Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Elias struggled to control his cock. It was pressed against her thigh, but he didn’t think she realized it. He was determined to tell her everything now before they let their physical connection take over. He wanted her to have every piece of information he could impart.

“As I was saying, safety is my primary concern. If you break a safety rule, I will not hesitate to spank you, Leah. I will always spank your naked bottom so I can see what I’m doing and ensure I don’t swat you too hard. If I think you need more than a spanking, I will insist you stand in the corner after I’m done to give you time to think about your behavior.”

Her eyes were wide with shock. He’d known that would happen, and damn but he wanted all the cards on the table even if he continued to shock her. “Not only will you not be required to cook for me, Little one, but you may not use the oven or the stove. You may not touch the knives. You will ask my permission before you do anything at all in the kitchen.”

Her eyes widened further, her jaw dropping open.

He continued, “You may not run in the house. You may not climb onto chairs to reach things. When you’re in your crib, you will stay on your bottom until I come to get you. Same goes for your playpen. On your bottom when I put you in the playpen. No climbing out. All of those are safety issues, Leah. I admit yesterday I found those rules to be as absurd as you are currently thinking, but now that I’ve claimed you, I understand. The thought of anything happening to you makes my skin crawl, so I get it. I will insist on the same rules as every other Alpha Protector. Have I made myself clear?”

Leah was struggling, and he felt bad for her, but it was easier to rip this bandage off all at once. He waited until she whispered, “Yes, Sir.” Frustration was marring her features, but it was clear by her pheromones that she was mostly angry with her own body for reacting so strongly to his orders.

It was innate. It didn’t matter that she’d never expected the level of submission he would require of her, nor did it matter that he hadn’t expected to dominate her as strongly as he now knew was necessary. This was the way of his people, and she would learn.

Elias could tell by her scent, the way she fidgeted, and how she kept looking away that she was already realizing that she would crave his firm dominance. Thrive on it. Shake with the need to obey him. Her deep submission was in her bones. It would gradually surface over the next few days until it was second nature. She knew it, but she didn’t like it.

He softened his tone as he continued, “There will be other rules, Baby girl. Rules that aren’t related to safety. Rules you might intentionally break when you feel like you need a spanking.”

She gasped again. “I will never feel like I need a spanking,” she argued.

“You will, Little one. I promise.” He gripped her hip, preparing to hold her close as he spoke his next words. “You can already feel it bubbling up inside you. You’re curious. You want to know what it will feel like. You want to submit to me in the way I’m describing. You’re shaking with the need to have me flip you over my knees, push your dress up, and bare your bottom.”

She shook her head defiantly, sending her hair flying around her shoulders, but the scent of her arousal could not be stopped. He would bet her pussy was dripping.

He needed to drive his point home in a way that would scare her, so he nodded toward the mountains behind her. “There are predators out there, Little one. Other animals, some wild, some not. I never want you to be in a situation where you are threatened because you strayed too far from Daddy or snuck out of the house without permission.”

She blinked. “Do you mean there are bad men out in the forest?”

“There could be, but what I do know is there are bear shifters.”

“Bear shifters?” Her voice rose to a creak.

“Yes. Remember when a woman disappeared from the valley right before her ceremony?”

“Yes. I didn’t know her. She was from another school.”

“That was Suzette. You will meet her when we’re done with our seclusion and venture out to visit others. Suzette was taken by a bear shifter. He was able to mask his scent. Her mate is my brother, Brock. He followed Suzette’s scent to find her, and he was lucky. She was unharmed. But ever since then, we have had several encounters with members of a bear-shifting community. We’ve learned a few of their own have gone rogue and are causing problems.”

“That’s scary,” she whispered.

“And that’s the primary reason you will not leave the house alone, understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“At this point, we believe the majority of the bears in the area mean us no harm. They’re looking for a new place to live. A few of them are bad news, though, and they’re not to be trusted. They’re bold enough to come right up to the house. I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.”

“I won’t go outside, Elias.”

At least he seemed to have scared her into compliance on this issue. It was the most important rule. He cupped her cheek. “You may call me Elias when you’re screaming my name in our bed, Little firecracker, but please call me Daddy when we are not actively having sex.”

She licked her pretty lips again. They were swollen and red from her biting them several times.

He lifted one of her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles, loving the way her breath hitched and her arousal kicked up another notch. Taking a chance, he wrapped his lips around her middle finger and sucked it into his mouth.

His cock jerked at the taste of her. Leah leaned into him, unable to fight the pull. It was powerful and growing.

He released her finger with a pop.

“Are you going to take me to your bed now?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Not until you’re ready, Little one.”

“When will I be ready?”

He smiled and rubbed her fingers against his jaw. He longed to do exactly what she was suggesting. Take her to their bedroom, strip these layers of material off her, and worship her body. Soon.

“Do you understand how your first shift will happen?” he asked, needing to cover this topic, too.

“My mother said I can’t shift until after we consummate the union.”

“That’s true, but she may have oversimplified it. When we decide to take that first step of consummation, we will enter a frenzy of need that will cause us to come together over and over until we’re both exhausted. Meanwhile, your body will prepare for its first shift. Your temperature will slowly rise until you’re ready, and then you will shift completely out of your control. It will gradually consume you until you drop to all fours and let your wolf take over. It’s freeing and invigorating, but you will be so very tired that you will not stay in wolf form for long. Soon you will return to me, and we will sleep like the dead.”

She nodded slowly. “I’m scared.”

“I know you are, Little one. Frankly so am I. I’m scared that at some point I will be so consumed with the need to claim you that I will rush you. I’m scared of hurting you. I’m scared of anything hurting you.”

“Daddies get scared, too?” she murmured.

He had to restrain himself from roaring into the open air at her first use of the word Daddies. It wasn’t directed at him, but it was close.

“Yes, Baby girl. Daddies get scared.”

“Do you expect me to submit to you all the time?”

“Yes, Little one, but I promise it will come naturally. It will not be a difficult struggle.”

“Are you going to make me wear a diaper all the time?”

“Nope. Diapers are optional. They are for times when you need to submit deeper. Times when you feel like turning over all of your care to me. It’s called regression. You will feel it pull you in at times. I may encourage you to let me Baby you when I think you need it, but more often than not, the choice will be yours.”

“And all the other mates have nurseries, too?”

“Yes, Little one. We will visit their homes. You will see. And you know what else?”

She giggled. Lord have mercy, her giggle was magical. “I don’t think I can handle anything else.”

He proceeded anyway. He plucked at the layers of material on her thigh. “This will shock you perhaps more than anything you’ve learned so far.”

She cringed. “Then maybe definitely don’t tell me.”

He chuckled. “I’m going to tell you anyway, and I promise this is the last thing for now.”

She sighed dramatically, letting her shoulders drop. “Fine.” The sass in her tone sent his libido into overdrive again.

“Our mates do not dress modestly like the women in the valley.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean this is the most clothing you will ever have on. After I take this dress and the layers of material beneath it off you, you will never again be so hidden from my view.”

“What will I wear?”

He chuckled and shrugged. “To be honest, I’m embarrassed to admit just like everything else in your nursery, I did not take part in stocking your closet. I’m not sure what the other Littles chose for you, but I’m certain they did a splendid job.”

“Your women don’t wear dresses that cover them completely?”

“Not even close. Most of the dresses you will wear will barely cover your bottom. They will leave your arms and legs bare. You won’t wear stifling layers either.”

Her jaw dropped again, and it took her a moment to respond. “But it’s cold outside and it snows.”

“When we go outside, you might wear leggings under your dresses and sweaters or a coat, but inside our home it will always be plenty warm, and after you shift you will often feel warmer than you ever have before.”

“People will see my skin?” Her voice was incredulous.

“Yep. No one will care what you’re wearing, Little one. I’m the only one who will notice. Your scent will mingle with mine and take you off the market, so to speak. Your pheromones will not attract another wolf shifter.”

“But…”

He grinned. “Trust me. It will seem odd at first, but you will enjoy the freedom of not managing long dresses. You will be free to play without the cumbersome bulk of material.”

Her slow smile warmed his heart further. “I might like that part. It would be easier to paint.” She narrowed her gaze. “You meant what you said earlier, right? You will let me paint?”

“I will let you paint as often as you want, Little firecracker. We can even designate some of your dresses for painting and not worry if you splatter on them. Or…” he shrugged, “…you can paint without clothes on.”

She gasped. “That’s silly.”

He lifted a brow. “Is it?”