Page 27 of Alpha Marked

Her ribcage tightened, and she imagined what her father would think of her latest 'stunt' as her mother would call them.

She dropped her bag on the kitchen table before weaving through the never-changing decor. She walked down the hall to the first bedroom and dialed in the code to the padlock she left to keep people out. They may not lock their doors in her old pack, but that didn't mean she wanted people pillaging her personal space. Not that they would. Those who knew her mother knew better than to mess with her.

She removed the padlock and opened the door to the small but brightly colored room. Before she found her muse in sculpting, she'd started with drawing and painting. And when she'd tired of using paper, she'd moved on to the walls and her furniture.

"It's yours, do what you want with it,"her mom had said.

So, she had.

River breathed a sigh and locked the padlock inside the door. She'd never done that before, but back in her childhood home, surrounded by nothing but her memories, the extra security would comfort her as she slept.

* * *

Ares strolledthrough the spacious workshop, touching various objects and inspecting the surfaces. He walked to a makeshift shower in the corner and lifted a discarded shirt from the floor. He held it to his nose and breathed it in. His wolf howled at her scent. The aroma of metal and oil mixed with pistachio and vanilla. His body sprang to life, and he had to adjust himself to keep his painful erection from bursting through his suit pants.

"Where is she?"

"I… I don't know, Y-Your Majesty," Zeke's mate stammered. "This… this is her place. Her only place. She doesn't have anywhere else."

He balled up the shirt and shoved it inside his coat. "Where's her apartment?"

"Upstairs." The female pointed.

Ares leapt the stairs and opened the door to the studio apartment. Her fragrance almost brought him to his knees as it saturated every surface.

The neat and orderly studio apartment utterly opposed the workspace below. It'd been furnished with brightly colored furniture and paintings, but somehow, it all went together.

He walked to the bed area and took in the plush faux fur blanket. His wolf growled as he imagined how many men had been with her in the bed. The thought that someone else may have touched her body made him want to rip the bed to pieces and burn it. He walked to a small wooden nightstand and picked up the book she had. A romance called Red the Were Hunter. He turned it over and noticed a stack of other shifter romance books on the floor. Promised at the Moon, Cursed by the Moon, a dozen or so more. He shook his head and placed the book back on the nightstand.

He opened the drawer, and his fangs descended into his mouth as he picked up the small battery-operated toy, which smelled like the most intimate parts of her. He ran his hand over the soft silicone and imagined her alone in bed, naked and-

"Majesty," Zeke said behind him.

Ares shoved the purple toy back into the drawer and slammed it shut. "What?'

"My mate says River's motorcycle is gone."

Ares clutched the edge of her bed, and his fingernails lengthened, puncturing the furry pink blanket and the mattress beneath.

His body shook as his wolf surfaced, and he howled into the air.

Where is she?

"Bring your mate up here," he ordered.

Zeke growled, and Ares looked at him.

"Please. I only want to ask her some questions."

"I won't leave her alone with you."

"I didn't ask you to."

Zeke looked like he might say something else. Instead, he walked out and returned a minute later with his sultry but terrified-looking mate locked in his grasp.

Ares fought to keep his voice calm and forced his best smile onto his face.

"What is your first name, Mrs. Redmane?"

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