The Unwanted Wolf

ADIRA

“Adira,” Rie whined, dragging out the second syllable of my name. “Take a break and come pick out dresses with me. You clearly are tired.”

Sweat was dripping down my face, and I was exhausted, but training with Ginger wasn’t going well. The heart monitor on my arm was also beating, which meant it was time to take a break, but I still didn’t want to. Zayla only agreed to let me train if I wore this heart monitor and took a break whenever it beeped. It felt like overkill, but her and Mark insisted it was for the best, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt the baby.

“Take a break, girl,” Ginger said. “You’ve been working hard all morning. Have some fun today. We’ll pick up training again.”

I looked at Ginger, feeling exasperated. I wanted her to help me train hard, but she was strict with having me take breaks. I knew it was a good thing, but it was still a hard pill to swallow. I couldn’t do everything I wanted because I was restricted. Even though I knew the importance, it didn’t make it any less frustrating.

“Can’t we train a little more tonight?” I asked. We had such a short time before the Council of Magic started to get suspicious. I needed to make the most of my time, but I knew the farther along with the pregnancy I got, the harder it would be to train.

“Nope. You relax, just like you’re supposed to. I have my own things to do anyway,” Ginger said. She started walking back inside to the pack house, giving me no choice but to relax.

“Say hi to Daniel for me!” I shouted out after her with a smile. Ginger and Daniel had a surprisingly cute dynamic. He loved her like a grandmother, and she acted like he was annoying. I knew she secretly loved the attention though.

I lay still on the grass for a moment and closed my eyes. It felt nice to just relax and breathe, even though there was a slight chill in the air. I probably was pushing myself a little hard, so it was good the people around me were keeping me in check.

Are you resting enough? Mark linked. He would check on me every so often while I was training if he couldn’t make it to my training session. He had come to most of my training sessions with Ginger. I knew part of it was concern for me and the baby, but the other part of it was he wanted to spend time with me. We both agreed to make time for each other, even with our duties and busy schedules.

Ginger told me no more training for the rest of the day.

Does that mean you’re free?

“Adira!” Rie’s voice was right next to my ear, making me jump. “Stop linking Mark and come with me. We need to get you ready. The girls are already here, so it’s time to try on dresses.”

You’re going to have to pry me away from Rie. It’s dress day.

That’s a death sentence.

I chuckled, finally opening my eyes. Rie was staring at me, her face only inches away from mine. She was vibrating from impatience, but I wasn’t in the mood to rush, especially not when it meant trying on dress after dress.

“I can’t get up unless you move.”

Rie moved back and then helped me to my feet. “Finally! We have a lot to do! The ceremony is only tomorrow after all.”

“Just remember I only have a few hours. We are going to let Freya meet with Cain before she completely explodes on us.” I still wasn’t sure if this was the best idea, but Cain was still cooperating, and Freya insisted that we were going back on our word to let her see Cain. At this point, I just wanted to let her see Cain so she could leave and get out of this pack house.

There was a point where I loved that woman, despite her driving me crazy. I supposed a part of me still loved her, and I probably always would. That didn’t mean I had to put up with her behavior and put her in a position where I had to be around her.

Rie rolled her eyes. “You should have told that woman to just leave and never come back. She’s awful to be around and treats everyone around her like they are beneath her.”

I hummed, but I didn’t give a proper response. Freya was always bossy and demanding, but she had grown bitter over the years. The resentment for her decision long ago was burning a hole in her soul, making her worse for it.

“I know, but we made a deal. She’ll be gone after this.” I needed this to be true. It was the only thing getting me through her presence. Knowing she would soon be gone made it more manageable to be around her in the brief seconds I passed by her.

I pulled the door to the pack house open, and Rie followed behind me as I entered. Suddenly, there was an arm around my waist, and I was being spun away from the back door. A pair of strong arms swept me up, spinning me even more. I giggled with surprise, looking up into Mark’s eyes as he set me down. He quickly pressed his lips against mine, distracting me with his mouth. I completely melted into his touch, all of my worries fading from my mind.

Rie cleared her throat and placed her hands on her h**s. “Excuse me. I have dibs on Adira right now, and must I remind you that you’re not allowed to come.”

Mark shook his head. “No, you don’t have to remind me. That’s why I wanted to capture my future luna while I had the chance.”

I linked my arms around Mark’s neck, enjoying the physical affection. Being with Mark made everything a million times better. It also made it harder to part with him every time. I leaned my head against his chest and closed my eyes for a moment, just taking in his scent.

Rie sighed. “Fine. You two have five minutes, and then I need Adira back.”

Mark smirked, knowing he had won this battle. I barely heard Rie stomp away as Mark pulled me into another k**s. This one was much softer than the hungry one he attacked me with earlier.

“I missed you.” Mark brushed his nose against mine.

“I missed you, too. I like training better when you’re with me. I’m stronger when you’re nearby.” I wasn’t sure if it was our mate bond that made my magic stronger or if it was the constant reminder of what I was fighting for, but I could do more for longer when Mark was nearby.

“And I like being there to make sure you aren’t pushing yourself too much.”

I bit my l*p and looked up at him, purposely trying to look seductive. “Then come to all of my trainings. It sounds like the best option.”

Mark let out a long sigh and pressed his forehead against mine. “I wish I could. I wish I could spend every minute with you, but there’s still a lot to do for this pack and Jori’s.”

Jori still hadn’t woken up since I talked to him, but Zayla said his vitals were getting stronger. It was starting to look like he was going to recover after all. It was a relief to hear that, but I was a little disappointed he didn’t wake up right away. I had this fairytale that I would use my magic touch and convince him to keep fighting, and then he would wake up like he was napping. That had just been a fairytale, though. In reality, his body and mind needed time to heal and get back on the same page.

I pouted, sad Mark wouldn’t be joining me for every training. I knew it wasn’t realistic, but I still hated being away from him in a way that wasn’t there before Cain kidnapped me. I fought through the need to be with him all of the time, since I knew it wasn’t healthy, but it didn’t stop the constant desire to be in my mate’s arms to know he was still here with me.

“Don’t give me that look. I may not be able to resist it,” Mark laughed. “You’re too cute.”

I stuck out my bottom l*p even more, trying to emphasize the sad look even more. “Maybe that’s what I want.”

Mark smirked and then suddenly took my bottom l*p in his mouth, nipping it in the process. He pushed me against the wall and then swirled his tongue in my mouth. I could feel him harden against me, and I knew this was doing just as much to him as it was doing to me.

Rie is going to kill us, I linked, since I was unable to use my mouth.

Mark dug his fingers into my h**s. I don’t care what she does to us at this point. I just want you.

I m****d into the k**s, knowing I wouldn’t be the one pulling away. I didn’t care if Rie scolded me for being late in this moment. My body heated with desire for Mark, and that was the only thing on my mind. I knew his mind was in the same place when he suddenly lifted me up. He started carrying me up to the bedroom, reframing from kissing me again until we were in privacy.

He opened our door, and just as he was about to enter, I heard Rie’s voice echo down the hallway. “Don’t you dare!”

Mark sighed and set me down. “We were caught.”

I pouted, my body still on fire. “Damn.”

Rie stomped down the hallway and grabbed my wrist. She started pulling me away from Mark. “Your five minutes are up. I had a feeling you two wouldn’t be able to control yourselves.”

“You didn’t even let me say goodbye,” I complained.

“You lost that right when you let him stick his tongue down your throat.

I shut my mouth, knowing I had no defense. We were definitely planning on being late. If Rie had been five seconds later, there would have been no stopping us.

We’ll finish that later, Mark purred in my head, making me smile like a lovesick school girl.

Rie pulled me down to the lounge, where several people were already waiting for me to get started. I was pleasantly surprised to see Cindy and Eva in the crowd. All of the girls from Pack Aphelion were also in the crowd, and Scythe and Percy were there too. Percy looked unenthused by the ordeal, but he was holding Scythe’s hands as he vibrated next to his mate in anticipation.

There were more people than I had anticipated for picking my dress, but it was actually exciting. It made it feel more like a party than a dress tryon session. This made the whole ordeal seem more fun, and I started to actually look forward to it.

Rie finally let go of my wrist and addressed the crowd. “I finally found the future luna trying to sneak off with her alpha, but don’t worry. I caught her just in time.” She gave me a wink, and I instantly started blushing. Everyone, except the two children in the room knew what Rie was hinting at, making me feel embarrassed. I should have had better control when it came to my mate, but now that Mark and I were mated, it was nearly impossible to resist him.