“Just the guys that were in the workshop when we arrived,” I say, not remembering their names. I think that two of them were their mates, but I’m not sure. “I did notice that they could all have been models if they wanted to be.” My comment has the two women laughing. A similar reaction that I got from the men earlier.
“Can you imagine Frost posing for a photo?” Onix says with a grin on her face.
“The photographer would die of fright at his scowl,” Dakota quips with a laugh, as she looks at me. “I don’t think you have met Frost yet, he’s the one with the constant scowl.”
“Especially when he sees me. Have you noticed that he avoids me?” Onix states.
“Do you blame him?” the man nearly had a heart attack when you decided to tickle him. They both burst out laughing at the memory, which makes me smile, “I have never seen anyone move so fast.”
“What about Hawk’s face, I thought he was having a coronary thrombosis at you touching Frost?” I see Onix smile mischievously.
“The punishment was worth it.” At her comment I burst out laughing, it’s impossible to not like these women as they seem so honest and caring. Something that we don’t always find when working in a job that everyone is trying to be one step ahead of everyone else. It’s a cutthroat business and only the strong willed survive. When I am surrounded by people like these two, I realize what I have missed out all these years that I have been racing after fame and fortune.
“Alaska,” hearing Dash’s voice so close behind me has me jumping in surprise as I snap around, losing my balance in the process. One minute I am falling, the next Dash has his arms around my waist and is holding me up. It is hard to believe that this man holding me is more than just what he appears to be. “Are you okay?” his voice is deep, quiet near my ear. I can feel the hairs on my body standing in reaction to his nearness, to his touch, to his very presence.
I don’t know if the books I have read are true about mates, but whatever this is, I can definitely feel something there between us, when he touches me. It’s like I have been missing his touch without realizing it, but I can’t be with a man that thinks he can manipulate my will to his. He needs to understand that just because he thinks that something should be a specific way doesn’t mean that he can manipulate everything around it to fit his purpose.
“I would be better if you didn’t try to kill me of fright,” I mutter as I try to step out of his hold, but he tightens his fingers around my waist, stopping my retreat.
“Umm, maybe we should go see where our men are,” Dakota says, I see her taking hold of Onix’s hand to pull her out of her chair.
“Ooh, man, just when things were getting interesting,” Onix mutters as she reluctantly stands and follows Dakota out. I would gladly tell them to stay as I’m not sure how I feel about being alone with Dash, but I realize that I’m not scared that he will harm me. In truth, I think the shock is starting to wear off and in its place is curiosity.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask and feel him tensing. A nerve near his eye starts to tick.
“I didn’t find the right moment, it’s not exactly something you can just come out and tell someone,” he says with a shrug.
“So what have you told other women you have been with?” Even though for some reason the thought of him with any other woman has me wanting to rip his eyes out a reaction that is completely alien to me as I have never been possessive of anyone enough to have a reaction like that.
“There was never any reason to tell anyone, as all my other encounters were casual.” That just has me wondering how many other women he has had sex with. Now I’m the one that has tensed at the thought of him with other women, doing the things to them that he has done to me. His hand clamps down on my jaw as he looks deep into my eyes. “You are my mate, the only woman I want, the only woman I will ever want. Once we are mated as shifters, we don’t want anyone else ever again.”
“You should have told me; how can you do this to someone and not tell them?” He lowers his head, taking my lips in a blistering kiss instead of answering. I want to hit him for manipulating me, but the pull I have towards him is greater than my wish to be angry. My arms lift around his neck as I thread my fingers through his hair, I love the feel of his hair through my fingers, the silkiness.
When he finally lifts his head, we are both breathing heavily. His eyes are that magnetic green as he looks deep into my eyes. “I’m sorry,” he says in a gravelly voice that does things to my insides.
“I’m not a relationship kind of person,” I state, which has him tensing.
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I have never been able to get attached to anyone enough to want to be in a relationship.” I see him relax at my explanation and then shrug.
“It will be different with us, you are mine, you will want to be with me.” I shake my head at his presumptuousness.
“We shall see,” I state with a raised brow, only to see his lips kick up in a smile.
“Yes, we shall,” he states. “Now come, I want to introduce you to everyone and show you around before the initiation.”
“What initiation?” I ask.
“When we mate, we are initiated, it binds our wolf to us and strengthens our connection.” He is guiding me out of the infirmary and towards the entrance, I can hear men’s voices as we near, voices that die down as we walk into the workshop. I see that the men that I was introduced to are still there, but there are more now. I also see that Dakota and Onix have joined the men and are now wrapped around their mate’s arms, which is easier for me to make out who is who as I am terrible with names.
“Alaska, I want to introduce you to King, our Alpha.” Dash guides me towards the scariest of them all. The women say that these men don’t attack us, well I can’t say I’m feeling that where King is concerned. His piercing green eyes are very similar to Dash’s, except they seem to look right through me. He seems to be summing me up as a friend or foe, and I’m scared to think what he will do if he considers me a foe.
“Do you know what we are?” he asks, and I can just imagine him in a wolf form standing before me, his teeth gleaming as he growls at me.
“Yes.” I feel Dash’s hand tighten around my waist, which gives me a measure of comfort as I know that he will protect me. It is strange how I am so confident of that fact when I haven’t known him long at all. Deep down I am certain that no matter what, Dash would lay down his life for me if need be.
“Do you have a problem with it?” At his question I tense, I consider lying but I have a feeling that he would know.