CHAPTER 11

LILA'S POV

"Mr. Cross?" Richard's voice comes through. "Do you have a moment?"

Oh Goddess, oh Goddess, the office manager’s right outside. I try to push Wade away, try to make him stop, but he doesn't even slow down.

"No," Wade calls out, his voice perfectly steady even as he continues thrusting into me. "I'm busy. Come back in an hour."

"But sir, this is quite urgent. It's about the…"

"I said I'm busy, Richard." His voice drops to that Alpha tone that shuts down any argument, and his hand clamps over my mouth as I start to whimper. "Whatever it is can wait. Leave."

There's a long pause where I'm sure Richard can hear something or sense what's happening, but then I hear his footsteps retreating down the hall.

Wade removes his hand from my mouth, and I gasp for air, my heart racing.

"You're completely insane," I breathe. "He almost caught us!"

"Let him." He leans down, changing the angle again, and I moan despite myself. "Let them all know who you belong to. Admit it, Lila, you love this, don't you? You love being fucked on my desk where anyone could walk in and see how desperate you are for my cock.”

I do. Goddess help me, I really do. The danger just makes everything hotter, makes my pussy clench tighter around him.

"I don't…"

He cuts me off with a kiss, rough and demanding, his tongue invading my mouth the same way his cock is claiming my pussy. I kiss him back just as roughly, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

He groans, and his thrusts become almost punishing. One hand wraps around my throat, not squeezing, just holding, asserting his dominance, while the other finds my clit.

"W-Wade… I'm so close…"

"Come for me," he orders against my lips. "Now."

The orgasm slams into me like a tidal wave, and I bite down on his shoulder to muffle my scream, my pussy clenching around him so hard he curses. He fucks me through it, prolonging the pleasure until I'm trembling intensely.

"That's my girl," he groans, his rhythm becoming erratic. "Fuck, Lila…"

He comes with a deep groan, burying himself as deep as he can go, and I feel him pulsing inside me.

For a long moment, we just stay like that, panting and tangled together on his desk. Then slowly, carefully, he pulls out, tossing the condom in the trash.

I expect him to step back, to let me up, but instead he helps me sit up, his hands surprisingly gentle as he smooths my dress down.

"You alright?" he asks, his voice softer now.

"I think so." I fix my hair, trying to make myself presentable. "That was..."

"Incredible?" He smirks. "Earth-shattering? The best sex of your life?"

"Insane," I finish, but I can't help smiling. "Completely insane."

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and the gesture is surprisingly tender. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about the Sabrina thing. I should've handled it better."

The apology catches me off guard. Wade Cross doesn't seem like the type who apologizes for anything.

"Apology slightly accepted." I meet his eyes. "But I get it now. And... thank you for telling me the truth."

"Don't get used to it." He grins, then his expression turns serious like he's about to say something important. "Lila… there's something I need to ask you."

My stomach flips. Oh no. I know that tone. That's a serious conversation tone, and I'm not ready for serious conversations when I can still feel him inside me. "Go ahead."

"I need you to be my mate."

I blink, sure I heard him wrong. "What?"

"My fake mate," he clarifies, and oh, that stings more than it should. "For a year. There's a business deal, a pack alliance that requires me to have a mate. I need someone to play the role."

I stare at him, my post-orgasm haze evaporating fast. "You want me to pretend to be your mate and go with you to a business event?"

"Events. Multiple." He adjusts his stance, and suddenly he's all business. "The Silvermoon Pack alliance is important for expanding our territory and business interests. But the Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack is traditional, he won't take me seriously unless I have a mate by my side. My father's the same way. They both believe an unmated Alpha isn't stable enough to lead."

"So you need me to... what? Stand next to you and smile?"

"More than that. Public appearances, pack events, family dinners. You'd need to be convincing. Make people believe we're actually together."

"For a year?"

"Yes."

I slide off the desk, my legs still shaky, and look for my panties. "You're actually insane."

"I'm serious." He catches my wrist. "I'll compensate you well, Lila. Very well. We'll draw up a contract with all the terms clearly stated. Salary, bonuses, what's expected of you. And it would just be public appearances, pack events, family events. Nothing more."

"Nothing more?" I laugh, gesturing between us. "We just fucked on your desk, Wade!"

"That's separate."

"How is that separate?!"

"Because what we have..." He pauses, seeming to choose his words carefully. "What happens between us physically has nothing to do with the business arrangement. The contract is about appearances. What we do in private is... something else."

My head is spinning. "I need to think about it."

"I need an answer by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I'm finding my panties now, pulling them on with shaking hands. "That's not enough time!"

"It's all the time I have." His expression is serious, all Alpha business. "The main event is in three days. I need to know if you're in or out so we can prepare accordingly. If you agree, we'll need to get you fitted for the appropriate attire, brief you on key people you'll need to know, and go over our cover story."

"And what about Liam?" The question bursts out of me. "What do I tell my brother? 'Hey, Liam, I'm fake dating your best friend who I've also been fucking. Hope that's cool!'"

"We'll figure that out."

"That's not an answer!"

"It's the only answer I have right now." He runs a hand through his hair, and for the first time since I've met him, he looks almost... uncertain. "I know this is a lot to ask, Lila. But I wouldn't be asking if I had another option. This deal means everything to my pack, to my position as future Alpha. I need this to work."

I stare at him, at this powerful Alpha who just fucked me senseless on his desk and is now asking me to be his fake contract mate for a year.

This is insane. Completely, utterly insane.

But my wolf is practically howling with excitement at the thought of standing by his side, even if it's just pretend. And a traitorous part of me wants to know what it would feel like to be claimed as his, even though it's temporary.

"I need time to think," I repeat.

"You have until tomorrow."

I grab my scattered papers, my pen, anything I can use as an excuse to get out of this office and this conversation. "I have to go. I have... work to do."

"Lila…"

"Tomorrow," I say firmly. "You'll get your answer tomorrow."

And I run out like the hounds of hell are chasing me, leaving him standing there in his expensive office, his pants still undone, watching me go. 

My hands are shaking as I sit at my desk, and for the life of me, I have absolutely no idea what the fuck I'm supposed to do next.