Page 3 of Alpha Marked

All around, scents of all the newcomers permeated the air. Unmated males and females of age milled about, chatting and laughing nervously. Their pack wasn't the biggest in the northeast, not by a long shot, but there were still close to fifty pack members, and with all the others who had shown up, there had to be two hundred unmated shifters out there.

A handful of males and females prowled the edges of the meeting spot with wild eyes. The sight made River's heart squeeze. The rogues. Some looked desperate, while others appeared like they might snap and claim anyone without permission. Those were the ones River worried about most. Not for herself; she was her mother's daughter and handled herself with no problem. But for Bianca. As much as River loved her, Bianca could be an airhead, and if one of those rogues cornered her, there was no telling what would happen. Of course, one of those rogues would have to be insane to try and do something to Cherry's stepdaughter. Her mom would rip out their heart with her bare hands and eat it while it still beat.

A bark resounded through the air, and the group quieted. Bianca kissed Strider and ran over to join the group of unmated.

Their Alpha jumped on one of the picnic benches, and everyone in attendance bowed. He reached down, took his mate's hand, and gently pulled her beside him. Their pack Luna, Kawli, was one of the gentlest women River had met. Never once had River seen her angry or raise her voice. She was the calm to their Alpha's storm.

"Welcome," he said. "Tonight is our annual mating gathering, and I welcome everyone who has traveled to be here. We will begin with the run, followed by a meal, and finally, the sealing of all new matings."

The shifters howled, and the air electrified it with anticipation. She knew from experience the scents of every unmated shifter would rise with each minute. Her mother and Strider had taught her and Bianca how to control their senses so as not to become overwhelmed by them. Their sense of smell, hearing, sight, and more. River knew when to block them out and when to use them. River perked up her hearing and eyesight but clamped down her sense of smell to keep her brain from fogging over with all the pheromones flying around.

River gazed into the sky. The sun would set in the next hour, and the matings would begin as soon as it did. No one knew precisely why the moon held so much sway over their wolves, but the lunar cycles had been tied to shifters for as long as there had been shifters. They purposely picked a non-full moon night to hold runs for that reason. Currently, the moon was in its waning gibbous phase. The full moon had passed a week ago, and while in the waning gibbous phase, shifters were as docile and reasonable as they would ever be.

"It's starting," Strider whispered.

River tore her eyes back to the group as they began shifting, and part of her hoped something would happen with her wolf. As much as she hated that part of herself, she couldn't help it. Every time, the same thing happened. She wished and hoped for something to happen with her wolf. For her to wake up. Howl. Demand to be let free. Something, anything. But nothing ever happened. Nothing. Not a shot. Not a tingle. Not a twinge. She peered at the moon again. Was she even an actual shifter? She would seriously question her biology if she didn't have her enhanced senses and hadn't run with her mom and Strider before.

"I'm gonna go help prep the food."

Strider caught her hand.

She stopped, knowing what would come next. It had been like this every time. The sadness in his eyes at the fact that she hadn't found a mate. That she hadn't felt a twitch or twinge of desire for anyone. Ever. That she would remain alone until the pack kicked her out.

"I'll pay for art school," Strider blurted.

River stared at him. Had she heard him right? "What?"

"I'll pay for it. Whatever it costs. You figure out a plan and give it to me, and I'll talk to your mom."

River's mouth fell open. She liked Strider, even loved him, but she'd always kept him at arm's length because letting him in would somehow be disloyal to her father. Though for the last decade, Strider had been there for every moment of her life.

"I… Strider-"

He pulled her in and hugged her. "There's more to life than a fated mate, River. And I want you to find what you want for yourself."

She didn't know what to say.

An Alpha howl shook the trees, and Strider let go of her. "I have to chaperone."

River nodded, unable to form words. As Strider shifted and jogged down to the group, River smiled and turned toward the food kitchen.

It was going to happen. She would go to art school. A warmth of joy spread through her body, and as much as she didn't want to get excited, she couldn't help the skip that made its way into her step as she went off to peel potatoes. And Strider was right. There was more to life than a fated mate. Her mom and dad had been fated mates, and it hadn't gone well.

River peeledfifty pounds of potatoes with an ancient metal peeler that made her grip ache. Mates of other pack members helped prep food for when everyone returned. They would stroll back, starving, sweating, and stinking of sex. And it would be her cue to duck out and head back to her house. She breathed the fresh air, knowing it would be one of the last she would get for days. The afterscents of mating runs clung to every leaf in the woods.

She briefly shut her eyes and envisioned herself running with the pack like a wolf. Her eyes locking with some handsome timber wolf and then the heart-bursting unity which came from finding her mate. They would move toward each other, unable to resist the pull. Their wolves would demand to be unleashed together before the unbridled sex started. What would that be like?

She opened her eyes and peered into the darkness beyond. A light breeze blew in through the window, and a fragrance slammed into her. River stopped peeling and stiffened. The scent of honey and amber surrounded her, and for the first time, her wolf lifted her head and whined.

River's potato plopped into the sink, and she backed away so quick she slipped and landed on the floor with a thud.

"River, are you okay?" asked her Luna.

"What is it?" asked another mate she didn't recognize.

The women stopped talking, and one of them shut off the radio, making the kitchen eerily quiet except for the sounds of food cooking.

"Do you smell it?" one of the women asked.

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