Page 12 of The Alpha’s Hunger (Alpha Doms #1)

He pulled up at the warehouse and turned off the engine. He saw both Zolla’s and Mark’s cars parked in the lot, which was filled with cars and motorcycles. At least he had two friends in there. He had called Stanley and requested a meeting with the pack.

He’d brought Ashley—un-blindfolded this time. She was his mate, so if he was going to be a part of this pack, they’d have to get used to her. Having her along gave him strength. Her very presence made him want to man up where before he had ducked his head.

They walked in and although the sound of conversations didn’t diminish, he sensed the attention of most wolves on him. Everyone was there—male and female wolves alike. He caught sight of Shayla across the room and experienced a moment of uncertainty. How would she feel about him taking Leon’s place? Lord knew he wasn’t half the wolf Leon had been. She gave him a small smile and lifted her fingers in a wave.

He waved back. Zolla came forward, his wiry frame making him look almost adolescent in comparison with the brawny wolves around him, not that human form necessarily correlated with wolf size. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and grinned, sticking out his hand.

Ben grasped his palm. “Thanks for coming. I hope it wasn’t awkward,” he said, wondering if anyone gave him crap because he’d left their pack.

Zolla shrugged. “I don’t care about that,” he said. “Hey, Ashley.”

Ashley moved in for a hug, and Ben was surprised to find he didn’t want to kick the wolf’s teeth in. Maybe marking her had eased some of the masculine aggression that had controlled him since the moment he first laid eyes on her. Or perhaps it had been her exquisite surrender the night before.

“How’s your leg?”

She grinned. “Doctor said it was miraculous—the bone didn’t need the reconstruction the first x-rays showed was necessary.”

“You’ve got good genes, there,” Zolla said with a wink.

Ben slid an arm around Ashley’s waist and pulled her against his side.

Stanley walked over and shook his hand. “The floor is yours whenever you’re ready. Do you want me to introduce you?”

“Nah, that’s okay,” Ben said, putting two fingers to his lips to whistle. The room fell silent.

“Brothers, sisters,” he said. “Thank you all for coming tonight. I came to thank you for standing by me yesterday—sticking your necks out and risking your lives for a guy who hasn’t offered this pack one thing. I didn’t deserve what you did for me.”

No one spoke.

“I haven’t participated with the pack as I should have. I know I’ve failed you and I’ve failed Leon.” His eyes sought Shayla and he found her in the crowd. She gave him a small, encouraging smile. “I want you to know from now on, I’m in, if you’ll have me. I’d be honored to be your brother, and serve in whatever way is asked of me.”

The room was silent.

“What if you are asked to be alpha?” Stanley asked.

The wolves all stared at him, waiting. He saw challenge in some of their eyes. He met their gazes squarely until one by one, they dropped. He couldn’t imagine why they would want him as their leader. He hadn’t proven he had any ability to lead. Sure, he was the biggest, strongest wolf, but that didn’t mean he had the ability to guide them.

Zolla gave him a nod of encouragement. For some reason, the omega wolf believed in him. And his friendship had saved both his and Ashley’s life the day before.

He bowed his head. “I will serve in whatever way is asked of me, for the good of the pack.”

“Leadership requires sacrifice,” Stanley said after another long silence. “Yesterday, I saw your willingness to sacrifice yourself to protect your mate. Would you be willing to offer that kind of protection to your pack?”

He looked out over the faces of the pack. They were his kind—his species—wolves living amongst humans. They took care of one another. If they didn’t, they risked exposing their secret to the world, which might trigger their extinction. Stanley had been right before—lone wolves were a detriment to all. He had weakened the pack by staying away.

He swallowed. “I would give my life for you, individually and as a whole,” he swore solemnly.

He sensed a ripple of approval, although still no one spoke.

“Wolves are not democratic by nature,” Stanley said, “but we are Americans, after all. Who here objects to this alpha’s rule?”

He scanned the faces. Some of the wolves looked dubious with their arms folded across their chests, but no one dissented.

“I don’t have any practice leading a pack,” he said, “but I promise to give it my best.”

Zolla lowered to one knee and bowed his head, holding his fist in his hand in the position of respect for their alpha. Mark and Stanley went down next. Shayla dropped, too, and strangely, she wore a smile almost like a proud parent might give their new graduate. One by one, the wolves dropped to the floor at his feet, showing their subservience to him.

When even Ashley copied the gesture, balanced on her crutches, a shudder ran through him—a sign of the rightness and importance of the moment.

Humbled, he mimicked the gesture, clasping his fist and bowing his head. “You honor me,” he said. “I will do my best to defend and serve you as your leader and your brother wolf.” He dropped his head back and howled in the direction of the moon.

The entire pack joined him, raising their voices to mingle with his, filling the metal building with the reverberation of their united song.

When the howls died down, he said, “I will take any old or new business in a moment, but first, I’d like to introduce you to my mate.” He reached for Ashley’s hand and helped her to her feet. “This is Ashley. She is part wolf and my salvation—the female who rescued me from my worst self. I know humans are not usually a part of these activities, and I know it’s unusual for an alpha to mate with a human, but I hope you will make her as welcome as you would a full-blooded wolf.” He hardened his gaze as he swept it across the crowd, showing them a hint of warning so they would understand he was giving them an order, not a request.

He squeezed Ashley’s hand, sensing her nervousness but knowing she would overcome any objections anyone had about her. Hell, she had won him over in about five seconds flat.

“Does anyone have business that has to be discussed tonight, or can we go straight to the food?” he asked with a grin. Wolf meetings typically included a potluck at the end, in which food was shared, along with socializing. For this meeting, he had told Stanley he’d provide the food, which he’d had catered by a local Mexican restaurant.

“Let’s eat,” someone called out.

He grinned. “All right, the food’s in my car. If a couple of you could give me a hand, I’ll get it set up.”

Ashley was already swinging her crutches toward the door. He grabbed her waist and pulled her back. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To get the food.”

“How exactly were you planning on carrying it?”

She leaned the crutches against the wall. “I don’t think I need these things,” she said.

He fixed her with a stern look and pointed at the couch. “Sit down and don’t move until I come and get you or I will roast your behind.”

She looked like she was going to protest, so he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her to the couch, where he deposited her.

“Stay,” he commanded.

She grinned, her blue eyes bright against flushed cheeks. “Woof.”

He winked as he headed out to the car where several people already waited to help carry in the food. They made quick work of it, bringing it in and setting it out on folding tables along the back.

Shayla appeared at his side. “It’s about time,” she said.

“What?”

“This pack has been waiting for you to get your head out of your ass and take charge for three years now,” she said, her hands on her hips.

He sucked in his breath. “I don’t know how to be like Leon,” he said, admitting his biggest concern.

She touched his arm. “You’ll be like Ben,” she said with a smile. “And that will be enough.”

“Thanks,” he said, stunned by her vote of confidence.

“Leon would be proud of you,” she said. “He always said you’d be great at whatever you decided to do.”

Ben blinked and rubbed his nose as his vision went wavy.

Shayla lifted her cheek for the Latin American kiss, then wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. “I’m happy for you, Ben.” She nodded toward Ashley. “She’s obviously wonderful.”

“Thanks, Shay. I appreciate it,” he said. His chest felt so full and warm he feared it might burst.

He made his way back to Ashley, which took a while, because he had to stop to accept regards from various wolves along the way. When he reached her, he pulled her up to stand and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head.

“Congratulations, alpha,” she said.

He cupped the back of her head and tipped it back to kiss her lips. “Thanks for being here with me tonight.”

She pressed her torso against his, gazing up into his eyes with a love he didn’t deserve. “Thank you for bringing me.”

Ben drove them to work together the next morning. She felt almost giddy about returning to the office as his mate, rather than just his assistant, although she shuddered to think what everyone would say about her. Obviously there would be the comments about her sleeping her way to the top. And if Ben was set on making changes, she’d be blamed for anything unpopular.

Ben hadn’t let her go in the previous day, insisting that she follow the doctor’s orders, despite the fact that the doctor didn’t know about her wolf-y healing properties. Now, all her excitement about working for Ben Stone came bubbling back, intensified rather than dimmed by the fact that they were intimate.

Ben had picked out her suit, saying he liked the way her legs looked in it. The beige, fitted ensemble featured a long, slim jacket and short, tight skirt. She’d reminded him that one of her legs was in a cast so the look wouldn’t be the same as when she’d worn it the previous week, but he’d just smacked her ass and told her to put it on.

“So, is it back to ‘Mr. Stone’ when we’re in the office?” she asked, watching his profile as he drove.

His lips curled up at the edges. “Yes.”

“Ah, and we’re also back to the monosyllabic answers?”

His eyes slid sideways and he continued to smirk, but didn’t answer.

“And the non-answers.” She leaned her head back on the seat and sighed, even as a wave of heat flushed up and down her entire body. How could she really protest when she loved the stern Mr. Stone persona?

“I suppose it’s best we keep our relationship a secret while we’re at work?” she asked.

Ben looked over, his dark-lashed green eyes boring into her with their usual intensity. “It’s not really anyone’s business,” he said.

“I know, and it probably won’t take long to come out if we’re driving in together, but it’s probably better to keep it to ourselves, don’t you think?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

She opened her mouth, then shut it, not sure how to answer.

“Is that what you want?”

She furrowed her brow. What she wanted and what she thought was best were actually two different things. Or rather, she wanted things both ways—she wanted the entire world to know that Ben had chosen her as his mate, but she always wanted to earn the respect of the people she worked with. She sighed. Why were things so complicated for women in the workplace?

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Ben shrugged. “All right. I’ll try not to rip your little skirts off while we’re at the office.”

She giggled. “Thanks, I think.”

Ben pulled into the lot and they took the elevator up together. She thought about insisting they ride separately, but Ben already looked like he wanted to carry her instead of letting her walk with the crutches, so she kept her mouth shut.

Karen was sitting at her desk when they arrived together, but if she thought it was odd, she didn’t show it.

Ben carried her bag into the office and set it down. “Need anything?”

“What? You’re going to get me coffee?”

“If you ask nicely.” He lowered his voice. “Maybe if you pull up your skirt just a little bit?”

Her face grew warm and she picked up a pen and tossed it at him. “Get out. I do the coffee running around here. Do you need some?”

He grinned. “No.” He leaned in her doorway, contemplating her for a moment.

Her body temperature rose by several degrees, warmed by his hungry look. Her mouth opened, but all thoughts and words had flown away.

Ben winked, lifting his large frame from the doorway with a grace that belied his size. He walked away, taking her breath with him.

She sat down at her desk, smiling. She loved her life.

About forty minutes later, Ben called. “Come into my office.”

She picked up her laptop but quickly realized she couldn’t carry it and use her crutches. Abandoning the laptop, she hobbled over to his office.

“Shut the door, Ashley,” he said.

She swung it shut.

“You’re too far away over there,” he said, lifting his chin in the direction of her office.

She did her best to saunter with the crutches and dropped into his lap. “Is this close enough?” she asked, pitching her voice to a low and seductive note.

“Not quite.”

She leaned over and kissed his neck. “How about this?”

“Mmm, I’m not sure.”

She sank to her knees at his feet and bit his trousers at the crotch, hoping her hot, moist breath reached his cock through the fabric. “How about this?”

His manhood strained against his pants. He groaned. “That might be too close,” he said in a strangled voice. Grasping her forearms, he lifted her back onto his lap.

She faked a pout.

“Don’t worry, my little assistant. I will be demanding all kinds of service like that from you.” He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “In fact, just this morning I resolved to have you in every single room of this building. That means every floor, every cubicle, every bathroom, every conference room, maybe even the closets, too. How long do you think that will take us?”

Her pussy pulsed, already readying for his suggested activity.

“I-I’m not sure,” she managed to say.

“Well, I’d like you to calculate it, Ashley. I need a checklist to work from. On my desk by close of business, understand?”

Her pelvic floor lifted as the walls of her vagina fluttered. “Yes, sir,” she breathed.

“But right now, I had the other sort of work on my mind.”

She straightened up. “What can I do for you, Mr. Stone?” she asked, still using her sultry tone.

“Did you ever put together that report on who I need to cut from middle management?”

“Yes, sir, would you like me to go get it?”

“Please,” he said, keeping his hands on her hips as she stood. “And then come back right here, ” he said, pulling her back to sit on his lap momentarily.

She giggled.

“Oh, I have all kinds of plans for you right here in this office,” he said wickedly. “I seem to recall you were asking whether you’d be spanked on the job?”

Her grin stretched even wider, lust flaming hotter.

He waggled his eyebrows. “You’d better dot your i’s and cross your t’s, Ms. Bell, or I’ll have you bent over this desk with your panties down before you can say ‘yes, sir,’ and you know Karen would hear everything.”

Her face grew warm, pulse racing. “I’ll be right back with that report, Mr. Stone,” she said, abandoning the crutches in favor of covering her ass and shooting him a look of pure heat over her shoulder.

Ben shifted in his seat to accommodate his hardened cock. Working with Ashley was going to make every day torturous pleasure. It seemed strange how different he felt about working at Stone that day. He was a completely different person now. He was finally not just ready, but enthusiastic to do right by his brother’s company.

Ashley returned, carrying her laptop and he realized she wasn’t using her crutches. He shouldn’t have sent her running back and forth—he should have just gone into her office, but he knew she loved the boss/assistant dynamic.

She dropped back into his lap.

He breathed in the scent of her hair and wrapped his arms around her.

She opened her laptop and he looked over her shoulder as she pulled up her report. “This is the list. I put them in order of salaries, highest to lowest, then it lists their name, title, and the reason I think they aren’t performing or should be cut.”

He scrolled through the list, skimming. It appeared she based the decisions on missed performance targets, lagging sales, over-budget spending, and turnover within their department.

“How long did it take you to put this together?”

“Well, I worked on it all last week, so about thirty hours to gather and analyze all the necessary data.”

“Okay. Send the report to Beth in human resources and ask her to make the cuts.”

Ashley tensed. “Wait—you’re just going to make the cuts? Based solely on my opinion?”

“Yes. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Well, we’re talking about people’s livelihoods here. I’m not sure I’m really qualified to make these final decisions. I was just making a recommendation for you to review and make up your own mind.”

“And I trust your recommendation. Do you need to revise it now that you know that you’re making the final call?”

She looked at him with her eyes wide, then began to scroll through her report with a frantic air. After a moment, she looked back up. “No.”

He smiled. “So you gave me your best recommendation the first time?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good girl.”

She flushed, looking pleased.

“Now, Ashley, we need to discuss something.”

“Yes, sir?”

“One of your most important jobs, as my assistant and as my fiancée, is to protect me from my own mistakes. So if I do something dumb like ask you to bring me a report when I ought to know that you can’t possibly bring your laptop and use your crutches, it’s your job to let me know that so I don’t feel like an ass when I figure it out for myself.”

She smiled and dropped her eyes. “I’m feeling very unsexy with these stupid things,” she said.

He lifted her off his lap and turned her to fold over his desk. Pulling up her skirt, he slowly slid her silky pink panties down to her thighs. “Let me just show you what will happen if I catch you walking without them again,” he said, standing and opening his desk drawer, where he found an eighteen-inch wooden ruler, two inches wide and one-eighth inch thick.

He brought it down smartly across her exposed buttocks.

She gasped, squeezing her cheeks together. “Ben,” she whispered. “Karen will hear.”

“Hmm,” he said, pulling her panties back up and trying again. The sound was slightly more muffled.

She gasped again, lurching forward.

He tapped the ruler on her bottom. “I may have to find something to make an impression that’s quieter to keep here in my office for when you misbehave.”

Ashley moaned and the scent of her arousal filled his nostrils.

“Because I want to be able to provide you with instant feedback on your performance here in the office,” he said, smacking her once more, much harder this time.

Ashley squeaked.

He peeled her panties back down, dragging them off over her bulky cast. “Spread your legs, Ash,” he murmured.

Her intake of breath excited him. He dug a condom out of his pocket and unzipped his pants, sheathing his eager cock. He rubbed the head of his penis over her pussy, teasing her clit and spreading her moisture up and down. “I’m going to use a condom today, but there may be times I choose to fill you with my seed,” he warned.

He made a note to have a genuine discussion about birth control with her later, but at this moment, threatening her with the danger of bearing his pups turned him on, and based on her pussy’s release of fresh lubricant, had the same effect on her.

He pressed against her entrance, parting her inner lips. She stretched to allow his entrance, her heat engulfing his cock. He pushed all the way in and gripped her hair, tugging her head back. “Who do you belong to?” he demanded, easing out and burying himself once more in her sweet passage, even deeper this time.

“You,” she gasped.

He pumped a little faster, not releasing her hair. “Say I belong to Ben Stone .”

Her pussy gushed moisture. “I belong to Ben Stone.”

He lost his breath. Letting go of her hair, he wrapped his arm around her hips to keep from slamming her pelvis against the hard wood of his desk as he took her roughly, plowing in and out, burying his cock in her heat over and over again until the sound of her throaty cry made him lose all control. He shot his load, all the while continuing to stroke in and out. He reached around between Ashley’s legs and pinched her clit. She clamped her lips around a scream, bucking under him, the walls of her sex contracting around his member, wringing every last drop of his cum from his cock.

A few minutes later when they’d cleaned up, he pulled her back to his lap in the chair. “Do you suppose Karen heard that?” he teased.

“Oh, God, what are you doing to me?”

“Just making sure you understand your extensive duties around here.”

She turned around, kneeling on either side of his seat and pressing her breasts into his face. “I am at your disposal, Mr. Stone,” she said.

He squeezed and kneaded her ass, already ready for another round. “Damn,” he groaned. “You’re about to get yourself fucked again.”

“Should I leave?”

He groaned again—her smell making him dizzy, the feel of her soft curves under his hands too much to give up. With effort he released her. “You’d better put your panties back on and then sit on the desk out of my reach.”

“Yes, sir,” she murmured. She complied, arranging herself on his desk with her sleek legs crossed, the cast dangling on the bottom. “Did you have something else to discuss?”

He gathered his thoughts and cleared his throat. “Yes. I was thinking after work we could go look for houses. Or would you like to have one built?”

Her face lit up. “Ooh, really? For us to live in?”

He grinned. “Yeah.”

“Building a house would be fun,” she said with her eyes shining.

“What are you thinking?”

“Something up in the foothills with a wall of windows and a great view.”

“And a swimming pool?”

“How’d you know I swim?”

He grinned. “You told me you took State in high school. Besides, you’re my mate. It’s my job to know things about you.”

She slid off the desk and dropped back into his lap, pressing her lips to his mouth. “You never stop surprising me.”

“Good,” he said. “I intend to keep you on your toes. If we’re not house-hunting, maybe we can find that ring for your finger this evening instead.”

Ashley flushed. “I don’t really need a ring. I didn’t mean to make it seem like?—”

He cut her off with a kiss. “No, you’re getting a ring. And a proper wedding as is human custom. Unless—” He hesitated, suddenly unsure. “Unless I’m going too fast and you want some more time to think about it.”

Ashley snorted. “I thought it was a done deal,” she said, touching the marks on her shoulder.

“For me it is, but I understand if you need more time.”

She gazed into his green eyes, losing herself in their warmth. “Thank you, but the way I understood it, I already belong to Ben Stone, so I don’t see any sense in resisting.” She smiled. “But maybe a long engagement would give my family and friends time to get to know you and adjust to the idea.”

He tucked a curl behind her ear. “Sounds perfect to me, sweetheart.”

“Shouldn’t you propose or something?”

“Oh,” he said, straightening. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Ashley Bell, I need you in my life. I need you by my side at work and in my bed at night. I need to be near you, to breathe your scent and touch your skin for the rest of my days on this earth. lf you will take me as your husband and mate, I promise I will work every day to keep a smile on your lips, to fill your home with my love, and to give you my very best. I will provide for you and protect you, I will learn to give you what you need and what you desire, and I will never, ever stray. Will you please have me?”

“Jesus.”

“What?”

“That was the best proposal I’ve ever heard in my life. I wish I’d recorded it.”

“Are you going to answer me?”

She cupped his face. “My answer is yes, wolf. I will be your wife and your mate. I will do my best to serve you, to fill your home with love and little baby wolves.”

“Pups,” he corrected her, blinking rapidly.

“Do you want pups?” she asked softly.

This time she saw actual tears pop into his eyes before he blinked them back. “I never did… but now—” He stopped and swallowed. “Yeah. I would love that.”

“Then yes. My answer is yes. I’m yours, Ben Stone. In every way possible.”

“Ashley,” he murmured, reaching for her face. He met her lips with his, kissing her softly at first, then with more force. “My forever Ashley. I love you, sweetheart.”

“And I love you,” she said, trying to impart the full promise of her words in the strength of her gaze as she moved in for one more kiss.

Thank you for reading Alpha’s Hunger !