The Alpha’s Contract

Neah

Dane guides me into the new office. Instead of just a desk for him, there is now one for me. He pushes the pram through the door and checks on the girls before stepping behind me and looping his arms around my waist. "Every Alpha needs a desk." He muses and

presses his warm lips against my neck. "But you don't have to use it like that if you don't want to. I can think of other uses."

I cast a glance over the new room. The white walls are lined with black and white photographs of our children. the furniture is painted black wood, a stark contrast to the white walls. Large windows let in the light, making the room bright and welcoming. If this was just one room, I couldn't wait to see the rest.

I catch Damien and Samara's scents. Shortly after, Damien calls out, "Neah? Dane?"

"Office," Dane replies as he presses his lips to the mark he gave me.

Damien steps in first, giving the office a nod of approval as Samara quietly slips in behind him, not knowing where to look.

"You wanted to see me," she mutters quietly.

I keep my mouth closed as Damien makes himself comfortable in one of the chairs. He shoots a wink in my direction. He knew exactly why I had asked her to come. However, he was clearly keeping it a secret from Samara.

"How are you finding things?" Dane asks Samara. I knew he was trying to help me find the words I wanted to say by making small talk with her.

She nods. "I am so grateful." The words rush out of her as she throws her eyes at Damien, who shrugs. "I will do anything that you want me to. I want to be here. I want to be with Damien. Whatever it is, I can fix it." She adds when Damien gives her nothing. "You haven't done anything wrong," Dane tells her.

The girls coo from the pram, and Samara sits up a little straighter. "Your pups are here?"

"Do you want to meet them?" I mutter. Why was I finding it so hard to tell her I wanted her to be my Beta?

'Because almost everyone has fucked us over in some way!' Nyx snaps. 'It's natural to be cautious.'

Samara quietly steps over to the pram and peers inside. I see how Damien is watching her with curiosity. He loved Dorothy, but he wanted his own pups.

"They are beautiful, Neah." she smiles as she watches them. "You are very lucky."

"We are," Dane confirms.

Samara pivots around to face me. "Is that why you wanted me to come here so that I could meet the girls?"

"I want you to be my Beta." I don't look away no matter how I surprised I am at my announcement. Though it came out sounding much more aggresive than I wanted.

Her lips part a little until her jaw is fully dropped. Her grey eyes lock on mine as she starts shaking her head in disbelief. Everyone is quiet except the girls.

"But..." Samara closes her eyes, and her brow wrinkles up in confusion. "You made it clear... I... We didn't meet on the best of terms. And you have Damien." She gestures to him, "And Eric, or what about Mallory? She is your friend." "Damien and Eric are Danes Betas, not mine." I smile at Damien, "I know he will protect me with his life, but he was never chosen to be my Beta. You were."

I turn to Dane who smiles at me and nods. "And maybe there was a reason you came into my life."

"Right." She looks down at her feet. "Dakota once said we were preselected. But why now? Why do you want me to step into that role now? I am grateful for the offer, but it doesn't make sense. There are so many better choices than me." "Every Alpha needs a Beta." Dane muses, repeating the similar phrase he had said about my desk.

"What do you think?" Damien asks Samara as he rises to his feet.

She closes her eyes. "Dakota says yes, it's our position, but what if I screw it up. I'm still new to having my Lycan. I haven't shifted since I ripped off Cooper's head. I don't know how good I will be." "Do you think I did?" Damien asks her.

"Samara, for some, it is just naturally

built into them," Dane tells her. He looks at me as a small smile spreads across his lips, "Sometimes it takes time to coach it out of them, but the ability is always there." The smile turns into a grin as he picks up an unsettled Willa. I loved the way he went straight to the children if they sounded the tiniest bit upset.

"What would you want me to do?"

"Help me destroy White Cliffs."

"You want to destroy your birthright?" she scoffs.

'It's not a birthright when the man wants to kill us!' Nyx tuts.

"It has never been mine." I sigh as Dane passes me Willa before returning to the pram to pick up Aderyn. "It is just an idea that has been washed down over decades, maybe centuries. It is a hope that is long forgotten. A Witch and a mad Kitson are running it into the ground, destroying people's lives, and I don't want that. This is my home. This is my children's home, not someplace I have never been a part of."

"Aldous Kitson would be mortified to learn a Witch is somehow in power," she sighs as her shoulders drop, and she screws up her face. "I wouldn't even know where to start. I know have already told you that Dakota tells me that this is who I am, but I don't know how useful I can be to you. And what about the others? The ones who cannot stand my presence. They are not going to

listen to me."

"I know who you are talking about," I mutter. "But Blair is not relevant in this situation."All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"She already hates me. I can't do anything right even though I have apologised over and over. If I accept, she is going to want to kill me even more than she already does. I will have to sleep with one eye open. I don't want to go back to living like that. You must understand that."

She was right, I knew what that life was like. I had spent years wondering the same, and even now, I would sometimes wake in the night thinking someone was going to hurt me, but it goes away the moment Dane sleepily pulls me against him.

"You will have the ability to order her to shut up." Damien smirks. "What is she going to do then?"

"Can I think about it?" She asks quietly.

"Sure," I mutter in surprise. I had been confident Samara was going to accept it.

She turns on her heel and walks out. Damien gives me a confused look before rushing after her.

"That was not the answer I was expecting." Dane frowns. "I thought she would have jumped at the chance.

I nod as I stare at the empty doorway. If anything, it made her more desirable as a Beta. She wasn't prepared to dive right in; she needed to think, to make sure it was the right move.