Alpha

Chapter 10

I returned to my room and pulled the scanner card from my bag. It wasn't that far from the main area of the communal space, which meant that I could see Konrad, who was now talking to another woman. It might be my opinion, but it mattered to me that Konrad was standing too close to her.

"I don't know why I bother," I muttered.

A niggling thought in my mind whispered that I bothered because I cared. Liked, yes. Love, I don't know. I'd like to say no, but Konrad had grown on me. Despite everything he did that was wrong, I still looked at him with dangerous thoughts.

Taking one last look, I happened to catch his gaze. He stared as I shook my head disappointedly and walked into my room.

Lifting the top of my bag open, I laid it out and looked at the choices for the night ahead. I wanted to lay in bed for the rest of the night, but I knew that the right thing to do was to go to the fight. Not just for support but because he was fighting because of me.

Pulling out the red pantsuit, I thought it was probably a good choice. To me, it said power. It was also an incredible fit, and I loved it. Hanging it on the hook, I began unzipping the dust cover when someone knocked on the door.

Konrad gave me a vague smile when I opened the door.

"Are we calling this gratitude or forgiveness?" Konrad asked as he walked into my room.

I scoffed, shutting the door behind us.

"Nice suit. Is that what you're wearing to the fight?"

"It is."

He nodded with silent appreciation. Then he turned to me, pulling on the gold material of my dress.

"So, I think that the sticky girl needs a shower."

"Great. I'll have one while you go and talk to whoever you decide is the right conquest for tonight."

Flicking off my shoes, I walked into the bathroom. When I turned on the light and looked in the mirror on the opposite wall, I saw Konrad. He'd lost his jacket. That was not a surprise.

"I was only having a conversation. You know that I can actually do that without wanting to screw the woman."

"Of course you can. I forgot that it's my best friend that's your go-to."

Opening my toiletry bag, I found a hair tie and wrapped the long hair onto the top of my head. Konrad grinned at me from behind. He'd lost his shirt, and I had to say that from what I could see, it was incredible. It also made me realize that I'd never seen him fully naked. This was going to be interesting.

"You look crazy, Megan."

"I am not getting my hair wet when I have to go back out in the freezing cold."

Moving in closer, Konrad leaned down and kissed the curve of my neck. The zipper ran down my back, and slowly, he peeled me out of the sticky dress.

I held it against my body as I turned to face him.

"Alec has an answer. I can get you out of this fight."

"How?"

"I mark you as my mate. Once I've done that, I'm not available."

He smiled, but I could see that there was no weight to it. There was pain, almost hidden from me.

"Why would you do that when you've made it quite clear that you don't want me as a mate?"

Stepping back, Konrad moved to the shower and turned it on. He was down to just his shorts.

It was a view that I was used to, at least in the build of the body. Male werewolves were always muscular. Women were too though the structure was slightly different. Our stomach muscles were more flexible to accommodate a large litter if we happened to be that lucky.

"I'm just here because you feel bad, but you don't need to. I said that I don't regret it."

"I wouldn't offer it if I didn't want you."

"I know that you want me, Megan. You're always looking at me, and only some of that time is with a scowl. Whenever we have sex, your body locks me in until I finish. You didn't take me down during the territory war when it was clear that you could have. I appreciate your offer, but I'm not going to let you mark me when it's not the right thing to do. Now get your sticky ass into the shower."

Letting go of the dress, I stepped out of it and walked into the shower. Konrad grinned as he watched me, dropped his shorts, and then got in behind me.

We kissed at the edge of the water until Konrad turned me. So much for keeping my hair dry. Pressed against the tiles, he raised my hands to the pipe for the shower head.

"Do you see the imaginary handcuffs?" he murmured against my jaw.

"Nope."

"Bad girls don't get to have any fun."

"Uh-huh."

Lowering in front of me, Konrad lifted my leg and began taunting me.

"I don't think you have the hours in the night for this."

"You don't want it?"

"Of course I do. Just stating the obvious."

That didn't stop him. The teasing tongue found a path to me, and I gasped, feeling the surge spark through me. It was like a burning fire that tore through me. The more he gave, the more it grew. Usually, I struggled to focus and found my mind wandering. Lackluster efforts were usually to blame. My scatterbrain was just as problematic.

But Konrad was different, and it spoke volumes to me.

The pipe groaned as my grip tightened. With the orgasm flowing, I was in my own blissful world and not thinking straight. I didn't want to leave it, but the euphoria would have passed anyway.

Konrad's fingers moved up my body as he stood. I shivered and opened my eyes to a wolf that was rather pleased with himself.

"Maybe I should have started the war with one of them, eh?"

I chuckled.

"You're a monster."

He nodded silently and was full of amusement.

Lifting my legs to his waist, Konrad pushed into me.

"And there she is again, the queen of locks," he whispered against my lips.

"I don't,"

"Uh, you do."

He grinned, sneaking a soft kiss.

"Maybe it means that she loves me."

"Maybe," I whispered.

I didn't know what else to say. Was that what it meant? I was taught that it was the wolf's domain and the shifted state didn't lock their lover. But this was us, in the shower having sex until Konrad finished because there was no way he could pull out beforehand.