4

We began to walk up the front porch of my new prison cell and I looked around at the neighborhood as I did. This area was very fancy.

"So… are you good at what you do? Being an attorney?" I asked. He smirked some.

"I am very good at what I do." he answered opening the door and stepping in. "Most of the time I am here, I am working. Sometimes I am never home, but with you here, that'll change." Please don't change.

He sounded like he was trying to assure me. I followed him inside and was met with wooden floors. Naturally I began to take off my shoes, but he insisted I didn't need to do that. He gave me a tour of the downstairs area. He had a nice and big kitchen and a dining room area and a bathroom next to his living room area. There were a lot of paintings on his wall as well as small statues in corners of the room. He took me upstairs where he showed me the guest room.

"This will be your room. There's a walk in closet and a full bathroom and everything else you need." he said. He gave me the chance to walk inside and look around for a bit before showing me his office. There was one more guest room I got to see before seeing his actual room and it was bigger than both guest rooms. It had a large king size bed and full bathroom and closet with a big dresser and flat screen TV.

"Woah." I said and looked inside, leaning my body in.

"You can go in." he said. I glanced at him wanting to make sure, so I wasn't being rude and he motioned his head in. "Go on." I gave a nod before walking in slowly looking around. His closet I went into first, and I saw nothing but suits. I chuckled now, genuinely.

"Are suits all you own?" I asked. Rafael smiled and moved inside as well. He smiled.

"I have normal people clothes… in my dresser." he said humorously. Wow he actually tried to be funny.

"Well I am jealous your room is bigger than mine." I casually joked which felt odd to do in my position and I immediately regretted it. He smiled more keeping his hands tucked into pockets.

"Well I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. You're always welcome in my room until the day comes you… may want to move in here." he said. I felt my face fall a bit in thought of his words, and I looked from the suits to him. How eager was he to please me, to make this work I wonder? I moved from the closet and he met me in the middle of the room, just staring down at me.

"Out of all the places I could have found you, it had to be in a police station." he said lightly. I just looked away hiding my scowl.

"What would you have done… if you saw me anywhere else?" I asked lightly looking back at him. He looked up in thought now.

"I would approach you and maybe say some cheesy line to get you to laugh maybe. Introduce myself, ask you to dinner, then maybe tell you that you are my beta in hopes you'll accept me and not reject me." he said. I leaned back from him a bit just nodded walking around him and toward the door.

"You got an easy win then. You put me in a position that I was unable to refuse." I replied.

"No you put yourself in a position that you could not afford to refuse. I saved you from prison." he argued.

"No you used prison and my parents lock me down." I said turning to him. He faced me.

"Look I wish we could have met under different circumstances, truly I do. It wasn't my intent to hurt you." he said.

"If I still refused your deal, you'd have fought to put me in prison for something I wasn't even a part of. Cops put innocent black people away all the time and that's what you would have done to me." I said. He looked at me with a wince.

"I would not have completely sent you go to jail. I'd keep offering you the deal until the very end!" he stated. I didn't believe him. Like all alpha's he's a liar and a snake. He just wears and tie and has the police at his command. Thinking about how I was trapped here was just making me even angrier. I looked everywhere else except him before remembering how hungry I was. And in seconds my stomach started to growl, and Rafael just looked at my stomach.

"You haven't eaten since you were brought in." he said. No shit. I just crossed my arms.

"Do you cook?" I asked. He gave a dry chuckle and scratched the back of his head now looking at the floor some.

"Um no. Never really got the hang of that life skill." He replied. "But I can learn!" I just stared at him for a moment before pointing back to his door.

"I'll just… go look in your fridge and just make what I find." I offered. I didn't need his help anyways. He nodded slowly.

"There may not be a lot in there." he told. I just stared at him for a moment.

"You got bread?" I asked. He nodded. "Cold cuts?" He nodded once more. "Cheese?" He kept nodding. "I should be fine." I just turned and moved back into the hallway and made my way back through the house. God it was big. I hear his feet behind me.

"Look we can go grocery shopping, too. I'll get us anything you want." he said.

"I have money, I can buy my own things, so you don't have to." I said as I reached the bottom steps of the stairs. Before I could reach the kitchen, I felt his hand gently touch my shoulder, stopping me from moving as he stepped in front of me.

"You're not my roommate, Amara. In this house, there is no buying something for you and me buying something for me. In this house, exclude my office, everything is yours." he explained. I began to frown thinking if I had access to his stuff then he would have access to my stuff which would not sit well with me. "Which means if I want to buy food for my house… that you may favor then I will. Understand?" I looked him over.

"I am not ready for a relationship let alone to have an alpha. Now that you are here… I'll never get to experience having my own place by myself. I like my stuff to be my stuff. I am not emotionally, financially or physically ready to have a man in my life and I understand that technically you no longer get to have that either. But right now, I am scared. I am living with a stranger I do not know. I do not want you close to me or touching me for that matter, yet by law I have to let you do that, I have to let you call the shots." I explained. His eyes looked at me intently as I spoke.

"And I am sorry for making you feel afraid completely turning your life upside down, but I had to do something in order to ensure you stay out of prison. It was my only option." he said. I winced and shook my head.

"You could have let me go… you could have made a deal to give me community service or pay a fine. But instead we are here, because you have that power." I said looking down not wanting to look at him.

"Then I will admit I am selfish, because I will do whatever it takes to make sure you aren't taken from me." he said lightly, as if defeated. This was him, showing himself to me. I just looked up at him to see his eyes were mildly firm. "That's the selfishness of any alpha, to make sure their beta is always safe and out of harms way and in prison, I would never be able to protect you and I would be failing you every day that you were in there." I felt knots forming in my stomach at his words and I just looked away some closing my eyes.

"Can I please get something to eat now?" I asked no longer wanting to discuss this for I was sure to start crying out of anger now. Rafael leaned back now and just began to loosen his tie and walk back toward the stairs.

"Eat what you want." Was his only reply as he hurried up the stairs. I just remained standing there before pressing my back against the doorway and looked down crying silently.

Rafael's POV

My blood was boiling, and I knew I just had to get away from her before I lost it and did something I may come to regret. She had no idea what she did to me, just standing so close was causing so many emotions to grow inside me. Not to mention the way her smell made my body react. I moved to my office and closed the door locking it quickly. She's accepted me, but not willingly. I placed my back to the door and took even breaths. Everything inside me said I should have taken her when we were in my bed room, tore her clothes off and find out the hard way if he was a virgin or not. I shook my head violently.

"Pull yourself together!" I said harshly to myself. Never had I ever contemplating forcing myself on a woman before. And now here she comes, and I revert to my basic instincts. Me man, she woman. I put people like that in jail for attacking people like that. Is this what it means to be an alpha. I just become some mindless brute who can't control himself? But it was only around her. It was the bond that had been created between our souls that makes my heart heavy and my entire body start to tighten with need. Already I could feel my cock swelling with blood from just that interaction with her down stairs. No. I needed to do better. She's scared. She's afraid to be here with me a stranger. That alone made the blood go down and the swelling disappear. I would never take any type of pleasure knowing she was in any form of pain. I needed some time alone to think of the proper approach to getting her to warm up to me. She was right though, I knew nothing about her, and she knew nothing about me. But that could change! We could get to know each other, our fears, our aspirations in life. There was nothing she could ever do to make me not want her.

I sat down at my desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch I kept in my desk drawer for times of stress. I poured me a glass and just enjoyed the taste of it. I remember in college, I could look at any girl I wanted and feel anything I wanted for them. But now it was so different, those feelings felt miniscule compared to what I was feeling now. I didn't care if the universe chose her for me, to feel this happiness that I have someone, was the best feeling in the world. I didn't want to lose it and I didn't want to lose her.

Amara's POV

Rafael definitely was a workaholic. He didn't have much food. He must be one of those lawyers who eats take out at work. I managed to put a turkey sandwich together and eat it in silence just eating it over a napkin I found by the sink. I found some unopened water bottles in the fridge and just took one. I pulled my phone out noticing I had some messages from Billy and my parents. They managed to get my things from my dorm and would be talking to the school to ensure I no longer had to pay for it. I texted my thanks to mom. She asked me how I was doing and I just told her I was alive. She urged me to look on the bright side of things. At least my alpha wasn't a bum and has something going for himself. She actually said I should consider myself lucky. She was not helping. I made sure to wipe the counter of any bread crumbs into the trash. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and I just sighed and looked at Rafael. He was in a pair of tan slacks and a black polo shirt. He gave a polite smile.

"You ready to go? I figured getting out of this house may make your day a little better." he said. Guess the conversation from earlier was over. There was no getting around or out of this. He is my alpha and I had to do my best to survive him. I nodded casually.

"Yeah." I replied and followed him out the door.

"Get ready, we have a lot of shopping to do. If you want, we can go get some things from your parents place. Then we can go get anything else to fill up your new room to your liking… if that's what you want." he said. I just nodded slowly.

"Okay." I replied. And we did exactly that. After taking him to my parents, thankfully they had all of my clothes in my suitcases packed and ready. We placed them in Rafael's trunk while ignoring all the stares from people in the neighborhood. I hugged them and departed from them. We were on our way into the city now. There were so many places I have never been to before. I only wanted to get a few new clothes, but Rafael insisted we get anything that would make my stay more comfortable. That meant getting everything for my hair products, getting me expensive jackets for the winter, a new phone, new shoes, pajamas everything. I offered to take his number into my new phone of which made him smile with delight. To try and not be very hostile, as it was definitely exhausting to be frowning all day, I texted his number, so he had my number. He even gave me his work number and extension. We went back to his house only once to drop everything off, quickly put my clothes away, before going back out to get groceries.

Honestly, the only thing on my mind was what will happen if he takes me. I could fight him, but would that be violating the agreement I was forced to make with him? Lord knows I didn't read the contract I signed with him. Lord I could have agreed to be his sex slave for all I knew and never go against his wishes. God what am I to do? My mind also drifted to Billy.

I would have to stop being friends with him, and honestly I did not want to do that either.