Her Chosen Mate

Part 50

POV- MARCUS

Marcus dozed off, his dreams turning from nonsensical images to the memory of the day he first met Helena.

It had started off like any other day: the sun was scorching before 9 am, chasing many of the wolves in the pack back inside where the air conditioning could cool them off. Marcus had been on his way to Inara's room, craving physical touch and the sweet release only a female could give him.

The distance between his house and Inara's wasn't huge, but it was enough to have sweat beading on his forehead beneath the glaring sun, and sliding down between the planes of his back.

He'd never been the biggest fan of summer. Sure, when he was a pup, he'd spent every waking hour outside playing in the sun, the sand crunching between his toes and the salt water of the ocean drying on his skin. Summer was a lot more fun at the beach where everything felt like it had been made for summer.

The golden sand that shifted and curved with the tides and with beachgoers, families with excited kids and parents who looked like they needed the holiday. It smelled just right, the sea salt and sunscreen, the hint of barbecue somewhere nearby. There were the happy, innocent shouts of children playing with their friends, the raucous laughter of teens and young adults toasting to a year's worth of hard work as well.

Everything just felt right at the beach.

In the woods, summer was a nightmare.

The humidity clung to every fibre that wasn't rooted in place. keeping the once cool shade of the trees toasty warm and absolutely disgusting. There was no reprieve beyond the air conditioning in the packhouse and private housing. Even the pool turned warm as bath water in the blistering heat.

And if there was one sensation Marcus absolutely hated, it was feeling like he had stepped into a sauna in full winter clothing.

And he was stuck between sweating it out and running the rest of the way, both options ending with him feeling entirely too hot for comfort.

Maybe he could just shower when he got to Inara's room. There was no way he would rub his sweat all over her and her sheets when he could barely stand the feeling of it himself.

Thankfully, the packhouse came into view quickly, shimmering in the heat. He sprinted the rest of the way, heat be damned, he just needed to get into shower before he peeled his own skin off.

Walking into the packhouse sent shivers running down his spine, the icy air hitting him hard as he closed the door behind him. He nodded at a few of the wolves lying around the common areas before bounding up the stairs and across the landing to Inara's door. He knocked three times and waited, the sweat clinging to him like a second skin he very much despised.

Inara answered the door in nothing but a large Metallica T-shirt, her long blonde hair twisted into a careless knot at the top of her hair.

"I could smell you coming," she said by way of greeting, the hint of a smile on her lovely face. He grunted and waited for her to invite him in, resisting the urge to peel his wet shirt off right then and there.

She chuckled and stood aside. "So impatient, Alpha. There's a spare towel in the bathroom."

"Thank you," he sighed, stalking into the bathroom and turning the faucet. As much as he would have loved to stay under the cool spray of the water, his wolf had picked up on her scent and had other, more pressing matters coming to mind.

He stepped out, toweling himself off carelessly and throwing the towel into the hamper, following her scent out into the bedroom again.

Inara sat on the bed, her bare legs crossed, scrolling through her phone while she waited for him to finish up.