RILEY
Brenton was ordering take out in the kitchen and immediately waved her over when she entered. Zachary was following behind her, still chuckling. She stood out of Brenton’s reach but waited patiently for him to get off the phone. He glared at her and tried to close the distance. He was on his cell phone, so she knew he could walk her.
She kept just out of his range until he looked pretty pissed. The moment he confirmed the order and hung up, he glared at her.
“I’m going to spank that perfect little ass of yours if you don’t come here,” he growled. She stopped moving and stared at him.
“Spank me?” She laughed. “I’m an adult, I don’t get fucking spanked, Brenton.”
He snarled and even Zachary stopped laughing.
“When I tell you to come here, you come here,” he growled at her. He pointed in front of himself. She crossed her arms and stood where she was.
“Oh shit,” Zachary mumbled from his spot on the counter. “Bad move, baby. We don’t straight up ignore Brenton here.”
Brenton’s long legs closed the distance before she had the chance to run. He picked her, threw her over his shoulder and just began walking off with her.
“What the fuck, Brenton?” She hissed. “I was just having a little fun!”
He smacked her ass in response and she was a little ashamed that she liked it. He stomped into the den and locked the door behind him. He dropped her on the couch, still completely silent. He sat, holding her from running and tossed her over his lap.
“Everyone else seems to just be a little too soft for you,” he growled softly. He spanked her once and she moaned in pleasure and embarrassment. What the actual fuck was her life now?
“All I wanted was a hug and kiss from the girl I like,” he growled down at her. He lifted her off him and dropped her back on the couch. She was frazzled, frayed, out of her depth.
“You just spanked me,” she blurted out in disbelief.
“That would be the third time I’ve smacked your ass, Riley. Being over my knee is no different then being over my shoulder.”
She opened and closed her mouth.
“I don’t really like when people disobey me,” Brenton growled. “I’m always in charge and I know it’s weird. You don’t encounter people like me out there in the human world but no matter where you go in the shifter world, there will be an Alpha similar to me. You need to realize that it’s not something you can escape if you want to have a foot in our world.”
“Bren-”
“They won’t just spank your cute ass. Some will just fucking kill you because they don’t have the patience to work with someone with your amount of spirit.” He snarled. “And I refuse to see you possibly get hurt because you can’t follow my direction.”
She wanted to bristle and argue. Another part of her wanted to beg for forgiveness. The cheetah in her was just as torn.
“I see the wheels spinning, tell me about it Riley.”
“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal,” she mumbled. “I was just giving you a hard time.”
“I know,” he growled, low and bit seductively. “And if we were lovers in my playground, I would have spanked you in the kitchen. You would have liked it, you liked it in here. Then I would have taken you on the counter top and denied you an orgasm until you learned to listen to me.”
“But we aren’t lovers… yet,” he growled softly, invading her space. She leaned back and accidentally slid, giving him the opening to lean over her, holding himself up with his arms. Her heart was pounding, she felt a little dizzy. Was he serious? “So, instead I’m going to drag you in here every time we need to have this discussion.”
“My ex used to order me around,” she whispered. She watched him put the breaks on being seductive and pale a little. “He would…” She couldn’t finish that statement.
“Oh, Riley… He was probably on a power trip and a cruel fucking individual. I don’t beat women, Riley. I will never hurt you. I will never truly rob you of your will to damage you. Me?” He pointed to himself and he looked sick at the thought. “The pride would kill me if I ever did that to you or anyone else. I would let them.”
“Riley, all I want is you happy and healthy. But the small things are important. If you can follow the small day to day orders that comes with being in my pride, in any pride, I know you’ll listen when I give you one that would save your life or the life of one of the guys. All the guys would have walked over to me and listened in on the phone conversation and waited for what I needed because it doesn’t hurt their feelings to do as I ask. They know I won’t hurt them. It’s a fine line, Riley. I know it, don’t think I don’t understand where you are coming from. But I need to keep you alive and healthy.”
She thought about that for a minute. It was fine line, wasn’t it? Her ex had ordered her around because he was lazy and mean. No one listened to him except her. He abused her, refused to help her and treated her terribly.
Brenton ordered the guys all around but he needed to delegate tasks since he a lot going on. He took care of them in every way, giving them all a home. He had taken care of everything since she joined the pride. He genuinely was only trying to keep all five shifters in his charge safe from the world around them. He loved his pride brothers and they loved him. But he demanded obedience in exchange. All the guys had told her this, all of them tried to explain how one treats and understands an Alpha.
She felt her independence slide away and she was desperately trying to hold on to it.
“I… that scares me, Brenton,” she whispered. “That’s why I wanted my own space, my job and…” Her own life. Away from the large men who were now in her space and in her business. Now she couldn’t go to work because they feared for her safety, and she was living with them since her apartment was trashed and her cat was actually hurt.
“I know,” he kissed her softly. “I know. But I need you to try. I’m not saying it’s easy, I’m saying it’s necessary. You have no idea what kind of dangers are out there for our kind. Look at what just happened at your apartment, Riley. I had doubts about you living alone in the Dump and I was kicked in the fucking head for ignoring those doubts.”
She suddenly felt guilty. She remember Zachary making his displeasure known but Brenton had backed her up. That was the deal they made. Her stubbornness got Star hurt. She knew what he was saying about trusting them, it was just hard. Sharing her body was easy. It was hers to give and physically hurting her was something she could get over.
But her trust and everything that followed it? That was damage she dealt with already, and she was terrified of risking it again.
“Okay,” she mumbled. “I’ll try. I’m sorry.”
He looked at her like it was enough that she said it. He retreated from her space and let her sit up on her own.
“I didn’t mean for this go this direction,” he sighed, and she saw the weight he was carrying. He was already in charge of four strong men and now he had to deal with her. That was ignoring his livelihood and these shifter politics and prides she kept hearing about. He was probably nearly as upset as she was over what happened to Star and her apartment. He ran a hand through his hair. “I hoping for something a little more lighthearted. Something that would be a bit fun for both of us.”
She couldn’t stop the bark of a laugh that left her mouth. He looked back down to her, confused.
“Brenton, do you do lighthearted?” She asked him, incredulously.
“I try,” he groaned, a small smile pulling on his lips. “Sometimes, it even works.”
She laughed and shook her head. He was trying to make her smile and like the rest of them, he knew he could.
“Everything about you is intense even when you put that professional mask over it. You get all mild and professional, but I see through it, Brenton Kingson.”
“I like that you see through it, Riley Stern.”
They sat quietly until the doorbell rang announcing their take out was there. He stood up and offered her a hand to get up with.
She took it.