The Alpha

Chapter Sixteen

Theo

"Theo," she says sounding apologetic. My wolf whimpers, and I clench my jaw, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to mark me."

"Enlighten me as to why you think that." I grind out and she swallows hard. "Because honestly, Josephine, I just don't understand."

"Can I not just say no and have you respect that? Do you need an explanation?!" She's getting worked up now too and I frown at her. I'm the one that gets to be upset right now, not her.

"Well until I get one, you aren't leaving my side. Not after what happened last night." I growl out and she flinches a little. I reach down and roughly pull up her shirt to expose her stomach. My wolf howls loudly in anger and I snarl. "Do you even see these bruises, Josephine? He wouldn't have dared to touch you if you would have been marked. But you weren't so he put his greasy hands all over you. You will not, and I repeat, will not be leaving my side until I mark you. Understood?"

She tugs her shirt back down as she glares at me but I couldn't care less that she's angry right now. If she would just stop being so stubborn and let me do what I want, no need, to do, we wouldn't even be fighting at this point.

"Fine." She snaps, standing up from the bed. "Whatever you want, Alpha Lupine." I snort at that. She's not gonna call me Theo? She's like a teenager calling her mother by her real name when she gets mad at her. Everyone else calls me Alpha Lupine. She's cute to think it would upset me.

"Now go shower and I'll be waiting for you when you're done." I order and she growls at me. I raise an eyebrow, daring her to argue.

"You can't boss me around like I'm just some pack member." My little mate must like dares. I snarl at her disobedience. She's just so difficult.

"Huh. You aren't mated to me. You aren't even marked by me." I shrug my shoulders. "You're just another pack member until something changes here." She opens her mouth and closes it multiple times like a fish out of water. My wolf howls in victory. We finally got this stubborn little girl to stop arguing with me.

"Theo." She says softly as if saying my name will make me change my mind. I raise an eyebrow, asking her to continue. "You know as well as I do, as well as your whole pack knows, that I'm your mate. So don't boss me around like I'm nothing."

I growl softly. My Josephine just doesn't get it, does she? I leap up and have her pinned beneath me on the bed in seconds. She gasps and stares up at me a bit in shock.

My hands pin her arms above her head and I have her legs stuck under my own. I leans close to her mouth and just kinda smell her for a few seconds. God, her scent is something I don't think I'll ever get tired of.

"I've tried being nice and patient with you. I really did try. But you obviously can't handle that approach so I'm not gonna be Mr. Nice Guy anymore. You are mine and it's time you realize that and start acting like it. Stop acting like you think I'm just some cruel man because I can smell you feel differently. You better stop being so damn stubborn or I'll just mark you against your will. You're preventing me from taking what belong to me and you know it's driving my wolf crazy. Now just go shower."

I get off of her and she lays, there blinking up at the ceiling, trying to control her fast breathing, before she gets up and goes to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. I stare at the door and frown. At this point, I just need her to know she's my mate, not my enemy.

When is she going to realize that?

Josephine

I take my sweet time showering so when I come out of the bathroom, my breathing won't sound so crazy. He knows the truth. He knows I think he's cruel but also think I'm starting to love and accept him as my mate. He may not be a good man but he's good to me. Why would I complain about that?

But this morning, he's just pissed. He wants me to belong to him officially and he's gonna do anything to get me to consent. I get it, really, I'm just not ready. Getting marked by him is such a huge thing and it's not something I'll take lightly.

Once he marks me, I'll be his. Not only that, but it's like a countdown after he marks me to see how long we can hold out before mating. When he marks me, each day will be worse because I'll want him to touch me constantly. I'll need him. And I'm not sure I'm ready for that. It'll be like that for the rest of my life. Once we mate, the countdown will just start over. I'll crave him more and more each day until he gives me what I need.

And that's terrifying.

I'll rely on him like I rely on oxygen to breathe. If he doesn't even up giving me what I need, I'll eventually die. My wolf would rather perish than have another man touch us to release us of the pain. That's why mates can't live without each other.

The same sort of goes for him. He needs me so he run the pack. Without his Luna, there will be no maternal figure for the pack and everything will fall to pieces. That's a huge responsibility for me. And with the whole Luna thing, once he marks me, I'll be the official Luna. Being that will soften me into be more compassionate, more emotional.

I'm not sure I'm ready for that.