Page 67 of Alpha Marked

His gaze flickered for a moment, and then he smiled. "I'm fine." He took her arm, but she slipped it away.

"That's not what I asked," she pressed.

"It's nothing. I'll be healed by tomorrow morning at the latest." He moved to retake her arm, but she backed away a step.

"Show me."

"River, it's nothing. Let's enjoy the museum on our own while we can."

Anger boiled inside River, and she stepped up to Ares. "You say I am your Omega. You say I am not to be disrespected. The biggest form of disrespect in my book is dishonesty if you want me to respect you. To trust you. To… love you… you need to do the same. If you want me as your Omega and your mate, I say okay. But if I do, I'm all in. Everything. Between you and me, there can be no secrets. You need to share with me. Everything. The good, the bad, the awful. Can you do that?"

A fire sparked in Ares's eyes. "Yes," he said in a husky voice.

She searched his eyes for deceit, but there wasn't any. "Let me see."

He didn't move. "And what about you? Will you go all in? No secrets? Share everything? The good, the bad, the awful?"

River's heart thundered, but she didn't look away. "Yes."

She thought he might kiss her again as heat swirled around them and the air sizzled with tension. She wasn't sure what had happened, but something changed between them. Like a tumbler in a lock, a piece clicked into place.

Ares unbuttoned his suit jacket and untucked his shirt. He turned and lifted the tails of his shirt, showing her a bandage between six and eight inches long.

Her gut clenched, and her wolf whined. Someone had hurt him. Hurt him bad. Her Alpha. Her mate. Anger crashed through River, and when their eyes met, she was all too aware that her claws and teeth had lengthened.

A tender smile played on Ares' lips, and he tucked in his shirt.

"Your anger touches me more than words can say, Little Wolf. But it will take more than a fight with a couple of rogues to take me from you." He brushed his lips across hers, but when he moved to pull away, she fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him to her.

He brushed his knuckles over her cheek but didn't deepen the kiss. He broke his lips from hers a moment later and took her hand.

"Come on. We haven't seen the sculptures yet."

Body shaking, wolf howling, River let Ares usher her out of the room to the next exhibit. Her mind whirled, unable to comprehend what was happening between her and Ares… but her wolf sure as hell did. Little by little, though they hardly knew each other, she and Ares were becoming mates.

* * *

Ares letRiver lead him from sculpture to sculpture for an hour, talking about the artists, the medium, and the techniques. Though he'd never remember a fraction of what she told him, his wolf chuffed with happiness to be with her and listen to her so passionate about something. Listening to her talk about art brought about a different person in her. The beautifully vulnerable little wolf she'd buried under piles and gallons of descenting spray, blocker pills, and pain.

On their way to the opera, the Director of the Guggenheim texted Ares to make sure everything had gone well. Ares thanked him for opening the museum to them, which was normally closed on Tuesdays, and promised another sizeable check. One of the perks of being heir to the Lycan throne and a sizable fortune was knowing many influential people. It also helped when those people were supernaturals, either loyal or afraid of him.

"So where are we going next?" asked River.

"We did something you loved, so now I'm going to take you to something I love."

"The theater?"

Having someone remember the personal things he said had never made him happy before, not that he talked about himself much. With River, everything was different. Everything was heightened, more intense, and more meaningful.

"To the opera."

"What play?"

"Carmen. It's not in English, but it'll have subtitles above the stage. If you get lost, I can explain it to you. It's quite simple. A harlot seduces a young soldier and ends up destroying his life."

"That's your favorite opera?"

"To be honest, most of my favorites seem sad, but to me, Carmen is something I've always wanted."

---