I'LL DEAL WITH HER
2075 Words
LAZAR
“What the f**k did you just do, Margaret?” I roared in anger as I shoved her off me.
“Who are you talking about, baby?” She feigned a look of confusion. “Oh, wait a minute. You mean the fat little human swine I found lurking on your….”
Before the last insult could leave her mouth, my hands were around her throat. I didn't squeeze to kill, but to warn. My knuckles were white. “Don't you dare talk s**t about my mate. She is your Luna and you must respect her.”
“Al... Alpha. You’re… you’re hurting me. Let go.” Her eyes were wide, finally showing a tinge of genuine fear.
“The next time you speak a single word against her, I will make sure you regret the day you were born,” I ground out, before finally releasing her. She stumbled back, sucking in ragged gasps of air.
“Seriously, Lazar?” she hissed, rubbing her neck. “A human? I thought the pack gossip was a joke! You dare to choose a human swine as your Luna?”
I didn't waste my breath on her. Instead, I stalked across the room to the kneeling maid. “And you, Helen. You are fired,” I told her. “I don't ever want to see your face in this Pack Territory again. Get out.”
“Seriously, Lazar? You’re going to fire Helen for defending me from that…” Margaret started again. My head snapped up. I didn’t speak. I just looked at her. Her voice died in her throat.
I tore my eyes away from Margaret and faced the remaining maids. “Pack it up.” I pointed at the dishes. “Send it to my mate's room. Sixty seconds.” I ordered. It was impossible to pack them in sixty minutes, and they knew it. But they also knew the consequences of defying an Alpha’s command when his wolf was close to the surface.
Without hesitation, they scrambled. I turned and made my way towards her room, praying silently that she hadn't loved the door yet.
“Baby,” I started in the most controlled voice I could manage. “It’s me. Lazar.”
My palms were sweating. I was a thirty-two-year-old Alpha, used to commanding thousands of wolves, yet I felt like a boy waiting for his crush. All my authority meant nothing to her.
“Come in. The door is open.”
A fresh wave of relief washed over me. She hadn’t shut me out.
The sound of running water told me she was in the shower. I sat on the edge of the couch as I waited patiently for her.
A few minutes later, she walked out, wrapped in a small white towel that did nothing to hide the soft curve of her body. My eyes dropped instantly to her legs. They were long, slender, and utterly captivating, the most beautiful I had ever seen.
Blood rushed to my head. Every dominant instinct I possessed screamed at me to peel the damp cloth from her skin and claim her right there.
I closed my eyes and took a ragged breath. Now, the lust-fueled thoughts receded, replaced by genuine concern.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice a little rougher than intended.
“Y...Yes,” she answered, clutching the towel tighter around her body. “I’m fine.”
Suddenly my anger flared. Not at her, but at the woman who had caused her distress. I took a hesitant step closer.
“I am so sorry, Allison,” I murmured, my voice losing its edge and becoming gentler.
“Margaret had absolutely no right to touch you, or speak to you that way. You are my mate. She stepped over a line she should never have crossed. I promise you, it will not happen again. I'll make sure she's punished, okay?”
A small smile touched the corners of her lips. “I saw you fire the maid. Helen,” she clarified. “Thank you, Lazar. That was… unexpected.”
I nodded, relieved to see the tension around her eyes ease slightly. “She deserved worse. Any disrespect shown to you is disrespect to me and this Pack.”
Allison fiddled with the edge of her towel, then she looked up at me. At one glance, you could tell she has lots of questions to ask. “Who was that woman, the one who pushed me?”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “She is Margaret, my Beta, Marcus’s sister.”
“Wow!” She mouthed. “I had no idea.”
“She is also… the woman everyone assumed I would eventually choose as my mate, since I hadn't found you yet.” I felt the need to be honest with her. She needed to know.
Her brow furrowed, then she gave a slow, measured nod as if she was processing the information.
“Speaking of Helen,” I continued, a smile spreading across my face. “I have to tell you, my wolf was immensely proud of you for that slap. It was perfect.”
She blushed, a lovely pink staining her cheeks. “I just… I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You did exactly what you should have done,” I confirmed, taking another step. The compliment seemed to make her shrink away slightly. “You stood up for yourself. You just proved to the maids that you are not some weakling they can intimidate. You are free to hit anyone who crosses the line, Allison. Don’t ever let them disrespect you again. You're the Pack's Luna."
She nodded again, but this time, her eyes met mine.
I was about to suggest we talk about ‘us’, about what comes next, when a firm knock sounded on the door.
I sighed internally as I walked quickly to the door and pulled it open. It was the pack maids, standing nervously with large trays. “Alpha, we have delivered the Queen's meal as ordered.”
“Good. Arrange it properly on the table. Quickly,” I commanded.
By the time they had set the meal on the table and bowed themselves out, Allison had disappeared into the closet and returned fully dressed in a soft, comfortable tunic and leggings.
She approached the table with a smile on her face. “Oh, Lazar! Thank you for bringing the food. You have no idea how much I was starving.”
As she reached for the chair, I placed a hand gently on her arm, stopping her.
“Wait,” I said, meeting her eyes. “I want to feed you. And you’ll sit here.” I patted my thigh, indicating the space on my lap.
She stared at my hand on her arm, then at my lap. After a moment that stretched into a small eternity, she relaxed, giving a faint shrug. She slid onto the chair, and then, with surprising ease, moved onto my lap, settling against my chest.
A powerful sense of happiness washed over me. I lifted the lid from a bowl of stew and brought a spoon to her lips.
“Open up,”
Allison accepted the spoonful of thick stew. Her body was warm, and exactly where it shouldn't be: resting perfectly on my lap, right against the hard proof of how much I wanted her.
I tried to act normal, focusing only on the food. But every small move… the way she leaned in for the next bite, the way she settled back a little, all of it, it sent a jolt of fire through me.
This feeling wasn't just wanting a woman. This was the mate bond taking over. It was a powerful need that made my wolf restless and panting inside my head. He was fully awake, focused only on the warm, soft pressure of her thigh against me.
I was losing control. My hand holding the spoon was shaking a little. I had to keep telling myself and my wolf: Slow down. Be patient. She’s still hurt and afraid. This was supposed to be a sweet moment, not a demand.
I lifted a piece of tender chicken to her mouth. “Tell me, Allison. Are you comfortable sitting there?” I asked, hoping if she talked, I could somehow calm myself down.
She looked up at me and gave me a genuine, lovely smile. She was completely oblivious to the war going on inside my jeans.
“Yes, very. This is delicious, Lazar. Thank you.” And then to make things worse, she shifted, finding a spot that was extra comfortable for her, but was absolute hell for me.
The soft skin of her leg pressing into me was driving me insane. I could feel sweat breaking out on my neck and forehead. I was the Alpha, the leader, but right now I was just a nervous i***t who couldn't handle his own mate sitting on him.
I grabbed the cup of water and chugged it down, needing the moment to get a grip.
“You’re really quiet,” she pointed out, tilting her head as she chewed the bread I gave her. “Are you okay?”
Oh baby! You have no idea what's going on right now.
“Just thinking,” I lied. The truth was I was watching her, yes, but mostly I was trying to block out the intense pressure below.
She reached for a napkin on the table, and her cheek brushed against my chest.
It was just an accident, a simple little touch, but it felt like a match catching fire. I couldn’t hold back anymore. The pressure was painful. I had to stop the physical contact now before it was too late.
“Allison,” I said quickly, my voice tight and strained. I reached for the napkin myself and practically shoved it into her hand. “That’s enough, mate. You’ve eaten plenty for now.”
I shifted my hips gently, a clear hint that I needed her to move. She looked a little confused by my sudden rush, but thankfully, she slid off my lap.
The second she was standing, I practically launched myself off the couch and immediately turned my back to her. I needed the distance to let the blood rush back to my brain instead of... elsewhere.
She has no clue of what was going on. And that thought….her total innocence….just made the problem worse.
I was still facing the wall, trying to regain control when a knock sounded at the door.
Thank the Goddess.
The interruption couldn’t have come at a better time. If I had to stand there for another minute, I might have either combusted or simply dragged her back onto the couch and damn the consequences.
I took a deep breath, straightening my shirt. “Excuse me, I need to see who that is.”
I spun around. Allison was still by the table, looking beautiful and slightly puzzled. I couldn't resist. I walked quickly to her, cupped the back of her head, and pressed a swift kiss on her forehead. It took everything in me not to inch downwards.
“Don’t move,” I murmured, then turned and strode to the door before she could react.
I yanked it open. It was Mason, my Gamma. He looked grim. “Alpha, we have a problem. It’s Margaret.”
My entire body instantly shifted back into Alpha mode. The physical ache I’d been battling faded quickly and now it was replaced by the hard edge of leadership.
“What did she do now?” I demanded, stepping into the hallway and pulling the door mostly shut behind me to give Allison
“She’s trying to stir up trouble with some of the junior warriors. She says you’re making the pack look weak by firing a loyal servant over a ‘human’ mate.”
A furious growl rumbled deep in my chest. “Bring her to the study. Now. I’ll deal with her.”
- Writer
