Alpha Assignment (GL) Chapter 33 (Early Access) (Patreon)

Quinn couldn't leave her bathroom. Possibly still curled up in her bed was the woman she had fucked to unconsciousness last night. A woman who was in her home seeking refuge from an abusive wolf pack. Quinn stared into the toilet bowl and considered shoving her face into the water until there were no more bubbles.

She should put Remi on a life insurance policy before she did anything rash.

That thought, and the ridiculousness of it, zapped a little energy back into her. She threw her back against the tiled wall and slapped both her cheeks at once.

There was a knock on the bathroom door.

“Quinn?”

Quinn made an embarrassing squeaking noise.

“I think…” Remi pulled the door open. The enormous shirt that covered her to the knees was Quinn’s, and her hair was untied, hanging tangled to her chin. She was angelic in the morning light that bounced off all-white decor. “I think it’s time to read my file.”

It wasn’t what she was expecting Remi to greet her with, but she was almost glad for the excuse not to discuss yesterday’s developments. “Are you sure?”

“And then-” Remi crouched beside her and the sight of a wince twisted Quinn’s guts. “I want to claim my day of kisses.”

Quinn nodded creakily, still processing the damage she could have done to a teeny tiny omega. She couldn’t look directly at her anymore, scared of what she might see.

“I’m going to have a shower,” Remi said slowly. “I think you should, too.”

Quinn nodded again, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips. She had made a mess of both of them.

“Then I’m going to make hot chocolate for me and coffee for you.” When Quinn didn’t respond, Remi added, “Is that okay, Alpha?”

Quinn’s neck muscles pulled taut with the force of her head turning. Remi was smiling, a knowing look in her eye.

"Thanks, Remi,” Quinn croaked.

Remi nodded and left. Quinn spent a few more moments on the tiles before dragging herself up and into the shower. She let the spray batter her face for a bit, enjoying the block it caused between her and her thoughts.

Towelling herself dry, she finally felt slightly more clear-headed.

She was supposed to be in the office, maybe even right then. Time had lost all meaning between that first kiss to Remi’s soft, scarred stomach pouch and now, standing butt naked in her bathroom. She hadn’t looked at the clock when she woke up, her only thought had been to peel herself from the disaster zone and hide somewhere while she worked out what the fuck had happened. How had things escalated so suddenly? A few touches to Remi’s body, a display of her care and concern, had snowballed into mindless sex. And just thinking about it had her wet again. She dried herself furiously between the legs with her towel and tossed it into the basket.

She needed to focus. She needed to call in sick to work. She needed to get dressed. She needed to prepare herself for whatever was in that file. And then, she needed to give Remi anything she wanted for the rest of her life to make up for letting her horny alpha side run wild with her tiny little body.

For some reason, she felt shy when she walked naked back into her bedroom and realised Remi had left the door open, as though Remi seeing her without clothes on was something to be worried about at this point. She dressed in a white tee and grey sweatpants, dug her phone out of yesterday’s discarded jeans, dumped all her dirty clothes in the laundry basket, and rang her manager.

It was ten am, it was Thursday, and HR had apparently been contemplating calling the police for a welfare check. Quinn tried to laugh off the concern, claiming she had been struck down sick really suddenly over lunch time yesterday and just woke up. It was almost the truth. Her manager warned her she would have to calm down Jordan once she was back in, and told her to take it easy in the meantime. Quinn promised she would.

The sofa had been transformed into a fluffy nest with the side tables drawn up front to make one rectangular space that Remi had decorated with a full cafetiere, a milky hot chocolate, and the file. Quinn gave the table a wide berth as she followed the clunks and clatters coming from the kitchen, as though the pile of paperwork were venomous.

The kitchen door opened before she could push it and Remi appeared, fresh pjs covering her only a little more than Quinn's shirt had. In her hand was a plate of chopped fruit and the chocolate things Quinn had found at the convenience store while Jordan was searching for some ‘special edition’ flavour of canned coffee.

"Breakfast?"

Quinn smiled. "Looks great, let me carry it."

Remi squirmed away and under Quinn's elbow. "I can manage." She reached the double-table and put down the food. Quinn followed her like a puppy, scanning her from head to toe for any sign of injury. When she bent over, her burnt-orange pj shorts rode up and the outlines of long fingers were painted over the plush skin of her upper thighs in pinky-purple bruises. As she straightened, she rubbed at her lower back with her knuckles before she attempted to climb onto the sofa she had covered in mounds of blankets. Quinn offered a hand for support and Remi accepted it, leaning against her to find a good spot to drop in and cocoon herself. Quinn followed.

"Are you sore?" she asked once they were wrapped up to their armpits and cushions had been adjusted behind them.

Remi looked at her carefully, as though weighing up her answer. "A tiny bit."

Quinn's heart sank.

"Don't feel bad, I think that's normal!" Remi rushed to reassure her. It somehow made Quinn feel worse that Remi would feel obliged to protect her emotions when she was the one who had been hurt.

"Sex isn't supposed to hurt, Remi, not even the first time."

Remi laughed quietly. She took her hot chocolate in both hands and smiled against the rim for a moment. "The sex didn't hurt, Quinn." She took a tentative sip, blew on it twice, and then tried again. "Mmm. No, I think I just passed out in a funny position. I woke up all tangled like yarn."

"You don't have to-"

"I'm not." The finality of her tone silenced Quinn.

Remi reached forward and gave the cafetiere handle a test tap. A light layer of coffee grounds bounced away from the filter and she looked to Quinn, offering the honours of completing it. When Quinn didn't react quickly enough, Remi began the slow push and they both watched, transfixed, for a few seconds. The scent slipping out with the steam was soothing, familiar, and promised a clearer heart and mind once she'd had a chance to taste. Remi poured half a mug-full and offered it to her. It immediately filled her with an uncomfortable sensation that this was how alphas were treated in their packs. Catered to, hand and foot. Remi had probably served her previous alpha in the same way. Maybe not bundled up on the sofa in pajamas, though...

The first taste was a relief. Remi smiled and sipped her own drink while Quinn savoured every drop of liquid focus. When she had drained the cup, Remi put out a little palm to refill it and Quinn allowed it. She would make the next round.

"Are you ready to start on the file?" Remi asked, pleasant, as though checking if Quinn was ready to take a trip to the park.

"Are you?"

Remi nodded. "It's an old story to me."

"You might feel differently going back over it, though." She shifted in her seat, turning more to face Remi than the table. "If you change your mind at any time we can stop, okay?"

"That sounds familiar." Remi's smile was wry.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday-"

"I'm not." Remi rolled her mug between the palms of her hands. She looked down into it, pouting a little. "So please don't ruin my first time by acting as though you wish it didn't happen." There was a hint of hurt in amongst the sulking attitude, Quinn's body replicated the feeling.

"I don't wish it didn't happen." She let out a soft sigh. "I just wish I'd held better control, been more gentle-"

"You were perfect." Remi was flushed to her ears. She put her cup down and buried her hands in the blankets. "I liked it," she admitted, so quiet it took wolf hearing to pick up.

Quinn reached out to stroke along the edge of Remi's arm. "Okay, then I'll stop worrying." A complete and total lie.

Remi gave her a knowing look and leant forward in her seat to flip the file open.