Song: Taste of You by Rezz ft. Dove Cameron
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Rory's POV
I sit at a table mingling with other packs. I'm trying to help Sam and see if they know of wolves looking for a pack to join.
A scent suddenly distracts me. It was Mel's scent. It hits my nose, and I look in the direction it's coming from. There he is with Caz. Caz must have apologized to Mel already. I watch him lovingly look around the ballroom, probably admiring his hard work. He stops, and Caz bumps into his back. I cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing. Caz points across the room at the bar, and Mel seems to answer him.
A tall guy dressed in all black walks up to them both. I can't distinguish who it was or whether I knew them. Mel hides behind Caz and drops to the floor. I stand ready to hurry over there if I need to. The guy talks to Caz, and Caz moves to the side, leaving Mel exposed. Mel jumps to his feet and looks nervous. They speak to one another, and then the man snatches his wrists, yanking him outside.
"HEY!" I yell as I run after them. They didn't hear me; I followed them out into the garden. I decided to hide behind some shrubs and peek over just enough to see the backs of their heads. The guy turns, looking up at the moon, and I can finally see who it is. The moonlight washes over his face, unveiling his chiseled jawline and flower neck tattoo. The combat commander? What does he want with Mel?
"Do you feel that electricity right now? While you're holding my wrist?" Mel spoke to the commander. What is he talking about?
"No." The commander says.
"Oh," Mel says, then there's a long silence. The commander looks down at Mel, and Mel looks surprised. "I guess this was pointless then. Sorry for wasting your time." Mel hung his head low. The commander dips his head to Mel's neck, and I go still. What. The. Fuck. The commander growls into Mel's neck, and the sweet scent of Mel's pheromones releases into the air.
"Shit." I curse under my breath, covering my nose.
"V-Vince! We can't do anything! It's my heat-" Mel pleaded.
"I'll do damn well as I please to my mate," Vince growled again.
"You feel it too, then?" Mel asked shakily.
"Yes, you smell fucking delicious, and I hate it." Vince then grips Mel's face and kisses him roughly. I slap my other hand over my mouth. Of all people, there's no way Vince is any of our mates?! What's going on?! I slink back inside the ballroom and mind-link Sam.
Rory: "Sam! Sam!"
Sam: "What's wrong, Rory?"
Rory: "I just saw Mel with Vince."
Sam: "Why was he with my combat commander?"
Rory: "I watched them kiss."
Sam: "They kissed?!"
Rory: "Yes."
Sam: "Are you sure it was Vince?"
Rory: "Yes, they're in the garden making out."
Sam: "Why didn't you stop them?!"
Rory: "I can't. Mel released his pheromones."
Sam: "That's. Not. Good. I'll go out there right now."
Rory: "Okay. I'll keep an eye on the party. "
The mind link ended.
Mel's POV
Vince carried me around the back of the pack house, where some cellar doors were.
"Why are you bringing me back here? Are you going to kill me?!" I panic at the thought.
"Chill out, will you? I live in the basement." He mutters. He swings the doors open, and we go down.
"Y-you live in the basement?" I stutter.
"Yeah, is that a problem? "Vince sets me down on the ground.
"Yes! It's a big problem! I can't be down here! I'm—I-." Vince ignores my outburst and shuts the cellar doors, locking them. At this point, I'm starting to hyperventilate. "Vince, I can't breathe. I'm having a panic attack." He lifts me and sets me on his bed, sitting next to me.
"Hey, hey, calm down. You're alright, I promise." His large hand rests on my thigh. I nod my head, trying to breathe normally. "That's it. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out." He tries to help me control my breathing, and I eventually calm down.
"Thank you, sorry." My cheeks flushed red.
"No need to apologize. I don't think I caught your name, though. What is it?" He lifts his hand to my face, cupping my cheek.
"It's Melody, but I prefer to be called Mel." He swipes his hand away from my face and stands.
"Get the fuck out." He points to the stairs leading up to the inside of the house.
"Huh? What's wrong? Did I do something?" I get up off his bed.
"You're the Alpha's plaything. I can't be a part of that. Get out." My wolf cries out, and I clutch my heart.
"A-are you rejecting me as your mate?" Tears well up in my eyes.
"It's for the best if I do. I told you before I'm not gay." Vince puts his palm to his forehead.
"B-but you called me your mate, and you kissed me... I- I want to be with my mate. I want you." I began to cry. "I need you." Vince shakes his head and turns his back to me.
"I can't. I'm not like Sam. I'm not gentle. I ruin everything good that life throws at me. I don't want to ruin you."
"I'm already ruined," I whisper. He turns back to face me.
"What are you talking about?" He glared.
"I'm ruined. I was ruined at four years old and then again at eighteen. Sam saved my life. I'm so grateful he found me in that basement. Otherwise, I'd still be there." I sniffle, wiping some tears away.
"What basement? How are you ruined?" Vince's hands are balled into fists, shaking a bit.
"I've been locked in a basement since I was four by my former Alpha. He-. "I choke on the next sentence, trying not to bawl again. "He sexually abused me every chance he got." I squeeze my eyes shut, taking a deep breath in. "So, please... Accept me. I need you, Vince." I glance up at him. His eyes are bright red, blazing red.
"He fucking what? He fucking touched you? Who is this fucker? I'll murder him!" I wince at the sudden loudness of his voice.
"Alpha Aremus. His pack is a few miles south of us, I think." I squeak out. I swear I saw Vince's eyes become redder, but he stopped shaking, and his body tensed.
"Come on, we are going to talk to Sam. Right. Now." He takes my hand and leads me up to the basement door that connects to the inside of the house. Just as he was about to open it, it swung open, revealing Sam and Rory.
"We have to talk. Now." Sam snarls.
A few minutes later, the four of us are on the top floor in Sam's bedroom. I'm sitting on the floor facing the couch with Vince's arm around me. At the same time, Sam and Rory are on the sofa. I don't dare look at them. I have yet to tell them about Vince and the plan I had tonight. I'm sure they're mad at me.
"So, are you two mates then as well? Or are you just going around making out with other people's mates?" Sam asks, breaking the silence. The question was directed towards Vince.
"Yes, we're mates. It's hard not to smell Mel's intoxicating scent. It's all I can smell right now. I would have never willingly made out with a guy before tonight, Sam. You know that." Vince doesn't address Sam as Alpha, and I can feel the irritation radiating from Sam.
"Why did you hide this from us, Mel?" Rory speaks up. I finally lifted my head to make eye contact, a big mistake. Rory looks so sad that I kept this from them. My heart aches.
"I had just run into him this afternoon. I just wanted to make sure he was my mate before I brought it up." Vince rubs my arm to comfort me.
"Mel, completing the mating bond process soon is crucial to avoid high tensions." Sam pauses to see my reaction, but I don't react. "Mel, I know your wolf is stubborn, just like mine. I understand why you're waiting. I know you're not ready, but it will not be good for us all if we continue to wait. Our wolves will become overly jealous, wanting to sabotage each other to spend time together. I want you to lead this pack with me. I want you to be my Luna, but we all must be on the same page and understand what this means for us." Sam finishes.
"Hey, don't put all of this on Mel. He's gone through some very traumatic situations. We should try to be a little more accommodating." Vince spoke, and I turned to look at him.
"Vince, it's alright. They have been supportive. I'm just worried that when we are full on, "My face reddens, "it might trigger those memories, and I'll freak out." Vince continues to rub my arm.
"We have waited much longer than normal mates do. Usually, the mate bond is completed within one day or less." Rory eyes me as if he were waiting for me to say something. "I was holding back so much this morning. I wanted to fuck you, Mel."
"Wait. What happened this morning?" Vince raises his eyebrow.
"Uh! Nothing!" I bring my knees to my chest and hide my face. I hear Rory and Sam laugh at me, lightening the mood.
"Ohhhh." I could hear Vince smile. "Is Mel a dirty little boy?" Vince asked as I felt him tighten his grip around me.
"Nu-uhh!" I squirm in his grasp. Vince comes close to my ear and whispers.
"You don't have to put on an act for me. Sam mind-linked me just now, telling me what a nasty boy you were. You like to watch, huh?" He pauses, teasing me. "Completing the mating bond while you're in heat will make it much more enjoyable." His tongue lightly licks my ear. A soft moan escapes my lips.
"I want to make one thing clear. Mel and I mate first. He was mine first." Sam stands.
"That's not fair. You and Rory mated this morning without me! I should get to choose who gets to go first." I lean into Vince's touch, hoping he'd put his lips on my neck again. I can feel his teeth graze my neck. "Fuck." I feel my body tingle, and I close my eyes.
"We should mate Mel as a group. You said it yourself, Sam. Our wolves will do anything to have one-on-one time with Mel. It sounded like your wolf was talking just now, babe." Rory says and grabs Sam's hand. Sam's expression softens.
"You're right." He turns to Vince. "Did you hear that, Vince? Don't mate, Mel, without us present."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." His hot breath hit my neck.
"Vince."
"Yes, Alpha. I understand."
"Good. Rory and I are going to head back to the party. We still have three hours left." Sam said, checking his watch. "Do whatever you need to tame his heat. Just don't mark each other, please." Rory kneels and lifts my head to kiss me, causing Vince to growl. Rory tries to jump away, but I lace my fingers through his hair to keep him on my lips. I let my tongue slide across his bottom lip, tasting him. I unlace my fingers from his red hair, which causes him to fall back.
"Holy shit, where did that strength come from?!" Rory dusts himself off and stands back up.
"Must be the heat." Sam chuckles, patting my head. He leads Rory out of the bedroom and back to the party. Then, it was just Vince and me. My body was burning, and I couldn't keep still.
"Vince," I whine, leaning into him.
"No." He grumbles, moving away from my neck.
"You don't even know what I was going to ask!!" I say, whining again. He stands up and starts making his way to the door. "WAIT! Don't leave!"
"Nah, you should stay here. I'll be back later." He turned the knob, opening the door.
"But." I trailed off.
"Be a good boy, and there will be a reward."
"Okay," I say sadly.
"Good." Vince smiled at me for the first time and left. Then I was alone.