Chapter 4 Marcus
MARCUS
As a rule, Marcus hated being on neutral territory. The bone-deep feeling that all this unclaimed land should be his was like an itch under his skin, and the more he lingered, the harder it was to suppress his wolf’s greed.
Normally, when business mandated his presence outside the pack’s territory, he would be in and out as fast as possible. That was probably why his lieutenants, Bruce and Cain, had looked so confused when he told them his plan to stick around to go on a date with a human.
His little brother, William, had taken one look at him, rolled his eyes, and said, “Not you too.”
Marcus hadn’t dignified that with a response.
After informing everyone who needed to know about the change in plans, Marcus had hastily wrapped up his meetings for the day and delegated the remainder of his work to his assistant and executive team.
He’d then gone back to his hotel where he’d taken a quick shower and gotten dressed, and now he was finally ready for his date.
“You look nice.”
Marcus adjusted the sleeve of his suit jacket and looked up as his youngest brother walked into the room. He took a deep breath, held it, and prayed that his little brother wasn’t going to be a little shit.
He turned to him. “Thank you, William. Did you need something?”
William shrugged, his expression full of mischief. “Not really. I just wanted to wish you good luck on your date.”
“That’s uncharacteristically nice of you.” Marcus caught sight of himself in the mirror, frowned at how formal he looked, and pulled off his tie. He turned back to William. “Now what do you really want?”
William laughed and held up his hands defensively. “Nothing! I was just wondering if I should clear out for the evening, or…?”
Marcus hadn’t even considered that. He had every intention of bringing Warren back to his room and fucking him senseless, and it would be quite the mood killer if William was there when they got back.
It was obvious that William had been tempted to say nothing and hang around, and just as obvious that he wasn’t brave enough to take his teasing quite that far.
“That would be ideal, yes.”
“All right then. I’ll bunk with Bruce.” William took a seat on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. He glanced up at Marcus with a curious look. After a thoughtful pause, he asked, “Are we delaying our return home?”
Marcus forced himself to consider the question. His gut reaction was to say no – but that was predicated on the idea that he would be bringing Warren back with him to Alaska.
His wolf took it as a matter of course, but Marcus knew he had to be realistic. Getting a human to up and move in less than forty-eight hours would be a tall order, and kidnapping – no matter how tempting – was not the best way to start off a new relationship.
“Probably,” he answered.
“Cool.”
William started typing something on his phone, apparently done with the conversation. Checking his watch, Marcus felt a jolt of excitement. Enough time had passed that if he left now, he’d only be a tiny bit early to pick up Warren.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Be safe.” Marcus ruffled William’s hair as he walked by him towards the door, messing up his carefully styled locks, and wrinkled his nose when his hand came away sticky with product.
“Don’t do that!” William groused, jumping to his feet and furiously fixing his hair back into place.
“What do you even put in there?” Marcus asked, making a detour to the bathroom to wash his hands.
“None of your business,” William said, following him and going up to the mirror to carefully style his hair back to its original state.
Leaving him to it, Marcus put on his coat and gloves, grabbed his keys and wallet, and headed out for his date.
“Calm and easy,” Marcus muttered half an hour later as he pulled up in front of Warren’s building. He parked on the curb, turning off the engine and staying seated while he wrestled himself under control.
Warren smelled like mate material.
Marcus had avoided even thinking it up until now, but he needed to confront what he and his wolf were feeling. His instincts were going haywire and screaming at him that he’d found The One and that he needed to claim him as soon and as thoroughly as possible.
“Don’t scare him off,” Marcus ordered himself, looking at his reflection in the rearview mirror and giving himself a stern look. “Be nice. Make him like you. Don’t kidnap him.”
His wolf, still riled up and excited, ignored the mantra.
As in control of himself as he was going to get, Marcus exited his rental car and tugged on his gloves. He climbed the steps to Warren’s building, taking them two at a time, his heart hammering in his chest.
As he ascended the stairs, Marcus noted that the building, though old, looked to be in good condition. Warren was obviously doing okay for himself, even as a student.
Finding Warren’s name written in yellow marker on the intercom, Marcus rang the bell. He didn’t have to wait long before the speaker crackled to life.
“Hello?”
Warren Master’s tinny voice echoed through the speaker, sounding young and nervous. Marcus grinned, the tips of his canines teasing at his lower lip as the thrill of the hunt washed over him.
Fuck. He needed to be calm. This was not a hunt.
He tried to make his voice friendly. “It’s Marcus. I’m here for our date.”
Adjusting his crotch, Marcus waited for a response. He couldn’t help but picture Warren pinned beneath him, writhing in pleasure as he fucked his knot into him and pounded him into glorious submission.
The mental image had Marcus’s toes curling in his shiny dress boots, his gloved fingers squeezing his shaft and depositing a spurt of pre-come down along the muscle of his thigh.
Swallowing, Marcus felt a jolt of anxiety cut through his arousal. He didn’t have any experience fucking humans. He needed to take things slow and figure out how much the human body could handle before he let himself let loose.
Could humans even handle an alpha’s knot?
Of course they could, Marcus scoffed. His younger brother, Steve, was mated to a human – sharing him with two other alphas – and Marcus knew enough about their relationship to know that Steve and his fellow alphas did not take it easy on the boy.
He could only hope that Warren was as kinky and submissive as his brother’s mate.
“I’ll be right down,” Warren’s voice crackled through the speaker.
A shudder ran down Marcus’s spine.
He’d never been a believer in fated mates, but if anyone tried to stand in the way of him claiming Warren, he would show them why he was able to hold together and rule a werewolf territory larger than Canada.
A few minutes later, Marcus’s cock throbbing in anticipation as he imagined Warren in increasingly depraved situations, the lock buzzed and then Warren was pushing his way out the door.
All thought came to a screeching halt as the scent of another werewolf hit Marcus’s nose like a punch to the gut.
Musky and overpowering, the stench of a rival alpha filled the air like a creeping haze, the scent of a claim clinging to Warren’s skin like a taunt.
Marcus’s wolf rose to the surface in a rage of fury.
A growl started building in his chest, and only years of struggling to wrestle his overpowered and hyper-dominant wolf into submission allowed him to restrain himself from grabbing Warren by the lapels of his parka and slamming him into the wall and demanding answers.
How dare some random alpha drench Marcus’s future mate in his scent? In his come?
The disrespect was intolerable.
“Do I have something on my face?”
Warren rubbed his mouth and looked down his front, his nervous smile slipping as the silence lengthened.
Taking a deep breath, Marcus unclenched his fists and forced his shoulders to relax.
The scent of the other wolf was so thick that he could taste it.
A competitor was a shock, but not the end of the world.
Marcus would find the interloping alpha and rip off his arms and legs and stomp the remaining pieces into the ground – after he’d claimed Warren for his own so that he could lord it over him.
“No. You look very nice.”
It was true. Warren was dressed in a neat pair of black slacks, the hems just a little too long, and an olive-green parka with a faux fur trim on the hood that was just a little too big on him.
The oversized fit made him look adorable, like he was being swallowed up.
Marcus wanted to mount him.
“Are you ready to go?”
Warren smiled and nodded, though he looked a little uncertain – like he couldn’t quite believe that he was actually going through with this.
It was too late now. Warren’s fate had been sealed the moment Marcus caught his scent in the coffee shop. “Perfect. After you.”
Plastering on a smile he hoped didn’t look too predatory, Marcus placed his hand on Warren’s upper back and guided him down the stairs.
“How was-”
“So do you-”
Marcus and Warren both started speaking at the same time, cutting each other off. Marcus chuckled and slid his hand up to Warren’s neck, under the collar of the boy’s parka, and squeezed gently.
“You go first.” He rubbed his gloved thumb over the bump of Warren’s spine. “What were you going to ask?”
Warren let out a nervous little chuckle, his shoulders tense. He glanced up at Marcus with a guarded expression. “I was just going to ask if you had anything planned for our… date?”
The hesitation before the word date made Marcus grin. Warren sounded flustered – but this time in a good way – and Marcus had to resist the impulse to pick him up, push him into his chest and squeeze him.
“I have a reservation at the restaurant at my hotel. I was thinking we could get drinks at the bar and then eat. Do you like Italian food?”
“Sure,” Warren said. He opened his mouth like he was going to say more, but no words came out. He closed his mouth and swallowed.
“Good.” Marcus gave his neck another squeeze. “My car is right here.”