She-Alpha

Chapter three

By the time Ares is back, I'm excited to hear the news he has now.

For the rest of the ceremony, my brother is walking around, shaking hands, kissing heads and blessing young pups. I watch him for as long as I can without making myself noticeable. Something about him now is different. His aura has changed, and the effects he has on people is now no longer the same. He's the Alpha of Blood Moon.

I look away when I see my brother lock eyes with me. I hope he doesn't approach me and I silently pray to God he doesn't. And by some miracle, another Alpha makes his way to him.

I try my best to look anywhere but at them when I catch Ares talking to my father at the other end of the room. They start by shaking hands, and my father immediately begins to laugh and crack jokes. I could hear their conversation now if I wanted to, but I choose not to. I don't want to hear what my father has to say about his only daughter.

I drink and drink and drink the night away. I'm practically the only customer this bartender has when I ask for the same drink once more, and he looks at me awkwardly, not sure whether he should comply or not.

When I'm ready with my other drink, and I turn to look at them once more, my dad's expression has turned serious and he's looking straight at me, sending a death sentence my way. Ares is talking to him, but I feel like he isn't paying attention until he proves otherwise by giving Ares a pat on the shoulder and saying something back.

That's when Ares starts to walk toward me, looking like a model as he does so. The crowd splits immediately for him, creating a much more entertaining pathway from him to me. He's walking with long strides, and he looks to be cracking his jaw because he doesn't look too happy until he reaches me.

"Aren't you handsome!" I compliment him squeakily, poking his chest with my pointer finger before a hiccup takes over.

He doesn't respond for a while before his nose squints and his eyebrows furrow. "What have you been drinking?" He asks disgustingly.

"What so I'm not allowed to drink now?" I say back, offended. Another hiccup erupts and I immediately laugh at how funny the hiccup sounds.

He's still staring hard at me, waiting for an answer to his question and I roll my eyes.

"Will you calm down? It's just a little wolfsbane." I say, hoping that this would get him to calm down but he doesn't.

"What?!" He's angry, and I could tell as much when the bartenders behind me immediately leave my side.

"What?" I ask back, angry now. "Are you just trying to ruin my mood? If that's what you're doing, then it looks you have nothing better to do as Alpha."

He grabs the half-filled cup from my hand before placing it far away from me on the table. A bartender grabs it away immediately as if by order and I turn to give him a betrayed stare.

"We've got to go. You're completely drunk." He says just as another hiccup escapes me.

"Hey!" I yell, pointing my finger at him. That causes a few people that were near enough to hear me turn around and stare at the commotion. "I'm not drunk, okay?! For me to be drunk, I'd have to drink like twenty more cups of that!" I yell, offended and he tries to shut me up by moving closer and blocking my face from the people around.

"Ivy, please be quiet." He pleads, and I immediately shake my head, standing up.

"You think you can just insult me and I'll be quiet?!" I ask ridiculously, but my heels don't help as my posture isn't straight and I feel the world turn around. I place a hand onto the stool I was just sitting on to hold myself straight.

That's until I'm picked up from off the ground, and gasps around me are the only music to my ears. Ares is carrying me as if we were just done with our marriage and we were heading back to our bedroom. He was carrying me the way he'd carry a bride.

It happens too quickly for me to be mad. Everyone is looking at him as if he's crazy; no one knows that he's my mate, yet. Of course, they don't, my dad would never announce such a thing on my brother's night. He won't let me steal his thunder even by something so important as this.

My arms are wrapped around his neck to allow me to balance myself and I immediately laugh at the look everyone is giving us. As he passes by one of our pack ladies, I yell.

"He's my mate!" I tell her enthusiastically, happy to let it out and feel like I have a friend who's happy for me. But before I can catch her reaction, we're already out of the door and into the cold air.

I shudder.

"How do you walk so fast?" I ask him, incredulously.

He doesn't respond, which causes my wolf to whimper. I rest my head on his shoulder, taking in his beautiful scent which calms me. I don't feel drunk anymore as if his smell is the only cure I'd ever need. Even during war.

When my eyes fall on his unmarked neck, I immediately get closer to it. I lick it slowly, letting out a little drunken laugh that proves to him I'm not cured yet, but to me it doesn't matter. I feel him stiffen as he's walking but he doesn't ask me to stop.

I give a few kisses to the side of his neck that's available to me. Everything about him is making me turn crazy. His scent, his strong hold on me and his neck.

I give him a small bite, wishing to tease him. It has the opposite effect on him.

"Ivy, stop." He pleads.

I ignore him, knowing he must be enjoying it, too.

"Ivy..." He warns but it sounds more like he's warning himself than me. That's when he stops in his tracks, lays me down on the floor slowly before he takes off his jacket. I'm looking up at him confused.

"What? Why are you not enjoying this, isn't that what mates do?" I ask.

He leans down, placing the jacket around me and pushing each arm gently into its place. His jacket makes me feel warm and happy because I know that any moment know I could break. I wanted to cry out loud, and maybe challenge my brother to a duel while I was at it. Embarrass him.

That's when he raises my again, almost as if I was a feather. He throws me over his shoulder, and I'm not happy at this as I hit his back with clenched fists.

"Ares, put me down!" I yell, but no one is around to hear, anyway. No one except the maids around the building we were nearing.

"Ares!" I yell again, kicking my legs onto his chests, but it has no effect on him. I suddenly feel the urge to warn him.

"Don't make me kick you for real! I'm stronger than you think!"

But he keeps ignoring me, slightly adjusting my legs so that he could have them trapped underneath his other arm.

Soon, I begin to feel dizzy and out of place. The wolfsbane's poison was beginning its other effect on me, which I thought I could handle. I stop flailing and fighting, accepting my nausea and defeat. But then I feel a tear fall from my eye and everything goes black.