Page 43 of Alpha Marked

His statement caught her off guard, and she popped a small potato into her mouth.

"My dad taught me how to work with my hands. He was a mechanic, and he had scraps of metal lying around. One day, I picked up a torch and started messing with a steel tube. I liked the way I bent it to my will and made it more beautiful than a plain piece of scrap metal that would have otherwise been thrown in the trash."

He watched her intently. Was he interested in her more than just to have sex with her to strengthen himself and his position as well as make her pop out babies?

"I heard your dad died. I'm so sorry. How did that happen?"

River's chest squeezed like a Victorian corset. "Uh... my dad was an Alpha but never wanted to lead. Even so, the Alpha of our pack felt threatened by him because our other pack members would turn to him for guidance and help. So, he set my dad up as a traitor and executed him in an unfair fight."

Ares stared at her. "I'm... so sorry."

She nodded. "Me too."

"I don't remember hearing anything like that. What happened to your Alpha?"

River licked her lips. "My mother took care of him."

River would never forget the night her mom came home covered in the Alpha's blood. She'd not said a word; just went into her room and closed the door. The next day, Strider and Bianca had come to live with them.

"What about you," she asked. "What do you do? Besides slaughtering shifters who step out of line?"

He lifted his champagne to his lips but stopped. "Is that what you think?"

"Am I wrong?"

He gulped down the champagne before folding his ample arms across. "No. But that's not all I do."

"Okay."

"Yes. My family is the law. We are the ruling class for the Lycan and shifter society. That isn't always a pleasant or fun job, River, but if we don't enforce the laws, imagine the chaos that would reign worldwide. It's only been in the last hundred years that we've convinced humans we don't exist. With all the unrest among the humans alone, what do you think would happen if the majority discovered shifters, Lycans, vampires, and more were real?"

Sadly, she couldn't argue with him.

"But to answer your question. I went to school for banking and securities. It has allowed my family to provide for ourselves and now for you."

"I don't want your money."

"Maybe, but you aren't complaining about the food. Or the bath. Or the imported bathrobe." Irritation seethed through his words.

"Would you like me to regurgitate the meal? I'd take the robe off, but I'm afraid of what you might take that as a sign of."

He raked his hands into his hair. "Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"So…. Infuriating."

She tossed him her most winning smile and batted her eyelashes. "Yup."

He got up from the table and stormed to the door. He paused as he reached it and turned back.

"For the record, Little Wolf, you aren't the only one who didn't ask for this match. If I'd had my way, I would have been mated years ago to a submissive, soft mate who liked nothing more than keeping my bed warm and tending to our pups."

"Well," said River. "Too bad you're stuck with a bitch whose bite is worse than her bark. And I always have cold feet, so you might want to wear pants in bed."

He twisted the locked doorknob so hard it broke off, and the door swung inward. He slammed it behind himself, but it bounced open again.

River held back a laugh as he stormed out of sight.

---