Page 31 of In the Mouth of the Wolf (Of Wolves and Kings #1)

31

MARLOWE

I rolled up my sleeve and winced.

Archer tsked. “This is just the rubbing alcohol. You need to relax.”

I dug my nails into my palm as he prepared to draw my blood. “Are you sure you’re qualified to do this?”

“When did I say I was qualified?” he chuckled darkly.

“Wait, wha— Ow, you son of a bitch!”

Blood filled the tube sticking out of the crook of my elbow and I grimaced, turning my face to the side. “That was mean,” I hissed through gritted teeth.

“Mean, but necessary. The longer you think about it, the more likely you are to faint. Is it needles or blood you don’t like?”

He tugged on the end of the rubber band on my bicep, extracting the needle and pressing a cotton ball over the pin prick hole. “Hold this.”

“Needles I think,” I replied. “I mean, nobody likes needles, right?”

He labeled the small vials and then stuck a piece of medical tape over the cotton ball to keep it in place. “If you say so. I’ve never minded too much myself. But I’ll keep the draws to a minimum, then.”

The thought of getting pricked again made my face pale, but I knew how important this research was to my scientific alpha. “I’m happy to help if I can. Have you thought about getting samples when I’m in my wolf form?”

His eyes twinkled, and I should have known he’d already run through all the tests he wanted to conduct. “Yes, but first we have to see if we can even get you to shift again.”

He put away the vials of my blood, and I bit my lip at the sight of him working in his lab coat. Sexy professor, sexy doctor… My pulse raced with the promise of all the games we could play.

Unfortunately, not only could shifters scent arousal, but the bond I had with my pack meant even my private thoughts and feelings weren’t so private anymore. Archer gave me a knowing look as he walked back over. “Ms. Linden, is there something you’d like to share with the class?” he asked, his voice low and sultry.

I crossed my legs tightly and then my arms. “That depends, will it get me out of running?”

He nipped me playfully on the nose. “I’m afraid not.”

Our next stop would be the Exercise Science Department, so he could conduct a treadmill test. He wanted to see if stress was the key to my ability to shift, which meant I needed to run while he measured my heart rate and blood pressure. And, possibly, induce a shift.

It didn’t seem safe to do so on a college campus, but Archer assured me the building would be empty. Apparently, the dean of that department was also a shifter, and had locked it down that afternoon as a favor.

“Besides, it’s not going to take too long,” he said. “Surely, you can endure fifteen minutes of cardio?”

Surely not. A co-worker had once convinced me to sign up for a 5K charity run with her, and the only thing that had propelled me over the finish line had been the thought of killing her.

I gave Archer my saddest whine and he groaned, his face contorting as he fought the urge to give in. “Come on, that’s not fair. I don’t use my alpha bark on you.”

A snort erupted from my chest. “Alpha bark? What the hell is that?”

He shot me a very evil grin, running his tongue along the bottom of his teeth. His hands in his pockets, he leaned over, taking a moment before he finally spoke in a commanding tone. “ Up .”

My body moved of its own volition, hopping out of my chair and standing at attention.

“ Ten jumping jacks .”

Once more I obeyed, and my mouth dropped open in shock at the total and complete control he could wield over me. “How are you doing this?”

He leaned against a table, crossing his arms and looking way too pleased with himself. “Sheer force of dominance. Your omega whine induces a similar effect, especially over your bonded alphas.”

Archer then walked over and stood in front of me, taking my chin so he could look down into my eyes. “But I only use it on bad girls.”

A shiver ran down my spine. “I don’t think that’s the motivation to behave that you think it is.”

He tilted his head, inspecting me carefully. “Oh? It doesn’t frighten you to know I could force you to do nearly anything I wanted?”

I licked my lips, imagining Archer or my other pack mates commanding me in the bedroom. It didn’t frighten me because I trusted them not to take advantage. “Quite the opposite.”

His pupils dilated and he inhaled sharply. “Very good to know.” He released my chin and cleared his throat. “But you still have to run.”

“W ell?” I asked after the cool down, still trying to catch my breath.

“Aside from you looking amazing in shorts and a sports bra,” he replied as he removed the censors from my skin. “And being an absolutely pathetic runner, I can’t really say. I’ll have to analyze the data more closely later and compare it to other shifters.”

“I won’t have to do this again, will I?”

Archer shook his head in disbelief. “I might make you do this again just because you so desperately need the exercise.”

I groaned. “I might not be able to run but I am not out of shape. I walk all the time! And I’ll have you know that when Mike and I went to Europe last year, I was averaging well over twenty thousand steps a day without complaint.”

His name slipped out of me easily, my mouth running faster than my mind’s desire to never talk about him again. But we’d been together for so long, and despite how our relationship ended, I had been happy with him. So as much as I wanted to paint all our memories with a sour brush, I couldn’t. At least not yet.

My pack, however, was a different story. I picked up on the quiet growl from Archer and quickly changed the subject. “Any chance we can get some lunch on the way home? I’m starving.”

Archer gave me a small smile. “Of course. Why don’t I take you to the Moonlight Diner in Maiingan Hollow? You haven’t gotten to explore the town much yet, right?”

“Oh my god, yes, that would be great.” The only part of Maiingan Hollow I’d seen had been City Hall, so getting to experience more of the town that might become my home was exciting.

He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. “Go ahead and get changed, I’ll meet you outside in fifteen minutes. I just have to clean and return this equipment.”

T he Moonlight Diner was so quaint I could die. The waitresses wore outfits straight out of the 50s, and a jukebox in the corner played a steady stream of Elvis, Chuck Berry, and the Everly Brothers. We made our way across the white and black checkerboard floor to a booth, and after sliding across the red vinyl seat, I opened the menu and looked it over with glee.

“Do you want to split the fried cheese curds with me?” I asked.

Archer’s eyes twinkled with amusement and he adjusted his glasses. “You can take the girl out of Wisconsin…”

“...but you can’t take the Wisconsin out of the girl, yeah yeah. Do you want some or not?”

“Always.”

The rest of the menu looked just as enticing, and I was ready to order everything when the waitress came over and smiled. “Hey, Arch, long time no see. How’s Ivy doing?”

Ivy ? Who the hell was Ivy ? I could feel the rage building inside me, and I closed my eyes and began to breathe deeply.

Archer noticed my agitation and responded quickly. “My sister? She’s quite well, thank you. I’m excited to meet my new nephew.”

My cheeks heated with shame. After I’d nearly clawed Nolan’s cousin’s eyes out, the guys had assured me my irrational feelings of jealousy were normal, but I still hated that even the idea of them knowing other females made me react so viscerally. And like Megan, Ivy was family, for god’s sake.

“Another nephew! That’s what, four pups now? Tell Shane to give her a break already.”

Archer smiled. “Will do.”

“And hey…” Her voice lowered. She placed a hand on the table and leaned towards him, her back facing me. “Can you tell Cam to give me a call? We were supposed to see each other last weekend, but he totally ghosted me.”

Okay, this was too much. Cam was mine .

My hands balled into fists, and before I could leap out of my seat Archer whipped his head back to me. “Marlowe, stop .”

I let out a small yelp, the bark freezing me in my spot. The waitress finally turned around and looked over at me. “Is this… your girlfriend?” she asked, her eyes narrowing while she tried to suss out our dynamic.

Archer cleared his throat. “Marlowe, this is Rachel, a friend from high school. Rachel, this is Marlowe, our pack’s omega.”

Cue the record scratch.

Rachel’s mouth dropped open and the tables closest to us turned around to see, murmurs of “did he say omega?” coming from their lips.

The town would have found out sooner or later, but the unplanned public outing, combined with the raging desire to rip Rachel’s throat out for thinking she could take one of my alphas had me feeling far too exposed and volatile. This wasn’t exactly how I had wanted to introduce myself.

Finally, the rational, empathetic, human side of me regained control, and I noticed the deep hurt falling over Rachel’s face. She and Cam had planned a date, and then he had dropped her for me without so much as a good-bye text. He and I were having words when I got home.

“Omega?” The word was a pained whisper. “But I thought…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, and her words hung heavy in the air, her heartbreak palpable. I felt the feminine urge to reach out and comfort a fellow female hurt by a dumb guy, but I was probably the last person she’d want anything from. It was my fault Cam had dumped her, after all.

Archer gave her the space to process the news, waiting patiently until she looked back at him. “When did you all meet?”

“Last Friday,” he replied, his voice calm. “Marlowe is James Linden’s daughter. She met Camden and Elias to go over his will.”

“I see.” A few more moments went by before she shook out her shoulders and plastered a sad smile on her face. “Well, it’s not like I thought we were going to get married or anything. Anyway, what can I getcha?”

Archer ordered for us so I wouldn’t have to talk to Rachel, and I sent him a silent thank you.

“Okay, coming right up. And hey, Marlowe?”

I looked up sheepishly.

“I’m sorry if I upset you.”

“Me?” I replied. Rachel seemed like such a nice person, and my anger over Cam’s treatment of her and my own reaction began to simmer. She didn’t deserve any of that, from him or me. “Oh, you didn’t do anything wrong. Cam certainly didn’t tell me he was seeing someone, either. If I’d known…”

She ripped the order ticket off the pad and laughed. “Alphas are idiots.”

I grinned, darting my eyes towards Archer and then back up to hers. “Exactly.”

Rachel left, and once she entered the kitchen, I dropped my head on the table, moaning in embarrassment. “Oh my god, that was so awkward. Please don’t tell me you have a string of old girlfriends you’ve left in the lurch that I have to be worried about, too?”

Archer sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “No, not me. But Nolan and Camden were two of Maiingan Hollow’s more prolific bachelors. You’re going to run into some exes, of course, but also some bitter females that will be mad you’ve taken both of them off the market. Word’s going to get out soon now that Rachel knows, since she’s friends with everybody.”

Ugh, could this get any worse? I folded my arms and rested my head in them, blowing an errant hair out of my face. “This is why I like big cities; small town dynamics are so fucked.”

Archer gave me a knowing shrug. “Well, Elias would agree with you on that. Which reminds me, we need to have a pack meeting soon.”

“Pack meeting?” I snorted. “What, are we going to sit around in khaki uniforms and recite the Wolcott oath?”

Archer reached over and pinched my nose. “Very funny. But yes, we need to discuss how we’re going to operate moving forward. Do you really want to move to Maiingan Hollow, into Camden’s home? Do you want to continue working? Typically packs with an omega live together, but that doesn’t have to be our arrangement if settling in a small town won’t work for you. We’ll all suffer if you’re unhappy.”

I sat up and looked out the window. The past week had been an absolute whirlwind, and I’d been avoiding thinking about the logistics of making this new life my reality. Coordinating with Mike to get my stuff, moving across the country, quitting my job…

My job. I liked what I did, and I felt a sense of pride and fulfillment in work and getting paid. Could I find something like that out here? Or would being a “house omega” be just as rewarding? I didn’t even need to ask the pack to support me, because with my dad’s inheritance, I likely wouldn’t have to work again if I didn’t want to.

And would I even like living here? I did prefer big cities. Not just for the relative anonymity, but also the amenities and opportunities. I liked theater, I liked art, I liked innovation. Did I need a self-driving car to take me home from a night at the bar? No, but it was still awesome to live in a place where that was normal.

I also liked living in California. Ocean, mountains, and plenty of sunshine. Farmer’s markets 365 days a year. I could get weed and boba delivered to my front door at the same time through an app.

Archer watched me carefully, reading my every thought as though they were written on my face. “The Twin Cities aren’t so far,” he said gently. “We could help you settle there and then visit on the weekends.”

My gut churned at the thought of it. I couldn’t imagine just seeing my pack two days a week. I’d only known them for eight days, four of which I couldn’t even remember, but they’d already become the most important people in my life. I couldn’t even sleep unless I’d hugged and kissed each of them good night.

“Or,” he continued, “Elias offered to bring you to Chicago. We’d still try to make weekend visits work, but at least you’d be with one of us all the time.”

Archer sure had a lot of suggestions. I raised an eyebrow. “You guys have been talking about this without me?”

He shrugged. “It’s been weighing on us. As much as we’re enjoying this honeymoon period, we all have responsibilities that have been put off, and we need to return to the real world soon. But we don’t want to do that without a plan because your happiness and safety are now our top priority.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying. “All I know is, living away from any of you will be impossible.”

Archer had reached over to grab my hand when Rachel exited the kitchen, balancing our order on a large tray. “I don’t even like considering it, either.”

“Okay,” Rachel chirped as she approached us. “Two double bacon burgers, cheese curds, and two root beer floats. Enjoy!”

I smiled my thanks and as soon as she was gone, I switched my plate with Archer’s.

He tilted his head in confusion and I whispered, “I’m not saying she spit in my burger. But I know that if I had just found out I was serving the female who stole my boyfriend, I might spit in her burger.”

“Oh, so I get the spit burger then?”

I pouted. “But I thought you were into that kind of thing?”

He rolled his eyes and took a quick bite. “Brat,” he mumbled.

I popped a cheese curd in my mouth and winked. “Thank you, alpha.”