She’d spotted the woman well ahead of the attack and planned her response. The ice water had been unexpected, but she wasn’t about to melt.
Tessa had even caught the little gesture by the Alpha—a lovely woman who had the smarts to deal with an unruly bunch of wolves on a regular basis, not to mention the big galoot of a mate at her side.
There had to be a reason Robyn wanted this battle to be Tessa’s.
Options one through five were considered and discarded. A straight-out physical confrontation wouldn’t prove anything.
If she wanted to be accepted by these people, if she was going to not only run a business but mate with one of their own, she couldn’t begin by alienating them.
She couldn’t be seen as weak, either.
So she went with option six. She let loose an enormous, dramatic sigh. “You’re right. Wolves’ sniffers are a lot more efficient than cats’.”
Linda angled her head and gloated.
Tessa reached out and caught the woman by the throat. “He’s still mine.”
Her sudden move surprised them all, and a low grumble rolled through the crowd. “You haven’t marked and mated each other,” someone called out, hiding in the background.
Good point. Tessa let go of Linda’s neck, patting her cheek before nodding. “True, although in most of the world, a little spit and being someone’s chew toy do not make a relationship. But just so there’s no doubt. Yo, Keri?”
Her friend pushed into the circle. “Yes?”
“Markers. Please.”
Keri pulled her ever-present backpack off her shoulder and dug into the depths. “Any particular colour?”
“Nope.” Although bright pink would be fun. Tessa maintained eye contact with the woman who’d started the trouble, hoping that sheer curiosity should stop anyone else from jumping in and starting a rumble.
The asked-for marker flew across the room. Tessa caught it in midair then snapped around to face Mark. He flicked a glance at her before focusing back on his pack mates. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he muttered.
She grabbed hold of his shirt and tore it apart, humming happily at the broad expanse of muscles her actions revealed. “Trust me.”
Then she put the tip of the marker to his skin and wrote Property of Tessa Williams in two-inch-high block letters.
“Dark blue looks good on you. Brings out the colour of your eyes.” She laid a hand on his chest, tapping her fingers over where his heart raced. “There, you think that’s sufficient for now?”
Mark glanced down. “Permanent marker?”
She peeked at the label. “Yup.”
“You should be good for a few weeks if I promise not to rub it off.”
Tessa stroked the exposed skin under her hands. “Are they going away?” she whispered.
His gaze darted over her shoulders then back to her face. “Everyone but Keri seems to be real busy all of a sudden. I think we’re safe.”
“Good.” She went to close his shirt and cursed softly. “Sorry about that. You seem to have lost some buttons.”
He shrugged out of the material altogether. “I’ll just go without for a while. Make sure everyone sees your message.” He caught her by the chin and smiled. “You are unpredictable.”
“I’m nice too. I considered writing it on your forehead.” She cuddled against his warmth, strangely happy at the unusual twist to the evening.
“Well done.” The deep voice brought her around to see the pack Alphas, Keil and Robyn, standing a few feet away.
Mark straightened up and dipped his head politely. “Sorry for the commotion.”
“Not your fault.” Keil eyed her and Tessa coughed lightly.
Yeah, okay totally her responsibility. “Hi.”
The head of the Granite Lake pack looked very serious for a moment until his mate elbowed him in the side, and he broke out laughing. “Right. Robyn wants me to let you know we’d like to have you two over for dinner later this week.”
Sweet. “We’d love to.” Tessa snuck her fingers into Mark’s. “Can we bring anything?”
Keil turned to his mate, moving his hands in sign language. Tessa watched in fascination as Robyn responded. It was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. She immediately put learn sign language on her bucket list.
Keil faced them again. “If you’d like to bring dessert, that would be great. I’ll call later to set the date.”
Mark leant over to whisper in her ear. “I’ll cook.”
“Hush, your Alphas are listening. Be polite.”
Robyn hadn’t stopped grinning, only now she reached out her hand. Tessa accepted it happily, pleased at the gesture.
The Alphas excused themselves, wandering through the pack house and visiting with people, making sure everything went back to normal. Tensions seemed to have faded after Tessa’s little display, and she tucked herself against Mark’s side and hauled him back to the area they’d been sitting originally. Really, it had been a pretty good evening, except for the wetness clinging to her body.