His dark voice trails down her spine, lighting a path of desire that renders her breathless. "If only I were in a position of no consequence."
Alia's breath wavers when the pad of his thumb slowly glides across her bottom lip.
"Then I could give in...
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""Beware of Dog," the sign on the castle gate said. The intruder, unworried, would later decide that Dog was an odd name for a dragon." - James Mark Miller
•
A few heads turn towards the trio, brows furrowed with curiosity. Heat crawls up Alia's neck, cheeks reddening. She doesn't move her hand away from Valen's mark, and it results in unwanted spectators losing their interest in the girl. But Yaro's next words has their attention crawling right back.
"Who's mark is that?" He leans his head closer to her hand whilst Alia shakes her head. "I can't smell anyone on you."
Liam frowns, scanning Alia's covered neck. "What is he talking about?"
If Alia could drop into a hole and never come out again, she would. This whole exchange is mortifying, and it's worsened by the unfamiliar wolves that surround her. "It's— uh... it's—" she laughs awkwardly, trying to relieve the tension inside her chest.
A warm presence slips into her mind, and it has her heart calming. 'Show them,' Valen says. 'Let them fear harming you.'
Alia takes a breath, sending a pointed glare Yaro's way. But the Warrior can see the mirth inside her green eyes, and it results in him sending her a wink in return. She removes her hand and Liam's eyes widen, head instinctively moving closer to inspect the two circles. Other wolves try to crane their necks to catch a glimpse of the mark, but her hair manages to block it from view.
Liam's fingers move towards the mark, but Yaro snatches the male's wrist before he can touch skin. "Don't touch it," he warns, expression hardening. "If you touch it she'll remove your hand."
Taken aback, Alia tries voicing her disbelief, but Yaro's pointed finger stops her. "You will." He looks and Liam and releases his wrist. "So no touching."
A hand grabs Alia's arm, cold and viscerally repugnant. She yanks her arm out of the male's grip and spins around to face him with a scowl. "Don't you fucking touch me," she spits. Her heart rattles in her chest, despising the male's scent on her skin. She doesn't hear the collective gasp that sounds around her, eyes finding the two large indents on her neck. She only hears a deep ringing as her eyes clash with a pair of furious, brown eyes.
Standing at the same height as her, the male has dark brown hair and a small stubble lining his tanned complexion. A faint scar slices through one of his brows, which are tugged together whilst he stares at Valen's mark. "That has to be fake," he says, envy spewing out of his thin lips. "No one has canines that big."
Alia's upper lip twitches in disgust, hating the desire hidden within his approach. "Who even are you?"
"Who—" he shakes his head, expression turning incredulous. "We've sparred together."
"And?"
He scoffs. "Are you serious? I've seen the way you've looked at me in the training centre. You know who I am."
