27

I squirmed impatiently in the back seat of the car, listening to the rain pounding the roof above me in pleasant tones, while for the first time really wondering if I wasn't being too hard on keno.

I didn't know much about alphas, about packs, or their customs, but what if his connection to me was even stronger than mine to him. After all, even I, growing up around humans, had trouble resisting him. Everything about him felt like it was created for me. His unique smell, his fabulous looks, his so dark voice... He just captivated me with everything and it wasn't his fault that the moon goddess had assigned me to him.

Great... and my guilty conscience set in, but hadn't he really screwed up with the forced marking? ... An apology on his part would actually be more than appropriate.

I was scared to death when the two front doors suddenly flew open, but calmed down quickly when Jamal and Keno sat down.

Jamal glanced back at me, but I couldn't tell from his expressionless face if Keno had calmed down or not.

Unsteadily, I turned my gaze to the rearview mirror and looked apologetically at Keno, who didn't even notice me for a second. He stared stubbornly out of the windshield and started the engine, which also turned on the radio and soft rock music blared through the car.

"Keno, I-" I started to apologize, but as soon as I opened my mouth, he just turned the radio up without paying me any attention.

Now he could shove my apology up his ass!

Dizzy, I snuggled into the blanket, snorting in frustration, looking out the window at the incessant rain as we slowly drove through the wide gate and left this wasteland behind.

The fact that keno seemed mad at me or whatever shouldn't theoretically bother me at all. But do it anyway! This marker craved his attention. My she-wolf submitted to his dominance and I... I kept catching myself glancing at him in the rear-view mirror, but not once during the hour-long drive did he return my gaze, which was driving me insane...

Well, now I actually had what I wanted. My absolute calm in front of him... But even if it was what I wanted yesterday, it was a really cruel feeling now...

"I'm hungry," I finally murmured into the silence, and while I really wanted to eat, it was just another attempt to get his attention, but it was Jamal who turned around and nodded at me.

"In a few kilometers there should be a gas station with a rest area."

I didn't answer him and turned my gaze back to the window, through which I could only see fields and forests, but at least the dark clouds had cleared and I could finally look at the sun again. Albeit just slightly caught behind a bright cloud.

When we finally slowed down after a while and turned into a rest area, I stretched and was glad to be able to stretch my legs at least for a moment.

Keno parked right next to a pump and got out first, too, which Jamal immediately followed suit. Only I hesitated, because even if I wanted to provoke him beforehand, at that moment it just seemed stupid to wear such tight clothes.

I carefully threw the brown blanket over my head, then opened my door and climbed out into the fresh air to look next to me at Keno, who was just staring at the fuel pump display.

Rolling my eyes, I then ran in the other direction and saw some benches further away at the edge of the square, which I immediately headed for in frustration.

I dropped onto the rotten wood, turned my gaze to the two men at the Mercedes and suddenly watched as some young women came out of the gas station and stared at the two intensely, giggling in embarrassment.

I actually thought Keno would ignore them like last time, but as I gaped as he gave them amazingly beautiful smiles, my wolf growled so loudly that my vision was distracted by her urge taking control was already a little blurry.

"Stop it!" I yelled at her softly, shaking my head to lower my eyes to the floor. Of course I knew that he just wanted to punish me, but his ignorance still hurt me incredibly... I realized that I would probably never provoke him again, because his behavior was almost unbearable, but that was probably exactly what he was doing his intention behind it.

He knew it... After all, I could feel his pain too... So he must have sensed how shitty I was with this situation and that this insane jealousy almost forced me to transform...

Keeping my eyes fixed on the pavement below, I could still hear those stupid snipes giggling as I dug my fingernails hard into the wood beneath me. It was tearing me apart, and yet I tried to stay sane and not let it show.

"Here!" Jamal snapped me out of my hatred, and when I looked up, a pack of pretzels slammed right in my face, causing me to glare at him angrily.

"Are you crazy!" I blurted out and I only took my horrified look from his face to look at the packaging on the floor below me and pick it up.

"You sure you're a wolf? Your reflexes are more like those of a snail," he grinned challengingly, but I didn't let myself be provoked. At least not now, because I was already so angry I probably would have ripped out his carotid artery if this discussion had escalated.

Without saying anything else, he sat down next to me on the bench, opened his packet of chips and, like me, stared straight ahead at Keno, who was now even talking to one of the girls.

"What have you actually done?" Jamal wanted to know next to me and I glanced at him to look at his white shirt, on which countless chip crumbs were falling. Wolves really had absolutely no manners!

"Nothing!" I ground out angrily and also opened my pack of pretzels. "He tagged me without asking and as soon as I dress a little more openly, he freaks out."

"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?" Jamal interjected and I stared into his dark eyes, stunned.

"Certainly not. Of course I wanted to annoy him with it, but that he reacts like that... I certainly didn't expect that. Besides, he screwed up. What gives him the right to make me his without permission?"

"Who started?"

"What do you mean?" I asked confused and Jamal looked at me expectantly while raising an eyebrow.

"Well, he certainly didn't just tag you as you walked by. You've already-"

He paused for a moment while I felt my cheeks blush slightly. I quickly looked away from him and stuffed some of the small pretzels into my mouth.

"So I mean sex," he said simply. "And I'm firmly convinced that you were the trigger for it. After all, you're basically always provoking something."

"Oh, now it's my fault?" I tried to defend myself and at the same time had to admit that I really was the one who had conjured up the sex. Such a crap!

"Aria, he's an Alpha. The tag would have been there either way. Today or tomorrow... Does it matter? Besides, you're lucky to have him. Other Alphas have tons of other women besides their mate.. . Why do you think we're dying out? The alphas of this world are just power obsessed and keep the rest of the females captive without giving them offspring. Keno is a good one and this one," he said, pointing unobtrusively to Keno , who was still talking to the woman. "It's his way of showing you that you hurt him. Believe me when I tell you that I probably would have killed you by now for your provocative manner and be thankful that he remains so calm despite everything."

I swallowed hard and went back to my pretzels to satisfy my hunger and process it all while Jamal got up and headed back to the car.