trevor because she hadn’t looked willing.

What Dominic couldn’t figure out was why she would allow anyone to almost force a mark on her. Her father was the Alpha of her pack. Surely he wouldn’t allow that.

Dominic knew the kind of things Mark Colton was capable of. Claiming an unwilling female would be nothing to him. And maybe a submissive female wouldn’t put up much resistance—but Dominic had known Natalie West for all of five minutes and already recognized she was far from submissive or complacent.

None of it made sense.

There was one more thing that supported his suspicion that something was very wrong about this mating…

“You don’t smell of him,” Dominic grunted.

Natalie’s features transformed instantly.

---

Thank God, Natalie almost spat, but she refrained from saying it aloud.

Although Mark had left a scratch of his mark on her, he hadn’t been able to etch it. Two wolves who weren’t true mates could still solidify a bond through etching, but that process required strong emotions and a lot of physical contact. When two wolves were etched, their scents mixed and they developed an ethereal link.

Even if Natalie ended up mated to Mark, they would never have that link. There was no universe where they would ever imprint.

Unless hate could spark it, of course.

Natalie dropped a biscuit into her coffee and was preparing to ignore Dominic’s question with a long sip when, out of nowhere, Talon reached beside her and tugged her T-shirt aside to bare her shoulder.

At the sight of Mark’s nearly faded bite, Dominic snarled.

Natalie jerked back immediately, gaping and scowling as she shouted, “What the hell do you think you are doing?”