The Dining Room was outstanding. High Italian marble columns adorned its length lending the room a Neoclassical appearance, their marble's glossiness reflecting the light of the huge crystal chandelier hanging above. Baskets of white roses and light pink peonies rested at the base of the columns, their sweet smell of fresh flowers flowing almost imperceptibly to the human nose through the air. The tables were settled at the center of the room furnished with ivory white tablecloths, matching napkins, fine pottery and golden cutlery.

Unfortunately for me, we were all directed to the same one.

Each table was set for eight and with us being five, as Will came apparently dateless, we would be in company of three other people.

Like a proper gentleman Hercules helped me sit, withdrawing the chair and waiting for me to accomodate before restoring it in its original position. While doing so, his right hand brushed briefly against the skin of my bare shoulder. It was a featherlight touch, but it was enough for my traitor body to respond. Where his fingers had tenderly skimmed my shoulder the flesh grew impossibly hot, while goosebumps appeared along the entire length of my body.

It was maddening, and incredibly scary too, how a simple and innocent touch of his could evoke such raw responses from me. Since my arrival upon his pack my body had been clashing with my mind, fighting for something that was supposedly rightfully mine to have, but that wasn't feeling like it belonged to me.
I didn't own Hercules' heart, I only owned his carnal desires due to the bond. The pull between us hummed in power, but it was only biologically legated after all. The attraction between two people was based upon pheromones, smells, body fluids and nothing more.
My mind was strong and my resolution even stronger, but that wasn't enough to properly console me. In the end, I was mere flesh and bones myself. I had desires too. Desires I was terribly scared to succumb to.

The scraping of the chair on my left brought me out of my reverie. Hercules sat there, his long and strong legs hidden beneath the tablecloth. Eliza and Adam were seated on his left, leaving the chair on my right vacant. Will's eyes zeroed on it like a predator focusing on a prey. His gaze slowly raised and settled on my face, his chocolate orbs challenging me to try to stop him for claiming the place. I did not appreciate the dare shining in his eyes as my wild was not one to be provoked. I tensed, barely refraining myself for flashing him my teeth in warning.

Hercules felt it too.

Will's attention shifted from me to my date, suddenly freezing in the place he was standing. Hercules was watching him angrily, his eyes raging like a deadly storming sea. No sailor would be able to survive those waters and, unfortunately for William, he was the unlucky sailor. Hercules' gaze was so intense that, despite me not being its target, I could feel it burning on my very own skin.

Will sensed the danger and, casting a last longing look at the chair next to me, decided to sit beside Adam, leaving three empty chairs between us. Now we only had to wait for the owners of those seats to show up.

"Tell your pup to stop challenging me. I am a patient man, but his insolence is making not only my patience wear off, but my wolf's too."

Hercules' words were merely a whisper as they were directed to my ears only, but they were crystal clear. He wasn't going to stand Will's behavior for much longer and trustfully, neither was I.

"You are not the only one annoyed by his actions. He is acting ridiculously. He has no claim on me."

I turned to look in his direction, sadly noticing how his deep eyes captured and reflected the lights of the room, making him appear more enticing than he already was. Upon hearing my words a look of smugness began creeping on his face, starting with the way his upper lip curled upwards in a satisfied smirk. He opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him immediately.

"Neither do you."

The smugness he previously sported on his face quickly evaporated, soon replaced by his usual stoic expression.

"I know my boundaries. He doesn't."

I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to that. He was right in a sort of way. Hercules knew the boundaries I had set between us and never once he had tried to overstep them, fully respecting my wishes. I was aware of how difficult it was for him to do so, refraining himself from pursuing something that his Moon told it belonged to him. In his own conviction he had a sort of claim on me, on his half, the other part of his soul.
Will, on the other hand, was acting possessively and territorially without any strong reason to explain his behavior.

"I know it was him."

Blinking, I turned my eyes once again on my date. His gaze wasn't focused on me, but by the way his body was slightly pending towards mine I knew I had his total attention.

"Pardon?"

"The man I smelled on your skin. I recognized his scent. It was him, wasn't it?"

I sighed. I knew this was bound to happen. It was impossible for Hercules to not recognize a scent, especially the scent of another male, even if he was merely a human.

"I won't lie to you. Yes, it was him."

Hercules said nothing but nodded almost imperceptibly at my answer. His long fingers tightened around the stem of his wine glass and before I could stop him from breaking it, the three people we were waiting for showed up at the table. They turned out to be Dr. Stephens, a pediatrician with who I had the pleasure to work with sometimes and who came dateless, as her husband was on a work trip, and Dr. Patek, a gynecologist I didn't know, who came with his sister.

After the introductions were properly made, the voice of the same man who ushered us to the Dining Room resonated through the air, wishing us a great evening and explaining that the donations would be made at the end of the meal by putting the cheques in the bowls placed on the center of each table.

With that, dinner finally began.

I made pleasurable conversations with my commensals, especially with Dr. Stephens, or Laura, who turned out to be a very nice woman even outside of the hospital's walls. Hercules participated actively at the conversations too, engaging sport related discussions with the other men of the table, even if Will wasn't being very pleasant with him.
On the other hand, the latter seemed quite fond of the presence of Dr. Patek's sister, who was seated on his right.
I actually didn't know if he was genuinely interested in her company or if he was only trying to make me jealous, as sometimes he would look at me to catch my reactions, but I was internally pleased that his attention wasn't focused on me anymore.

But, as always, he felt the need to stir the sleeping wolf.

"So, Hercules.. you didn't quite tell us what you do for a living."

I froze.
Shit.
That was the only question I was hoping none would have asked tonight. What was Hercules supposed to say?! That he was the Big Bad Wolf the tales told about?

I calmly diverted my attention from Laura to my date, even if on the inside I was actually panicking.

Hercules smiled politely to him, his lips turning in a breathtaking smile, even showing a bit of his pearly whites. To human eyes his smile was the epitome of politeness, but to me, a person used to werewolves' gestures, it was clear that a bit of threat was hidden under the politeness' facade.
He raised his right hand from the tablecloth to his wine glass, slowly brushing his index finger on its circular rim. My eyes zeroed on his hand, finding his action incredibly erotic. The way his finger was gently, but at the same time firmly, stroking the glass was reminding me of a lover touching and teasing the skin of his partner.

" I own a few places."

"Oh.. so you are a landlord."

Hercules chuckled, stopping the action of his fingers and consequently breaking me out of my daydream. Fuck, I needed to get a grip of myself.

"Not quite."

By the way Will's eyes narrowed I knew that he was getting irritated by Hercules' vagueness. He would not stop prying until he obtained what he wanted.

"So...?"

Hercules met his gaze, slowly draping his arm over the back of my chair. The fucker. He was toying with Will like a cat with a mouse.

"Do you perhaps know Tamsala on the 29th Avenue?"

"Yes, I do. Been there a couple times with my mates."

I did too. Not with my mates, as I had none outside of some work colleagues, but on my own. Tamsala was a very well known restaurant in Seattle. It was not a very formal one, just the perfect place to eat with your friends, spending the night in company of very polite waiters, very good food and wines and without having to give up quality.

"Yeah... well, I own it."

What?!
Was he serious or was he kidding?! I never knew he had business outside of the pack. Never would have guessed either.
I was still trying to process his words when Hercules resumed speaking.

"I also own Bourbons, the club on the 15th Avenue."

Will was shocked, but he was in good company. Alaya, Dr. Patek's sister, on the other hand promptly began congratulating Hercules on the success of his establishments, but I was not able to listen to a single word she was saying.
In that moment it dawned to me how I didn't know a single thing about my supposed mate himself or werewolves' costumes in general. Having business in the human world was something every Alpha did or was a peculiarity of Hercules?

When the chatter about Hercules' business faded, I leaned into him, making certain that the attention of our dinner companions wasn't on us.

"I didn't know you owned those places."

He leaned in my direction too, making his head slightly brush mine.

"There are many things you don't know about me, Lara."

I casted my glance on his sculpted face, locking eyes with him.

"Yeah but I would never guessed that you had business in..."

He interrupted me by chuckling; the sound, deep and throaty, made me clench my thighs tighter. His cobalt pools were focused on me, mirth swirling in their depth.

"What? Did you think that I earned the money to maintain and run the pack by howling butt-naked at the full moon?"

Suddenly, the image of a naked Hercules howling in the dark of the forest appeared in my mind. I closed my eyes, relishing in the picture my subconscious was providing. I tried to imagine how his howl would sound like, probably deep and powerful as the Alpha he was. My beast perched up in attention, a satisfied growl erupting from her chest at the direction of my thoughts. Her reaction was enough to make me leave behind those dangerous images, returning to reality.

Fuck biology, I needed to find a way to satiate my thirst. And fast.

Hercules was still looking at me when I reopened my eyes. His orbs, normally a deep blue, had darkened conspicuously, resembling now a shade of black. He knew. He knew where my thoughts had gone only moments before.
He inhaled deeply and a low growl resonated through the space between us. He was trying to contain his beast, his wild, from claiming me as his own.

"Lara, Hercules, are you coming?"

I turned my head in Eliza's direction, who was looking expectantly at me. I noticed that everyone else was already standing, while I and Hercules were the last ones still sat at the table.

"Excuse me?"

Eliza's brown eyes shifted from me to Hercules, assessing our confused status, and a knowing expression appeared on her face.

"The host suggested us to go back to the Ballroom. Dinner is over so the party is getting started! Woop woop!"

That meant that I and Hercules completely missed the final speech of the host, too lost in our own little bubble. I came here to sustain the Breast Cancer Research and to find suitable investors for my own, not to spend the night daydreaming of Hercules. I worked too hard to achieve the position I was currently in to let somebody ruin that for me. It was time to stop this nonsense going on between us.

It was time to do what I came here for.

——-

Dr. Long was a little bit too pleased to see me on "a arm of a dashing and very charming man". The smugness in his eyes was as clear as the day. Anyhow, I had fulfilled his nonsensical request so now he wouldn't have any more reasons to pry in my personal life.

Hercules kept by my side all evening, engrossing himself in the same conversations I was having with possible founders. He listened carefully to every word that was said, sometimes even throwing some business suggestions. He was helping me charming my way inside of the pockets of possible investors.

He excused himself for a moment to attend the restroom, so I made my way to the bar in order to take advantage of the free drinks.
I was sipping my refreshing glass of Prosecco, while eyeing Eliza and Adam twirl on the dance floor, when a figure approached me from behind.

"You owe me a dance."

I scoffed. The audacity of this man. I continued sipping my drink peacefully, unbothered by his statement.

"I don't owe you anything."

"You do. You promised a dance to me."

I turned to look at the man in his face, piercing his eyes with my own.

"Stop it Will. It is borderline pathetic. I promised you shit, so stop bothering me about promises I never made."

"But.."

It was impossible not to feel his presence. His powerful, intimidating, majestic presence. The power rolling of his body slowly caressed my skin, rendering me iper aware of his nearness.

"No buts. Lara has already reserved this dance to me. Back off."

Hercules tugged at my hand, interweaving his fingers with mines. At the feeling of his smooth and hot palm, a zap of electricity run through my flesh, starting with my arm and slowly spreading all over my body.

Skin to skin.

Momentarily shocked by the contact, I let him pull me towards the dance floor, following him through the crowd of dancing couples until he stopped nearly in the middle.
The previous song was still ending so I focused on the man in front of me, breaking the contact between mine and Hercules' hands.

"I didn't promise you this dance neither."

The prominent muscles of his jaw tightened, emphasizing the strong and symmetrical bone structure of his face. His blues zeroed on me, captivating me in their depth.

"I know. I needed a distraction to not rip his throat out."

In the background it was possible to hear the band changing tune, shifting from Angie by The Rolling Stones to a song that terribly resembled The tango of Roxanne from the "Moulin Rouge" film. Nervousness began creeping in me. Its music and lyrics were a little too sensual and passionate for my liking, especially if my dance partner was none else other than the gorgeous Alpha of the Silverblood Pack, the man I was unsuccessfully trying to avoid.

Hercules placed his left hand on my waist, the heat of his skin burning through the sheer layer of my dress. His right hand brushed lightly over my right arm, causing goosebumps to erupt, before closing on my own, tugging gently at it to bring my body closer to him.

His eyes never left mine.

Blue to hazel.
Hazel to blue.

We began to dance.

Hercules lead me, my feet following flawlessly his. His hand on my waist skimmed on the bare skin of my back, tightening his hold.
Skin to skin.
A shallow breath escaped my lips while his gesture brought us impossibly closer, chest to chest. The angle of his jaw was pressed to the side of my forehead, allowing me to bask in the raw scent of the skin of his neck. His scent was intoxicating, anchoring itself on my skin, implanting itself on my mind. He smelled of male, of pure masculinity. I inhaled deeply, tasting the chocolate even on the tip of my tongue. I was glad he didn't use cologne, it would have masked the natural fragrance of him.

We turned, our moves perfectly in sync. I was painfully aware of every single place where his body was pressed to mine, his touch scorching my skin like flames. He brought his face closer to mine, leaning into my ear. He was not directly touching me there, but my flesh prickled anyway, accompanied by the eruption of goosebumps his hot breath on my neck caused.

"Have I told you how breathtakingly beautiful you are?"

I closed my eyes in exasperation. The tension between us was too much to bear so I needed to cut our contacts where I could. Visual contact wasn't much, but it was a beginning.

"Actually, you haven't."

He chuckled lightly, the rumbling of his chest spreading to mine.

"When I first saw you tonight I thought that Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, had came directly from Olympus to torment me with her beauty."

I gulped. Reflexively, the hand I had previously placed on his shoulder tightened its hold on the smooth fabric of his suit jacket. We spun again, the music now turning extremely sensual.

"You know... I never thought about myself as an appraiser of tango, but...."

The hand on my back tenderly caressed my skin, slowly sliding downwards until it reached the slit of the dress on my thigh. There, slowly, very slowly, his fingers brushed my burning skin. The breath itched in my throat. I was losing the little power I still had on the situation. Suddenly, he gripped the flesh of my thigh with his long fingers, urging me to wrap my leg around his waist. I obeyed.

After all, it takes two to tango.

We tensed. We were both aware of the intimate position we found ourselves in. My heat was pressed against his, the gently friction slowly driving me mad.

His eyes were raging, borderline turning silver. I didn't have to take a look at myself to know that I was in the same condition, the howling of my wolf in the back of my mind was proof enough.

"But...?" I whispered back.

His fingers tightened on my thigh, before dipping me on a provocative casquè. He slowly spun my around, never breaking eye contact.

"But I find myself quite fond of it now."

He abruptly brought me up again, causing our faces to be millimeters apart from the others, our lips slightly brushing.

Tingles. Sparks. Fire.

I gasped.
The music faded from the background and the other couples disappeared from my line of sight. It was me and him. Only me and him.
I brought my hand to my lips, feeling them still tingling under the insecure touch of my fingers. Hercules' eyes focused on my action, darkening in response.

We had gone too far. It was meant to be a innocent dance, not a provocative tango ended with an almost kiss. It was time for me to take control once again, putting distance between me and him.
Hercules sensed the change in my mood and, out of respect, took a step back, disentangling our bodies. But before I could fled from the situation, his hand found mine once again and he began pulling me in the direction of the ballroom's exit.

"Hercules were are you taking me? I need to go home."

He didn't answer me, but proceeded on striding outside of the room. We found ourselves on a hallway, hands still interweaved.
He began to try the handle of every door until one finally opened.

"Hercules..?"

He closed the door behind us, but I had no time to take notice of the room we were currently in as he promptly spun me around, gently placing my back against the wood of the door, his forehead leaned against mine.
His eyes were closed.

"I knew I overstepped the boundaries you set and I am deeply sorry, I didn't mean for it to go that far. I'm sorry. I knew that I had promised you that tonight we wouldn't have talked about our situation, but please, please don't shut me out."

I was finding hard to breath.

"You don't know how I actually enjoyed myself out there, with you in my arms.. dancing the night away.." he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "You don't know how many times I prayed for a mate like you, Lara."

His eyes were so sincere, holding nothing but truth and vulnerability, that I found myself struggling with the decision of what to do.
I was conflicted and deeply confused. I could feel his pain, his longing, his hopes, but at the same time I had to think of myself. Life's experiences taught me to always put myself and my needs above anything else in the end.
On this way of thinking, I had already made a decision time ago and I wasn't going to change it because of an almost kiss.

So I did what I had to do.

I turned to reach his left ear, grazing his jaw with the tip of my nose.

"Be careful what you wish for, mate." I kissed him under his earlobe, my lips hot on his already scorching skin. He growled, low and deep, the sound reverberating through his chest. "Sometimes our deepest desire are not meant to be satisfied."

I pushed him on the chest, the new formed space allowing me to turn around and to exit the room, closing the door behind me.

The barriers between us were up again, even if few bricks were already missing.

———-

Ehehehe

Quite, but not yet 😏🤪

Yeah, Lara is a bitch sometimes, don't you agree?

I didn't prof read because I wanted to be able to publish something, so I will do it tomorrow.
As always, vote, comment and share in case you liked!
xx
Kate