Wanted By Two Alphas

Chapter 4

Aria

With muddled thoughts, I stood still. I was stupid enough to hold his gaze and when his blue eyes almost sucked me in, I tore my eyes away.

“What do you want?”I bolstered my voice. “You can discuss it here.”

Talon’s gaze flicked around the apothecary, a scowl forming on his face. “We can’t discuss it here.”

He closed his hand around mine, an unbidden heat sparked when our skin met. Before I could protest, he was already pulling me towards the door beside the shelves, into the storage room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Talon turned on me, pinning me against the door, his hand digging into my upper arms. Not painfully though.

“What is this news I am hearing?” His voice came out rough.

“What news?” I raised my brow, playing dumb.

A muscle in his jaw clenched. “Don’t play games with me, Aria.” His fingers sank further into my skin. “Alpha Ravished proposed to you.” He choked out.

“And?” I scoffed. He deserved no explanation.

His scowl deepened. “You mean to tell me, you are getting married to a man you met a few days ago.” His words sounded as though they stung on his tongue. “I never took you for desperate.”

My stomach twisted and when I parted my lips to retort, a gnawing heat flooded my veins, burning me alive like a high fever.

I ignored it.

I shoved him, my hand betraying me as the sturdiness of his chest teased my fingers.

The heat intensified. This wasn’t a heat of embarrassment that I still stupidly wanted Talon. Or the heat of anger for the words he had said.

It was something else. It coiled in my stomach and my breath stuttered.

Talon stepped closer, his seething breath rolling over my skin. I stood there powerless, caught beneath his dominating frame and the door like a prey trapped by a predator.

“You can’t marry that bastard.” He stared down at me, his eyes darkening with something—jealousy? Possessiveness?

Raising my chin, I held a defiant gaze. “Newsflash. You rejected me.” My pulse skittered in my veins. “You don’t have any right to tell me what to do.”

Talon’s eyes burned like a scorching sun. “He’s not your mate,” he growled.

“And whose fault is that? You picked someone else. Why do you care about who I pick?” My words hit the air. Bitter.

Talon’s lips separated, but whatever he wanted to say never came out. Instead, something else filled the space between us.

His pheromones.

They poured out of him. Thick. Heavy. My body responded before I could think. My muscles tightened and my breath shuddered out of my nostrils.

This shouldn’t happen. We had severed our mate bond. His scent shouldn’t affect me anymore.

And yet, his hot pheromones scented like tuberose grown in the wild, seared themselves on the walls of my lungs. It was intoxicating.

Purple ached for him. His touch. His wolf.

But alongside the beautiful scent, came a raw pain. A reminder of the broken bond between us.

My voice fell to a whisper. “Talon, please stop.”

As if he finally caught himself, Talon's eyes widened. He pinched his nasal bridge. “I’m sorry.”

Pheromones were used by mates or wolves to claim ownership. How dare he reject me and come here leaving his scent on me like I belonged to him.

“Get out,” I whispered.

Talon hesitated. “Aria, I said I am sorry.”

I lifted my chin. “Get.out.” This time my voice louder as I stepped aside.

Talon jerked his head back, his hand fell loosely by his side as he drew in a long breath. After a fleeting second, without another word, he opened the door and walked out.

The door clicked shut. My legs gave out from the weight of everything—The heat burning in my veins.

I dragged myself up, fumbled towards the window, and shoved it open. A desperate act to rid the storage room of his scent. It did just that, but the feel of his scent remained in my lungs.

So did the heat in my body.

********

Unlike my usual evening where I would be reading a book or watching a movie, I stood before the full-length mirror. The red dress hugged my curved frame. The make-up rested on my face beautifully.

After three hours of Beta Rafael convincing me, I finally decided to go on a date with Alpha Rafael.

Everything was perfect except for the scent. No matter how much I scrubbed, how much perfume I drowned myself in, Talon’s scent still clung onto me like he had branded me.

How could I show up before Alpha Ravish, when every inch of me reeked of another man—another Alpha?

Another issue was also the heat inside of me. I had slept for hours and taken a calming portion, yet, I still burned.

Despite the heat, a certain chill settled in my bones—one I couldn’t explain.

The air shifted and my thoughts began to muddle, slipping into places they shouldn’t.

My heart hammered in my chest. A piercing pain followed, rippling through me.

I gritted my teeth. Focus. I tried to gather my thoughts. But then another pain, more agonizing shot through me, and I staggered back.

The heat intensified. My mind blurred. It was as though my eyes were opened, yet I couldn’t see anything. My chest rose and fell. A series of gasped breaths.

Just then.

My red dress had shredded beneath my claws that came out without my volition.

My fangs ached as they pushed through my gum. A yellow hue swallowed the green of my eyes. All against my volition.

My mind slipped to Beta Raphael's words. No. I shook my head. Wolves don’t go feral overnight.

My heart thudded in the cage of my rib, fear showing no mercy.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to be in control. A deep growl vibrated through me—not mine. But, purple.

I reached for her, but I couldn’t. The bond between us felt too thin, like something was pulling apart.

When a sharp ache spiked through my head and I felt like I was dissociating from my mind, a question pulsated in my head.

Am I really going feral?