The Alpha's Bondage

Lingering Heat

♛Harley♛

I woke with my face tucked under his chin and his arm heavy around my waist. His chest lifted slowly against my cheek. He slept hard. For a moment, I didn't move. Warmth soaked through me, and I let it. I listened to the steady rhythm and tried not to think about what it meant that I liked it. Or that I enjoyed it as much as I did. I shouldn’t. After all, this would all come to an end in three months. I shifted slightly so that I could watch him sleep. The soft light from the bathroom cast a glow over his face, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Careful,” Nyra whispered, and I sighed as I gently placed my palm on his chest and felt the slow thump of his heartbeat. It was strange, but it calmed me in a way I didn’t understand. I closed my eyes again just to feel the heat of him. He smelled like soap and skin and a trace of rain that clung to his hair. I liked that very much. I hated that I liked it at all. I slid my hand lower to his stomach and paused. The ache of last night lived between my thighs, a soft reminder of what had happened.

“How long does his hunger last?” I asked Nyra curiously. Truth be told, Archer seemed at peace now. The hunger that clawed at him was asleep. Was it always like this? Would it resurface when he woke up?

“Maybe you should help him with that before he wakes,” Nyra suggested. I leaned in and pressed my nose to his throat and breathed in the scent of him. I pictured waking him with my mouth on him. Would he like it? The images in my mind played out, and I shivered with anticipation as my own desire spiked. I kissed and licked his skin as I slowly trailed my fingers lower. He was soft, quiet, and calm. Still asleep. I smiled as I continued to imagine it. But then his stomach rumbled, and a small laugh burst from my throat. I looked up, but Archer was still very much asleep. He was hungry. Just not hungry for s*x. I eased out of the bed, and he sighed before he rolled onto his back. I watched him for a moment, and then his stomach rumbled again.

“He is definitely hungry,” I said to Nyra. She agreed. I used the bathroom first before I pulled on the floral sleep shorts and tank top. I headed into the kitchen, and the first thing I did was get the coffee going. Then I opened the fridge and stared at the contents before I made my decision. I took out eggs, bacon, and pork sausages. I started with the bacon as I laid them out on a baking tray before I popped them in the oven. Next up, I got a pan out and placed it on the stove with the pork sausages. While that cooked, I grabbed a bowl and used eight eggs to make some scrambled eggs. Another pan, some butter, and that started to cook. I popped some bread in the toaster while I checked on everything.

“Don’t overdo it,” Nyra warned. “It’s just breakfast,”

“Yeah, but I just want him fed,” I answered aloud. The urge to care for him made me nervous. It felt dangerous. I forced it to the back of my mind. I put a lid on the sausages and buttered the toast. I checked on the bacon and stirred the eggs. I was just finishing up when I heard footsteps behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Archer standing in the kitchen doorway.

“You cooked,” he murmured, and he looked wrinkled with sleep. I decided right then and there that I liked the way he looked.

“I did, and it’s almost ready…so, take a seat,” I suggested. Archer did exactly that, and I hurriedly plated the food. I set his plate in front of him and grabbed a cup from the cupboard for his coffee.

“Thank you,” he said when I put the cup down next to his plate. I was surprised when he didn’t start eating. Archer waited until I was seated across from him with my plate. We ate in silence for a moment, and it felt so domestic. It felt right. It felt strange. “This is good,” he said, and I blushed.

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked, and he glanced at me and nodded. “Is it always like this?”

“Ah…?”

“I mean, the hunger…is it always calm after…well, s*x?” I felt weird asking him about it, but one of the biggest rules in our contract was communication.

“Honestly, no,” he said, and I frowned. “The hunger…it’s always there. I can feel it. Sometimes it's overpowering and other times it's calm…but with you, it’s different,”

“I don’t…what?” I was confused. What did he mean by that?

“With you, the hunger is sated for longer,” he explained.

“Is that…a good thing?” I asked, and he smiled.

“It’s great,” he said, and I just wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Is that why it took him so long to come to me? Because the hunger had been sated for longer? “I wanted to come sooner,” Archer then said, and I looked over at him curiously. “But the pack…they need their Alpha, and I can’t push them aside just because I want you,”

“Oh,” I wasn’t sure what else to say to that.

“Look, Harley…there is something I need to talk to you about, but it's going to have to wait,” Archer said, and the seriousness in his tone of voice made me feel like I was on edge. “There is a threat to the pack…which is why I couldn’t come sooner,”

“A threat?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what it is yet, but…I need to focus on that right now,”

“Are you…why does this feel like you are breaking up with me?” I asked as panic washed over me.

“No,” he said with a small smile. “Definitely not. I just want you to know why I’m not here when I want to be,”

“Oh…oh, ok,” I said with a nod. At least he was giving me the heads up. “Is there…is there any way that we can keep in contact?” I asked him then. “Yesterday felt…I didn’t like it,” I admitted.

“I can get you a phone,” he said with a nod. “So long as you promise not to use it to contact the outside world,”

“No, just you,” I promised. He nodded, and I breathed out in relief. It made me feel a bit better knowing that I would be able to contact him. Especially while I sat around waiting just for him. We finished breakfast in silence, and when Archer was done, he kissed me softly before he left. The sound of the door being locked made me feel unsettled.

“There is something…” Nyra said, and I nodded as I continued to stare at the door. “But what is it?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. I wanted to understand it, but I couldn’t. I didn’t have a name for the way it felt. But I knew Archer was something special. I just didn’t know what it meant.

♛♛