Talons

Chapter 105: The Exotic

Rhea's POV

The man talking to me has eyes that are a little too yellow to be considered hazel, and I intuitively know he’s a supernatural being.

There was also the fact that he purposefully looked for a mark on my neck, which meant he knew of the practice.

"I know what you're thinking, and while I am like you, I've got something a little 'extra' in me." I wanted to be curious, but something told me to mind my business, lest the male think I’m interested, and I’m not.

"No thank you," I say, but the man steps a little closer to me instead of away. He bends forward, staring into my eyes and I swear that his irises changed colors as he looked at me.

"You are going to get up and follow me. We are going to f*ck in my car, and because you're so pretty, I’m going to drive you home, where you are going to forget all about me.” I burst into laughter at the man's words, and his brow furrows in offense.

“Does that actually work for you?” I ask. “There's no way that it does.” The man's eyes are wide, and I begin to gather my things to get away from him.

“What are you?” He questions in a whisper.

“The same as you, but without the ‘extra,’” I retort. The man looks stricken by my words, and feeling a little bad for him, I try to boost his ego a bit. “Listen, I don’t know what kind of women you usually use that line on, but something tells me they would have gone home with anyone who looked at them. You aren't ugly; you just aren't my type.” He shakes his head dramatically, and I roll my eyes. I try to walk away but he grabs my arm.

“You don’t understand; that always works.”

“Whatever,” I growl. “But you better let go of my arm before you lose yours,” I warn. The man releases me like fire, but when I walk away, he continues to follow me.

“What are you?” he asks again, but he and I both know that's a question I can’t answer in public. Besides that, he can smell me.

I start to feel annoyed by the man, but I’m not in a place where I can react harshly without causing a scene, so I ignore him as I search for Mandy.

“Stop,” he says, standing in front of me and resting both hands on my shoulders to keep me from moving forward. I tilt my head at the man, who is very near death. “Are you sure you don’t have anything extra in you? My glamor never fails.” My mouth hangs open in disgust.

The man wasn’t just talking to me when he ‘invited’ me to his car. He was using a glamor on me, which is why he was shocked that it didn't work.

I wonder how many innocent women have fallen victim to his ‘charm,’ and I suddenly feel the need to end his life, but my sinister thoughts are interrupted by a low rumbling growl that I’ve grown familiar with.

Colton’s POV

My mate completely embarrassed me in front of the store's cashier. My only consolation is that the girl was human and couldn't tell I was an alpha male.

Had it not been for the lustful stares the woman was giving me, I would have insisted that Rhea allow me to pay for her things, but I was uncomfortable in the situation.

My mate wasn't even paying attention or maybe she just didn't care, but I'm pretty sure that if I would have asked the cashier to follow me into the back, she would have done it. Meanwhile, the woman created for me, can’t even speak without stammering in fear.

I used to pride myself on how submissive she was toward me but now, I only feel broken by it. As a luna, she should be able to stand up to me or anyone else, but my mate’s confidence is shattered, and I know I'm the one who put the original cracks in it.

Mandy told me that she wanted to change the dress she was wearing because she felt ugly in it. She had mistakenly taken my ‘bra’ comment as an insult, although I'm not really sure how or why.

All I wanted was for her to get some added support because the knowledge that her breasts were perky and full without assistance was a little arousing to me, and based on the way Trey’s eyes narrowed right onto her breast told me that the feeling would be shared by others.

I find myself walking away from the store, a little relieved I didn't just drop three hundred on jeans and t-shirts, but that's how my mate dresses, and I'm not going to change that.

She has always been a simple girl and I used to mistake it for her being sloppy, but looking back, she was always clean unless someone, usually me, did something to make her look unkempt.

She is a naturalist, which as a wolf is fitting. Getting dirt and mud on her body never really bothered her, but I was always taught that it was a sign of weakness.

As an adult, I can say with certainty that its complete bullsh*t but I used to believe my father when he said that an alpha should be set apart from pack helpers in appearance. So, in order to fit that narrative, I was always neatly put together.

I’m lucky that logic didn’t backfire on me, because a ranked pack member who was raised similarly won’t even spar because it’s ‘unsanitary.’ I remember someone throwing dirt at him, thinking it would make him cry, but the man is from a strong line of wolves. He kicked that guy’s ass, then made the man do his laundry.

It was by far the funniest teenage memory I have, and it makes me wonder if my mate will be able to do something similar, but she doesn’t seem like much of a fighter to me. She’s too petite, and way too pretty to have spent any real time doing anything physical.

I haven't forgotten her weight gain. It was literally the reason I went around looking for women with a specific body type that was never quite what I wanted.

"You needed our mate, and we still need her." Orlin has been unusually on edge since we left pack territory, especially since I left our mate to do her own thing. He always wants us next to her, but I’m fine with just being able to smell her.

I know she is still in the mall, but to calm my wolf down I start moving forward to put my eyes on her. When I finally spot her, Jamal, a f*cking hybrid I know is staring at her, and I start to speed walk toward them, knowing that he was using a glamour.

Vampire/ wolf mix hybrids are strong, regardless of if they are of alpha lineage or not. They can compel people to do their bidding with some sort of hypnosis, but it's a short response that can be broken by almost any kind of distraction. Still, it's dangerous, and without training, it's hard to fight.

However, just before I break into a sprint, Rhea bursts into laughter. I’m close enough now to hear what she is saying, and when the hybrid questions her species, I know it's because like me, he thought his charm would work on her.

I watch him follow my mate, peppering her with questions before physically forcing her to stop walking. That was all I needed to react, but the hybrid wasn’t at all concerned with me. My mate, however, was rigid.

“I saw her first,” he says, and Orlin tries to push forward. Another male is putting a claim on my mate, and I’m literally about to lose it.

“She is mine,” I growl, taking a step closer before he looks up at me in absolute confusion.

“Are you sure? Because she isn’t marked, and I can’t see the goddess favoring you with someone so...” Jamal doesn’t finish his sentence, but he shakes his head and bites at his lips while scanning my mate’s body. I grab his collar, but he just starts chuckling. “Come on Colt, you and I go way back. You know I wouldn’t have overstepped if I knew she was taken.”

I know that, but it doesn’t change the fact that he put a claim on my mate. I order him to release it, and he does. I let him go, and stand in front of Rhea, who looks… angry? I don’t know what he said to her, but I have never seen her scowl before.

“What the hell did you do?” I ask, knowing that he must have really rubbed her the wrong way since I have never seen her wear anything except a smile or a frown.

“I offered her a ride home,” Jamal says, but something tells me he said a little more than that. “So, you finally ditched the-”

“Shut up.” I interrupt Jamal, who I know was about to mention Jessica. “I’m here with my fated partner.” Jamal’s eyes snap to mine in shock, and he starts to retreat. “Fated? Then, you should be careful, letting someone as unique as her walk around unmarked.” I raise a brow, and he gives me a mocking smirk. “She smells very… exotic.” A low growl escapes my lips, but Jamal cuts me off. “Take a look around,” he says, and I do.

There are more than six male wolves huddled in different areas of the mall, and they are all staring at my mate. They must have been following her around, drawn to her scent, and I tell myself that I’ll have to ask Trey about it later.

Fated wolves smell different to each other, so to me Rhea smells sweet; like a strawberry field on a windy spring day. It's natural and alluring, and now, I can't wait to taste her.

"She is mine," I say, letting my authority seep into my words and Jamal takes a step back.

He's strong, but his father fears him, so he was never given proper training. Besides that, I come from a pure alpha line, so I'm simply stronger than he is, just without magic.

“Catch you alone some other time?” The man states the phrase as a question, and I notice that he’s looking past me and at my mate.

He darts before I get angry enough to attack him, and while Orlin wants to push ahead and chase him down, I will not be leaving our mate behind again.