Page 5 of Knotty Nights

I glanced at the HR manual again.

Arya: I’m not going to judge you for biology doing its thing, but I’m glad I’m going to be there to help you through this. Never be shy to ask me anything. That’s what I’m there for.

A small pause, then?—

Jaz: Can’t wait.

The conversation came to a natural end after that.

Jazmine seemed like a normal enough person.

I rubbed my chest as I pulled up the internal file Irene had sent me. In it was the thorough form that Jazmine had filled out when she had signed up for the app.

My gaze dropped to one section in particular:Kinks.

? Scent fixation/scent marking

? Biting

? Service kink

? Nest-sharing

? Touch fixation

? Power play

My gaze narrowed on the last checked box.Power play.

Oh.Oh no.

My stomach did a slow, sinking roll. I wasn’t a commanding Alpha. Never had been, never will be. I’d seen others of my sex bark orders or throw someone over their shoulders, but that could never be me. The whiny beast inside me insisted I should be respectful of the fairer sex.

I mean… I could hold someone down if they needed it, like in the scenario of a Heimlich manoeuvre. I supposed I could take control in the physical sense, but power play was so much more than that.

My palms grew damp as I considered my options. I couldn’t fake it, right? Imagining myself growling out orders or performing a fake feral-dominance routine was almost painful.I would much rather be the Alpha that constantly checked in to make sure I wasn’t hurting my partner.

Damn it.

Is that what Jazmine wanted? Commands? Control? Did she want to kneel, to obey, to beg me?

What if I froze up and couldn’t pull it off convincingly? Fuck, I could ruin her Heat and waste her precious time.

Or worse… I could make her feel unwanted.

I chewed my lip.

Jazmine had chosen power play on purpose… She was definitely expecting me to show up and take control.

That went against everything I believed in. I’d always thought of myself as the safe option, the reliable option, the Alpha people turned to when they wanted comfort.

Oh hell, I was definitely in trouble here.

THREE

Jazmine

No. Way.