"Alright Mer, I faxed the papers back to you."

The printer rumbled in the background, and Meredith sighed, "This is way too much work, bitch. When are you coming back to the coven?"

"In a few days, I believe," I said, running my hands through my hair tiredly, "Once I hear back from the Minister. He had sent me a text that they were near the cave, but he hasn't called to tell me whether they found the Book of Demonic Magic or not."

"I'm sure he'll call you soon. It shouldn't take them long to find some data connection again. But enough about that," she leaned forward in her seat and bounced with excitement, "Tell me how you and Alrik are doing after your sacrificial lamb act."

"I wasn't a sacrificial lamb. I was a –"

"Second Jesus?"

"Meredith, you can't compare me to Jesus."

"Fine, how about a peaceful protestor who nearly shook hands with death?"

"I–"

She gave me the look that dared me to argue with her. Once I had told Meredith the reason I hadn't answered her calls in a week, she was ready to march over to the Prowler Pack and behead Alrik and put his head on the rogue wall.

And she wanted to behead me for being reckless.

I had to explain everything Alrik had done to make amends, and her anger had simmered since, but I knew that if Alrik even glanced in the wrong direction, Meredith would pounce to protect me even if it wasn't necessary.

"Alrik and I are doing well," I said, diverting the conversation, "But I think he's holding back because he thinks I might want to pick up and leave."

"Did you tell him that you plan on staying with him?"

"I did, several times in fact. How much assurance does he need to finally get it through his head that I'm staying for good? If I ever planned on leaving, I wouldn't be curling up beside him every night."

"Maybe you need to make a gesture. How about you propose to him?"

I almost choked on my spit, "That might be a little too grand and too soon for us. We've only known each other for a couple of months."

Meredith snorted, "Yeah, but look at how much shit you've been through together."

"We've just been building our relationship. Perhaps after we get rid of Malcolm, we can think about getting married, but for now, I don't think either of us are ready for a wedding with a dark cloud hanging over our heads."

I paused and stared at my ring finger for a moment, the gears in my head turning rapidly, "But I think you're onto something."

***

"Thank you, Alpha Pierre. I appreciate your help during this critical time."

Alpha Pierre nodded quickly, "Of course, Alpha Alrik. Let us know if you need anything else."

I ended the call and stamped the last transfer request with relief, even though a part of me was dejected to see some wolves leave.

If they wanted a fresh slate and to find greater happiness elsewhere, who was I to stop them? If they were content, that was all I needed.

After sliding the paper back into the folder, I grabbed the stack and headed downstairs to the kitchen where Reece was making sandwiches.

"I finished the stamping. Let the families know that whenever they're ready, there will be cars and moving vans to accommodate them," I said, placing the files beside her and taking two slices of bread.

As I started spreading mayo over the bread, Reece glanced at me curiously, "Where's Jas?"

"On the phone with Meredith taking care of her coven work. Have the architects emailed you the updated designs on the new orphanage?"

"I haven't checked yet. I hear you started calling her kroshka," she said, a smug smile sliding onto her face.

I raised an eyebrow at her excitement, "So?"

"I haven't heard you speak Russian since your grandfather passed away."

"You are overthinking my actions. Grandfather didn't understand English so we only conversed in Russian. Now, everyone I speak to knows English so there's no reason for me to speak Russian."

"Let's be honest, Alrik. Jas doesn't even know Russian. You could have just called her baby or little one in a language she understands."

I grunted.

I was never going to admit anything. She did not need to know that I found 'kroshka' to be a much more intimate term of endearment than 'baby' or 'little one'.

It did not feel right to call her any of those generic names.

I grabbed my sandwich and walked away, leaving Reece to yell about how she knows everything.

~~~~

I knocked on the bedroom door, "Jaslynn, I'm coming in. If you have a towel on, hold onto it."

There was no reply, and I pushed down on the handle as I took another bite of my sandwich.

However, the moment I entered, I stopped chewing and started choking at the sight in front of me, causing my sandwich to fall to the ground.

There she sat at the edge of the bed, leaning back on one hand, wearing a ruby-red robe that only went until the middle of her thighs.

When she realized that I was still choking on the bite of my sandwich, she got up and sped over to wrap her arms around me from behind. I began coughing harder when she thrust against me, attempting the Heimlich maneuver.

"You know, this wasn't quite what I had in mind as our first position," She muttered against my back.

I snatched the bottle of water off the dresser and guzzled half of it down as she released me from her grip.

"Are you al–"

I cut her off as I threw the bottle back on the dresser, "Fucking hell, what are you wearing? How is it not illegal?"

"You should know by now that I have no problem breaking the law."

I ignored her amused jab and let my eyes trail down to the part in the robe that revealed a hint of her cleavage that was encased by a black bra.

My blood was boiling with desire and rushing to my cock that was throbbing with the need to throw her against the nearest flat surface and pound her until not even the soundproof walls could cover her screams.

I swallowed hard and gripped her waist, rubbing circles into the silky material as I pulled her up against my chest so she could feel how much control I was about to lose, "People who break the law are punished. You should know that."

She curled her arms around my neck and leaned in, lightly biting my bottom lip and releasing it with a brush of her lips, "Give me your worst, Kuznetsov."

My restraint snapped, and I spun her around and shoved her against the wall. She let out a surprised 'oof' as I hiked her robe up to reveal the black thong that emphasized her perfect ass.

One of my hands gripped her ass cheek and squeezed while the other slid around her neck and pulled her back so I could whisper in her ear, "How does fifteen spankings sound?"

"Fifteen? That's it?"

My hand cracked against her ass cheek, and she jumped in surprise. My lips curved into a smirk against her ear, "Fifteen?"

"I don't think I'm going to be able to sit down after this," she muttered.

"It's your fault," I said amusedly, "You deserved to be spanked five times for each of your three crimes."

"What crimes? I thought I was being convicted of only one."

"You made me choke, and you made me drop my sandwich."

"Five spankings over a dry sandwich?"

"Silence," I commanded, slapping my hand against her other cheek. Her back arched, and a soft moan escaped her rosy lips.

My hand clapped against each of her cheeks until they were an intoxicating shade of red and my handprint was stamped on each cheek like a signature marking. Her moans had gotten louder with every spanking, and I had been struggling not to cum in my pants like an immature teenager.

I ran my fingers down the material of the thong to the crotch that was pretty much useless. Her nectar had soaked through and was all over the inside of her thighs.

Just as I began to push the cloth aside to rub her core, she flipped around and grabbed my neck, pulling me down for a passionate kiss. I allowed her to take control as I massaged her cheeks, rubbing away the burn of my slaps.

She was the only woman who made me breathless, and I lived for it. I wouldn't mind dying at this exact moment if the taste of her lips and the smell of her were the last savors to flood my senses.

"Alrik," she hummed, breaking the kiss momentarily to look me in the eye, "Mark me."

I froze, "Are you serious, kroshka?"

My mind was whirring with prayers that this was not just her desire speaking and that she actually wanted me to mark her.

"Yes, I want you to mark me," she said, stroking my jaw softly.

I pressed my lips against her forehead, "I will, but first–" I dropped to my knees and dragged one of her legs over my shoulder so her core lined up with my mouth, "I want to lick and suck on each of your folds until I memorize the taste of your delicious pussy."

She gasped, and I immediately covered her folds with my mouth, sucking lightly on her clit as it throbbed against my tongue. I circled a finger around her entrance, teasing it obnoxiously, and she clenched in response with a frustrated moan.

"Alrik, stop teasing me like that," she muttered, grabbing my hair as I swiped my tongue over her clit and made no other movements.

Watching her eyes glint with vexation over my light licks and kisses brought me even more satisfaction.

Especially when it forced the dominant side out of her out.

After I had teased her to the point that she had enough, her hand dug into my hair and pulled me up so my lips devoured her pussy properly. She ground her hips against my face, and I smirked as she threw her head back in ecstasy.

Being submissive did not mean being weak. It was being able to have the power to give someone exactly what they wanted, whether it was control, or in Jaslynn's case, pleasure.

"Alrik," she whimpered loudly, "I'm going to cum."

I pried her hands from my hair and stood up, burying my face into her neck as my fingers worked her pussy quickly. My teeth grazed over her pulse, and as soon as I felt her nails digging into my arms from the intensity of her incoming climax, I pierced the crook of her neck with my canines.

The moment I marked her, it was like the broken ends of the shimmering line that had connected our souls before entwined once more and brought our hearts closer together than ever before.

I was surprised by the ardor of my second marking– the magnitude of emotions I felt was ten times more than what I felt the first time.

Perhaps before she held just half my heart in her palms, but now she had my whole heart.

And that thought didn't scare me one bit.

A hand brushed through my hair gently, "You know, since you call me kroshka, maybe I should call you koala. You sure cuddle like one."

I grunted and pressed my lips against her fresh mark.

No wolf knew what utter bliss was until they laid their heads on their mate's chest and swaddled them.

"Alrik, as much as I love this position, I'm starving."

My eyes snapped open and I sat up immediately, "Did you eat lunch?"

"No," she said, quickly adding on as she saw me open my mouth chide her, "But you didn't eat either. You dropped the sandwich remember?"

"I ate you. That was more than filling."

"And you didn't let me eat you."

I kissed the inside of her palm, "Today was about letting me spoil you, kroshka. You deserve to be pampered."

"Then would you mind making me some lunch?" She asked hopefully.

I chuckled, "I'll make whatever you want."

"Ramen?"

"Out of all the extraordinary dishes I can make, you want instant noodles?"

"It's a craving."

"Fine," I muttered in defeat, "Come down when you're ready. I'll get started on the ramen."

She kissed my cheek and sauntered into the bathroom, and I pulled a shirt on and grabbed my phone to check for notifications as I headed downstairs.

There was a missed call from my father, and I was about to click on it when my eyes landed on the number below it.

A number I had dialed several times but didn't have the courage to let the call go through.

And it might have been the adrenaline of my resurrected bond, but today I felt like nothing could stop me.

So before I lost the immense amount of courage I had, I clicked the number and watched the screen flash with the digits as it connected and rang.

I lifted the phone up to my ear and pinched the area between my eyebrows as my heart nearly pounded out of my chest.

Then, the ringing stopped.

"Do you have any fucking idea what time it is?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat at the familiar baritone that now had a hint of a Russian accent,

"Brat."