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"It's just… You're like a completely different man leaving these woods than the one who stalked me through them. It's mostly deeply interesting, but it's almost funny." I considered the thought for a second. "It almost feels weird to call that version of you 'Joey'. Becauseyou'reJoey."

"Yeah? Well… what would you call me when I'm like that, then?" He asked.

"What about something like… Alpha? It seems fitting," I offered contemplatively. He pulled me to a stop and turned me to face him.

"Say it again?" His tone was dark again, and a shiver skittered up my spine.

"Alpha," I whispered. His breath hitched slightly, and he stepped toward me before he shook his head. "You don't like it?"

"Oh, no I like it. Just, if you call me that again, we're not going to make it out of these woods before I take you again and make you scream it." The dark promise in his tone made me shiver.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Victoria

"Wake up, Sweetheart." Joey's voice pulled me slowly from sleep. I smiled but didn't want to open my eyes just yet as he wrapped his arms around me. "Come on, I see that smile. Open those pretty brown eyes for me."

"Five more minutes?" I groaned, blinking a few times as I opened my eyes to look at him. "What time is it?"

"Probably after nine, if I had to guess. But I don't have to guess that it's time to get you some breakfast. Your stomach growling in your sleep said enough." He offered a little lopsided smile as my vision focused a little better. He kissed me gently and pulled away. "How do you feel?"

I considered myself for a moment, stretching and rolling my joints. I could feel the soreness in my hips and from the bruised spots on my body, but it was a delicious reminder of the night before. After we returned to the house, he'd run me a bath to soothe my bruises. It wasn't as effective because he'd joined me this time, and the water was cold when we left the large tub.

"I feel good. Don't worry, no harm done, babe." I smiled and booped his nose before pushing the covers off of us. "Wanna see what Craig is cooking up? I need a shower."

"Want some help?" He asked with a sly grin and waggled his eyebrows. I couldn't help but laugh at him, grabbing a small decorative pillow to help shove him toward the edge of the bed.

"I'd like to leave my room today, perv. Go on, see what's for breakfast," I said as I moved toward the bathroom. Maybe there was more swing to my hips than necessary before I shut the door behind me.

After my shower, I dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweats before heading toward the dining room. Hushed arguing in the foyer caught my attention just as I cleared the corner. My father stood just beyond the threshold, barely visible around Rich's broad back.

"This is my house, and if I want to see my daughter, youwillallow me to see her." My father hissed.

"Dad?" I called out, my feet carrying me toward the commotion.

"Honeybee. Tell this fool to get out of my way before I find someone better suited to keeping you safe."

I placed a hand on Rich's upper back and pressed softly. His face turned to me, his eyes a maelstrom of worry. Ignoring the butterflies that had erupted in my stomach under his gaze, I stepped around him to address my father.

"What are you doing here, Dad?"

"I called the center looking for you, and was told you hadn't been in several days. That someone had ransacked your office there and left a clear threat to you behind. I needed to be sure that you were alright, Honeybee." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "I can't lose you like we lost your mother."

"I'm fine, Dad." I sighed, not sure how to react.

Since my mother's death, my father had flipped from hot to cold on a dime. One minute, he ignored me for months; the next, he asked to make amends. And before that could happen, he treated me like property rather than a person. The man who had doted on me and read me bedtime stories as a child was gone, and I didn't recognize the man standing in his place.

"I should have been told there'd been a threat against you." He replied, crowding my space and forcing me to step back.

"If we had thought it would prove fruitful, we would have told you, Hugo." Rich spoke as he placed his hands on my shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze as he stopped my back from colliding with his chest. "After the way you treated her at that dinner of yours, we didn't feel it was prudent to allow you to trample all over her again."

My father's face twisted like he'd smelled something disgusting. "I'm speaking to my daughter, not you." His face softened when he looked back at me. "Please, Honeybee. We should talk. I've been worried to death about the things I heard this morning, and I just need to reassure myself that you're alright."

I sighed, and my shoulders slumped forward. Whatever bliss from the night before that had clung to me this morning was wiped away in my father's face.

"Fine, come in. I'm sure Craig is whipping up something good for breakfast. We can talk and eat at the same time."

My father frowned as he stepped over the threshold. "I didn't expect you to become sofamiliarwith your bodyguards."