Page 70 of Alpha Marked
Her wolf said one word.Him.
Ares growled. Two couples stopped on the stairs. Their eyes flashed red. Drew and Santiago formed a barricade between Ares and the couples, though a crowd of other people poured down the stairs between the two groups.
"I am Prince Ares Wolvenguard, and this is my Omega," Ares said in a voice so low River almost didn't hear it. "Keep moving," he commanded.
The group inclined their heads and continued down the stairs.
Vampires.She'd never seen vampires before. Or if she had, she'd never known it. Though she wasn't scared of them, it showed her how something as small as a scratch could cause unwanted attention from other supernaturals.
She'd never understood why Cherry and the others had always said living in a crowded city was dangerous. Humans weren't the only predators in the cities. While wolves tended to stick to the outskirts, many other supernatural species needed to be near for food, services, and business. But she'd seen more supes in the last two minutes than in four years at school. Not that she'd searched. She'd refused to make friends at school.
Several males slowed their pace, but their human companions moved downward. The males' gazes landed on River, hungry and lusty. She pressed her head into Ares and turned her eyes away from them.
Damn! What? Was her blood magical or something? Why was she a beacon for supes?
"Move, or you'll lose your eyes," Ares snarled. "Your choice, pups."
River's heart thudded. She'd never experienced males looking at her before. Human men, sure. But shifters? Never. Mostly, they'd ignored her. She'd always thought it was because she couldn't shift- until the night she'd been attacked. Then she'd learned it was because of the pills her mom had made her take since she was twelve. The sensation left her feeling vulnerable for the first time, and she realized why Cherry had hidden that she was an Omega.
"Let me help you," Lachlan said in a terrifying voice she'd not thought him capable of.
Lachlan unbuttoned his jacket, flashing a shoulder holster she didn't know he wore.
The shifters regarded Lachlan and then her one more time. Lachlan took a step forward, and the males moved off.
Tension rippled through Ares' body. "I need to get you to my estate. They'll keep looking at you until we are mated. All of them. Shifters. Lycans. Vampires. Fae. Doesn't matter."
River looked up at him. "So, mating will make it stop?"
"No. You will always attract males. But once you are mated, they'll smell me as well, and they'll back off. Or they won't, and I'll kill them." Ares's eyes flashed golden.
River swallowed hard. She'd always felt in control. She could protect herself. But, in that moment, she realized how vulnerable she was. She didn't like it and wrapped her arms around Ares' waist.
"I want to leave," she whispered.
Ares nodded.
"If Theo and Zeke find the male, they'll call," said Santiago. "Let's take you back, Highnesses."
He'd attacked her. Again. Not like before, but… he'd been there, next to her. Though it had only been for a second, the thought terrified her. But another thought followed. Had he known where she was for the last four years?
Ares heldher hand the rest of the way down to the front door and stopped. Outside, people raced away as rain sloshed down.
Only a few stragglers remained in the lobby, trying to order Ubers or find taxis without ruining their designer attire.
"Damn," said Ares. "I should have checked the weather. I'm sorry."
"There's an umbrella in the car, sir," said Lachlan.
Santiago nodded. "You and Drew drive up the car and bring the umbrella back for the Prince and Princess."
"No need," said River. "I may come off like the wicked witch sometimes, but I don't melt in water."
Ares cocked his head to the side. "I wouldn't call you the wicked witch."
Her eyebrows rose.
He shook his head. "Self-preservation and past traumatic experiences don't make you a witch. They make you tough, and having to be tough makes you cautious."