Chapter 46

Aurora’s POV

Another day of staring at Thorne while he was training came and went, and again, I stared too much. They say time files when you’re having fun, but apparently, it also flies when you’re watching he hottest man on the planet work out.

He’s like a hotter version of those Greek statues.

It’s utterly ridiculous how I had to tear my eyes off of him, so I didn’t look like I’m crazy… or so I didn’t start drooling.

And now, I have to keep my eyes off of him for the same reasons, except this time, he’s fully dressed and leading me to the banquet. It doesn’t matter what Thorne looks like. I guess I’ll always want to look at him.

Clothed or not.

As we enter the dining hall of the pack house, members of Redwater Pack greet Thorne with bows of respect. Their words are warm and kind when they speak with him, while they pretty much ignore my presence altogether.

Though, I’m okay with that. I don’t know what I would say to them if they tried to talk to me. The few curious glances I get don’t move past that. They look then they turn away.

I try not to worry about the various looks I receive, especially the two or three that seem to bore into me with something that isn’t acceptance.

“I’ll just sit down while you mingle,” I murmur to Thorne, not wanting to get in the way any longer. He nods silently and leads me to the head of the table, pulling the chair out, and then pushing it back in when I sit.

“Alpha Thorne!” A man shouts, pulling Thorne away from me. The man looks a bit familiar, so I pass it off as someone I’d seen during the training. I don’t let Thorne’s lack of attention bother me because he’s not here for me. He’s here to celebrate his pack and their alliances.

So, I sit back in my chair and resort to people watching. I’ve never been to a party like this, even in the Human Quarter. I spent most of my time either working or in school when I was younger. Being poor doesn’t exactly leave you with time to party.

Members of Thorne’s pack easily mingle with people from Alpha Sanders’ pack, some of them laughing and joking while others talk seriously. It’s interesting to watch.

As I’m watching two women talk animatedly, one of them breaks off and walks over to Thorne. She scoots close to his side, touching his arm and leaning on him. Her eyelashes flutter as she says something, but he doesn’t respond.

When she doesn’t get a reaction out of Thorne, the woman’s face falls. Serves her right for trying to touch someone that isn’t hers.

My own thoughts surprise me, but I don’t let them distract me. The woman continues to try to flirt with Thorne, and when he turns to walk away, the woman trips and spills her drink all over Thorne.

The room falls completely silent as the woman apologizes loudly, wiping her hands over Thorne’s body to clean him off. Her hands are all over him, and I can’t help but dig my nails into the arms of my chair.

The more she touches him, the angrier I feel.

Thorne’s POV

Aurora.

On instinct, I pull away from the woman trying to touch me and look around. It’s strange how finding Aurora is my first thought in this situation, but she’s all that fills my mind.

Most men would love having a pretty, flirty woman touching them, but I pull away as the bothersome woman tries to clean me off. Her hands feel wrong as they rub at the stains on my shirt and pants.

She’d been bothering me for a while, and now she has thrown her drink all over me. Annoyance fills me and turns to anger when she brushes her hands over my dick.

That’s it.

I move back, making the woman stumble and fall to her knees.

“Alpha Thorne,” Aurora says, just as a gentle hand touches my back. “I have a new suit for you to change into.”

Turning, I look behind me where Aurora is standing with a new suit. I’m not sure how she did it, but somehow, she had flipped this situation around and found a fixture. Confusion hits me at the thought. Had she run down the road to the guest house and gotten the suit from our room?

There’s no way she just had it lying around ready for a situation like this, but she’s not that fast, either.

How long had I been standing here while this woman touched me?

“Thank you. I’ll go change,” I mutter, taking the hanging bag from her. The woman who spilled her drink scrambles to her feet.

“Alpha Thorne, let me help you. I’m so sor—”

“No,” I growl, narrowing my eyes on her and the hands that reach toward me. I don’t need her when I have Aurora. I’d rather not have a random she-wolf watch me change clothes.

Aurora and I head upstairs to a spare room to change. I already have my jacket, tie, and shirt off before I realize Aurora is watching me. The way her eyes trail down my body make me smirk.

“Like what you see?”

She bites her lip in that cute way she does, and her eyes go a bit hazy, the scent of her arousal perfuming the air. It’s how she usually responds when she’s aroused, I realize.

“Come here, little human.” The order tumbles from my lips, soft and commanding as not to break her out of her daze. She’s much braver yet also submissive when she’s aroused, and I like the fact that she doesn’t seem nervous when she’s like this.

When she stops a few inches in front of me, I speak, “If you like what you see, you should act.”

“Act before I think?” She questions, peering up at me. Her hand comes up and rests against my torso. “Would the big, strong Alpha like for this little human woman to act on her thoughts?”

Damn. Her finger trails down my abs to the edge of my waistband. Now I want to know what she’s thinking. The scent of her arousal becomes heavier, wafting off her in sweet waves.

“Only if you can handle the consequences, little human,” I murmur, leaning in. Our faces are inches apart when she blinks.

“And what would those consequences be? Would you punish me if my thoughts are dirty?”

Grabbing her by the waist, I back her up against the wall, lift her, and wedge my leg between her thighs. That sexy little dress, her arousal, her touch, the heated look in her eyes; it all calls to me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

In a moment of confidence that’s too dangerous, Aurora rolls her hips, rubbing her pussy along my thigh. And fuck, she’s wet.

A breathy little moan falls from her lips.

My body responds to her, growing heated. The urge to take her fills me, clouding my mind. Right now, it doesn’t matter that we’re supposed to be downstairs at the banquet. It doesn’t matter that anyone could come looking for us and see what we’re doing. It doesn’t matter that we shouldn’t be together.

I want her, and that’s the only thing I can think about until a loud creak outside the bedroom door makes both of us freeze. Aurora’s fingers dig into my shoulder as the haze of arousal falls away and her eyes fly to the door.

“We should get back to the party,” she whispers, and I step back, untangling our bodies.