The Mating Rules
Book 3 – Chapter 8

Isaac’s POV

I stare down at the fiery red head who is yelling at me, her freckled face screwed up in anger as she literally jabs me in the chest.

In my head, Indigo is equally perplexed, tilting his head to the side as he watches the altercation through my eyes.

I’m transfixed by her, she is completely unaffected by my Beta aura that washed over her when I opened the bathroom door, expecting to replace an empty room only to have a tiny woman stood in front of me. My instinct was to protect myself and I grabbed her around the throat before I even had time to process that one, she was a she wolf, two she was definitely a pack member of the pack I am currently a guest in and three, she had no discernible aura, meaning she was a very low level she wolf.

I released her immediately and found myself unable to move as her eyes swept down my body, growing larger as they trailed down before she screamed, albeit not very loudly as I just crushed her throat, and slammed her hands over her eyes.

Glancing down, I realise I’m now buck naked in front of a stranger and the only words that fly out of my mouth are ‘what the hell?’

I scramble desperately for the towel on the floor and wrap it around myself, fixing it securely at my waist as I demand, ‘What the hell are you doing in my room? Where is the other girl?’

I feel the shift in the tiny woman in front of me at my words and suddenly I’m not dealing with a freaked out low level pack member, but a full on she wolf rage as she drops her hands and glares at me, outright glares at me in challenge! What the hell?

what do you mean the other girl?’ she demands hotly, ‘are you talking about Henrietta? The SIXTEEN year old GIRL who was supposed to come here? What were you planning to do Mr Beta? Was that show for her?’

She waves a hand toward my middle section as I stare at her completely mute, what is she talking about? What show?

Unpeturbed by my shock, she continues, seemingly without the need to breath because she has yet to pause for one. She’s still screaming at me about my game and laying hands on her which I admit I should never have done but it isn’t until she mentions the age of consent that I snap out of my trance and realise what she’s thinking.

‘How dare you even think to expose yourself to her! I have a good mind to tell the Alpha about your disgusting behaviour, your own Alpha needs to know what kind of person he is sending into our pack!’ she growls and I can feel Indigo’s anger also building from the disrespect to his rank, my skin flushing as I have to battle with my wolf to remain in control.

‘Now wait just a minute’ Indigo growls out of my mouth before I can stop him, his Beta rank forcing him to put this she wolf in her place.

‘No you just wait a minute’ the red head snaps back, cutting Indigo off, causing the wolf to rear back in shock in my head. If I wasn’t desperately trying to keep a lid on him I’d laugh at this little woman poking me in the chest to show her dominance of the situation.

My poor wolf doesn’t know what to do, he’s never had a lower ranking wolf tell him off before and despite the fact she’s shouting at us, we can both see that she’s pretty which isn’t helping our situation.

‘Henrietta may have been assigned to help you but that doesn’t mean that you get to use her as your own personal . . ‘ finally words seem to fail the woman as she gropes around for what she wants to say. I open my mouth to interject, explain that I had no intention of doing anything with the Omega when her face lights up. ‘c*m bucket!’ she flares, and that once again swipes all thought from my head. To hear something so small and sweet use the term c*m bucket floors me.

‘You are a terrible person!’ she finishes with a glare in my direction she shoves a bottle of something into my chest and turns to storm out of my bedroom door.

Quicker than I can figure out, Indigo takes over, darting around the woman and shuts the door to the room, sealing us both inside. She stumbles back a step to stop herself from walking right into me and as her eyes move up to my face I see her own pale as she most likely suddenly realises that I’m much bigger and stronger than her.

‘You have quite a mouth on you’ I murmur, Indigo happy to let me take control again now that we’ve stopped the woman from leaving. My gaze runs over her form, I can’t help it, she can’t be more than five foot two, five foot three which weirdly is something I’ve always preferred in women. I like shorter girls, I like to be able to pick them up, hold them easily against a wall while I . . I shake my head slightly, woah, where did that come from? Not the right time to be thinking about that!

Her red hair hangs halfway down her back and has a natural sheen that makes me itch to touch it. Freckles dust her nose and cheeks and her eyes are the most intense green that give me the feeling of being x-rayed.

As I study her, I replace that she’s straightened up, a defiant look flashing in her eye that makes me fight a smile. She’s standing up to me, even though she knows I’m stronger, she’s still refusing to cower. I don’t want to admit it, but I like that this woman won’t bow down to me, in my mind, even Indigo is studying her curiously rather than growling over her insubordination.

‘I’m just protecting my pack members’ she grumbles, that attitude shining through that reminds me of a hissing kitten trying to intimidate an older cat.

I try to figure out where to go from here, I weirdly want her to stay, so I blurt out, ‘I’m Isaac.’

She blinks for a second before stuttering, ‘uh, what?’

My smile finally battles it’s way onto my face as I wave toward the bed for her to take a seat.

Glancing behind her, she turns back to me, folding her arms over her chest and I immediately realise my error, ‘or the chair’ I urge quickly, ‘I’m just asking you to take a seat.’

Slowly, the red head moves toward the small desk and perches reluctantly on the edge, her whole body screaming that she’s going to bolt for the door as soon as I move.

I hold out my hands placatingly as I take a step toward the door, ‘OK, first of all’ I start, ‘I was not looking to assault the Ome . . Henrietta.’

She watches me warily but I see her shoulders relax ever so slightly.

‘I was coming out to ask someone to mind link her again as I couldn’t have a shower without the shampoo, I didn’t expect anyone to be in my room and my instincts were to defend myself. I apologise for grabbing you, it was unnecessary, I should never have laid hands on you without verifying who you were and whether you posed a threat of any sort, and I hope I didn’t hurt you.’

The red head shakes her head slowly, ‘you didn’t hurt me’ she admits, ‘I did knock’ she adds with a tad of a defensive tone.

I nod quickly, ‘yeah, I’m sure you did, but it’s hard to hear over the sound of the shower.’

She nods, a meek smile curving up the corners of her lips, ‘uh . . I’m sorry about the way I shouted at you a few minutes ago’ she mutters, her cheeks flushing slightly giving her an adorable stain to her cheeks that I want to do anything to see again.

‘Ahh, you don’t need to apologize to me’ I chuckle, ‘I can see how it looked from the outside, half dressed high ranking visitor drops his towel in front of who was supposed to be a teenage girl, doesn’t put me in the greatest light.’

The woman’s face brightens and I just know she’s seeing the image of me in her mind which gives me a perverse sense of pleasure. In my head, my wolf is purring, also liking the thought that this stranger liked what she saw.

Goddess, maybe I am a predator! I don’t even know this woman and I’m enjoying the fact I flashed her!

Clearing my throat, I take a seat on my bed, ‘so what is your name?’ I ask curiously.

The woman hesitates for a second before whispering, ‘Raelyn.’

‘Raelyn’ I repeat, rolling the name off my tongue, liking the way it feels passing my lips for a moment before returning my focus to the flustered woman in front of me. ‘I don’t believe I’ve seen you before’ I admit, ‘have you just joined the pack? Were you claimed in the last year?’

My gaze immediately moves to her neck which is hidden by the mane of red hair, as a boulder forms in my chest that she’s mated to someone else.

Raelyn actually snorts with laughter, the sound unbelievably cute as she shakes her head emphatically, ‘I’ve lived here my entire life’ she replies, brushing her hair over her shoulder and giving me a clear view of her unmarked neck.

My relief at her lack of mark is eclipsed by her words, if she’s been here her whole life then she has been at many claimings, I’ve attended here and I’ve never heard her, she isn’t my mate.