MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

3. DEVON: DECISIONS

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're seriously planning on going through with it?"

"Why not?"

"She's human."

I clenched my fists and glared at him from across the desk. "So?"

"She's weak." David leaned forward. "She's too weak to be an Alpha female. We need someone who can fight, someone who knows how to protect herself when we aren't there to do it, and someone who knows how to take action when needed."

"So we teach her."

"She's too small."

"Ever heard of the saying: dynamite comes in small packages?"

His eyes narrowed and an irritated growl slipped past his lips. David leaned back in his chair. His eyes darted around the room before landing on the wall decorated with family photos. He stared at it silently for a few minutes.

"She's too naïve." He glanced back at me. "I came here to check on her and found her watching Moon and his female fucking in their shifted form."

"Not naïve, no," I muttered. "She's curious. You heard her. She spent most of her time inside."

"She got scared when she saw me."

"Why do I have the feeling that you're only thinking of excuses to get me to change my mind about taking her as our mate?"

I stood and slowly walked around the desk towards him; every step was small and calculated.

"Aren't you even a little curious to know if she's submissive in the bedroom?" I took another step closer. "Don't you want to know if her skin feels as soft as it looks?" Another step. "Don't you want to know if she tastes as good as she smells?"

I stood in front of him now. Leaning down to grip the arms rest, I moved until my face was inches from his. "Don't you wonder what she'll sound like calling you, Master?"

I knew I had him when his eyes darkened and his jaw clenched. The chair creaked when his grip on it tightened. My eyes stayed locked with his as a low growl fell from his parted lips.

"Don't tell you haven't jacked off while imagining her sweet voice calling out to you?" I leaned a little closer until his breath fanned my lips. "She'll be perfect for both of us, David. Are you imagining her squirming between us as we fuck her slowly?"

"Yes," he breathed. "Fuck Devon. You're not playing fair."

I allowed the smile to slip onto my face. "Yes she's human, but she's not as weak as she seems. We'll be her teachers. We will guide her in the right direction. Just thinking about teaching her the pleasures of the flesh makes my balls ache."

He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Fine, but the moment it looks like it's too much for her, we walk away."

"Deal." I straightened.

"We should start with the Mating Ceremony," he muttered.

My smile widened. "I don't think we'd have to teach her anything about that."

He frowned at me. I walked back around my desk and took a seat. Reaching out, I dragged the keyboard closer and started typing. A few minutes later, I turned the screen towards him. David leaned forward to get a better look. He blinked at it and then leaned closer a little more. I knew what he was seeing. Valeria has been in the library almost the whole day exploring the books. She had taken some paper from the desk and then took a seat on the couch she was sitting on at the moment. Every few seconds she'll write the title of a book down before getting up to replace the book and grabbing another one. She'd taken a seat on the couch half an hour ago with a book open on her lap.

"You're going to let her read about it?"

"That's what Alark did with his mate."

David's eyes narrowed. "She wasn't so innocent."

"How do you know that Valeria is so innocent?" I regretted asking that question as soon as it slipped past my lips. "Never mind," I muttered.

He rolled his eyes as he turned the screen back towards me. David stood and stretched. His eyes caught mine. I waited for him to start arguing again, but he didn't. He gave me a nod before turning and making his way towards the door. David paused with his hand on the doorknob. He seemed to hesitate.

"I hope for your sake that she will be able to handle both of us."

The door click closed behind him. I stared at the door for a few more seconds before turning to stare back at the computer screen. She was still curled up on the couch. Valeria slowly turned a page of the book in her hands. She leaned down to study whatever she was reading a bit closer.

Valeria was innocent, but she was also smart. She wouldn't have survived so long without a backbone.

She would make a great Alpha Female. All I had to do was make David realize it.

We needed to teach her the basic skills of being a leader, the rest would come to her naturally. I was sure that one of the elders had a few notebooks left from the old females. She could read those to learn what would be expected of her as our female. Valeria would one day stand by our side. She would lead amongst us.