Page 21 of Alpha Marked

River headed toward the back of the VIP section, but suddenly, her wolf stood up and inhaled. River stopped. She sniffed again, praying not to smell honey and amber, but she didn't.

Calm down, girl. We're fine. Everything is fine.

She moved closer to the back of the room, but her wolf became more agitated, and the hairs stood up all over her body. What the hell?

Bianca and Zeke came into view with half a dozen other men. She approached, and a man wearing an identical suit to Zeke's held his hand up to her.

"Sorry, private party."

She tried pointing with the glasses of water. "Yeah, that's my… Zeke!"

Zeke turned and pinned her with a look she couldn't back down from.

"I told you I went for water," she said.

He nodded, but his jaw worked hard. "My boss is in the bathroom. He'll be back in a minute. I don't want him to meet Bianca like this. I didn't realize she-"

"She doesn't," River blurted. "She doesn't drink. That's why this hit her so hard. I promise."

Zeke nodded, but his eyes darted over the other males near Bianca.

"I'll take her out of here," said River.

Zeke walked back to Bianca. She flung her arms around him again and kissed him hard. The other men, all wearing similar dark suits, looked away.

River's wolf whined.

River took a cleansing breath. What was with her? She looked at each male in turn as she walked to Bianca.

"Come on, B. Down this water, and you can go to my place to sleep until Zeke is done."

"But I want to stay with Zeke."

Zeke kissed and nipped Bianca's neck. For a second, River thought he'd marked her, but when he pulled away, the bite hadn't broken the skin. A memory threatened to bubble to the surface, but River shoved it down.

No way. Not now.She did not have time to relive that hell. Besides, Zeke wouldn't bite Bianca without her permission. He wasn't like that. He was too in control to lose it like a rogue would.

"Me too, babe," Zeke said. "But I have to work now. I explained this to you. Work has to come first."

Bianca frowned but nodded.

River took one of the glasses of water and gave it to Bianca.

She chugged it, and River handed her the second glass. She downed that one, and her eyes lost their glazed sheen.

Someone bumped River from behind, and she surged forward on her heels. Lachlan caught River's arm and glared behind her.

"Vanessa, don't be a bitch." Lachlan turned to her. "Are you okay?"

The entitled bitch from the bar sat on the sofa, her eyes pointedly focused on anyone but River.

"Don't mind her," Lachlan said. "She's a total asshole because… well, I have no idea why."

River and Lachlan laughed, but his smile fell as he looked over her shoulder. Everyone in the VIP room bowed their heads except Vanessa, who got to her feet and moved forward.

A strange chill swept through River which morphed into an icy heat that made her skin flush. A strange sense of comfort washed over her like someone had wrapped her in a thick old quilt.

But as quick as the comfort came, a low growl sounded behind River, and she jerked to her senses again. Everyone's eyes were on her. No, not her. At someone behind her.

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