CLAIMED BY MY FORBIDDEN ALPHA STEP FATHER

Chapter 2: After-Hours Command

The clock on my desk hit 7:15 PM. The open-plan office was deserted except for the low hum of the air conditioning and the heavy weight of Alexander’s presence behind the glass walls of his corner suite. I was still bent over the filing cabinet in his private suite, organizing the stack of encrypted reports he had dumped on me with a curt “Finish before you leave.”

My pencil skirt had ridden up my thighs from the awkward stretch. My white blouse clung to my skin from the tension sweating through it. I reached for the top drawer on my toes.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled from the doorway.

I froze, heart slamming against my ribs.

“Careful, little intern.” Alexander’s voice was low, dangerous, velvet wrapped around steel. He stepped inside, closing the door with a soft click that sounded like a trap snapping shut. “You’re presenting yourself like prey.”

He moved behind me. Not touching. Not yet. But close enough that his overwhelming scent — dark cedar, aged whiskey, and raw alpha power — flooded my senses and made my latent wolf whimper inside me. Terror and heat twisted low in my belly.

“Mr. Sterling… I’m almost finished,” I whispered, voice shaking. I tried to straighten, but his large hand braced on the cabinet right beside mine, caging me without contact.

“You smell like pure sin. Honeysuckle and virgin fear. It’s driving my wolf f*****g feral.” His breath brushed the shell of my ear. “Every worthless male on this floor wanted to defile you today. I saw their rapey stares. The way they licked their lips when you walked in. But they received my warning yesterday in that mandatory meeting. No one touches what is mine. You are off-limits. My untouched prize. My intern. My Luna.”

I trembled, thighs pressing together. “This is wrong. You’re married to my mother.”

His free hand finally made contact — fingers ghosting down my waist, stopping just above the curve of my ass. Possessive. Restrained by a thread. “The bond doesn’t care about wrong. It only cares that you’re mine. The true mate I’ve waited for.”

The phone on his massive desk rang, cutting through the thick tension. Mom’s name flashed on the screen.

Alexander didn’t pull away. Instead, his fingers slipped under the hem of my skirt, tracing the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. “Answer it.”

My hand shook violently as I reached for the receiver. “M-Mom?”

“Sweetheart, how was your first day with Alexander?” Her voice was sweet but laced with suspicion.

“F-fine,” I stammered. Alexander’s finger brushed the lace edge of my panties. I bit my lip hard to choke back a moan. His hard, massive length pressed against my ass through his trousers, unmistakable and terrifying.

“Tell her you’ll be home late. Overtime,” he growled softly against my neck, lips grazing skin where I knew he wanted to sink his fangs.

I repeated his words breathlessly. Mom paused. “You’re alone with him?”

“Yes.”

The call ended abruptly. Alexander spun me around instantly, pinning my back against the filing cabinet with his hips. Silver eyes burned molten. His control was fracturing — fangs peeking, chest heaving.

“You’re going to destroy me, Elara.” One large hand cupped my jaw, thumb pressing my lower lip. “And I’m going to ruin this tight little virgin body for anyone else.”

His mouth hovered an inch from mine. The bond screamed. My terror peaked — this was my ruthless stepfather, the Alpha who commanded the entire tower, and I was soaked, aching, terrified of how much I needed him already.

The elevator dinged faintly in the distance. Someone was still in the building.

He snarled and released me, stepping back with visible effort. “Go. Now. But this ends tomorrow, one way or another.”

I fled on shaky legs, his scent clinging to my clothes, core throbbing, thighs slick. Behind me, the sound of glass shattering echoed from his office.

Tomorrow’s office hours would be far more dangerous.