Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

R iver awoke the next day to the fragrance of flowers. She sat up on the bed to find she was still in her outfit from the night before. Ares' side of the bed hadn't been disturbed.

Her wolf whined. He hadn't stayed with her.

They'd made headway last night. Somehow, in the hours of dancing, she'd let go of everything that plagued them and just was. He was a terrific dancer, of course, as if he would be anything else with a body like his. And in those hours touched and holding onto him, she'd been more intimate with him than she ever had with the guys she'd slept with. And in that intimacy, something had clicked for her. Something she'd been trying to deny since meeting him. They were mates.

She pulled her hair. A mate. She had a mate. A hot, rich, royal mate. What the hell did she do with a mate- besides the obvious? She didn't want to be a princess. She didn't want to have servants and bodyguards. She wanted to make her art and… be normal. But normal had gone out the door the moment she was born. Only she'd not known it until a few years ago.

Even then, she'd thought she would be okay if she took the pills, used the sprays, and stayed away from shifters for the most part. But here she was with the fated mate of all fated mates.

She swallowed. Ares had been in the room, and he hadn't stayed. From what she remembered, he hadn't tried anything. He'd not even taken her clothes off her.

Every movement when they'd danced, he'd let her lead. If he touched her, it was because she'd wanted him to. On the ride to the hotel, he'd done nothing more than hold her. He hadn't tried to kiss her or anything. He'd been a perfect gentleman. Something she'd not thought he would be.

She scolded herself. Why had she thought that? Because of what she'd been taught about Lycans growing up, which made her as ignorant about supes as humans.

The aroma of flowers struck her again, and she walked to the bright bouquet of irises, lilies, and peonies sitting on the table. She sniffed them, and her body flushed with heat. She couldn't help the rush of joy that trickled through her. A man had never bought her flowers before. Maybe being mated to a prince wouldn't be so bad. Not if he would buy her flowers.

Her wolf chuffed. She glimpsed a card and removed it from the vase.

River,

I cordially invite you to an evening of food and culture.

I will be back to pick you up at four.

Yours Truly, A.

Something about his romantic gesture lifted her lips into a smile. She never thought she'd be the kind of woman to be wooed with flowers and the promise of expensive food, but apparently, she was.

She chewed the inside of her cheek, remembering Ares' kiss from days before.

Wait. She was supposed to leave for Canada. Had he changed his mind? She'd stay a few more days? Stay a few more days… with him?

She reread the card. Maybe being mated to the hottest man on Earth wasn't the end of the world.

River did something she'd never done before. She went to an actual hair salon and got her hair washed, cut, and styled. It'd always been an extravagance she'd never wanted to splurge on before, but for some reason, she wanted to impress Ares. They were fated mates, which meant he was supposed to love her if she looked like she'd romped in a bale of hay and showered in mud, right? Even so, she wanted him to like what he saw when he saw her.

A thrill raced through her as the hair stylist spun her around to see her reflection. Damn! She had no idea her hair could do that. It'd been twisted, braided, poofed, sprayed, and teased into a design River had a hard time figuring out where it began or ended.

"Do you like it?" The hairdresser beamed.

"Absolutely. Thank you, it's… incredible."

He smiled so brightly River thought his face might crack.

Theo stood from his seat and walked to her. "Done?"

River nodded. "Do… do you think Ares will like it?" Her stomach tied in a knot. Stupid. She sounded like a stupid, silly girl with a crush.

Theo gave her a genuine smile. "He will love it, Princess."

The idea warmed River and made her wolf yip.

Okay, calm down, it's just hair.

Her wolf would not be deterred from happiness. She made her pleasure at River's trying to impress Ares clear.

Lachlan went to the counter and placed four-hundred-dollar bills down. Outside, Zeke waited at the corner of the building, and Theo showed her to the sedan and opened the door.

The hairdressers gawked at the window and talked animatedly to each other. She wondered if she'd ever grow used to the attention that came with all the money and influence Ares had. She sure hoped not. She didn't want to be one of those women. She wanted to stay who she was. Grassroots. Down to Earth. Not extravagant. But it wasn't every day a woman met her fated mate, and he took her on a fancy date. So this once, she would deal with the stares and whispers and relish being pampered.

River hadn't planned on getting more than her hair done, but moments after she returned to the car, her phone buzzed with a text telling her she had an appointment. Confused, she stared at the text until Lachlan pulled up to a day spa. River glanced up in confusion as Theo opened her door for her.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

His brows furrowed. "Didn't you get the text? You have an appointment."

"For what?"

"Ares said it's for whatever you want."

"I…uh…" Her cheeks heated. She'd never had a massage before, and somehow, having someone else massage her body seemed wrong. Not just that, her wolf would be too irritated to enjoy it. "I'm good. Can we go back to the suite?"

Theo glanced at his phone and back at River. "Don't you want to… you know, do all the stuff they do at spas?"

River snorted, easing her tension. "Theo, we haven't known each other long, but do I seem like the kind of girl who likes spa stuff?"

His eyebrows rose, and a smile crossed his face for the first time since she'd met him. "To be honest, no. But Ares wants you to be happy."

"Taking me to the spa isn't quite my idea of something that would make me happy."

Theo nodded. "I understand, but…"

"Say what you have to say."

He looked at her hard for a moment. "I'm mated, and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my mate. In the beginning, I knew nothing about her. I bought her all kinds of stuff to make her happy. She accepted all of it and acted like she loved every single thing because she wanted me to be happy. As we got to know each other, we no longer needed to try so hard. We learned what it took to make the other happy. But initially, I wanted to show her I wanted nothing more than her happiness. I did a lot of things and gave her a lot of things I thought would make her happy. In return, she appreciated my effort, even if it wasn't what she wanted."

River thought for a moment. "Are you asking me to go in there and do spa stuff because it will make Ares happy?"

He nodded. "He is trying. This fated mate thing is awkward and tough and not something you want, but it won't go away between you. I wouldn't be his friend if I didn't ask you to please give him a chance. He wants to make you happy. Knowing you enjoyed yourself will do that for him."

River choked down the sharp retort on her tongue and pressed her nails into her palms. After all, wasn't that what she'd decided to do after seeing the flowers? To give him a chance? Isn't that what she wanted? She liked the flowers. So, didn't it make sense she'd want to do something for him?

River inspected her hands. "I guess my nails could use attention, and I've never had a pedicure."

Theo helped her from the back of the sedan.

"Thank you."

She had no idea how to respond. How did one respond to a man who thanked you for getting your fingernails painted?

River had never been so nervous, and she had no idea why. She sat on the bed in her hotel room and fiddled with her hair as the minutes ticked by. She watched the clock. Four fifteen. Had Ares changed his mind?

She felt like a high school girl waiting on her prom date. At least her nails were perfect. The ladies in the salon had been able to remove all the oil and dirt from under her nails and filed them into cute little round nubs before painting them clear. She'd not been able to do that since starting art school.

The front door to the suite opened, and she peered at the suite door. Drew entered first, followed by Ares talking on his phone. Santiago walked in last.

River didn't know who Ares talked to, but his raised voice and agitated posture said something wasn't right. She wondered if their date would be canceled, but as he spoke, he turned and spotted her.

He stopped speaking, and his body relaxed.

Her heart thundered as their eyes connected, and neither moved.

He was power personified. Sex on two legs. Even from yards away, his Alpha presence called to her Omega side, and she couldn’t deny the tug which propelled her to him.

Santiago and Drew disappeared as Ares shoved his phone in his pocket, and without another word, they gravitated toward each other. He stopped a foot from her and took her in from head to toe before closing the distance between them and folding her into his muscular arms. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled. His familiar cologne and something metallic washed over her, and she relaxed.

How did the simple feel of his body pressed against hers and his scent filling her nose soothe her?

As she went to wrap her arms around him, he kissed her head and backed away.

"You're like… like an angel sent from the Luna Goddess."

River chuckled. "No one has ever called me an angel before."

Ares smiled, but his eyes looked troubled. She wanted to reach for him and smooth away the lines that creased his forehead.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said.

"Did your meetings go well?" she asked.

He licked his lips. "Not exactly."

A pit formed in her stomach. "If you don't want to go out or have other meetings, we don't have to go."

Ares took her hand. "Absolutely not. There will always be more meetings, but I won't let them interfere with my more important duties."

"More important duties?"

"As your mate."

The sincerity in his words and earnestness in his voice made her heart squeeze.

"Let me change, then we can go." He turned to leave, but she clutched his hand, and he turned back.

"I like what you're wearing now."

He smiled. "I'll be right back."

She didn't know what else to say.

Ares kissed her knuckles and walked to the door. Santiago and Drew followed him out, and Theo shut the door with an expression of something she couldn't fully read. Appreciation?

As soon as Ares left, recognition dawned on River. The other smell; the metallic one on Ares.

Blood. It was blood.

* * *

Ares gingerly took off his suit coat and walked into the bathroom with Santiago, who carried a first aid kit.

He pulled his dress shirt from where it clung to his stab wound. He turned sideways. It had been significantly deeper when it had occurred an hour earlier but now was little more than a gash.

"I told you I'm fine," Ares said to Santiago. "You're such a mother hen sometimes."

"Better a mother hen than a Lycan without a king."

Ares and Santiago looked at each other momentarily, and Ares nodded.

"What about you? How is your wound?"

Santiago shrugged off his coat and pulled down the collar of his dress shirt. "Already healed."

Ares nodded. He hadn't expected the trouble with the pack of rogues living on the city's fringes. He'd not known they'd been residing near New York, and he wondered if one had bitten his River.

He walked to the sink, found a washcloth, and dabbed his wound.

He'd spent over a year looking for the one responsible for trying to organize the rogues. He'd heard the wolf had traveled to the States, but as of yet, he'd been unable to find him. It was only a matter of time, though. Ares would find the wolf responsible and kill him. More than ever, he had to squash the rogue uprising. Now that he had River, everything had changed. He would be crowned king, but more than that, he now had something to lose. His Omega.

Santiago laid his hand on Ares's shoulder. "We'll find him and end him."

Ares nodded and bandaged his wound before grabbing a new shirt and pulling it on. All thoughts of the traitor gone, his mind moved on to far better things. Things like seeing River waiting for him. He'd barely registered the voice talking in his ear as he spotted her. Hair up, make-up on– though she didn't need any– she'd been gorgeous in the silvery-colored dress he'd picked to match her hair. She'd been more than stunning; she'd been breathtaking. It'd taken everything he had not to rush to her and take her straight to the bedroom. But he'd remembered her eyes when he'd kissed her before. He'd never seen them like that. Open, vulnerable, inviting. It'd been that image he'd clung to. That memory which had kept his wolf in check and had forced him against all instinct to pull her softly to him. Merely seeing her face and catching her perfume had soothed him in a way he'd never experienced.

He snapped on his cufflinks, and his phone rang. The name "Pompous Asshole" appeared on the screen. He snarled and rejected the call. He was done with assholes for the day. For the next eight hours, he planned to focus on one person and one person only– His Omega.