3. RHYSON

POV Rhyson:

Then, as if realizing who she was speaking to, she lowered her gaze and wrinkled her nose. "I apologize. I shouldn't have said that."

"No. You shouldn't have said that, but you're not wrong. Dances are frivolous."

"For you."

I tilted my head. "Excuse me?"

"Balls are frivolous to you and perhaps to the other alphas, but to women, they're anything but. You alphas set the rules for your packs, and some impose even stricter rules on women. Sometimes the only way to escape a pack is to marry another alpha." His voice was soft, and his eyes held that distant look.

I understood. Maya wasn't shaken by Larson's denial; she was devastated by the loss of a chance to leave. "What pack are you from?"

"Does it matter? They're all the same."

They weren't all the same, but I didn't tell her that.

"I'm not from here either. I have no suggestions for you if you don't want to go home."

"It's better this way. Shit always stinks, no matter where she is. Thank you for the clothes."

"Today is a full moon. Everyone will run to celebrate after the ball. Don't you want to join them?" She approached the window and let the moonlight envelop her.

"No. I have control over my wolf. I don't need to release it on full moons. Do you need to run?"

"I don't need to."

Interesting response to the question. "And you, do you want to run?"

"Not with them. I was thinking of a different way to heat up. Do you have a partner?"

Did she? "No."

"I don't even know your name or the name of your clan, Alpha..."

"What makes you think I'm an alpha?"

"It's an alphas' ball, and you were giving orders to the men. This room must have cost an arm and a leg. Either you have a generous alpha, or you are the alpha. There's power in you, but it's a strange feeling. It's not quite like an alpha. Or maybe I just need to get out more."

Emotional, yet observant. "All you need to know is that I could end your life right here, and no one would lift a finger."

I wanted her to understand who she was trying to flirt with. All she did was shrug. "That doesn't make you special. The lowest member of a pack could kill me, and no one would bat an eye."

Interesting. "I'm Rhyson. Summerset Pack."

I wasn't sure why I had given her my name and lied about my status. If I had revealed who I truly was, she would have knelt, and I could have wrapped all that glorious red hair in my hands and smeared that "red fuck me" colored lipstick all over my cock. It wasn't like she wouldn't find out soon. Almost all the alphas in the region knew my name by now.

But when was the last time someone had sex with me without a political agenda in mind?

"I've never heard of it, but I don't know much about packs that aren't local." I stared at her and released some of my energy. Nearly fifty alphas were gathered for Larson's celebratory ball. If she had truly focused on becoming his wife, she would have acquainted herself with the other guests.

She would know I would be there.

Damn, I was letting myself be distracted by her. How could she not know who I was? I focused on her. It didn't make sense. I could force a wolf out of a shapeshifter with a snap of my fingers, but I could barely feel hers. She knew how to behave around an alpha, yet she hadn't done any of that with me, even though she thought I was one. Trained, but unwilling?

Maya was certainly not uninteresting. Evasive, but not uninteresting. "If you had a night of total freedom, what would you do?"

Interesting question. "There was a time in my life when I had nothing but freedom. My brother and I had no responsibilities. No one watched us or told us what to do or how to act. That was a long time ago."

"Looks good."

I smiled briefly. "Yes, it was. I didn't appreciate it enough. I guess you never know what to enjoy or when it’s all going to disappear. I suppose if I had a night of absolute freedom, I would do whatever it took to feel like myself again. To feel like I was in control."

"How can you have sex with a beautiful woman who wants to spread her legs for you?" I stared her in the face. "I have many women willing to have sex with me, Maya. Many of them are incredibly beautiful."

"Ah, so you have nothing to offer." She seemed disappointed. "Do you want to have sex with someone on your night of freedom?" I asked softly. "I just want to feel a little pleasure." She sighed and went to the bed to get the pair of jeans. My chest was inexplicably tight. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I made it very clear. I'm going to look for a little pleasure. I should probably put on a pair of pants for that."

"No." In a pause, she looked over her shoulder. "It's not for nothing, but I want to choose my partner for tonight. We are very close to the hotel. Previous events have taught me that I must be fully clothed before approaching someone." Damn, was she just walking away to find a stranger to fuck? My wolf practically howled inside me. What the hell was going on? What did it matter to me if she left and found someone else? With her fist in her jeans, she started to walk past me towards the bathroom. Extending my arm, I stopped her. "You think that going out there and looking for a stranger to fuck you is the best idea?"

"What does it matter to you?" she whispered. My cock shook, and I lifted her, placing her on the back of the couch. The jeans fell from her hands. With a growl, I lowered my hands to her bare thighs. "I'm leaving tomorrow."