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She looked around a little anxiously, then put her hand on my arm and stood up on her toes, closing her eyes and bringing her lips close to mine.
I panicked, reaching up to clamp my hands on either side of her head while backing away instinctively.
“I...I am married, and mated,” I stammered. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression about me, miss. But if there are feelings, I’m afraid I have to tell you that they’re unrequited.”
“Well, I know you’re mated, and that you’re claimed. I can smell her on you,” she said, looking genuinely confused as she looked up at me. “But how else do I compensate you for coming to my aid, alpha?”
“You—you don’t,” I said, hating the anxious quaver of my voice. “No compensation necessary. I’m your alpha, and this is my job.”
She stayed on her toes for another few moments before her face took on a color of deepest scarlet. She backed away from me, pressing her hands over her mouth. “Oh...oh my god,” she said in a whisper. “My old pack…when Alpha...I’m so sorry. I’m so mortified. I thought that was just how things were done everywhere.”
“Again, please don’t apologize,” I said. “We only know what we come from, and it takes time to learn a new way to be. I’m so sorry that it was expected of you to do...that just because your alpha did what he was supposed to do and keep you safe. But you never have to do that here. Not for me, and not for anyone else. If someone tries to extort you into doing sexual favors for him in exchange for basic kindness and respect, I want you to come straight to me, okay?”
“O-okay,” she said, still embarrassed. “Oh my god, your wife is always so kind. Will she be furious with me?”
“No, of course not,” I promised her. “She knows firsthand what it’s like to come from an abusive situation. She’ll understand.”
“You’re so lucky to have such an understanding mate,” she said. “If the shoe were on my foot, I’d want to rip her throat out!”
I forced myself to laugh. “Well, luckily, that’s not something we have to worry about,” I said. “Anyway, I have to go check on a few things, so I’m going to leave you to it. Remember just to ask for help when you need it, alright?”
“Y-yes, okay. Thank you so much again, alpha,” she said as I slipped past her.
“You bet,” I said, trying not to look like I was fleeing.
I exited the room and shut the door quietly behind me, pausing to smear a hand down my face.
Holy hell, of all the things I’d expected to experience as alpha of a pack, that had not been one of them. I didn’t know why, but I felt bizarrely guilty for what had just occurred despite the fact that I’d not invited it or, as far as I could tell, implied that I’d expected it.
“Cole?” I heard from down the hall.
I looked over to see Marley standing there, probably about fifteen feet away, with a concerned look on her face.
I let go of the doorknob and sighed. “Hey, honey. What’s up?”
“I felt your anxiety. Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, hurrying towards her and saying quietly in her ear. “Come on, let’s talk elsewhere.”
We walked away, and before she could get too worried about what I had to tell her, I rattled off the entire situation that had happened with the woman. Everything from the beginning of the interaction to the attempted kiss, which I very emphatically told her did not happen.
When I was done giving her the rundown, her expression was a little sad.
“Marley, she didn’t know,” I insisted. “Please don’t hold it against her.”
“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s not why I’m sad. Sorry, I just...it breaks my heart that she used to have to engage in favors like that just for someone doing the bare minimum for her. I mean... that’s atrocious, isn’t it?”
“It is,” I agreed. “But she knows now that nothing like that is ever expected of her here. And I told her to let me know if anyone ever tries something like that with her.”
“Good, good,” she said, sounding a little distracted. “Was she okay after you rejected her?”
“She was fine. Mostly just worried about you being pissed off and embarrassed.”
Marley nodded. “You know what? I’ll invite her to the fundraiser as a little olive branch, to show her there’s no hard feelings or anything like that. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” I said. “I mean, Lana is a perfect example of a woman who would laugh in your face if you demanded a favor from her.”
“No kidding,” Marley said with a little laugh. “Alright, I’ll invite her before we go out on our date tonight. Sound good?”
