Stumbling my way into our bedroom, excited giggles left my lips as I dragged Asra by the hand. He murmured something as he shut the door, releasing me to the bedroom. My feet ached with the urge to relieve them from their confines and with an elated shriek, I fell onto the bed.

"You okay there?" Asra chuckled.

I sighed, pushing my hair from my face. "Why do I feel so tired?"

"It's the wine." He snorted. "Lightweight."

"Hey!" I complained, launching a pillow at him.

He caught it mid-air, that devilish grin widening his cheeks. "It's just a fact, Tulip."

I snorted, sitting upright to take my shoes off. They slid from my feet and I moaned in satisfaction, my toes wriggling with happiness. Despite being fashionable, I was most certain they would not make it into my wardrobe ever again.

I moved onto my dress next, sliding the thin straps from my shoulders. I tried and failed to drag it down my body, only to realise I would have to stand. With a defeated groan, I left it as it was and crawled further up the bed. My body ached all over, and the kiss in the car turned my muscles to jelly.

Asra moved around the room, and I paid close attention to his footfalls. He came near the bed and stopped, causing me to peek an eye open to find him hovering over me. His eyes were still dark, lips still swollen from the heated kiss. If we hadn't arrived and weren't in a car, I wondered what would've happened...

"Need help?" He wondered.

I hummed a yes, raising my arms. He snorted, pushing my arms away, and I recoiled with an amused giggle. His hands grabbed my waist, flipping me onto my side. I felt his fingers grace the zipper along the back and I realised that was why it got stuck. Here I was, about to curse Piper for giving me a death trap dress, and I forgot it had a zipper.

His hands were warm as he slowly pulled the dress down my waist and I rolled onto my back as he reached my hips. I lifted them, relishing in the tickling of his fingers as they traced fire into my hips and thighs. He was teasing me. I was sure of it because it felt like forever before the dress reached my ankles.

Asra was staring down at me intensely and it was then I realised I wasn't wearing a bra. I blushed, my hands moving to cover my naked chest on instinct, but it only caused Asra to grumble.

"You don't have to hide." He murmured.

I chewed my lower lip, looking away from his intensity. Lifting the covers, I rolled myself underneath them to get away from his gaze. Asra remained silent, eyes burning into the back of my head before his clothes shifted and swayed.

He walked around the bed, dumping my dress into the laundry basket. I watched him through hooded, sleepy eyes as he undressed. First came his shirt, his long fingers slowly removing each of the buttons before the fabric shifted from his shoulders and into his hands. The trousers came next, the fabric noisy as he placed them into the basket with his shirt.

Through bleary, tired eyes, I watched as his muscles rippled with every movement. Were all wolves this built? Or were Alpha's just on some weird hormone boost?

He climbed into the bed beside me, pulling the covers over his legs and leaning against the headboard. I shifted closer by instinct, pressing my thighs to the side of him.

"You okay?" I whispered.

He chuckled, his hand come from behind his head to settle on my head. "I'm fine, Tulip. What's got your mind going, sleepy?"

I grinned, shaking my head. "Why are you so large?"

"What?" He laughed.

"You're huge. Like, you're T-Rex size. All muscles and height." I pointed out.

He didn't hide his grin, the picture so amazing I couldn't help but stare at the way it lit up his entire face. "I am an alpha."

"A continental alpha." I drifted my eyes upward to find his own.

"That's right..." He muttered.

"Is that why you're so... in everyone's face?"

His eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded. "I suppose it is."

"That guy at the bar..." I began hesitantly. "He said your dad ran the pack into the ground. What did he mean?"

Asra sighed, hesitating for a few breaths before he replied. "I was not born into being continental alpha. My father ran a pack below the old continental alpha."

"He did?" My eyes widened.

He nodded, the bed creaking as he rolled to face me on his side. His right hand supported his head as his left came to trail down my shoulder and bicep.

"He was Alpha, I was Alpha. When mother died, he began to let things slide. Rogues invaded, took what they wanted, killed pack members... Nobody set foot in our land, nobody traded with us. My father became unhinged after a while and... we locked him up for a few years whilst I tried to make things better."

I inhaled sharply, goosebumps rising on my skin. "That's awful."

He shrugged. "It was necessary. People got killed, robbed... even raped... It was a massacre of primal demise. I had no choice, Tulip."

"I know... but... he was still your father."

Asra shook his head. "He was not my father. He held no emotion, no ties, no regulations... He lost his mind, literally. It happens when a wolf loses their mate. Usually they end up killing themselves from their loss."

"Did he ever..."

"He came back. I don't know what caused him to not lose himself to the insanity of his beast, but he came back. Only after I became Continental Alpha."

"How did you manage that?" I yawned.

He chuckled. "You should get some sleep."

I grunted, nudging him with my knee. "Bed-time story, keep going."

"Okay, fine." Asra chuckled. "Whilst he was... imprisoned, I tried to save the pack, but it was too late. I wanted to be better for them, I wanted to provide the safety that I could. I trained. Hard. The pack... I made them believe my father had trained me to not tarnish his name any more than it already was, whilst I learnt in secret."

My tired eyes widened, listening to his every word.

"I had trained myself hard, and took down the alpha of the Cardinal pack." He paused before sighing. "I killed him. He did not submit out of pride, so I had to... He was elder, and his only son died a couple of decades prior..."

"So he wanted it to happen." I murmured. "Poor man."

Asra sighed. "Wolves... we are animals, Tulip. What hurts a human doesn't harm a beast."

"You're not a beast." I stared into his midnight eyes. "I can see that now."

He smiled sadly. "You may see it, but we may not."

I sighed, placing my hand on his cheek. "You don't seem like a monster to me, Asra. You sound like a man who wanted the best for his family and his friends... You gave them a secure, happy life here."

He bent down to kiss my nose. "Thank you."

I yawned, waving him off and dropping my hand to his shoulder. "Anytime, my liege."

"I am the alpha." He grunted. "How many times do I need to remind you?"

My eyes closed, and I did nothing but grin. "A few more wouldn't hurt... Butterscotch."

His grumble was the last sound I heard before I succumbed to sleep.

*** 

I awoke the next morning with a dull headache. It was nothing I could not handle. I wandered my way into the bathroom; I realised that a certain male of mine was missing. My eyes widened with delight, quickly stripping off my underwear and running to the bathroom.

Alone time.

Swinging the door open, my bare feet slipped on the tiles as steam immediately hit my skin. I groaned, turning my eyes toward the shower where a very naked and amused Asra stood waiting.

"Ah, Tulip. Glad to see you woke up in time." He smirked.

I huffed, crossing my arms for decency, and leaned against the glass shower door. He smirked at me, washing the shampoo from his hair, and I took a moment to trail my gaze over his naked form. I un-ashamedly licked my lips, following the well-defined contours of his body and the very satisfying member between his legs.

A low growl drew my eyes upward, and a grin broadened my face at Asra's heated gaze. He was dripping wet, his hair dripping down his forehead and shielding his eyes.

"Yes?" I hummed.

He leaned toward me and, without further warning, grabbed me by the wrist. I shrieked as he pulled me into the current, an amused smile on his face as I instantly got drenched.

"You look like you need a shower." He mused.

I grunted, pushing the hair from my face with a glare. "A little warning would be nice."

"A growl is sufficient." He shrugged.

"You growl all the time. It's like breathing noises." I huffed.

He laughed, his shoulders shaking as he opened the shampoo and washed my hair. As usual, I gave in to his pampering, since it made his instincts weirdly calm. I closed my eyes as his fingers massaged my scalp, weaving through the knots that formed in my hair. I wouldn't admit that I enjoyed it just as much. Not yet.

Memories of the night before came to mind as his firm touch led me to the past. After the kiss in the car, my mind turned to mush. I was content with what happened. Not feeling gross, or mistreated by his touches... I welcome them, excited by them. I have never had such feelings, such euphoria. It had always been a chore, a task for me when with Darius. Every touch with Asra had me feeling elated.

I was on cloud nine and I didn't want to come down.

Water pooling down my face dragged me back into the present. Asra had washed and conditioned my hair and was happily drowning me again.

I swear, he had a thing for doing that.

I pushed at him, hearing him successfully slip before his wolf-reflexes kicked in and he caught himself on the wall. He cursed my name, but I paid no mind as I washed the soap from the rest of my body. Turning the shower off, I glared at him.

"Do you want me to drown?"

His grin didn't waver. "It's funny."

"Yeah well... You're funny looking." I taunted.

He let out a slow breath. "That all you got? Last night, you couldn't even tear your eyes away."

I scoffed. "From your ugly ass. It was such an eyesore."

He growled, his canines glinting as they lengthened. I didn't feel threatened, even whilst naked, and shot him a glare of my own. Before he could move further, I turned my back on him and left the shower, reaching for a towel.

Arms wrapped around my naked waist before I could escape and raised me up off the floor. My knees bent, my back buckling as he lifted me up. An annoying screech left my lips as Asra's low growl rumbled down my spine.

"Never turn your back on the enemy." He teased, tongue licking along the base of my neck.

I shuddered as he put me down, and quickly covered myself with the towel.

"I don't need to watch my back." I shrugged.

"And why's that?" He taunted.

I giggled, casting him a look as I moved to the sink to brush my teeth and hair. "I know you got it for me."