Destined to the Alpha

10

I tried touching myself to put me to sleep, but that just made it worse. I couldn’t get any relief no matter how many orgasms I had.

Instead of imagining the warm, comforting presence I normally do, it was Westin I was thinking of. I kept picturing him kicking down my door with that same territorial look on his face as he stormed into my room, ready to claim his mate.

Even now, I’m getting all worked up thinking about the way it would feel to have him climb on my bed and hold me down. I shiver when I think how it would feel to have his tremendous weight pushing down on me.

“Why are you blushing?” Debbie asks as she gives me a knowing look. “Were you up all night mating with your mate?”

“Ugh.” I push past her and head straight for the coffee machine in the diner. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

I catch myself glancing out the window to see if Westin’s truck is in the parking lot before I grab the coffee pot. A hint of disappointment fills me when I don’t see it. I really hope he didn’t take it seriously when I said that I never want to see him again.

Debbie crosses her arms and stands beside me, waiting.

“Are you going to get back to work?”

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

We both stare at each other, waiting for the other one to crack.

“Are you going to be like this all day?” I ask her.

“I’m going to be like this all month,” she says with a firm stare. “All year if I have to. I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me.”

“Fine,” I say with a frustrated huff of breath. “He bit me. There are you happy?”

She laughs.

“What is so funny?” I ask as I glare at her.

“Is that it?” she asks as she looks at the mark on my neck. I tried to cover it up with make-up, but I guess I did a shitty job.

I nod.

“You’re mated to a bear shifter,” she says as she stares at me like I’m some kind of an i***t. “What did you think was going to happen?”

“I don’t know,” I say as I take a casual sip of coffee. “Maybe him not trying to eat me for one.”

She laughs. “That’s his mark. He wasn’t trying to eat you.”

“His mark?”

“Shifters are a little possessive and protective of their mates.”

“A little?” I say with a laugh. I still remember how he looked in my rearview mirror, holding my severed bumper as I sped away.

“Every shifter has to mark their girl,” she explains. “A quick bite on the neck. It happens once and that’s it.”

My hand goes back to the tingling spot. It feels electric under my hovering fingertips.

“Why?”

Debbie shrugs. “That’s how shifters know that a girl is taken. My sister is mated to a bear shifter—the lucky b***h. She told me about it. It’s like a tattoo that only shifters can see. Other men can sense it too, and the smart ones will stay away from you.”

“Oh, great,” I say as I shake my head. “So, you’re saying that he not only bit my neck, but he gave me a permanent man repellant tattoo as well?”

She laughs. “Pretty much. But why would you want to be with another man anyway when you have Westin?”

I don’t. At least, I think I don’t. I don’t even know anymore.

“He couldn’t help it,” she explains. “His bear was probably driving him crazy to mark you. He was probably out of his mind.”

“He was out of his mind all right,” I say as I glance into the parking lot to see if he’s there once again.

I see the Porsche from the other day pull into the parking lot and the two men, Mr. Frowny Face and Mr. Snooty in a Suity, step out.

Oh great, now I have to serve these guys again. I’m not in the mood to deal with anyone.

The bell rings over the door and they walk in, looking slick, good looking, and way too rich to be in this place.

“You can sit anywhere you like,” I tell them as they walk by without acknowledging us in any way. “Or, you can just go straight to hell.”

Mr. Snooty in a Suity glances back at me with a look that could kill. I just glare back at him. If he’s going to be rude, I’m going to be rude right back.

They walk over to the same booth they had last time and take a seat.

“I’d give him another chance,” Debbie says as she turns back to me. “This is normal stuff around here.”

“There’s nothing normal about a man biting his girl.”

Her smile turns into a sly grin. “Maybe not, but the best ones do.”

I laugh as I turn around, trying not to picture what kind of freaky s**t Debbie is into.