Listen to me 140

Benedict

I clink my glass to Sloane’s taking a slow sip of the champagne le we sit on the couch together, looking out over the city, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this relaxed in my life. It’s not just burnt come incredibly hard. Fins are that helps, but it’s more than that. It’s the woman beside me. It’s being here with her. 1 kw this room was ridiculously expensive, but to have this time, to be able to be with Sloane like this, it’s worth every dampenny.

So, Alpha Sloane Hartwell, how does it feel to be a high school graduate

Fucking incredible,” she says, making me laugh. Tim so glad I ever have to go back there

“High school wasn’t very good to you, was it?” I ask, sliding my fingers over her hand. She’s facing me on the couch and 1 pull her legs over mine, wanting the physical contact between us

Not really, but it’s done. Tell me, are you ready for tomorro

I ran my fingers over bers, thinking through my answer. No one has asked me that. No one has asked if I’m ready. Everyone. including my parents, just assume that I am.

“Yes and no.” I say finally.

What’s the yes part?” she asks her eyes focused on me as she sings her champag

Tim entited to be able to take over and make some of the changes that I’d like to see in our pack

What’s the no part” she asks

“It’s a lot of fucking responsibility. I know you understand. Taking on the responsibility of every member of your pack, it’s –“I stop, unable to think of the right word.

“Daunting,” she says.

“Yeah. Daunting is a good word for it. And it’s not like I can have this conversation with anyone else, right? Who do I say this to? My father? He’s beyond ready to retire. My Alpha friends? I’m not sure they all get it. And beyond that, no one has ever cared to even ask me if I was ready.”

That’s because you exude confidence. Benedict. Everyone assumes you’re ready because that’s the persona you put out there,” she says.

I’m confident about many things,” I say, looking at our hands as intertwine our fingers. “But I’m not confident that I’ll always make the right decisions or do what’s best for my pack members or my pack. I don’t know how you can know that before your decisions impact the outcome of a situation.”

True. But I think that’s where intent and the desire to do right by your pack comes into play. When you weigh the options of your decisions, if you’re the kind of Alpha I know you to be, then you make decisions based on what will benefit others the most. Will you always make the right choice? Probably not. You’re not perfect, Benedict. But I know that you’ll always do what you feel in your heart is the right thing. So even if it was the wrong choice, you did it for the right reasons. Sometimes that may have to be enough.”

“How about you, Sloane? Are you ready to take over as Alpha of your pack?”

“No. I’m terrified. That pack is a mess. You think your father is ready to retire? My grandfather is beyond ready. The Beta and Gamma have to go, and they aren’t the only ones. There are others who are lazy. Being able to see the pack as I have, it’s given me a chance to really see who is worth salvaging and who needs to go when I take over. I’m thankful that I have Scarlet. She and I feel the same, we see things the same, so whenshe tells me that she’s concerned about someone. I know I can take that to heart.”

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I think about Ellis. Do I have that much faith in his decision making? The answer is no. What would it be like to trust your Beta implicitly? I should know, but the reality is that I don’t.

“That’s wonderful. Will the Beta and Gamma give you problems when you take over?” I ask her.

“Only until I send them packing,” she says, just as there’s a knock at the door.

“Stay here.” I tell her, getting up to answer the door. It’s room service, but rather than letting them come in, I take the cart of food and wheel it in myself.

“Shall we switch from champagne to wine?” I ask her as 1 push the cart over to the couch.

“What kind of wine did you order?” she asks.

“Hopefully the good kind. I’d hate to ruin our dinner because I ordered a terrible wine.”

She takes the bottle and looks at it. “Holy Mother Moon Goddess Benedict. This is an expensive bottle of wine.”

“Is it good?” I ask, having no clue.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s good,” she laughs.

“You

pour

the wine, I’ll set out our plates,” I tell her.

By the time I’m done, we have our wine and we sit back on the couch, eating our dinner.

“Mmm, this is good,” I say, cutting a piece of meat and feeding it to her.

“Mmm, it IS good. Mine is too,” she says, cutting a piece of hers and feeding it to me.

“I could get used to this,” I purr.

“Which part, the hotel room or being fed?” she says with a teasing smirk.

“Yes. And having a sexy as fuck woman sitting beside me in my t–shirt, feeding me food.”

“I’m sure there are any number of women who would be happy to sit on a couch in your t–shirt feeding you dinner,” she

says.

“But only one that I want,” I say, holding her gaze when her eyes nap up to mine.

I lean forward, pressing my lips to hers.

I wasn’t expecting Sloane’s immediate response. Suddenly, I have no more interest in the food on my plate. I quickly set it aside, taking hers and doing the same before pulling her into my lap. She straddles me and I go rock hard underneath her.

I slide my hands up her sides, pushing my shirt up and over her head, before resuming the kiss that is quickly becoming desperate. Her sweet honey scent fills the air around us and I stad, carrying her to the bedroom.

She wraps her legs around me and we continue kissing as I pull the sheets and bedspread down. I set her on the bed before 1 pull my pants off. Then I pull her to me and flip our positions, shing myself onto the bed and keeping her on top of me.

I kiss her, but I don’t make a move to start anything more. I canel her getting frustrated, feel it in the tension in her body

and the scent of her arousal between us.

Finally, she pulls away from our kiss. “Benedict, I don’t know wh…”

“Take control, Sloane. Be the Alpha female you are. If you want e, slide yourself onto my length and then ride me until you come,” I growl. “But make sure you use a condom.”

Lucia Morh

Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.