Mark knew that Emily Steinz was right. He was making a scene, and his mother had warned him not to do something like that.
Besides, he could tell Rika was not in the mood to talk to him, and leaving her alone would be the best.
However, Mark did not want to do that. He felt alienated from Rika, and he tried to reconcile. But time, it seemed, was not on his side. It felt like it was slipping from his hands whenever he tried to get close to Rika, adding an urgent tone to his efforts.
Mark tried to approach Rika, but she pulled back. This has happened repeatedly since Rika left home.
That was why Mark tried to subdue Emily Steinz when she asked him to calm down. He did not want that younger alpha to tell Mark what to do.
His pheromones tried to mute out Emily's in the room, but Damian Rodric was quick to put an end to all his attempts to do that.
The dominant alpha controlled the situation, and everyone realized it quickly.
