Taking Down the Alpha

18 Pleasing Sensation

My basic assumption was that he would take me back to wherever he was staying, but instead he drove me out of the city, through rolling hills until all that I could see of human civilization was the light pollution reflecting off the sky like a mauve glow. He finally pulled off the highway onto a side road which we followed until we reached a wider area where he parked the car.

"So what is this place?" I asked, looking around. It wasn't nearly as clear as it would be in broad daylight, but I could see the grey shapes well enough to not to trip. The air was fresh with the scents of earth and vegetation, and the rushing of water was like a soothing chorus in the background.

"Just a good place to let my wolf out, so I figured also a good place for you to explain. Not a human around for miles. Perfect to talk about what we couldn't say back in the restaurant."

A sudden flash of longing to run through the wilds with him hit me hard. Running swiftly through the trees with this male who was fated to be mine sounded like a dream. But no, I needed to stay on task.

We walked through the unbroken darkness. I could see a bit, probably better than a human, but I still used my phone as a flashlight until we reached a river, shallow but quickly flowing. I admired the area for a minute before  I turned to him. It was time to get him on board with all my plans.

"So, you want to know more about the challenge?"

"I do."

I crossed my arms. "But you know, you still haven't even told me your actual name."

He tilted his head. "Al is my name. Just not all of it."

"You know that's really suspect, don't you? Why the secrecy?"

He didn't respond at first, as if thinking of his answer. "I want to get to know you beforehand."

"Are you someone I should know?" I wracked my mind for an answer. It felt like it was there, but whenever I nearly found it the possibility would slip out of reach.

"Not exactly. Will you just trust me to tell you a bit later?" His voice was smooth and cajoling, and urged me to give into his request. My wolf pushed me to let him have his way, too.

Trust really was the issue. I wanted to trust him, and it didn't seem to have much choice. But I needed to solve everything first, then maybe I could relax into what we were. "Okay. But it seems pretty unfair you're expecting me to reveal all my secrets when you aren't planning to reciprocate."

"Yet. I'm not planning to reciprocate yet. Before too long you'll know all my secrets. I'm just asking you to be a bit patient, Jess." His tone was heavy with promise.

I swallowed, my body tingling in some very interested areas. "Jessica," I corrected, even though it barely annoyed me when he did it.

"Sorry. Jessica."

Trying to ignore how hot I was getting, I focused on my plan. Once it was out there, I could work from his response.

"I'm from Huntstone, have you heard of it?"

"Heard of, but never been there."

"Well, I've been working directly under the alpha for a few years now. I quickly realized that he's not a very effective leader. He's very strong physically, but his management of the pack is subpar at best. He's held up almost entirely by his staff. It didn't bother me too much, until he started hitting on me."

"Oh?" I couldn't read what he was thinking from his tone at all, and if his face showed any emotion it was too fine to see it just by the indirect light of my phone.

Better to get it explained and out of the way. It wasn't like my one-night stand was exactly a secret. He'd hear about it eventually once I took him back to Huntstone. "I resisted for a long time, but after a staff party I got tipsy and ended up in his bed. I don't even like him as a person, but my wolf has that natural inclination to please her alpha, so, you know how it is..."