One

Chapter 28

Brandon could feel his heart racing within his chest, beating against his temples as he remained seated on the bed. Honestly, he couldn't take his eyes off of Lobo as the lycan eyed him with a slight smirk on his face.

Mark me...

Marking was a serious request and not something to joke about. Plus the young Alpha had a feeling that even though this Alter was new, he wouldn't jest about such a sensitive thing.

So either he's testing me, or...

Brandon swallowed thickly, much to the amusement of the lycan that slowly approached the bed. Like a predator hunting down their prey.

And Brandon could sense that he had to be careful with his answer. That the way he responded now could ruin everything they had built so far.

"May I know the reason behind this sudden desire to mark me?" Brandon questioned after taking a deep breath and steeled his resolve.

Lobo hardly seemed surprised, momentarily halting his approach as he hummed pleasantly. "Several, really. For one, you're an Alpha my family can trust. An Alpha that has shown a willingness to submit when required but to take charge when needed."

"You've won the trust of Sean and Noah and have even been left alone with the latter." Lobo huffed, pointing at the young Alpha who couldn't help but blush. "I'd be a fool to let such a precious wolf slip from our grasp."

Brandon could feel his face heat up even more before he pursed his lips. "I wouldn't mind a temporary mark but..."

"Temporary mark?" Lobo paused, making Brandon lick his lips as he realized that the community's knowledge about marks and mating, probably the entire werewolf biology, was extremely limited.

Tapping against his skin where one would normally mark one another, Brandon took a deep breath before starting his explanation.

"Most matings take a while to conclude. While there are the rare cases where mates are selected and mated within the first few days, nowadays things are different." Brandon frowned, going through his memories about everything he was taught about markings and mating bonds.

"Temporary marks are given at the start of a mating or to show interest in someone. One of the individuals marks the other to show they're dating."

Lobo hummed thoughtfully, listening intently to everything Brandon said. "I'm guessing they're temporary because they heal over?"

The young Alpha nodded in response. "Three to four weeks, depending on how deep the bite was and how many pheromones were released." He motioned between them as he added "If the relationship goes well, the couple would proceed to mark one another, making them betrothed. They can choose to make the marks permanent whenever they feel they are ready for that step."

"Then I don't see a problem for me to mark you." Lobo grinned lazily, allowing Brandon to catch a glimpse of his teeth. Taking a teasing step closer and chuckled when Brandon blushed vibrantly. "Unless there's more to it."

The man's chuckle made Brandon nod quickly, mouth dry as he tried to focus on his explanation. "Like I said, I don't mind temporary markings..."

"But?" Lobo raised a brow as Brandon paused, arms crossing as he took the last two steps that separated them. At this point, Brandon had to slightly spread his legs as Lobo stood between them, a spark of intrigue flashing through his mind as his own Beast huffed.

It was rather surprising his wolf wasn't raising its hackles at the slight domineering behavior from Lobo but then again... it had shown it wouldn't lash out towards the community.