Natalie's first stop had been her dad when she realized she was going to be mated to Alpha Mark. But as he wanted an alliance with Mark, she discovered pretty quickly that she wasn't going to get any help from that corner. Her next stop should be her Alpha, but as her dad was the Alpha, that avenue was also close to her. She could try leaving the pack but that wouldn't improve her situation. As a lone wolf without any protection, pack, or territory she would be easy pickings, and she was very sure Mark would undoubtedly be the picker.
The only other person she had was her aunt – her deceased mother's only sister – who she hadn't seen since she mated into another pack three years ago. She 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 particularly interested in taking in a Kage wolf. The question was, even if the Alpha did take her in, would he be prepared to challenge Mark or her father if they – angry at being thwarted as only a control freak could be – came to bring 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. So, instead of answering his question, she got herself comfy on the seat, crossing her legs yoga-like, and sipped the coffee that Davina had placed in front of her.
"Does your silence mean you haven't set a date yet?" She heard Dominic ask and slowly smirked.
"Oh, didn't I answer? That's probably because it's none of your business."
She watched as his mouth twitched into a smile. "You must be looking forward to soon becoming an Alpha Female of a pack."
Something about his tone had her frowning. "Are power-hungry females the only type you've known?"
He shrugged. "Isn't it what every female wolf dreams of?"
"Oh yes, and I'm bowled over with excitement at my upcoming position." She replied sarcastically and sent Dominic an evil smile. Only if he knew.
*****
Strangely, Dominic found that he liked Natalie's sarcastic streak. He loved the way she was able to stand her ground, push him, and banter with him. It meant she wasn't as useless as he had thought she would be.
"I thought you were a fixer?" Dominic asked and she sent him a look.
"I am."
"Typically they have gentle natures."
"I fall flat there."
"I heard you're quite a powerful fixer. Mixing medicine and magic from the moon to heal."
She was. There were three different types of Fixers. Some worked on an emotional level, neutralizing or healing emotional wounds. Others drew the aches and pains into themselves, acting more as a sedative and ensuring a speedy recovery. Then there were those like Natalie who could heal the actual wounds within minutes, guaranteeing a recovery.
"I wouldn't call it powerful. Odd maybe. But not powerful. Not yet," she replied.
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 mom had sat her there while they baked together, maybe not.
"What about in the bedroom?" he asked with what he knew was a wicked, suggestive grin. "Do you get in odd positions in there too?"
"Depends if the male can succeed in pinning me down."
"Ah, of course. You're an alpha." And alphas, whether they were leaders of their pack or just alpha by nature, didn't surrender without the male proving their dominance. Just the idea of fighting to have Natalie submit to him had his cock throbbing and his balls aching. He knew she'd fight him like a wildcat.
He liked his women strong and feisty, but they were often too intimidated by him to challenge him. If they weren't intimidated by his unapproachable air, it was the heavy dominant vibe he gave off. If it wasn't either of those that intimidated them, it was how close his wolf was to the surface. That was if they weren't scared enough initially 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?" The moment Natalie asked, Davina immediately placed a pack of cookies beside her mug as if she had been anticipating her request. Natalie sent her a warm smile and then instantly delved into them. Dominic frowned. He didn't like the way they just looked at each other.
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 through his mind, making his wolf growl inside his head. Then his entire body clenched as she sucked the dribbles of coffee from the tips of her fingers. Well fuck. What made the whole thing 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 and unknowingly provocative. Of course, Mark would want her, but it was still difficult to understand him taking a spitfire for a mate. He was too controlling to mate with such a strong-willed woman.
What Dominic found even more difficult to understand was why Natalie would want Mark as a mate. Yeah, he knew females tended to like Mark and his charming ways that hid his coldness, but Natalie seemed like someone who would snort at flowery words and oppose being with someone who wanted to control her. It didn't make sense. They didn't make sense. That was why he was thinking that maybe his suspicions about their supposed mating had truth in them.
One of his enforcers, Trevor, had come to him with the story of how he had witnessed Mark and Natalie having some sort of struggle at Natalie's pack house during the time he had been tasked to watch her. Trevor had been ready to interfere when he saw the fresh nibble on her skin – a claiming of some sort. He had walked away then; no werewolf with any sense would try to interfere in a row between mates. Still, the whole scene had bugged Trevor because she hadn't looked willing. What Dominic hadn't been able to figure out was why she would allow anyone to get away with almost forcing their mark on her. Her father was the Alpha of their pack for Christ's sake. 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. Maybe if that female was submissive it would be nothing much to her, but Dominic had only known Natalie West for five minutes and already he could tell that she was far from submissive or complacent. It didn't make any sense. There was another thing supporting his suspicion that there was something very wrong about this mating…
"You don't smell of him," Dominic grunted, and immediately, Natalie's features transformed.
*****
Thank God, Natalie almost spat but refrained from saying it aloud.
Although Mark had left a scratch of his mark on her, he hadn't been able to etch it on her. Two wolves who weren't true mates could still come together as mates and have a tight bond through the process of etching. That process couldn't be sparked unless there were strong emotions involved and it also required a lot of physical contact. When two wolves were etched, their scents mixed and they developed a sort of ethereal link. Even if Natalie ended up mated to Mark they would never have that link, because there was no way they would ever imprint. Unless the emotion of hate was able to spark it of course.
Natalie dropped a biscuit into her coffee and was about to ignore Dominic's question by taking a long sip but before she knew what was happening, Talon, who was beside her, suddenly tugged her t-shirt aside to bare her shoulder, and at the sight of Mark's almost faded bite, Dominic snarled.
Natalie jerked back immediately, gaping and scowling as she yelled, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"