Page 42 of Alpha Marked

"Feeling better?"

No."Yes, thank you, Highness."

He shook his head and put the bottle and glasses on the table. "My name is Ares. Just Ares. Not Prince Ares. Not Highness or Majesty or anything else. I am Ares. Your Ares."

She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he considered himself 'Her Ares'. She didn't consider herself 'His River'.

"Sit." He pulled out the chair for her, and she crossed to the table and sat. He lifted her chair off the ground a few inches and moved her closer to the table.

Damn, he's strong.For a moment, she imagined what his skillful hands might do to her.

Her wolf chuffed at the thought of his wolf's strength.Protector. Provider. Mate.

No. Stop it! Don't think about him like that. He's a monster, and you are now his property. Nothing more.

He lifted the silver cover off her plate, and her mouth watered. A colossal steak, small potatoes, veggies, and more sat in front of her.

She dug in before Ares returned to his seat.

"I'm glad you're hungry," he said. "Because this is the first course."

The first course?

They ate silently for several minutes with Ares watching her devour everything on her plate. If this had been a first date with a regular shifter, she wouldn't have dared eat so much and so quickly, but hell, he was supposed to be her mate, right? Better he saw what he'd gotten himself into.

He poured champagne into her glass, and she gulped it down. He filled it again, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I'll be sure to tell the chef you enjoy his cooking," he chuckled.

She shrugged and snatched a fresh roll.

"So, tell me about yourself."

She gulped her champagne and the roll down hard.

"Why? In time, you'll find it all out anyway. No need to give it all up tonight."

His smile turned to a scowl. "Okay. Tell me one thing about yourself."

She tried to gauge whether he was genuinely interested or making conversation. His eyes gave nothing away, so she thought for a moment. "I don't like to be forced to do things I don't want to."

He growled. "Let me clarify. Tell me one thing about yourself I don't already know."

"How am I supposed to do that? Seems you found out about my show quite easily. You might have bought a file from the FBI and learned everything down to the color of the underwear I'm wearing."

"You aren't wearing underwear." He smirked.

River pulled her robe closer around her and crossed her legs. "See, you already know everything."

Ares slammed his fist on the table, shaking the glassware. She didn't jump; she was used to Cherry's outbursts. Instead, she moved the food around her plate and waited for him to say something.

Childish pup. Stubborn.Her wolf huffed.

River knew she acted like a petulant child but was too exhausted to care. He'd shown up, demanding she come with him back to Canada without asking what she wanted or getting her feelings on the subject. It was damn obvious he already wanted to bite her and make her his mate, but he hadn't once asked her opinion about the whole thing.

He took a long, slow breath and gave her a stiff smile.

"Tell me what made you choose metal as your medium for artistic expression."

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