“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Please don’t be true, please don’t be true…

“What-”

“I mean how is this even possible? No one has seen or heard from the old Alpha in… like … forever! He disappeared after the shield came down. Now all of the sudden you just pop up out of nowhere and I can’t seem to get rid of you?”

“Yes,” he said it so matter of factly as if something were written in stone she didn’t know about. She was now pacing, heart beating so fast she wondered if this is what a heart attack felt like, yet he just stood there calm and dignified.

God, she’d hoped and hoped for a way out of this place. Now if this guy was for real (which he wasn’t because that’s insane right?) she managed to piss off not only the most powerful person in Lycan history but also the person who would take down the shields. And she’d probably be locked in jail by then for insulting him. No, it couldn’t be true, if he was who he said why would he be bothering with her?

“Come on really? Do you expect me or anyone else to believe that? I don’t know where you're from but impersonating an Alpha, especially the possible ‘Returned Alpha’, is a big deal. I doubt his subjects will take kindly to this act whatever your angle might be. Alpha Ander was once very loved by his people,”

“Once?” For a brief moment, she could swear she saw a painful expression cross over his face before it returned to his stoney stance.

“Well yeah. Some people think he’s not dead, that he is just outside the wall having fun while we're all stuck in here. At least that’s what some would like everyone to believe,” This guy may have gotten it into his head that since the current Alpha has also disappeared for so long he could just walk right in and declare himself in charge.

He hadn’t been the only one with such a notion over the years. However the previous would-be Alphas weren’t ballsy enough to claim to be a returned Alpha.

He had arrived with a band of men from the Tabbe. I don’t know how he could have fooled the people of the city where he had once lived. For centuries. Surely there were still people alive from the old times who would recognize that this was not Alpha Ander.

His jaw ticked and she could see the anger growing in his eyes. Humm not so in control after all. Wait, if he were faking then why would he have such a strong reaction to this news? He looked as if he was really upset about it.

“Some people may see it that way. The ones with short term memory, but those who know what they're talking about would never believe such things. They know the truth is quite the opposite,” he was seething now.

“I never abandoned my people, I've been here the whole time! Giving up my life essence for all these years to protect what's left of this kingdom. I left my brother in charge to become the next Alpha, in no way were you abandoned,” This guy was serious! Either he really was who he said he was or completely bonkers. The latter was the most logical reality.

“You must be insane! I mean men have delusions of grandeur all the time so it makes sense why you would believe yourself the returned Alpha,” Reason with him. Yeah, that’ll work. It always works when dealing with psychopaths…

“ Even if what you say is true what does any of this have to do with me? I’ve literally never even-” she trailed off as she heard a voice calling out some distance away.

“ Mara!” It was her dad. Well, adoptive dad as he’d made clear earlier. “Mara! Where are you? I know you can hear me,” Maybe so, but I’m still pissed at you so it's not like I feel the need to answer you now.

“Mara…” this time her name came from the drool-worthy lips of the man in front of her.

He seemed to be testing it out. As if to see if he liked the way it rolled off his tongue. She certainly did.

God help her, she couldn’t take her eyes off of his lips and wondered what they might feel like pressed against her own. The reasonable part of her was screaming: OMG snap out of it! You have no clue who this guy is or what he wants or what he's capable of doing to get it. The last thing you should be thinking about is kissing him! Too bad there was another part of her that recklessly wanted to explore this man in front of her.

They stood only a foot apart both expecting the other to say something. Neither did but it was only a matter of time before her dad - adoptive she reminded herself- found them.

She wondered why he was quiet though. Did he not want her dad to know where they were? If so why not drag her away as he proved he could easily do. Or did he want him to find them? Nothing that was going on right now made any sense and her brain was about to explode just thinking about it.

“You’re not going to answer him?”

“Nope,” She glared and then turned her head away saying nothing else.

Well, at least I’m not the only one she's obstinate with. Who was this man calling after her?

Heat began to rise through his stomach boiling into tension and fury that pounded throughout him settling in his fists readying them to strike.

Of course. She already had a male.

How could one as tempting as her not? Hell, she probably had scores of men ready and willing to do her bidding. No wonder she spoke to him without fear. She was used to looking down on men groveling at her feet.

No longer. He’d rip the head clean off of any man who thought to lust after her. Once she witnessed how quickly he dispatched this fool surely she’d change her tune. He’d make her come to heel one way or another.

Just the thought of another man after his mate made his instinct to mark her go into overdrive. The priority was claiming and marking her. He wouldn’t be able to focus on anything until she was officially under his protection and safe in his keeping. Away from other men.

His dick had already grown ramrod straight and was pulsating with a need to bury it deep inside her. He thought he could hold off long enough to get back home and claim her properly. However, a gust of wind flew through her hair and traveled to him smelling a million times better than the scarf he had found. For a moment all reason and sense escaped him.

Ignoring the overwhelming demands of his body would be easier said than done. Until she bore his mark every thought, reflex, and move would be relentlessly pulling him to make her his. It was enough to drive a man insane.

He could hear the rapid footfall of the man chasing after her growing louder, getting closer. She could as well. She began to step away but his arm shot out grabbing the back of her neck and then crushing her into him.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled. She hissed at him again but this time with an aggressive snap of her teeth like she might actually bite. He felt her tiny hands pummeling into his chest and stomach as she tried to get free but he hardly felt a thing and was not about to let her go even if he did.

“Stop it, you’ll only hurt yourself,” It was a simple truth but somehow enraged her further. He knew what was coming next and blocked her knee before it reached its intended target, his groin.

“Trust me, I am eager for your attention there as well but we're about to have company,” he dipped his head so that his words would be a whisper, vibrating in her ear. His lips barely grazed her as he blew softly down the side of her face and onto her neck.

Her body responded to him instantly. He felt the shiver he had created rolling down her body, rolling into him.

Finally having her in his arms so close to him felt amazing. Imagining that no clothes were separating them made him grow harder, larger.

She let out a gasp as she felt it and resumed her squirming. He simply reached his free arm around her waist holding her still to him.

He released her neck and threaded his fingers in her soft velvety hair making her scent waft heavily around them. The smell of peace and love. So opposite of the demeanor she currently displayed.

Still, he found himself relaxing, wanting to lose himself in her.

He lifted her face to feast his eyes on what he had been given. Long lashes seductively shielded her emerald green eyes as they locked onto his. Her high cheekbones highlighted her elegant features all leading down to plump and full rosy lips begging to be suckled. He wondered if they were the same shade of dusty pink as her other sensitive flesh he longed to suck on until she was screaming his name…

“My liege,” Ander snapped his head in the direction of the voice to find a man bowing before him.