Page 4 of In the Mouth of the Wolf (Of Wolves and Kings #1)

4

MARLOWE

“D amn it, damn it, damn it!” I yelled in a huff. I had checked into my hotel room and was tearing my bags apart looking for my birth control pills for the third time. Every pharmacy I had called said they’d never even heard of the brand, and in this weather, I wasn’t about to go driving around to find it, either.

My body already felt overheated and under-stimulated, and the strange, testosterone-fueled encounters I had had with all the men in this city weren’t helping matters. I wished Mike were here so I could just take out all this pent-up horniness on him.

But why was I even this horny to begin with? I was here to take care of my dead father, for god’s sake. Without a doubt, the past twenty-four hours had been the weirdest of my life.

My first reaction was to call my mom, and I bit back the heartbreaking truth that she was no longer with me. More than ever, I needed her to console me, to answer all these questions I had about our life and about dad that I couldn’t ask those two “shifters” back in the office.

Shifters . What the hell was that all about? Was life up here really that boring that people had to play werewolf to pass the time? Had my own dad truly been that demented?

Well, they could keep his inheritance as far as I was concerned. I just wanted to wash my hands of this whole godforsaken state.

As I dumped the contents of my purse on the ground again, I paused. What if that was what they wanted? If my dad owned a company that big, it must have been worth a lot of money. What if Elias and Camden were in cahoots, trying to scare me off so I’d take some lowball offer and never come back?

Those. ASSHOLES!

This whole charade must have been some long con. Hell, Oliver might have been in on it, too! I should have known something was up the second Camden stormed into that office and acted like he was going to explode if he didn’t fuck me right then and there.

And why did the idea of that make me so turned on?

I needed to masturbate badly, but I knew if I did, I would just be thinking about them. A threesome had never appealed to me before, especially since whenever Mike joked about them, he meant having one with two girls. But a ménage à trois with two guys? Specifically Camden and Elias?

I pictured myself sandwiched between them. Elias’s lips on my neck while his hand kneaded my breast, pinching my nipple. Camden was rougher, needier. His hand would be on my pussy, pushing a few fingers inside me.

Camden was probably one of those guys who liked to talk dirty, whereas Elias was a gentleman. He’d tell me I was beautiful, how good I felt. But Camden would be vulgar. He’d talk about how wet I was, how much he wanted to fill me with his cock.

Would I beg him for it? Bat my hooded eyes and whimper for them to fuck me?

I startled myself when my hand worked its way into my pants, my fingers circling my clit. It felt so wrong to be getting off on the idea of fucking two men who weren’t my fiancé, but I couldn’t help myself any longer. Besides, it wasn’t like I was actually going to cheat on him.

Luckily, I was so wound up, it didn’t take long for me to come. A few more minutes of picturing Camden pounding me from behind while Elias shoved his dick in my mouth and I was moaning louder than I ever had before, and I crashed hard.

That took care of some of the ache that had been building in me since that morning, but I still felt largely unsatisfied. What I needed was a real cock buried inside me, and of course, that was completely out of the question.

Is it though? whispered a horny little voice in the back of my mind

Ugh, why was I like this? I didn’t know which felt worse, coming to the thought of someone else, or not feeling as guilty about it as I probably should have.

I love Mike, I love Mike, I love Mike…

That was my mantra as I took a shower. When I finally emerged, having washed away the shame and grime of what had happened that day, I turned the thermostat up as high as it would go to drive out the cold that had seeped into my bones, and then settled in for a long overdue nap.

I hadn’t slept much on the flight the previous night, and when I woke up it was dark. Completely disoriented, I checked my phone. It was already seven, and my stomach rumbled despite eating so much that morning.

Was that really just this morning? It seemed like days ago.

Stretching, I walked over to the window and peeked out of the curtains. A thick blanket of snow covered the world and plows flashed yellow lights as they went about the Sisyphean task of trying to clear the roads.

Yeah, there was no way I’d be driving anywhere for the time being.

Luckily the hotel had a restaurant attached to the lobby, so I got dressed and went downstairs, determined to make the best out of what might be my only option for the next couple of days.

My worries disappeared as I heard festive norteno music, and the smell of chili, grilled meats, and cheese filled my nose. Yes, I could definitely eat nothing but Mexican for the foreseeable future.

It was a small place – inside only held a long, wrap-around bar, with tables and booths set around the edges of the room. Neon beer signs and painted tropical birds made of tin adorned the pastel pink walls.

When I walked in, about half the men sharply turned their heads from the Badgers game on the large TV, their eyes narrowing as I approached the hostess. The atmosphere turned thick, and getting my meal to-go now seemed like the best option.

I ordered my burrito at the hostess stand and then sat in the waiting area by the exit, ready to high tail it to my room as soon as it was ready. Whenever I lifted my eyes, I captured the stares of large men, all giving me the same kind of look I’d seen on Camden, Elias, and Oliver’s faces. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I gulped as someone headed towards me. I looked down at my phone, trying to ignore him.

Please walk by, please walk by, please walk by…

“Well, what’s a pretty thing like yourself doing all alone on a night like this?”

My eyes went up… and up, and up. The guy must have been at least six-foot five. His head was shaved, and chest hair stuck up out of the collar of his t-shirt. He was thick, the kind of guy who could snap a woman my size like a twig.

Ignoring him seemed like a bad idea. Especially after everything I’d experienced so far that day, I thought the guys around here didn’t seem the type to shy away from physical assault.

“Same as anyone else, just getting some dinner and waiting out the storm,” I replied flatly, turning my attention back to the Reddit thread I’d been pretending to read.

He chuckled. “Yeah, I bet you are. My room’s real cozy. Why don’t you wait up there with me?”

“No, thank you. I’m engaged.” I flashed my ring.

The man lowered himself until his face was level with mine, bracing his hands against the wall on either side of me and trapping me between his arms. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and sighing. “What kind of fiancé would let his unbonded omega out by herself in shifter territory?”

My heart stopped. Was everyone in this city in on this stupid role-play? “I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be safely tucked away in my room once I get my meal, so no need to worry.”

His scent assaulted my senses, and I started to cough. Tobacco and licorice, about as unappealing as it got. Who would pick that kind of cologne? But as I breathed it in, my will power began to shrink, as though I might actually do whatever this man told me to.

A deep growl resonated in his chest, and I sat up straight, ready to obey. “You’re going to come upstairs with me and ride out this storm while riding on my knot. Got it?”

My mouth opened to say yes, wondering what the hell a knot was, but a firm hand grabbed him on the shoulder and pulled him away.

“She’s under the protection of Pack Wolcott. You need to back off.”

My savior was two or three inches over six feet, with jet black hair that curled slightly at the ends. His brown, upturned eyes glared at the other man beneath round glasses, his plump lips flattened. My gaze ran down his well-defined jawline to his broad shoulders. Despite his leaner physique and dressier outfit – a light blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbow, and khaki chinos – the corded muscles that ran down his forearms hinted at a man who knew how to use his body. My mouth drooled as I pictured those arms around me.

The other man rolled his shoulders forward and cracked his knuckles, staring down at him. “And why should I give a shit about Pack Wolcott?”

Scoffing, my savior leaned over and whispered something, so quietly I couldn’t hear. But I watched as the big man’s face paled. He turned to me, giving a rushed apology, and then walked out.

“Jesus, what did you say to him?” I asked, the stupor finally receding.

“Nothing polite enough to repeat in front of a lady,” he replied. The scent of sea salt and jasmine danced around me, and I found myself dazed and horny all over again. Crap, this wasn’t any better.

He reached out a hand to shake mine. “My name is Archer Lim. I knew your father.”

“Well, that makes one of us,” I joked. I touched his palm and felt a tingle shoot through my arm. From the look on his face, it seemed he had felt it too. “So, uh, what can I help you with?” I asked.

He bit his lip, looking around the room, then lowered his eyes. “Elias and Camden sent me. They’re worried about you.”

Hearing their names again made my heart skip a beat. Was I angry at them? Turned on? I didn’t even know.

I’d go with angry for now.

“Oh, are they? Feel free to tell them to eat a bag of dicks.” Archer’s eyebrows raised in amusement, and I continued. “I’m not going to be scared into a low-ball offer for my dad’s half of his company. As soon as this weather lets up, I’m on the first flight back to San Francisco and I’m going to find my own lawyer to sort out this mess. Tell Camden to buckle in because I’m not letting any of this go without a fight.”

He let out a low chuckle, then pulled me up from my seat. “Elias said you were funny. Come on, we have a lot to talk about, and I think you all may have gotten off on the wrong foot.”

The hostess came out with a Styrofoam box. “Marlowe? I have your order.”

I took it and gave Archer a sarcastic salute. “Thanks for the rescue, but I don’t think forcing my hand on someone’s crotch really qualifies as ‘getting off on the wrong foot.’”

Archer winced. “Yikes. Can’t argue with you there. More like ‘attempting to get off on the wrong hand,’ then.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. Archer tilted his head, gesturing slightly to the open booth next to him. He was still large enough to be intimidating, but he didn’t emanate aggression and violence quite like Camden or the other man who had come up to me tonight. He seemed calmer, more protective. More akin to Elias, whose aura hadn’t been too bad at first either.

I sighed and apologized to the hostess, asking if I could eat my takeout there instead. She shrugged apathetically and went back to her phone.

“Okay, fine,” I said, “but just know that I still don’t trust a single one of you.”

He nodded, holding my food while I scooted onto the seat. “A wise decision.”