TerrIIItory by Susan A. Bliler

“Easy.  Mate mark.”
    Bethany felt the color drain from her face.  “W-what?”  She looked from Clay to Evander.
    “If your wolf knows she’s claimed, and that she’ll be protected, she might come out willingly, Beth.”  Evander walked closer.
    “But you can’t mark me.  You’re not my mate.”
    His angry growl of dissent sounded loudly through the room.
    “I thought we discussed this.”  She was pleading with Evander.  “My wolf only attached herself to you because she’s traumatized.  She attached herself to the first strong male she found.”
    Steely green eyes narrowed on her, and she watched as Evander’s jaw ticked.
    “I’m sorry, Evander.  I’m not trying to insult you.  I just don’t want you making a mistake because my wolf is all screwed up.”
    He took a step closer to her.  “You.”  Then another step.  “ Are .”  Another step.  “My.”  He was right in front of her now and reached for her.  Strong arms lifted her easily, and he turned to place her on the counter, so she sat eye level with him as he positioned his large frame between her knees.  “Mate.”
    Clay simply smiled when she looked to him for help.
    “Tell him this is a bad idea,” she implored, but Clay shook his head.
    “It’s worth a shot, Bethany.”  Clay seemed pleased with the idea.
    “Worth a shot?”  She pushed at Evander’s chest when he crowded her.  “If he’s not my mate, and he marks me, then what?”  She scowled at him.  “Then you’ve claimed me, and I’m not your one!  That isn’t fair to you, and it isn’t fair to me.”
    “Admittedly, your wolf is a little screwed up right now.  Right?”
    She crossed her arms over her chest and refused to respond.
    “And since my wolf has a clear head, I think we should trust that he knows what he’s doing.”  When Bethany dropped her chin, Evander used a strong finger to force her head back up to meet his gaze.  “I’m not trying to take advantage of you here, Beth.”
    “I didn’t say…”
    “I’m trying to help heal my mate.  You need to trust me.  You need to let me do what I can to help your wolf.  She’s injured, and she’s afraid.”
    He dropped his hand, gripping her thighs to pull her closer to him.  Bethany sucked in a sharp breath at the action, and he scented her sudden interest.
    “I am going to do what I can to fix you.  And you are going to let me.”
    The words hung in the air for long moments before Evander prodded.  “Agreed?”
    Heart pounding, and unsure what else to say or do, Bethany simply nodded once.
    Without taking his eyes off her, Evander growled menacingly, “Leave us!”
    Bethany didn’t have to look up to know that Clay had exited the room.
    She couldn’t tear her eyes from Evander.  Her heart literally skipped a beat when his hands on her thighs tightened and he pulled her closer still.  “I’m going to go first.”
    His tone was deep, and held the barely restrained hint of a growl.  He was excited, and so was she.
    Lifting a hand with borrowed courage, she swept her hair to one side and tilted her head, the whole time keeping her eyes locked on Evander.  Bethany felt her face flush.  It’s no big deal , she lied to herself.  Wolves do it all the time.
    She licked her lips in nervous anticipation and felt an ache center low in her belly when Evander’s eyes dipped to watch her mouth.  She knew the voluntary display of her throat was submissive and against her nature, but she wanted this done quickly.  Already the room was beginning to heat and scent of her more than piqued interest in the Alpha, which didn’t bode well for her belief that she wasn’t his.  Her belly churned with equal parts nervousness and excitement.  This was it.  If they were truly mates, then his mark would call out her wolf, and she’d begin to heal.  She struggled to keep from getting her hopes up, while a secret part of her clapped excitedly and prayed she was his.

Chapter 10
    Evander