Terms of Surrender

The Alpha’s Burden: Darian

Tess sat there rigid, glaring at the water glass as if it personally offended her. It took every ounce of strength I had to strain against the mate bond, and I question if she can feel it too. If she could feel me trying to hold back the wolf. I finally stepped back from the counter, an effort to regain control.

Her defeated posture was a visible wound. The scent that was so intoxicating in the meeting room was now laced with her fear and sadness. I could taste her distress.

I was certain she thinks I’m a monster. She wasn’t wrong, but she didn’t know the monster I could’ve been. She didn’t understand that the alternative would’ve been a full, violent Alpha claim in the middle of a corporate office. I had to stop her. I had no other choice.

Her questions, Why me? Why are you doing this? echoed in my mind. I had to start laying the groundwork for the truth without scarring her further. I couldn’t look at her any longer, I couldn’t bear to see the pain I had caused her. My own reflection stared up at me from the pristine countertop, and I could see the lingering darkness in my eyes.

I distracted myself with the need to ensure her safety and comfort, so I pulled my phone out. I sent out a few quick messages, ordering the retrieval of her luggage. The pack needed to know, but not yet. I needed to observe her first, let her adjust to one thing at a time. My people would treat her like the Luna she would be, but I had to wait until she was ready for that.

“You’ll be in the east wing,” I told her, sliding the phone back into my pocket. “It’s self-contained and secure. Your luggage is on the way.”

She looked up at me, terror still shining in her eyes. Fighting my primal urges was making me tense. I couldn’t be near her when she was looking at me like that. Especially when the urge to strip her down and mark her was quickly becoming a sickness.

I needed separation. I needed the cold air of the city to remind me that I’m Darian Whitmore, the CEO, and not the animal she’s witnessed. “I have to step out, you will not try to leave the suite. I will be back before nightfall. You may help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”

Her heart must start beating for me and not against me. First though, she must survive the shock. I would not break her further. I lingered in the kitchen doorway, turning back to her, “There are some clothes, basics, and other toiletries in the east wing. There is also a phone for internal calls only. You are safe here. Do not make me regret leaving you alone, Tess.”

On my way out of the penthouse, I grabbed my gym bag from the coat closet. I needed to be able to fully embrace my wolf’s needs without causing Tess more stress. In the elevator, I could already feel the withdrawal starting. She was a tether. The suddenness of the bond was shocking, but as the elevator descended, the bond became agonizing. The sickness I felt was the absence of her acceptance, the wolf screaming at the rejection from its Luna.

The elevator finally opened up to the underground parking garage, and I made my way to the BMW parked close. I tossed my gym bag into the passenger seat as I got inside.

As I drove, I made a call to my Beta. Leon answers on the second ring.

“Execute the security protocol for the consulting firm,” I told him. “High-level confidentiality agreement. No contact. No exceptions. She is ours.”

“Of course,” Leon’s voice filtered back over the car’s speakers. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t ask why. I know he wanted to. I could hear it in those two words. He knew better though.

The call ended and I still couldn’t get Tess out of my head as I drove. I’d caged her body, but I didn’t capture her mind. I needed to show her that the safety and comfort of my territory is better than the chaos of the outside world. This wasn’t about force. I had to prove that the terms of her surrender were beneficial.

At the gym, I changed into shorts and a tee shirt, and traded my loafers for running shoes. My things were neatly tucked away in a secure locker, and I put my ear buds in.

I put on a playlist that’s all fast tempo and heavy guitar riffs, cranked up the volume, and spent the next hour on the treadmill. The incline was maxed out, and it required effort to maintain my steady pace. I needed to exhaust myself. I had to make myself safer to be around Tess.

The burn in my muscles was a cleaner pain than the ache of the bond. The mate bond demands absolute control, but also, absolute provision. I had secured the latter, but now I needed to address the former. She needed a demonstration, not a declaration.

She needed to see the pack. She needed to know the world that she’s been pulled into. And she needed to feel the difference between the cold luxury of the penthouse and the warmth of the Alpha’s approval. It would start tonight. A meal, a discussion. On my terms.

When I stepped off the treadmill, I took a deep, cleansing breath. I was now focused, calm, and ready to face my mate. I showered first, letting my mind make plans.