Alpha in Paris Page 2

  When Elias had brought me to his office shortly after Dash left, I couldn’t have begun to figure out what he wanted to talk to me about. That was the day that he had changed my world.

  Wolves.

  My best friend and her family were wolves. Not just any wolves but wolf royalty. The Benoit line was centuries old and I was honored that they had allowed me into their world. When I told Elias that, he had laughed at me. He told me that they loved having me around and that they considered me part of the family. He went on to explain that Lina had just had her first shift. While they didn’t have to wait for the full moon to shift, they did have to run during the full moon to recharge their wolf and spirit. That was why they went to the country each month. Elias and Eve decided to tell me because for the first year or so, it would be difficult for Lina to control all of her shifts. They wanted me to be prepared in case she shifted by accident.

  I can honestly say that I was shocked with all the information they gave me but it explained so much.

  Dash leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. It was something that he had done to Lina and I when we were little girls. He dropped his hand from my face and turned to his sister.

  “Hey, brat. Are you behaving?”

  Lina snorted. “Of course not. You should know better.”

  He shook his head at her and moved to Natalie. He kissed both her cheeks and hugged her. “How are you, Nat?”

  She leaned back in his arms, “I am wonderful. Did your parents tell you that Leo asked me to marry him?”

  “Yes, they did. I am excited for you both. Leo couldn’t have made a better choice.”

  I watched the blush on her cheeks and while I was envious of the fact that she was in Dash’s arms, I knew how much she loved Leo. I turned and finished up the sandwich that I had been munching on. I relaxed into the hand that rested on my back as Dash moved away from Natalie and returned to my side. I knew that I shouldn’t enjoy the fact that Dash was leaning against the bar next to me but I was going to relish it while it lasted.

  “So, petits munchkins, what are you both doing here?”

  Lina shot him a look. “We aren’t little munchkins anymore, big brother. Piper is going to be working here while she gets some experience in mass baking and running a restaurant. She is opening a bakery.”

  I could feel the heat rising along my cheeks and could feel Dash watching me.

  “You are opening your own business, petite boulanger?”

  “Oui. I have been baking for years with Nettie and recently graduated from Le Cordon Bleu. Your mom is addicted to my beignets.” I shot him my mischievous grin.

  “She said something about them when she was telling me about her brunches.”

  “I made my brandied apricot beignets for her a few years ago. She fell in love and now I make them for her several times a month. Your dad has a craving for my beignet bread pudding with whiskey sauce.”

  “Really? Dad likes your deserts too? He’s never been much of a sweets kind of guy.”

  “He loves my treats. He has tried to bribe me on more than one occasion to make some more.”

  “I can’t imagine dad sinking to bribes but I also haven’t tried your sweets.”

  Natalie stood up since we were done with lunch and turned to me. “Piper, come by around 10 am and you can get started. Sophie made sure that all of your ingredients were ordered and are stocked for you. Eve said just to let them know if you need anything else. I will be in tomorrow and we can get together to go over some of the software programs, vendors, and equipment that we use. I am going to head to the back and work on some paperwork that I need to get done. I will see you girls later. Bye, Dash.”

  We all said our goodbyes as she headed to the back of the restaurant. Lina stood as well. “I am going to head out, Piper. I have a hair appointment and Pierre will cut me off if I am late.”

  She kissed me on the cheek and dashed out of the restaurant before I could get off my stool. I shivered as Dash rubbed my lower back.

  “What are your plans this afternoon, sweets?”

  “I was planning on getting a jump start on some of my baking for tomorrow. I wanted to make some beignets today so I can make the desert for your dad. It’s just better with day old bread. Did you want to help or do you have plans?”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Dash

  I couldn’t believe that I was standing here touching the woman that I have wanted for so long. She wanted to spend time with me? I know how to cook. You can’t really grow up in the restaurant industry and not have some clue on what goes on in the kitchen.

  “I have no plans, sweets. I would be happy to help you in the kitchen. Come on.” I stood up and started to tug her back toward the kitchens.

  She stopped me. “Dash, I am making them at my place. I have everything ready there. Is that okay?”

  I could see the shyness on her face. I knew that asking me to come home with her was something she didn’t do often even if it was for just for baking.

  “Of course. Where are you staying at?”

  She grinned up at me. “Your parents are letting me stay in one of the apartments in your old building. I love the kitchen in my apartment. Your dad let me expand it and add new appliances. I have to say that it is a bakers dream now.”

  I knew that my dad did that because he adored Piper and he knew that she was my mate. I don’t think she realized that I moved back into my old apartment and I was now in the same building as her.

  I handed her bag to her and escorted her out the backdoor with my hand around her waist. I couldn’t believe that she was allowing me to hold her like this but I wasn’t going to complain. I held her door open and waited for her to slip in. My mate was in my car and in my building. My wolf was running circles inside and kept growling at me to claim her. I tightened my hold on him and pointed the car toward our building.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Piper

  I couldn’t believe that Dash was going home with me. It had been a dream of mine for more years than I could count. I tried to think if I had left anything inappropriate lying around.

  “So, Piper. How have you been doing the last few years?”

  I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “Lina and I moved into an apartment together after we graduated. It was fun for a while but you know how your sister is. She loves the closeness of the pack and so she moved back home with your parents. I stayed in the apartment with your parents blessing and earned my degree as a pastry chef. I have been taking some workshops to expand my repertoire.”

  Dash looked over at me, “Pack? Dad talked to you?”

  I gave him a small smile, “Yeah. He talked to me after Lina’s first shift. I was not expecting that kind of a talk. I thought I was in trouble or something! That’s when Lina started the petition.”

  He threw me a confused look, “Petition?”

  “Didn’t Lina tell you about that? After your dad told me about the pack and gave me pack protection and status, your sister started a petition to make me a wolf.”

  He gripped the steering wheel tight. “She did what?”

  “I know, right? She started an actual petition. She was hoping to get enough signatures to bring me in to the pack but she gets distracted easily. She would be talking to people and would forget to get their signature. After that she started with the dates.”

  “Dates?”

  I shifted in my seat, my face flushed with embarrassment. “In my defense I had no idea what she was doing. She had started setting me up on blind dates. I didn’t know that they were all wolves at first. It wasn’t until a rowdy date tried to take a nip from me did I realize what was going on. When I confronted her about it, she told me that she was hoping I would find a mate and they could bring me into the pack.”

  He growled out a vicious curse and I flinched. “Sorry, love. I didn’t realize that my sister was playing those types of games. He could have hurt you.”

  “I called your dad and he sent one of the betas, Stephan I think, out to talk to him. He was not happy about it and made Lina aware of how inappropriate her tactics were.”

  “He should have spanked her ass for that kind of behavior.”

  “I don’t disagree. After that, the wolves steered clear from me and your sister gave up her designs to make me a wolf.”

  We pulled into the garage attached to our building and parked. He helped me out of the vehicle and we headed to the resident elevator. I pulled my keys out of my bag; he took them from me and opened my door on the sixth floor.

  I tossed my stuff on the table by the door and gestured to the living room, “Make yourself at home, Dash. I am going to go change so I can get started on the baking.”

  I headed down the hall and into my bedroom.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Dash

  I adjusted myself as I watched that perfect ass walk down the hall and disappear into her room. I looked around her space and took note of the feminine design. She had pictures on the mantle of the fireplace and along a bookshelf. I wandered over to them and was surprised to see how many of them were my parents and Lina. There were also some with members of the pack and Nettie.

  “Come on, Dash.”

  I turned as she came back down the hall and headed toward the kitchen. She was right. Dad had doubled the size of the kitchen. He had put in a subzero fridge, double ovens, an eight burner stove and tons of counter space and storage. She looked at home in the space and you could tell that she loved it. I immediately began to make plans to expand my kitchen in my country house. I knew we would spend quite a bit of time there after we mated and I wanted her to be able to make the foods that she loved.

  I sat down on a stool at her counter and accepted the glass of wine she handed me. I watched as
she fluttered around her kitchen and started her baking process. My wolf and I were content to sit back and watch our mate. She was beautiful.

  “Back to our early conversation, Piper. Did Lina even ask you if you wanted to become a part of the pack before she started setting you up with wolves?”

  She sighed as she thought about how to respond to my question. “Yes and no. When we were younger, Lina and I spent more time than was healthy trying to figure out how I could become her sister. It was never a secret that she wanted me to be a part of her family. But no, she never asked me about becoming a wolf. I don’t think it occurred to her that it would change my mind or make a difference.”

  I swallowed back a curse. “Is it something that you would be interested in?”

  She looked up at me sharply. “Your dad told me the perks of being a wolf. He also explained the ways to be brought in such as when you are mated or petitioning to join as a single wolf. He asked me if I wanted to be brought in to the pack. I told him that I would think about it. He has let me spend time with the pack and I even got to go on a run with them.”

  I laughed at the joy on her face. “It looks like you enjoyed the run. Were you able to keep up with them?”

  She giggled. “Sort of. I was able to keep up with Tom and Mabel.”

  I smiled at those words. She was human so she was running with the elder wolves.

  “You are so adorable, sweets.”

  I watched as the blush rolled over her face and smoothed down her neck. I wanted to know if that blush turned her luscious breasts a rosy color.

  “Well, I don’t know about that but it was fun and I love that your dad has included me. I feel like I have a rather large family.”

  “That’s what being pack is all about, love. Family.”

  She was moving around the kitchen in a symphony of baking. It was actually beautiful to watch. She continued to pull beignets out of the oil and place them on the counters.

  I poured her another glass of wine and topped mine off. “Piper, would you like to go to dinner with me?”

  She froze and slowly looked up at me. “You want to take me to dinner?”

  “I have wanted to take you to dinner since you were sixteen years old.”

  “What?”

  “I know it seems a little strange but I have wanted to take you out for years. I have missed you, mon petit loup.”

  “Silly man. I’m not a little wolf.”

  I gave her a little smile. She would be though.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Piper

  Dash wanted to take me out to dinner. I don’t even know how to process that. I have craved this man on a level that I didn’t always understand but I knew that I would go with him.

  He thought of me as a little wolf, huh? I wasn’t going to tell him that some of the pack girls had told me about mates and the bonds. I wish that Dash could be my mate. Wait. Did he say that he has wanted to take me out since I was sixteen?

  “Dash. You have wanted to take me out when I was sixteen?”

  I watched as he flushed and turned his head away from me. He took a deep breath and looked me in the eye.

  “Yes, mon petit loup. I knew you were still too young for me but I was eager to see you smile by candlelight.”

  I was a little surprised at his words. I knew that I had always found him attractive and to know that he was interested as well? Bloody hell.

  “When did you want to go out?”

  I watched as he took a sip of his wine and a drop caught on his lower lip. His tongue darted out and all I could think about was where I would like that tongue to be.

  Drake

  I saw her eyes drop to my lips when I licked them and her breath grew erratic. So my little wolf isn’t impervious to my charms, huh? I needed to get her in my arms. Though I knew that the moment that I pulled her in, I was never letting her go.

  “Would you be interested in going tonight?”

  She tilted her head as she considered it. “Yeah, I can do dinner tonight. Where are we going?”

  I smiled at her. “I want to cook for you. I love to do it and I don’t get to do it often. Would that be okay?”

  I held my breath awaiting her answer. I needed to see her in my home. My wolf craved to have her scent in our den.

  “I would love to have you cook for me, Dash. Can I bring anything?”

  “No, sweets. I have everything for dinner. Come up to my place at 7pm. I’m in the penthouse.”

  I watched her expression when she realized I was upstairs.

  “Well that’s convenient!” She laughed and I fell harder as I saw the joy on her face. My wolf was adamant that she was our mate and we needed to make it happen.

  I watched her as she cleaned up the kitchen and started moving the beignets into storage containers. I knew she planned on taking them to the restaurant tomorrow in order to make dad’s desert.

  I stood up, walked to the sink and rinsed my wine glass out. “I am going to head out, mon petit loup. I want to go ahead and get started for tonight. I will see you in a few hours.”

  I walked over to her, wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her to me. I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her on the corner of her mouth. “I will see you at seven.”

  I let her go and moved to the front door. I turned as I headed out and saw the smile flicker across her mouth as she touched her lips with her fingers. She felt it too. My wolf howled in excitement.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Piper

  My stomach was tied in knots and I was starting to feel a little lightheaded. Was it normal to be this nervous? I had known Dash forever and I had never felt like this before. I recalled the conversation that Peggy, one of the pack ladies, had with me.

  I tossed back the shot that Peggy had placed in front of me. Eve had asked several of the pack ladies to take me out for drinks and explain about mates and bonds. They were trying to give me all of the information they could so I could make an informed decision about becoming a wolf.

  “Okay. Where were we?”

  I wiped my lip with my finger. “You were telling me that wolves mate for life. You explained how the bond is cemented and you told me about how if the wolf finds a mate and that person is human, the wolf will feel the bond immediately but the human won’t feel the snap of the connection until they have sex.

  She took a deep pull of her long neck beer. “Right. Sometimes the mating bite will occur then but most times it happens later after the wolf talks to the human to explain everything and get consent to finalize the bond. The couple makes love, the wolf bites and the bond is in place. The new wolf will change shortly after that. Did you have any questions?”

  I slowly shook my head at her. I would love to come into the pack, but I wanted it to be as a mate. I didn’t want to be alone.

  I swallowed down the memory and straightened my shoulders. I knocked on the door to the penthouse and waited for Dash.

  I inhaled sharply when he opened the door and felt my core slicken with desire. I blushed when he sniffed the air and his eyes widened. A sexy look crossed his face and I knew that he was aware of my arousal. How fucking embarrassing is that?

  “Come on in, mon petit loup.” He let me pass, shut the door and placed his hand on my lower back. I closed my eyes as he lowered his head and kissed me lightly on the lips.

  Dash grasped my hand and I followed him into the kitchen. “I hope you don’t have any allergies.”

  “No. I like just about anything.”

  “Wonderful. I went kind of simple. I did a Cajun shrimp alfredo. I did a salad and I have a chocolate mousse for desert.”

  I leaned toward him, “That sounds delicious. I love shrimp and you can never go wrong with chocolate.”

  I grabbed some of the dishes that he handed me and followed him into the dinning room. We spent the next two hours catching up with each other. I learned that he had established six new restaurants in America and they were all doing well. I was unaware that the Benoit pack was allied with multiple packs in America and they were investors in the restaurants. It was nice to learn how the pack worked with others and to understand the nuances of it. It gave me some ideas on what I would need to do if I franchised later. I told him about my classes at Le Cordon Bleu, the excitement of getting the bakery set up and the workshops that I was attending.