|| Chapter Twelve ||
2315 Words
The Range Rover sped down the motorway, leaving behind the quiet idyllic countryside and bringing its passengers to the hustle and bustle of central London. Bea wrinkled her nose as their car sat in traffic, not looking forward to dealing with crowds at their destination.
Alexander sat next to her in the backseat with his eyes shut, breathing evenly. The only sign that he was awake was the slow stroking of Bea’s hand that was resting within his, leaving little sparks of electricity and fire in its wake. Matty was sitting in the passenger seat quietly typing away at his laptop.
“Why are we here again?” she broke her silence.
“Business,” said Alexander, eyes still shut. Bea twitched an eyebrow at him, tapping a finger on the top of his hand to prompt him to continue. He opened one eye to look at her and rolled it.
“The humans that manage some of the departments have been unhappy about my recent disinterest in work so I’m here to deal with them. There are some other things to sort through as well that would be easier to deal with in the city.”
“And I’m here because?”
“Because I don’t want a repeat of last week and because I want you to begin assisting me with the company. Don’t you have a degree in finance?”
Bea scoffed and put a dramatic hand to her heart – “Aww does the big bad Alpha care about me?”
Matty snorted and Alexander shot him a look.
They’d pulled up at a large modern building and Marcus rushed to open their doors and bowed as they disembarked.
There was silence in the crowded lobby as the entourage entered the foyer and headed to an open elevator. Matty jerked his head at the people already in the elevator and they hurried to rush out. Bea rolled her eyes and muttered something along the lines of “bullies” under her breath.
Alexander’s office sat in the corner of the management floor. While his office in the packhouse was dark and intimidating, this office was bright and airy with clean modern lines. Bea had been unceremoniously deposited in there and told to wait and Alexander and Matty had disappeared to “sort someone out”. There was another eye roll when she heard Alexander's raised voice.
“Well hello beautiful…” a voice came from the doorway.
Bea turned to look at the man who leaned just inside the door. He was unabashedly staring at her and his eyes roamed from her oxfords to her trousers, her chest, her neck, settling on her face. He grinned and sauntered over to her.
“And what do we have here.”
“Hi. Can I help you?” Bea responded, barely disguising her disdain for the man. She had subtly sniffed the air and deduced that this was one of the humans employed at the company.
“I’m feeling dehydrated, what do you say you and I go for a drink at the hotel bar across the street. Maybe indulge in some morning delight.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Bea scowled. “No thank you, I think I’ll just wait right here for Mr. Knight.”
“Oh, come on doll, whatever he can offer, I can offer much better.” He was close to her now and Bea realised he had backed her into Alexander’s desk. Oh, I very much doubt that her wolf hissed.
“Again, no thank you.”
“Don’t be so uptight, I’m a nice guy.”
She made a face at him and pushed him away from her, attempting to getaway. He grabbed her wrist and tried pulling her towards him. She turned and slapped him hard across the face and the lecherous grin turned to anger.
“Listen here you little b***h – “
“That’s Mrs. Knight to you, Alan.”
They hadn’t heard Alexander and Jasper return to the office. In a moment, Alexander had his arm tightly around Bea’s waist and Matty had grasped Alan’s collar and heaved him back and away from them.
Fear had replaced anger and lust in Alan’s eyes, and he stuttered out an excuse “Ah Mr Knight I – uh – I’m sorry. I did not realise. She’s not wearing a ring!”
“That does not give you permission to proposition her,” Alexander growled.
“I am very sorry Mr Knight, Mrs Knight, I did not me – “
“Pack up your office and be gone by noon. Matthias, if you will please contact security and escort Alan to his office, Mrs Knight and I have an appointment.”
Alexander’s grip remained tight around Bea’s wave as he pulled her along towards the elevator.
“Bye Alan” she winked as she passed him, grinning smugly.
Alexander led her to a waiting elevator and turned her to face forward as the doors slid shut.
Ding
It began its descent. They watched as the floor numbers counted down.
49
“So, when did we get married?”
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“About 4 weeks ago.”
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“Why are we married?”
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“You’re my mate. Marriage feels like the closest human equivalent.”
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“Where’s my ring?”
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“Do you want a ring?”
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“Only if you ask me the right question.”
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“Did you tell your human staff that you’ve been on our honeymoon this whole time?”
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“Yes.”
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“Big bad alpha spent 4 weeks with his new wife and the first thing he does when he returns is to yell and fire people. Must’ve been a terrible honeymoon”
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“And what have I spent 4 weeks doing with my new wife?”
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“Making little Alpha pups.”
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The elevator came to a shuddering halt. Alexander had stiffened at Bea’s latest remark and reached out to smash a button. When he turned back to her, his eyes were black. He approached her slowly, almost predatory. Bea just raised an eyebrow at him. The muscles on her forehead have really been getting a workout since hanging out with this bunch.
“You want my pups?”
A heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Her wolf stirred and her eyes matched his.
“Yes.” Her wolf answered for her. All wolves had the innate desire to reproduce and bring their offspring into the world. Alpha’s more than most coming from the deep-seated need to continue the strongest bloodline in the pack. Bea realised what her wolf was playing at.
He was upon her, his arm back around her waist, a hand sliding from her throat to her hair, gripping her scalp tightly. He followed the line left by his hand with his nose, breathing in her scent.
“Don’t play with me, wolf,” Alexander growled into her ear.
“Why? I’m having so much fun.”
“Is this a game then.”
“Yes, of course.”
“And what will be my prize, little wolf?”
Another pause and a smile spread across Bea’s face.
“Me.” Her wolf answered again.
“The terms?”
Bea took a breath and pushed her wolf back, silently chiding it and telling it to stand down. It grumbled but stayed silent.
“30 days. If you can charm me into bed before then, then I will stand down and accept that this is a purely physical relationship. I will stop fighting the pull and give in. I will fight by your side. And when this is all over, I will formally reject you and I will return to Crescent Moon so you can go back to living your life the way you like it. If I can convince both the wolf and the man that my charm is irresistible and to want all of me, body and soul, then I will stay and I will give you pups.”
Alexander paused and his eyes returned to their brilliant blue. His haughty grin disappeared and he just stared at her.
“So, what do you say, Alpha Knight.”
“No matter which way it swings, I get you.”
“Well?”
“It’s on, Luna Knight.”
---
Alexander had dragged her into what looked like a very expensive store and deposited her amongst some very colourful dresses, then he had stalked off in search of some service. Matty had appeared next to her as she was deep in thought, staring at a dress on a mannequin.
He followed her gaze and frowned at the dress too. Together they tilted their head to the right.
“Does that –“
“Does that look like – “
“It does!”
“It totally does.”
The red dress held a large pearl in the middle of the bodice and would have sat on the wearer's belly button. From the top of the pearl, ruffles it different shades of red and pink fell away and flowed down towards the floor but as they reached their destination, the ruffles gathered together again.
The pair burst into fits of laughter, clutching each other so as to not fall over.
“What –“, Alexander had returned to his Luna and Beta both red in the face, struggling for air. They pointed towards the red dress and he narrowed his eyes at it and tilted his head. “Oh.” His laughter soon joined theirs.
A very confused sales consultant interrupted their mirth and Bea wiped the tears away from her cheeks and stilled her face, although she still smiled widely. “She needs a dress, something. Gala dinner,” Alexander managed to wheeze out.
---
“So, what’s the occasion?” Bea called out from the change room. The sales consultant had brought over a dozen options for her to try and was now zipping her into her first option. The curtains slid open and she stepped forward.
This dress was midnight blue with a fitted bodice and sweetheart neckline, and thin straps going over her shoulders. The skirt flared out from her waist, ending just above the knee in the front but getting longer towards the back, giving way to a small train.
“Yes.” He nodded towards the sales consultant.
“Well?”
“Later. Try another one.”
The second dress was a deep red with a high neckline. The bodice was fitted again down to the waist before the skirt flared out lightly and reached the floor. There was a slit in the dress ending in the middle of her right thigh. Plain, but it held surprises.
“Why later, why not now?”
Alexander looked upon the dress with an unsure expression but looked at her revealed leg with appreciation. She winked at him and turned around, revealing a low back that ended just above the curve of her ass. She heard him growl.
“Yes.”
“Alexander, why do I need these?”
He had gotten up and traced a hand down her spine and rested a hand on her ass. They stared at their reflection in the mirror and he gripped her waist tightly. His eyes flicked to the sales consultant and he gestured to the dresses in the change room – “We’ll take them all. And we’ll take this dress in every colour you’ve got.”
---
They’d spent the rest of the day in meetings with the other heads of departments and he took great care to introduce her as Mrs. Knight. She would be assisting him in managing and overseeing projects but will mostly be based at home in the countryside, only commuting for meetings. She had a suspicion he wanted her here to be the good cop to his very short-tempered bad cop in this arrangement, but she let it slide.
The trio arrived at the pack townhouse in the early evening and after dinner, Alexander and Bea had settled into their routine. She laid in his chest and sighed as he drew circles on her back.
“Alexander”
“Beatrice”
“Why do I need those dresses?”
“We are hosting a meeting of the European Alphas in 3 weeks. It will be a weekend event attended by almost every pack in Europe. Can’t have you wearing my sweater to meet the most important wolves in the world, now can we?”
“Won’t that be unsafe given what’s currently going on?”
“The current threat is one of the main reasons we will be meeting. We will be sending warriors to each pack to guard them for the duration. The Alphas can also tune in via web conferencing if they choose. Our warriors will protect our borders here.”
Bea nodded approvingly.
“But that dress with the low back, that’s only for me.”
“Ah, I guess I will be wearing that one first.”
She laughed happily as he growled at her and she settled into his side.
“Remember the game, mate.”
“Just trying to make it a challenge, mate.”
- Writer
