Page 44 of Alpha Marked

She dropped her gaze to her plate, and her stomach roiled. Her wolf grumbled at her and curled into a ball.

"Don't talk to me," she said. "I didn't ask you for your opinion anyway."

Her wolf's fur bristled, and she turned away from River.

River sighed and lifted the bottle of champagne before heading to the bed and plopping down on it.

Perhaps he didn't want the mating bond as much as she had thought. The idea made her wolf whine.

River took a long swig of the champagne, knowing it wouldn't do anything to her. She pushed down the duvet and curled in a ball under the sheets.

A mate. She had a mate. A sinfully sexy, powerfully terrifying mate. And she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

CHAPTEREIGHT

The following day, River opened her eyes to find racks and racks of clothing, shoes, and coats lined up in the room.

She blinked twice before getting up from the bed and wondering how the hell she'd slept through all of it arriving. She pulled the bedsheet with her and walked to the first rack.

She thumbed through the designer dresses, rompers, and suits, looking at each price tag.

"Price is no object if you like something," said a voice from the corner.

River spun around to find Ares' taut form lying on the floor on a makeshift bed.

"I can't wear these," she said. "Each one costs more than my rent."

His eyes remained closed. "As I said, cost isn't a problem. Take what you like unless you intend on wearing the sheet all day."

She swallowed, realizing she wasn't wearing anything underneath the sheet.

"There's bags of underwear and bras on the table."

River glanced at the table where at least a dozen Victoria's Secret bags sat.

She'd always loved Victoria's Secret and Pink, but she'd only been able to afford a few things when on double clearance. Interest piqued, she tiptoed to the table and peeked in the first bag. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she pulled out a matching black lace bra and panty set.

"Did I do well?"

Ares' warm breath tickled her shoulder, and she whirled around to face him. It'd been a bad idea. Ares stood in front of her, wearing nothing but skintight boxer briefs that barely covered the tops of his thighs.

She couldn't take her eyes off his body as every chiseled muscle of his torso blocked everything else out of view.

Her cheeks heated as she took in every ripped and cut muscle of his body from his neck to his toes. Her fingers twitched, wanting to touch his skin, and her wolf sprung to life, wanting his body pressed against hers. Inside her. His fangs buried in her neck, and his knot filling her.

When her gaze met his, she couldn't stop the overwhelming desire that flushed her skin and made her innermost lady parts thrum.

Ares brushed her hair over her shoulder. The lightness of his fingers made her quiver and her body heat further. He traced his fingers down her arm and up her stomach. He brushed over her nipple through the sheet, making her heartbeat thunder. Without thinking, she gripped him by the neck and pulled his mouth to hers.

She clung to him as he cupped her rear and lifted her onto the table. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he kissed her harder. She gripped his shoulders, and her nails lengthened as she dug into his back.

A sound between a growl and a sigh escaped him. Brushing the bags onto the floor, he laid her back and stepped between her thighs before caging her body with his.

His length rubbed against her core, making her pant with need. Every nerve of her body screamed out for her to bite him. To mark him. To make him hers. And to allow him to mark her in return. He circled his hips into hers, making her mewl.

He pinned her wrists above her head with one hand as he ripped off his underwear and ground against her through the thin, silky fabric she'd slept on.

He slid his tongue down the side of her throat and suckled one of her breasts through the sheet.

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