"He is here." Beta Larson's voice interrupts my thoughts. 

"Coming."

I quickly jump off the bed and head for the door of Colton's room so I can greet my lovely mate. Opening the door, I rush out of the room only to run into someone. 

"Careful, Skylar." 

I look up to see Theo. My cheeks redden and I stammer out a simple 'excuse me' before pushing past him. I walk quickly, actually I run, down the stairs. Colton is just walking in the door carrying a black duffle bag in one arm. He is wearing black dress pants and a silver-blue dress shirt that is untucked, but still, he looks intimidating and gorgeous. 

Wait, what?

You can't deny that mate looks sexy right now. My wolf purrs. 

Nope, I can definitely deny that. 

Liar. I am you and I know that you are checking out his fine - Ailith starts before I push her to the back of my mind. 

Definitely can't think of him that way even though he looks fan-fucking-tastic right now. 

Fuck. 

I shake my head and step into his view. "Hello, Colton. I hope everything went well." I say sarcastically, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Yes, everything was fine. How were things here?" He asks, turning towards Beta Larson. He looks tired like he is holding a ton of weight on his shoulders. 

"Everything was fine. Had a few rogues attempt to sneak in, but they were dealt with quickly." Beta Larson replies, sneaking a look in my direction. I know that he checking to make sure Theo's scent is off of me. I just roll my eyes and shake my head at him in response. 

"Great. Ashley, take this." He demands, handing Ashley his duffle bag. "Lars, I will be needing to see you in my office. We have matters to discuss. Skylar, I will see you at dinner." Colton walks towards his office. Beta Larson nods in my direction and then follows after him. I release a breath I didn't know I was holding and head towards an empty chair in the living room. Flopping on the chair, I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. 

I hear footsteps on the stairs and I slowly lift my head in their directions. Theo is standing there. He looks at me, asking permission with his eyes to come talk to me. I slightly nod my head and bring my legs down, sitting properly in the chair. 

Theo pulls a chair closer to me. "I am so sorry for that, Skylar. That was -" 

"Shh, Theo. He's just in his office." I snap through gritted teeth. I don't want to talk to him this way, but I have no choice. I can't let him get hurt too. 

He swallows. "I'm sorry. I can't have you mad at me." 

"Well, I am." I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you. 

He gives me a painful look. "Please, Skylar. It won't happen again. I will never do that again. I promise, just please forgive me." He begs. 

"No Theo. Look, I have a mate. I can't do this." I jump out of my seat. "Goodbye."

He grabs my hand. "You may have a mate, Skylar, but I know you hate him. I know you could never love him. I know you will never want him and -"

"And what? You think I would want you?! Is that it, Theo?!" I push him at his chest, not to hurt him, but to add to what I am saying. I do want you. 

"No! Skylar no, I just know -" 

"Look, Theo. Whatever you think we had, we didn't, we couldn't and we wouldn't ever have. So just get your head out of your ass and leave me alone." I rip my hand out of his and walk off to Colton's office. I leave Theo again. Only this time, I leave my heart with him. 

When I reach the office door, I knock twice before opening it. Colton is sitting on his desk and Beta Larson is sitting in a chair in front of him. "Dinner is ready," I tell them. 

Colton nods his head and stands. He walks towards me, putting his hand on the small of my back and leads me to the dining room. His scent fills my nose and sparks course through my body at his touch. I feel my core tighten and the scent of my arousal hits our noses, however, Colton ignores it, but I feel his lust through our bond. Embarrassed, I walk with him to our seats at the head table. 

All the tables are filled with people young and old. They all quiet when they see their Alpha, waiting for the signal to eat. Colton pulls my seat out for me and I sit down as he pushes me in. He stands beside me with a hand on my shoulder. Those fucken tingles driving my head to madness. I look at him and see a smirk playing on his lips. 

He clears his throat and everyone looks at him. "Good evening. I hope you all are well. I just wanted to say a few words before we begin our meal. Our monthly pack run will start after dessert, I expect every one of shifter age to participate. Younger members will need to stay close as a few rogues have been found on our land recently. We wouldn't want any of you to become some mangey rogue's dinner, now would we?" He says with a chuckle. "As usual, the run will end strictly at eleven. That will allow you all time to prepare for when the moon is at its peak. I wish you all an enjoyable and safe night. Now let's eat!" 

The dining room fills with the sounds of forks hitting plates and chatter. Colton sits beside me and quickly digs into his meal. 

"I didn't know you did monthly pack runs," I say to him, trying to break our awkward silence. 

"Yes. It's a tradition that my grandfather started." He answers. I nod my head, even though he can't see me.  "You will be leading the run with me. Lars will be behind us, followed by a fewer higher ranked pack members and then the rest of the pack members will be behind them."

"It will be nice to let my wolf out for a while." He doesn't say anything in return but places a hand on my knee as he continues to eat the rest of his food. The simple action causes a pool to form in between my legs. 

What is wrong with me? 

I dunno, but mate should bring his hand up higher. My wolf purrs. 

No! Definitely not!

Your loss. She huffs.

I take a good look at Colton. He has a slight beard. I have noticed he isn't one to waste time on shaving, only doing so once every two weeks. His hair is messy and could use a trim, but it suits his rougher appearance. I've honestly never seen eyes so blue before. I could get lost in them for hours. 

What am I thinking?

Mate is gorgeous, there is no use denying it. I can't believe you are only seeing that now. Ailith states. 

I growl at her which catches Colton's attention. 

"Problem?" He asks. I just shake my head quickly and keep eating. I feel his hand go up my leg a little bit, stopping mid-thigh. His fingers lightly tap on me, sending sparks everywhere. A light moan escapes my lips before I can stop it, making Colton smirk. Why is my body reacting like this?

Ashley and a few other she-wolves begin to clear the dishes of all the pack members, replacing them with small plates of red velvet cake. However, I can't focus on the cake. All I can focus on is Colton's hand that has somehow made its way even closer to my core. His fingers begin to play with the band of my panties, causing me to jump.

"Are you okay, Luna?" Beta Larson asks. 

"Yes, fine." I quickly answer. Colton chuckles lightly beside me. 

Ailith, why is my body acting like this?

I don't know but enjoy it. She responds. 

And I do. The feeling of his hand and fingers warm my entire body. It causes my heart to race and clears my mind from any thoughts that previously haunted it. Suddenly, I feel his fingers slip beneath my panties and slide between my slit. 

"Why, aren't you a little wet?" His voice rings through my head. 

He gently starts playing with my clit, rubbing it slowly and softly, teasing me. 

"You need to stop, Colton. Not here." I tell him, even though my body is telling him a different story. 

"You and I both don't want that, kitten."

And then he presses harder onto my clit, moving quicker. It takes all I can to suppress the moan that wants to come out. I close my eyes. 

Please, Colton. Not now. I whimper, but he doesn't stop. I feel the buildup in my stomach, my release coming near. I quickly push away from the table, forcing his hand away from me. Panting, I stand up and leave the dining room, I can hear Colton's chuckle behind me. 

I fight the tears that want to fall and force back the sobs. What is wrong with me? Why am I reacting like this? Why do I feel like I actually want him? The mate bond has never been this strong before. 

I pace in the hallway, just outside the dining room entrance. I try to sort through my thoughts and emotions, but I can't. All I can focus on is the dampness in my panties that he caused. 

"It's time for the run." Colton mind-links me. 

"I hope you all enjoyed dinner. Now let's all meet in the courtyard to begin our run!" I hear him yell mere seconds later. I start to walk to the front door, only to be pulled back into the hard chest of my mate.

"Goddess," I mumble. 

"Better?" He asks with a smirk. 

"No. That was embarrassing, why did you do that?" I growl at him. He grins his handsome, evil grin and pushes me against the wall. Pack members pass us by. No one acknowledges us thankfully. "What are you doing?"

"This." He crashes his lips to mine in a heated kiss. I freeze for just a second before my lips start moving with his on their own accord. One half of my brain is yelling at me to stop this insanity, while the other half and my body tell me to continue it. I feel his tongue lick my bottom lip and I open my mouth, giving him entrance. Our tongues dance together and I let a muffled moan escape. I hear him growl as he presses his body tightly to mine. His member is firmly pressed against me. 

And as quickly as it started, he pulls away. 

"Come, we have a run to lead." He orders. Colton grabs my hand and pulls me along with him to the courtyard. All the pack members are there. Colton yells for everyone to shift. The sound of bones snapping fills the air. I shift, not even bothering to remove my clothes, like everyone else. 

Colton is the last to shift. He howls up to the moon, signalling the start of the run. Everyone quickly joins in with their own howl. 

However, it's when I let out my own howl that I notice the significance of tonight. For up in the sky is a bright, white ball shining down on us all. It is the full moon. And it means one thing. 

Oh shit. 

Fuck. Ailith curses. 

~~~

Author's Note:

Not my best chapter, I struggled a little with how I wanted this to go. The next chapter will be private so you must be a follower to read it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. 

Also, what do you think is going to happen with Theo?