004

RYKER

"Hey... Papi," the blonde said, her voice husky as she trailed her fingers down my arm. Her hazel eyes sparkled with invitation, and she swiped her tongue over her bottom lip, her gaze fixed on mine. She pushed up her breasts, her eyes darting to my torso, searching for a reaction.

But I remained expressionless, my face a mask. She seemed to realize it and her hands slid down to my knees, preparing to tease me. But I stopped her with a firm hand. "Go. I don't need you," I let out dismissively.

She hesitated, taken aback by my tone. I could see the calculation in her eyes, wondering if she should push further.

I let my gaze wander through the sea of crowds again, pretending there was no one in front of me as I downed my drink. I had come here on a mission, and I had only tonight to accomplish that. So I wasn't going to let any distractions get in my way.

My gaze landed on Dean, a familiar Alpha, who had recently taken on the role after his father's sudden passing. However, he didn't seem enthusiastic about leading or making decisions.

His focus appeared to be on indulging in carnal pleasures, evident from the entourage of females surrounding him.

I called out to him over the pulsating music, "Hey Dean!" But he ignored me, his attention consumed by the women vying for his attention. But I was certain he had heard me. He was a werewolf after all.

"Dean,"

I tried again, this time standing up and approaching him, carefully extricating myself from the lady who had begun to make advances towards me once more.

Dean finally acknowledged my presence with a tight-lipped smile.

"That's Alpha Dean now," he corrected, his eyes flicking towards me before quickly returning to the ladies.”

"Right, girls?" The women giggled and batted their eyelashes, clearly enamored with the attention.

Dean had always been charming no doubt.

While I put people on edge, he put people at ease, and his approach toward women was the opposite of mine. The more the merrier, he'd acknowledged. He has probably fucked half of the New Orleans female population by now.

"He can join" The blonde next to him edged closer until her tits grazed my arm.

"Same," Her friend, a petite version of her who had been quiet all up till now but eye'd me like a juicy steak, piped up. "Cherry and I do everything together."

The insinuation couldn't have been more clearer had she tattooed it across her exposed cleavage.

They were both werewolves. Werewolves were known for their insane sexual surge. Most guys would have jumped at the opportunity, but I was already bored with the conversation. Everything at this point seemed to annoy me more than ever.

"Leave!" I let out with my Alpha command, and they stood immediately scampering out of my sight.

I turned back to Dean, who didn't seem the slightest happy about what I just did.

"I've been trying to get your attention," I inform him as I take a seat right next to him.

Dean raised an eyebrow, his smile faltering for a moment before he recovered, managing a false one. "Thought you'd take the hint,"

"I did, I just chose to do what I want." Dean chuckled. "Look at you, not yet Alpha King and you're already making your subjects miserable by..." he paused, looking for the right words.

"Cockblocking?" I offered, completing his sentence with a grin.

Dean laughed, his smile Genuine this time around "Damn straight! There should be a rule about Cockblocking."

"The Moon goddess knew what she was doing when she didn't put you in line to become King of all Werewolves."

"She probably made a mistake by making me an Alpha, because I'm definitely reinstating new rules for my pack." He gibed, downing his drink in one go.

"Not on my watch, big man,"

Dean raised his glass in my direction, a smirk playing on his face. "What you said.”

As he refilled his drink, he asked me another question.

"How's the quest of finding your mate going?"

Right, he knew about my predicament. I wasn't one to keep friends on standby, but past occurrences with Dean had proven he was worth the title. And as much as he was a big flirt and sometimes an

embarrassment, Dean was loyal and a good pal.

"Still no-" I began to say, but a captivating scent suddenly halted my words, leaving me almost breathless.

Dean's eyes narrowed in suspicion at my current mood "Wait—" he drawled sitting straight, "I know that face."

My wolf instincts surged to the forefront, and I rose from my seat, inhaling deeply to absorb every nuance of the alluring aroma.

Unable to resist the scent's pull, I started to follow its trail, my body moving of its own accord.

As I followed the scent, my peripheral vision caught Dean quickly finishing his drink to follow me. I weaved past the crowded dance floor, tracing a trail that seemed invisible to everyone else.

The scent led me to a woman with sleek black hair, her back turned to me. My wolf instincts surged, and I felt an intense heat coursing through my veins. "Mate," my wolf whispered, eager to claim her.

But just as I reached out to touch her shoulder, she turned to face me. Our eyes met, and I frowned, taken aback. It was the young lady from earlier.

She can't be my mate, I told my wolf, she's human. The realization struck me like a cold shower, dampening my excitement. I stood there, frozen, as our gazes locked in a silent stare.

Wolves don't mate with humans. It's an unbreakable taboo, a joke even, among young weres who would hurl the insult "You'll end up with a human" to provoke tears and outrage. Yet, here I stand, faced with the unthinkable reality.

A voice interrupted my thoughts, "There you are," followed by the sound of a hand touching my mate's shoulder - the human woman. A low growl rumbled in my throat, a warning to the stranger to step back.

My eyes trailed up the stranger's arm, locking onto a familiar face - Octavius.

Octavius, the enigma. Not a werewolf, but a mystery wrapped in an unknown entity.

He appeared out of nowhere, initially perceived as a threat due to his ability to distinguish between weres in their human and wolf forms. Warlocks' spells and vampiric compulsions had no effect on him.

Despite his extraordinary nature, he never boasted about it. Over time, people grew comfortable with his presence, and he became a beloved figure, taking on various roles, to earn money and live comfortably. People even called him

"Money Man."

He's Friendly and kind, admired by all including myself... but If he doesn't remove his hand from my ma- the human girl's shoulder in the next few seconds, he'll lose it.

As if he read my thoughts, Octavius awkwardly withdrew his hand from my mate's shoulder. "Meet my friend, Sophia," he introduced, casually.

Friends? When did they become friends? I wondered, my mind racing with questions. Was he the one she was waiting for outside? Was

"Friends" just a cover for something more?

Have they..?

"—And I only just met her a few hours ago when I dropped her off,". Octavius added quickly, as if sensing my unease. swear, sometimes it feels like he can read my thoughts.

Just then, Dean appeared behind us and extended his hand in a gentlemanly manner. "There there, your shoes must be hurting. Allow me to take you somewhere comfortable." But just as Sophia was about to take Dean's hand, I grabbed hers and pulled her towards the VIP section while the others followed behind.

I wasn't sure why I did it, but my instincts drove me to claim her, to keep her close away from any other man's touch.

And I hate it.

Hate how much I wanted to do all of that and more.