The Panther's Second Chance (Book 10 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 36

Natalia slowly opened her eyes, groaning. She felt nauseous and her head was aching. Did she have a hangover? And why was her cheek hurting? She reached up and touched it gently and could feel a cut on it. Her tongue ran over the inside of her cheek and she could feel a cut on the inside as well. Like someone had pushed something through her cheek. How had she slept through that? And why wasn't it healed?

She moaned a little as she rolled over. A warm body was next to her and she sighed. Had she and Dom mated last night? She couldn't remember. She just remembered him being pissed off about something. She still wasn't sure what.

But that wasn't her main concern right now. Her main concern was why she was hung over. She shouldn't be, should she? Was their rum so strong that it would give a werewolf a hangover? She couldn't imagine that would be a selling point.

She'd never drank before, so she really had no idea, but she'd seen the men in her pack drink occasionally and none of them had ever had a hangover that she'd been aware of.

Then she realized something else. She couldn't feel Nala. Oh that wasn't good. She turned towards Domini, and almost screamed. That wasn't Dominic she was laying next to.

She jumped up out of the bed, staring down in shock for a moment. Alpha Anthony was laying there asleep next to her. His massive chest was bare, and the blankets were pulled up to his waist. She took a deep breath and looked down at herself.

She breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw that she was still fully dressed. She looked around the obviously lived in bedroom. This has to be his room. Why was she in his room? Where was Dominic? And why had he allowed Alpha Anthony to take her to bed? Something had to be horribly wrong.

Where was Dominic? She couldn't feel him, but she also couldn't feel Nala, so those two things would go hand in hand. She realized she didn't know enough about Dom to know if he could be cut off from his panther. Did he have any weaknesses? She had no idea.

Panic was starting to set in and she forced herself to breathe through it. She needed to be calm and rational. She needed to get out of this room too, and find Dominic. She couldn't imagine he was pissed at her enough that he would allow Alpha Anthony to have her. What if he'd left her here? He wouldn't. He loved her. She knew he loved her. She'd felt it.

She wondered what time it was, and glanced around the room for a clock. Her father and mother had to be on their way. It was a long flight, but they shouldn't be that far behind. Where was her phone? Had it been left in the room they'd been in when they'd first arrived? She needed to get out of here, find her phone and Dominic. Then she might kick Anthony's ass for getting her drunk and taking her to his bed.

She turned slowly and saw a door on the other side of them room and one on the right. One she imagined was a bathroom and one would be freedom. She crept over to the first one and opened it. Bathroom. She didn't bother to shut the door and instead headed over to the one on the left, placing her hand on the knob.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

She froze, recognizing Alpha Anthony's voice. "Why am I in your room?"

"Because you belong to me."

That pissed her off and she turned around, and stopped in shock. She almost wished she hadn't moved.

He was standing there in front of the bed, his arms crossed over his massive chest as he looked at her. He was completely naked. Had she been sleeping next to him while he'd been naked?

Alpha Anthony was huge, and he stood there staring at her, his cock in his hand as he slowly stroked it, his gaze on her.

She felt slightly sick and steeled herself. "I don't belong to you," she said with a glare.

"Oh but you do. Your mate gave you to me," he said with a smile.

What? No. Dominic wouldn't give her to Anthony. No freaking way. He might be her mate but Dominic didn't own her. She could feel herself getting pissed. "I'm not an object to be given away."

"Mr. Beckham no longer wants you as his mate, so I will take you as mine. You will let me mate you and mark you," he said calmly.

He was insane. She stared at him incredulously. He couldn't be serious. She couldn't believe that Dominic didn't want her, and even if he didn't, there was no way she was mating Alpha Anthony. "No I won't."

"You don't have a choice." He started towards her, and Natalia turned around quickly to open the door but Anthony's hand pushed it closed, trapping her inside.

He leaned in close, his nose brushing against her neck in a way that made her cringe. "I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you, standing on my front doorstep. That's when I decided that you'd be mine."

He reached up and touched her face, then ran his hand down over her breast and around her waist. He flipped her around, pushing her against the door, and rubbed his cock against her ass.

Natalia whimpered. "Please let me go."

"Never." He leaned in and brushed his tongue over her neck, then grazed his canines over her marking spot.

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for him to sink his teeth into his neck but he didn't.

"I wasn't thrilled when I came into the room and found you with his scent all over you. I'm amazed you would allow someone who is not a werewolf to touch you. Has he mated you? Have you allowed him to touch your body?" Anthony asked, his body still pressed against hers, pinning her to the door.

"He's my mate," she growled out. "I marked him."

"And yet he never marked you. He never completed the bond with you," he murmured, licking her marking spot, then sucking on it.

Natalia cringed, hating him touching her. "He's not a werewolf."

"No, but he could still mark you. But I'm not going to complain. It makes it easier for me. A half completed bond." He scoffed. "Idiot."

Natalia listened to him quietly. Dominic couldn't mark her, could he? He wasn't a werewolf. He shifted into a panther. It wasn't the same. But had he known all along that he could, and he just hadn't? Had he never wanted to fully complete the bond with her? Doubt began to creep into her mind. She felt so lost and confused. Tears were threatening, and she breathed in deeply, trying to hold them back. She was a Remington. She would not cry. Especially not in front of this man.

"But don't worry, little mate. I'll mark you. And you'll mark me. Our bond will be completed." He pushed his cock against her again, rubbing it on her ass.

"Please let me go."

"Never," he said against her ear. He frowned. "Even though I slept with you in my arms last night, you still smell like him." He pulled away from her and grabbed her arm, yanking her to him. Then to her shock, he began to pull off her clothes.

She fought him as best she could, but it was like fighting a brick wall, and she didn't have her strength.

He seemed rather impressed though. "You're pretty well trained." He used a combination of his hands and claws to remove all of her clothes and smiled when he had her naked. "I'd love to mate you now, but you're just going to fight me. You do have a lovely body though and I look forward to getting to know it."

Natalia wrapped her free hand across her breasts, shielding them from his gaze, and holding on to his words that he wasn't going to mate her now. He grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the bathroom, then pushed her inside. "Take a shower. I'm tired of smelling him on you."