by Nora Ash
Even as I think it, I can’t even muster up any form of real annoyance. I can’t help the smile threatening to spread across my face as I look at my broody alpha.
He came for me.
He sacrificed everything for me.
No one’s ever cared enough about me to do anything remotely similar, not even my own parents. It’s always been me against the world, having to fight for everything I’ve gotten in life. And now… now, I’m no longer alone.
Peter stirs as I slide my hand into his, his gaze flicking to my face. He’s got the same expression of regret and concern as he’s had since he knotted me, clearly certain he’s violated me despite how many times I told him I wanted it.
I give him a small smile and squeeze his hand, not wanting to get into what happened in front of his driver. He might be used to seeing a bit of everything, but I’m not exactly used to discussing something as private as what Peter and I shared today in front of an audience. Which is kind of ironic, given that a video recording of it is about to be spread across the entire city.
Peter doesn’t say anything, either, but his hand squeezes mine tightly, engulfing it completely. It feels good—safe. Like a silent promise of protection.
The sun’s about to set when we finally make it to what I assume is Peter’s apartment building. The driver pulls up in front of a chrome-and-glass skyscraper in the exclusive Business Quarter, and Peter slides out his side of the car without a word. Before I manage to do much more than unbuckle my seatbelt, my car door opens and a large hand stretches out toward me.
I grab Peter’s hand and let him pull me out onto the pavement, but when he slides his arms around me so he can lift me up, I put a hand on his chest to stop him.
“I can walk.”
He frowns down at me when I, in that same moment, take a step and wince at the tenderness between my legs.
“Really,” I reiterate. “I’m fine. I’ll walk.”
He arches an eyebrow at me, but clearly deems it not worth the fight. Without a word he puts an arm around my back for support and turns to his driver, who’s also stepped out onto the pavement.
“I’ll need you later tonight. Don’t speak to anyone about this, not even Norman. No matter what you hear.”
If the driver thinks the request odd, he doesn’t show it. He just nods his head with a, “Yes, sir.”
Peter puts his hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Thank you, Finn,” he says, his tone softer this time. “I appreciate it.”
The driver—Finn—nods again. “Anytime, sir.”
We walk—slowly, so my legs don’t give out—through the building’s front doors and across the lobby, where a porter greets Peter with a polite, “Good evening, sir.”
The alpha by my side nods his greeting in return, steering me to the gilded elevators in the center of the lobby.
“Penthouse?” I ask once the doors slide closed behind us and Peter presses the button to the top floor.
He grunts in confirmation, and I smirk. “How very non-left wing of you.”
Judging by the look he gives me, my joking is not appreciated. I smile brightly at him in return.
Peter’s apartment is just as spectacular as the outside of the building promised.
He lets us both inside and takes me into a living room that could house my entire apartment three times. It’s got large floor-to-ceiling windows offering a jaw-dropping view of the setting sun over Mattenburg and the river, and I make a bee-line for them. I’ve never seen the city like this—so beautiful.
“I wanted to say thank you.”
I’m still looking out the window at the city and the sky aflame with orange and gold, but I can sense him shifting behind me at my words.
“’Thank you’?” he asks, his tone incredulous.
“Yes.” I look at him over my shoulder and see his brows are still drawn in a deep frown. “You didn’t have to come for me, but you did. You didn’t have to sacrifice your career for me… but you did. A ‘thank you’ seems in order, don’t you think?”
Peter breathes out deeply, the rush of air leaving his lungs sounding like a weary sigh. He walks up behind me then, placing one large hand on my shoulder. “Of course I came for you, Leigh. It was never a choice.” His breath brushes over the nape of my neck, where the bruise he left yesterday is still present. “I’ve had no such luxury since I first laid eyes on you.”
“Don’t sound so thrilled,” I quip as I lean my head back against his wide chest. Every instinct in my body purrs at feeling his warm, solid form behind me, like he’s my own, personal sentinel. “You seemed pretty pleased about the whole thing when you broke into my apartment for a midnight romp.”
“And you sound remarkably calm,” he says, a hint of suspicion in his voice.
I shrug, still basking in the beauty of the setting sun. “I guess I am. Calm, I mean. There’s no point in fighting this, whatever it is, anymore. No one’s ever been there for me like you were today. Not that I get myself kidnapped every other day or anything, but… I’ve never had anyone who’d stick their neck out for me.”
A rumbling noise vibrates deep in his chest, and I can’t tell if it’s a laugh or a growl. “What happened to calling me a killer?”
I shrug. “There’s something about being tied up and told you’ll be fish food that can put things into perspective. I’d much rather you kill bad people than let me get hurt. Besides, you’re not nearly as scary without the mask.”
This time, he sighs, and it contains so much pain that I finally tear my gaze from the beautiful scenery so I can turn around and look at him.
He looks… lost, and for the first time since he came for me, I feel a sliver of unease. “Peter?”
“I’m still an alpha,” he says, as if that explains everything. When I reach up to touch his face, he grasps my hand and presses it against his cheek.
“Yeah,” I agree, because I don’t know what else to say, and it doesn’t look like he’s planning on elaborating. “You are.”
And then I raise up on my tiptoes and press a gentle kiss to his lips.
He responds on instinct, and I hum in appreciation when his mouth opens against mine. My arms wrap around his strong body of their own accord, and he takes me into his embrace in response, holding me so wonderfully close.
We kiss for several minutes, but for once it’s slow and leisurely, with no hint of sexual urgency. I let myself get lost in the blissful knowledge from instincts far older than I, whispering to me that I am finally whole. Just like at the motel room, my very being thrums with the sensation of letting myself fuse with the man every cell in my body has ached for since our gazes met.
When he finally pulls back, the sun has set.
“I’ll order dinner. Do you like sushi?”
I blink, the sudden change of topic killing some of the buzz from what was undoubtedly the best kiss of my life. “Uh… yeah. I do.”
Only when he pulls out his phone and calls up to order our food does my stomach finally settle down to remind me that I haven’t eaten all day. The loud, protesting growl that follows makes Peter raise an eyebrow at me mid-order. As if it’s my fault the kidnappers didn’t serve lunch.
As I eat my sushi next to the silent, broody alpha, I can’t help but think back to after the first time we met. How he angrily questioned who I worked for, as if I’d Presented in the middle of the press conference specifically to take down the Liberals.
If only I’d known then who he really was, it might have made more sense.
“Is it different for you?” I ask, pausing with a maki roll halfway to my mouth.
“Is what different?” He looks at me from his seat next to me on the couch, both eyebrows slightly raised in question.
“The instincts. I never even considered I might… you know, Present, and all that jazz. It was never something I thought I had to prepare myself for, because I never… expected to be with an alpha.” I manage to stop myself from telling him I never wanted to be with an alpha. Funny, really. Yesterda
y I wouldn’t have given a single, flying fuck if I hurt his feelings. Probably didn’t really expect him to have any. But today… it’s different.
He sighs deeply and slumps back in the sofa, arms sprawled out against the backrest. “I guess. I grew up with the knowledge that it could happen—I just never expected it to happen to me. I always swore it wouldn’t.”
I blink in surprise. “Really? You seemed… all-in, after the park. Minus the need to hide your identity from me, of course.”
“I realized there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Before the park, I thought I could fight it. That it was just biological manipulation and that I could reason my way out of it. I thought I was following you to find out who you were working for.” He snorts, an amused sound, but his face remains blank. “Turns out I was just placating the instincts telling me I had to be near you. After the park… I was pissed. At you, for ruining every resolve I’ve had since I Presented as alpha once I hit puberty, and at myself for being so goddamn weak.
“I tried to stay away, but I couldn’t think of anything but you. And then I found out your job was in jeopardy, and… well, I’m sure you know the jokes about alphas’ need to keep their woman with pretty things. The thought of you without money for even food or rent was sickening. So I found a way to get you on the guest list for the masquerade.”
“Wait.” I stare at him, more shocked by that latest revelation than anything else. “You invited me to help me, not to take the heat off yourself after all the bad press you got when I Presented?”
Peter shrugs. “I’ll admit, it was a rather nice cherry on top, but no. My main concern was for your financial stability. Of course, I’d much rather have just forced you to move in with me so I could provide directly for you, but… I might be at my instincts’ mercy when it comes to you, but you seemed like an independent woman.”
“That’s…” I struggle to find the right words. I know enough about alphas to know they don’t often look for independence in their women. That’s a very large part of why I’ve always detested them. “Why? I’ve never heard of any other alpha who—”
“Who doesn’t keep his female chained to his side?” He sounds bitter, his sensual lips flattening to a line. “It’s funny—ever since I saw you, I finally get why so many of you are scared of us. You have no idea how badly I ache to possess you—to own you. It’s like this clawing, snarling darkness inside, and it hurts every time you’re not with me. I don’t even really know you, and yet every thought I’ve had since our eyes locked has been about how I can make you mine. Make you submit to me in every way.
“I’m sure there’s some poetic justice in this. I’ll freely admit my campaign has been largely based on pandering to the masses’ unease of the latent aggression in alphas. And now… I’m exactly what they fear. What you feared, from our very first meeting. A brute who acts on instincts first, with no regards for anyone else. Not even the woman I’m apparently hard-wired to care for.”
I arch an eyebrow at this much honesty coming out of a politician in one go, but I can’t bring myself to tease him. He’s clearly far more distraught about our situation than I ever imagined. He seemed so sure of himself in the park and in my bedroom—even in the motel room—that I never stopped to wonder if maybe he was even less thrilled about our inexplicable connection than I.
“I’m… sorry?” It comes out like more of a question than I planned.
He grimaces, a half-amused expression, and reaches out for my cheek with a large hand. The heat from it as he gently strokes my skin is soothing, and I sigh with pleasure. Yeah, we’re both slaves to these instincts.
“The lamb apologizes to the lion for being so irresistible? What an odd turn of events.”
I flash him a grin. “Who says you’re the lion?”
“Hmm,” he hums, clearly not in the mood to argue what’s a moot point anyway. We both know that out of the two of us, he’s the predator. Even if he’s apparently somewhat conflicted about it.
When he lets his hand fall from my cheek and leans back into the couch, I finish my last piece of sushi and—not waiting for an invitation—snuggle up against him.
He stiffens, probably from surprise.
“It’s been a really long day,” I say by way of explanation. “Can we just… pretend like everything’s not a mess for tonight?”
There’s a small pause before he grunts his assent. The weight of his arms settles around my body, and I smile into his shirt at the sense of calm flooding my system.
This is what it’s meant to be like, I can tell. I might not know anything about alpha customs, but my body does. And right now, it knows that all is right in the world because I can hear my alpha’s deep, slow breathing and feel the strength of his muscles against me.
“How come you’re like this?”
“Hmm?” From the now relaxed quality in Peter’s voice, I can tell our closeness is having the same effect on him as it does on me.
“Fighting against your instincts to possess me? You say you went out of your way to provide for me while letting me keep my independence. And that night, in the park… you let me go. If you knew… If me Presenting for you like that really means that… we have a connection—how come you didn’t force me to stay with you? Most alphas would have. You know they would.”
His chest moves underneath me with his deep, responding sigh. At first, he doesn’t say anything, and I think he’s going to ignore me.
“My dad was an alpha.” His tone is soft now, and a little hesitant, and I get the impression he’s never talked about what he’s about to tell me. “And a great father to me. But not a great husband. The first time he met my mother, he knew she was the one. Could smell it. So he stalked her, like we do when we’re crazy for a female, and used his alpha scent and charm to get her into bed.
“That first night, he put his claiming mark on her, making her his wife in the eyes of the law. He was… very dominating. He loved her, I know that much, but his need to possess her was so intense he never let her so much as go to the store without him. And she… From what my dad’s told me, and from pictures I’ve seen, she was a very vibrant woman in her youth. I always knew her as a shadow of a person, like she’d been kept and dominated for so long she lost herself to his possessiveness.
“I always swore I’d never do that to a woman I claimed to love.”
I touch the bruises on the back of my neck from where he bit me last night.
He sees my movement and sighs again. “Yeah. The second night with you and I nearly broke my own damn promise. Turns out I was too hard on my old man—when it comes down to it, I’m no better than him. Than any of them.”
“You stopped yourself,” I remind him.
“This time,” he says.
I bite my lower lip as I let my fingertips slide over the raised flesh. Right now, it doesn’t seem like the worst idea to be tied to the man whose mere presence can make me relax so completely, and whose touch heats my body like no other. But… I know that somewhere behind the fog of hormonal bliss is still my rational side. The side that takes such great pride in being self-sufficient and would cause me to wither like his mother did by being subjected to an alpha’s unrelenting possessiveness.
“Purr for me.” I bury my face against his chest and breathe in deeply. Tomorrow I can worry about how to have a relationship with a man who’s blatantly stated he wants to own and possess me and keep me away from the world. Tonight I just want to pretend for a little while longer. “Please.”
If he finds the request odd, he doesn’t say. Soft lips press against the top of my head, and then that wonderful, deep purr rumbles out from his chest, vibrating through my bones and into my very soul. His alpha purr—the sound created to soothe and comfort me like nothing else in this world. I close my eyes and let myself relax in his embrace.
We sit like that for what feels like the better part of an hour, and I’ve halfway dozed off when the chirp of his phone brings me back to full consciousness with a start.<
br />
His purr cuts off as he fishes out his phone and reads the text, and a frown makes its way to his forehead.
“Bad news?” I ask, still semi-drowsy from his purring comfort.
Peter’s lips flatten. “The video’s out.”
“Oh.” I’d forgotten. I’d actually forgotten the grotesque video we’d been forced to shoot that morning—and what the point of it was: to ruin Leod for good. “Was that someone from your staff freaking out?”
“Yup.” He rubs his face and sits up, gently easing out from underneath me until he’s perched at the edge of the sofa. “I have to go deal with this.”
“Oh.” I bite my lip and straighten up myself. “Is there any chance you won’t have to withdraw from the election?”
“No. There won’t be a person left in Mattenburg who’d ever vote for me. The Liberals have to distance themselves from me to have a shot at recovering before the next election.”
Feeling somewhat awkward now that reality has forced its way into our small bubble of peace, I glance up at him. “Do you… want me to come with you?”
He looks at me then, and the frown on his forehead softens. Gently, he cups my cheek with a hand and strokes my skin with his thumb. “No, my sweet. You’ve been through enough. In fact...” He hesitates, and I can see the strain passing over his face before he steels his features and looks at me with that emotionless expression he usually employs when I’ve seen him on TV in the past. Then he withdraws his hand from my face and clasps it in his lap. “This will be the last time we see each other.”
It takes me a moment to grasp what he says. When I do, it feels like the bottom’s dropped out of my stomach.
“W-what?”
There’s regret in his gray eyes, but also determination as he looks at me. “You have to leave the city. It’s not safe for you here—not when Bremen knows you’re my weakness. And you’re not safe from me, either. If you stay, it’s only a matter of time before I put a claiming mark on you.”
He gets up and turns his back on me, fiddling with his phone as he does. “I’ll arrange for one of my trusted people to pick you up tonight, before I get back.”
