The Mark of an Alpha
Chapter 7

The voice is angry that much is clear. I slow my pace as I round the corner of the hallway.

“I’m sorry alpha but that kind of behavior is unacceptable,” never in my eighteen years of living have I seen anyone talk to my father that way.

“Teresa, calm down,” my father walks up to Dr. Graham.

“Don’t tell me to calm down Julian,” she snaps, “I have never interfered with your job. Even when I doubted your decision I followed your orders but this,” her eyes go to me, “this is unacceptable.”

“What’s going on?” After assuring Marcus that I was fine he decided to head back home to shower.

“Red,” my father sighs, “go to your room.”

“This concerns her as well,” Dr. Graham's face softens when she looks at me.

“What is this about?” I ask but Dr. Graham stays quiet, “father?”

“Teresa, I’ll handle this.” Dr. Graham’s lip quivers and my father wraps his arms around her, “I’ll be up to check up on you shortly, I’ll take care of all of this. Understand,” with a heavy sigh she nods.

“Night Melany,” she says before leaving my father and me alone in the hallway of the second level. I was making my way to my room when I saw both of them going at it.

“Follow me,” my father orders.

“As your child, I decline,” my father’s eyebrows furrow.

“Oh I’m your father now,” he smiles, “just when it is convenient I see.”

“Just spill it father, is it about Andrew?”

“No, it is not about Andrew. I want to avoid fighting with you at all cost but I guess it comes with the job and being a father.” He can try to hide his exhaustion the best he can but his eyes give him away. He has been working hard these past few days and now whatever this is.

“What’s the matter?”

“I will have to take action Red,” he exhales heavily.

The sun rises slowly as I pace through my bedroom. Andrew is irritable but who wouldn’t be when they pull an all-nighter. He is a good friend letting me unleash my tongue on him instead of disobeying my father.

“Someone’s coming,” Andrew head perks up and he quickly sits up from the floor where he was laying a few seconds ago.

I stop my pacing and hear the crunching of leaves and branches. Before I can let the anger sizzle again I make sure its the person I am waiting for.

Peeking through my window I see a figure rush around the corner of the packhouse and my wolf gets excited.

“Are you staying?" I turn away from the window and Andrew stretches. A groan escapes him as he fights off a yawn.

“I’m going I don’t want to be part of this mess,” Andrew quickly gets to his feet and walks out.

A few minutes later Marcus walks through my door, “Mel, you’re awake.” There is a gleam in his eyes that quickly vanishes when he really sees me.

“Funny you make it seem as if I slept at all,” I hiss at him.

“What are you talking about?” His steps come to a halt at the threshold.

“How dare you?” The words lash out of me as if the words themselves would burn my tongue. Marcus takes a step back, “How dare you attack someone that is hospitalized,” realization dawns on him.

Dr. Graham was mad that one of her patients, Cedric, was attacked by one of her pack members under her watch. Marcus only managed to get a few punches in before two other men pulled him away and he went into my room.

I want to say that I am mad that he beat him but a part of me is mad because he did not tell me about it. Not that I would have condoned the behavior.

“So he snitched on me,“ Marcus’ arms tremble under the thin fabric of his shirt.

“No,” I take a step back and gently sit at the edge of my head, “Dr. Graham told my father. Why would you do such a thing? Especially when you’re trying to get on my father’s good side.”

“Because Melany,” he growls, “he is stupid to think that I was going to let him touch my mate and that there would be no repercussions.”

“I can handle myself!” The words are louder than I intended them to be. “I have been doing a great job of it even without a mate.”

“Sure, but now you have me and I won’t let anyone disrespect you!”

“No one disrespected me. He challenged me and I accepted. Simple,” nothing is truly that simple.

“Well, now he’ll think twice-”

“Or he’ll go after you.”

“I would love to see him try,” his voice is animalistic as his eyes show pure determination.

“You know what Marcus,” the idea of telling him this hurts but he has to hear it. “You need to either back off or just forget you found your mate.” His eyes darken as the words reach him.

“Are you telling me to leave the person that means the world to me and walk away,” the hurt in his voice is like a knife straight into my heart.

“No,” I drop my shoulders, “but if this is how you’re going to be acting I rather leave it at this,” I point to him and me, “as friends.”

“We’re not friends Melany,” he snaps at me as he takes a few steps towards me. At that moment my wolf surfaces, her presence pulls at my core.

“Calm down,” his wolf is fighting him at the moment and this battle is clear in his eyes. The hazel shade that I have known to love is darkening as his wolf gains control over his body.

“You’re telling me to leave you,” he shakes his head hard as if trying to shake off his wolf.

“No, I am telling you to think about what is best for you and me,” my body lifts off the bed and I take a step towards him. He is a foot away and I can sense the heat radiating off of his body as his battle rages on, “what’s best for you.”

“Mel,” he sighs as his light hazel eyes lock on mine, “I want you.”

“Then let me be what I am, a warrior.” I smile at him. “Wolves are going to want to fight me and guess what,” he frowns, “I am not going to back away from a fight.”

“You’re nothing like the girls back home,” he resigns.

Most girls fall into the healer, nurturer, and harvesting category. I am not one of them, I was taught to defend myself and my father wanted me to learn to fight because guess what there is not always going to be a male around to save me. He thinks the damsel in distress is overrated.

“I know,” is all I say as my fingers skim over his cheek. “I would be dead if I were like them,” my hand falls as the other hand goes to my shoulder and the embedded teeth marks of the rogue flash undesired imagine in my head.

The rogue was stronger than me and I depended on others to save me. Now I can defend myself.

“I’ll talk to your father and the doctor," Marcus’ eyes move to my shoulder but I move the collar of my shirt to cover it up.

“I think that’s a good idea. Do you want me to go with you?” He shakes his head.

“Nah,” his lips part as his tongue runs over his dry lips, “I need to man up.”

Andrew is asleep on the couch as I make my way to the living room. Poor guy, he didn’t get his beauty sleep.

I leave him alone as I walk into the kitchen. Peering into the fridge I replace that there is enough orange juice for one glass. I grab it and being the lady that I am I take a gulp from the carton.

“Seriously,” Andrew yawns as he makes his way into the kitchen. The drool at the corner of his lip is quickly wiped off with the swipe of the back of his hand.

“What?” I gulp down the juice.

“I was saving that,” Andrew does not wait for my remark as he snatches the carton and gulps the rest of the contents.

“Go ahead,” I grunt as he wipes his mouth once again.

“Mel,” he stifles a yawn as he rubs his eyes making him look so much younger.

“What?”

“Can we have a normal day?”

Normal?

You know no training or rounds just us heading out for some fun.

We are long overdue for some fun.

Andrew and I have not had a normal day in almost a year. Every day we either train, do our rounds, or go out and hunt.

Please, tell the big man upstairs that we need a break!

Me! Why me?

You’re his offspring!

You’re his adopted offspring! That means he chose you. Which coincidentally means he likes you.

Rock, paper, scissors? Of course, he would want to play for it.

Fine.

One, two, three...Rock!

Paper!

“I win,” I shout as a smile pulls at my lips.

“No way,” he cries, “you cheated.”

“I won fair and square,” I bounce around him. “Now go tell big bad Alpha,” I jab a finger at his chest as he pouts.

“I hate you.”

Andrew prepares my father’s coffee, black. I follow Andrew as he makes his way towards his office. Marcus is walking out just as Andrew is about to knock.

Marcus ignores Andrew and makes his way towards me.

“How did it go?” I ask as Andrew steps inside.

“Your father is the alpha but he’s fair,” he shrugs. “I have to help Dr. Graham in the infirmary for a month and help Sam with training.”

“Oh, that’s not so bad.”

“What are you up to?” My eyes fall onto my father’s cherry oak door.

“Andrew is asking for a break,” Marcus takes a moment to let it settle in, “you and Andrew work every day don’t you?” I nod. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t oblige.”

Alpha Blake, I was wondering, more like Melany was wondering, if you would allow us to have a free day.

He would throw me under the bus.

“If it happens, have fun,” he steps closer filling my nose with his scent, my skin warming with his heat, and my eyes burning into his, “but meet me in the clearing at midnight.”

Before I can say anything he takes another step towards me smoldering my body with his heat. His presses into mine as my back molds into the door behind me.

“Can you feel it?” His words get lost in the jumbled mess in my head. His head tilts to the side as I try to pull away from him and catch my breath but his lips softly press against mine.

“Marcus,” my lips move with his, his hands slide up the side of my body.

“Fuck,” he growls as his hands wrap around my neck and at the moment I do not fear him. He has control of himself, “I love you more than you know.” His hot breath burns my lips as he softly kisses my forehead, “Midnight.”

Andrew opens my father’s door and stares at me as my fingers trace my lips and my eyes stay locked on the stairs leading to the third level. Marcus went up to fulfill his duties with Dr. Graham.

“What’s the matter with you?” Andrew looks at me as if I am about to faint on him, “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the infirmary?” That’s the last place I need to be.

“What did he say?” I pull my mind away from Marcus and Andrew’s smirk answers my question.

“Movies and junk food here we come.”

My heart pulls me towards him but my mind needs some distance from him. My mind needs some air so it can think rationally.