Chapter 5 | DISCONTINUED

To escape mating, Natalie's first stop had been her dad. But as he wanted an alliance with Ray, she discovered pretty quickly that she wasn't going to get any help from that corner. Her next stop should be her Alpha, but as her dad was the Alpha, that avenue was also close to her. She could try leaving the pack but that wouldn't improve her situation. As a lone wolf without any protection, pack, or territory she would be easy pickings, and Ray would undoubtedly be the picker.

The only other person she had was her uncle – her deceased mother's only brother – who she hadn't seen since he mated into another pack ten years ago. She planned to ask him to approach his Alpha with the idea of accepting her into his pack, but she wasn't optimistic. Although she was a healer, she was also Kage and she couldn't envision any Alpha being particularly interested in taking in a Kage wolf. The question was, even if the Alpha did take her in, would he be prepared to challenge Ray if he – angry at being thwarted as only a control freak could be – came to bring her back?

She thought about telling Dominic that she liked Ray even less than he did, but sometimes it was a case of 'better the devil you know – and this particular devil was possibly worse than Ray. So, instead of answering his question, she got herself comfy on the seat, crossing her legs yoga-like, and sipped the coffee that Happy had placed in front of her.

"Does your silence mean you haven't set a date yet?" She heard Dominic ask and slowly smirked.

"Oh, didn't I answer? That's probably because it's none of your business."

She watched as his mouth twitch into a smile. "You must be looking forward to soon becoming an Alpha Female of a pack."

Something about his tone had her frowning. "Are power-hungry females the only type you've known?"

He shrugged. "Isn't it what every female wolf dreams of?"

"Oh yes, and I'm bowled over with excitement at my upcoming position." She replied sarcastically and sent Dominic an evil smile.

*****

Strangely Dominic found that he liked Natalie's sarcastic streak. He loved the way she was able to stand her ground and push him. It meant she wasn't useless as he had thought.

"I thought you were a healer," Dominic asked and she sent him a look.

"I am."

"Typically they have gentle natures."

"I fall flat there."

"I heard you're quite a powerful healer."

She was. There were three different types of healers. Some worked on an emotional level, neutralising or healing emotional wounds. Others drew the aches and pains into themselves, acting more as a sedative and ensuring a speedy recovery. Then there were those like Natalie who could heal the actual wounds within minutes, guaranteeing a recovery.

"I wouldn't call it powerful. Odd maybe. But not powerful. Not yet," she replied.

Dominic grinned. "Do you always sit in odd positions?"

"Just be thankful I'm not sitting on your countertop. That's where I usually sit when I'm in the kitchen." Maybe because it reminded her of all the times her mom had sat her there while they baked together, maybe not.

"What about in the bedroom?" he asked with what he knew was a wicked, suggestive grin. "Do you get in odd positions in there too?"

"Depends if the male can succeed in pinning me down."

"Ah, of course. You're an alpha." And alphas, whether they were leaders of their pack or just alpha by nature, didn't surrender without the male proving their dominance. Just the idea of fighting to have Natalie submit to him had his cock throbbing and his balls aching. He knew she'd fight him like a wildcat.

He liked his women strong and feisty, but they were often too intimidated by him to challenge him. If they weren't intimidated by his unapproachable air, it was the heavy dominant vibe he gave off. If it wasn't either of those that intimidated them, it was how close his wolf was to the surface. That was if they weren't scared enough initially by his reputation. The only female who had ever stood up to him – and still did regularly – was his grandmother.

"Do you have any cookies or something to go with this coffee?" Natalie asked and Mark placed a pack of his grandmother's cookies beside her mug and she immediately delved into them. Dominic's gaze was helplessly drawn to her carnal mouth as she chewed. Images of those lips around his cock flashed through his mind, making his wolf growl inside his head. Then his entire body clenched as she sucked the dribbles of coffee from the tips of her fingers. Well fuck. What made the whole thing even more of a turn-on was that she had no idea she was being watched by every male in the room. She was innocently and unknowingly provocative. Of course, Ray would want her, but it was still difficult to understand him taking a spitfire for a mate. He was too controlling to mate with such a strong-willed woman.

What Dom found even more difficult to understand was why Natalie would want Ray as a mate. Yeah, he knew females tended to like Ray and his charming ways that hid his coldness, but Natalie seemed like someone who would snort at flowery words and oppose being with someone who wanted to control her. It didn't make sense. They didn't make sense. That was why he was thinking that maybe his suspicions about their supposed mating had truth in them.

One of his enforcers, Trevor, had come to Dom with the story of how he had stumbled upon Ray and a female wolf having some sort of struggle. Trevor had been ready to interfere when he saw the fresh nibble on her skin – a claiming of some sort. He had walked away then; no shifter with any sense would try to interfere in a row between mates. Still, the whole scene had bugged Trevor because she hadn't looked willing. What Dom hadn't been able to figure out was why she would allow anyone to get away with almost forcing their mark on her. Her father was Alpha of the pack for Christ's sake. Surely he wouldn't allow that.

Dom knew the kind of things Ray Weston was capable of. Claiming an unwilling female would be nothing to him. Maybe if that female was submissive it would be nothing much to her, but Dom had only known Natalie West for five minutes and already he could tell that she was far from submissive or complacent. It didn't make any sense. There was another thing supporting his suspicion that there was something very wrong about this mating...

"You don't smell of him," Dominic grunted and watched as Natalie's features transformed.

*****

Thank God, Natalie almost spat but refrained from saying it aloud.

Although Ray had left a scratch of his mark on her, he hadn't been able to imprint it on her. Two wolves who weren't true mates could still come together as mates and have a tight bond through the process of imprinting. That process couldn't be sparked unless there were strong emotions involved and it also required a lot of physical contact. When two wolves were imprinted, their scents mixed and they developed a sort of metaphysical link. Even if Natalie ended up mated to Ray they would never have that link, because there was no way they would ever imprint. Unless the emotion of hate was able to spark it of course.

Natalie dropped a biscuit into her coffee and replied, "Hmm" Dominic's question. Before she knew what was happening, Dominic reached across the table and tugged her t-shirt aside to bare her shoulder, and at the sight of Ray's fading bite, he growled.

Natalie jerked back immediately, gaping and scowling as she yelled, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"