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• TWENTY-ONE • Give an Inch, Lose a Mile
Dernière mise à jour:
2025-04-06 23:50:18
Lorea AsheHe’s giving her exactly what she wants…
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Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • • TWENTY-TWO • In the Wrong Bed
Samantha slowly woke to a peace and comfort she hadn’t felt in a long time and smiled slightly as she snuggled back into the warmth surrounding her. When she opened her eyes and realized she was looking at the guest room bedroom curtains, she tried to sit up in alarm, but felt that warmth behind her tighten, not allowing her to move.She pushed back and turned, seeing Richard lying in bed next to her with his bare chest and arm over the blanket. Her sudden movement roused him from his slumber, and he looked at her in confusion.“Are you okay?” he asked sincerely.Samanatha’s heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to recap what happened last night. The pizza and the movie came back to her, and she vaguely remembered rolling into his open arms. It was like her heart was breaking all over again as she felt his warmth and tenderness envelope her after having it withheld for so long. She slipped out of bed.“Babe, where are you going?” Richard asked again as he sat up. “Are you okay?
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-07Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • • TWENTY-THREE • Beneath the Waterfall
Richard left Samantha in the car while he stepped into her favorite patisserie. She became excited because this place had the best donuts and bagels in town. He came back out with a cinnamon chai latte for her, a black coffee for him, and a small bag of chocolate-filled beignets. “Oh my gosh!” Samantha almost squealed in delight. “I’d forgotten it was beignet season!” The patisserie served a variety of cultural foods throughout the year, and in celebration of Mardi Gras and Lent, they served beignets.“Yeah, people at the office were talking about them a few weeks ago. I meant to get you some sooner, but it slipped my mind,” Richard said, watching her savor the aroma of fried dough, chocolate, and powdered sugar.Samantha’s eyes shone with excitement, anxious to get home and dig into the bag. But, instead of heading home, Richard took the car onto the highway and headed south.“Where are we going?” Samantha asked, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes. She hadn’t agreed to anything ot
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-07Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • • AUTHOR'S INTERMISSION • Self Care
Before we go further with the story, I just want to check in and reiterate the sensitive and triggering content in the book. We've seen the shocking moment of the physical and verbal abuse in Chapter One and we're exploring the effects of trauma and manipulation and Samantha's courage to try to heal while still staying true to her empathic nature. The story of Richard and Smantha, while fictional characters and settings, the themes are very real. Some of these chapters have been difficult, yet therapeutic, to write and I hope for those of you who have experienced situations that echo Samantha's can also move forward in healing. The shame and guilt is not your own and no matter the isolation you feel, you're never truly alone. Someone, whether strangers, friends or acquaintances, or like minded people on message boards, genuinely care.This story wasn't created to exploit the tragedy of these relationships, but to inform and empower, that it's okay to not get it right the first time, a
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-08Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • • TWENTY-FOUR • It Wasn't Love <Mature Content>
On their way home, they stopped at a small roadside cafe popular with bikers and sightseers for lunch. Richard arranged for seating outside without being asked, and Samantha could leave her sunglasses on. She was tired of hiding behind them and couldn’t wait for the day she wouldn’t have to.She held more than a little resentment towards Richard because of it, but shut down those thoughts before they festered, trying not to let acrimony taint the enjoyable morning they’d had together. She couldn’t call it peaceful, because inside, she was anything but, yet she could still enjoy the pleasantness between them.They ordered artisanal sandwiches with local meats; hers was a lightly fried trout, and his was thick-sliced, farm-raised bacon, with mixed greens, heirloom tomatoes, and potato salad. She made a mental note to come back here again. “Anywhere else you would like to go today?” he asked once they settled back in the car.“No, not that I can think of,” Samantha said gently. “This was
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-08Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • • TWENTY-FIVE • In Her Own Hands <Mature Content>
Richard yanked his hand out of her pants and pulled back as she pushed him away. His breathing was harsh and ragged. "What the fuck Samantha?" He looked at her in confusion, but his eyes were dark, showing his frustration.“I can’t,” she panted. “We can’t. Do this.” She shook her head as she struggled to sit up and straighten her top.Richard’s breathing deepened, and his jaw twitched. “That’s great,” he shot at her as he pulled his shorts up and squirmed as he fought to tuck his member back in. He angrily clawed his way back into his shirt as he moved to the bedroom door. “Just fucking great. If you didn’t want to do anything, you could have said something sooner rather than leading me on. I can’t believe you’d do this to me. When did you turn into a manipulative tease?”He slammed the bedroom door behind him, making her jump, her heart pounding ferociously in her chest. Tears filled her eyes as she began shaking; his anger tore through her, leaving behind guilt and shame in its wak
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-08Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Twenty-Six
After the Full Moon Run, everybody enjoyed a relaxing day off, except Daniel. Despite the late night, he was in his office shortly after the sun came up.He sorted through emails and contracts, deciding to not accept any new offers while he was tied up with the business in North Carolina. A quick review showed that there were no issues or emergencies needing his attention for the time being, which he was thankful for.His pressing concern was the absent shareholder. What kind of game is he playing? Daniel felt the prolonged absence and lack of communication was a setup or power move by the other party. He shouldn’t have negotiated the deal so quickly, but Blue Ridge couldn’t wait.A year ago, Leonar
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-09Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Twenty-Seven
“How do you know the dragons were involved with this?” Daniel asked.“Shane and Patrick were with her,” Daryl responded. Leonard had the two restricted to a cabin not far away, and kept under guard. While Daryl showed Daniel the way, Daniel handed out instructions.“I’ll talk to these two, see what I can figure out, but you didn’t know anything about Leonard and Marta?” Daniel dug for any information that might be pertinent.“Marta was always a handful,” Daryl explained. “There were rumors she was sleeping with different pack members, even some of the mated and married ones.” Daryl shook his head in disgust. “At least, that was the case until maybe six months ago. Leonard brought her up to his office to talk about her behavior and she seem
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-09Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Twenty-Eight
Leonard looked sadly into his coffee, and watched as he swirled the dark liquid around in his cup, refusing to meet Daniel’s eyes. The swirls released the sweet scent of caramel from the flavored creamer in it.Daniel waited patiently for him to speak.“Mar-, She, um, a mutual friend brought her to me after she’d been turned. I don’t know who did it, presumably some rogue drifter she’d shacked up with for a while,” Leonard told him. “I tried to help her, the best I could.”“You brought her into the pack,” Daniel guided Leonard. He wanted to confirm his wolf was right. “What did your wolf and pack think?”Leonard shrugged. “The pack, they understood she didn’t have anybody and were willing to give her a chance. My wolf… My wolf was against it from the beginning. Always ch
Dernière mise à jour : 2025-04-10
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Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Forty-Three
Daniel had to think quickly. Not only did he and his wolf want to dig their claws into the soft tissues of the man’s neck and rip him off the bench, but there was a sickening, predatory nature in the way he was focused on her.When she looked up at him, Daniel could see the look of relief that turned to shock. She recognized him. That knowledge soothed a knot of anxiety he didn’t realize he was carrying. He didn’t know he even cared about it, but he could feel how pleased his wolf was, like a thin layer over its fury.Immediate violence wasn’t an option at this precise moment. Murder in broad daylight was generally frowned on. I can wait, his wolf promised. That meant he needed a non-violent option right now.He slowed his steps slightly as he neared the bench, and he glanced at his watch, checking the time. It wasn’t quite 11:30 am.“I wasn’t expecting you so early,” Daniel said in a light-hearted manner that he did not feel. “Are you ready for lunch?” He extended his hand towards he
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Forty-Two
They deftly wove their way through the throng of people. Samantha expected it to be more difficult than it was. While the people around her didn’t magically part to let them pass, it was like they shifted just enough, and just in time to not touch her as she walked. Of course, for spatial awareness, she guessed there was a larger man behind her so that may have been the cause.The little bistro sat in the corner of a building, next to a small alleyway. Outside on the sidewalk were four metal tables with chairs around them, filled with people. She walked inside with the man still right behind her. A quick glance showed her a table for two right under the front window. She aimed for that, and took her sunglasses off on the way there, then pulled her chair out slightly and sat down.She looked up at him with a pleased smile on her face, happy they didn’t have to wait or go somewhere else. He smiled back as he sat as well, but she saw a strain in his eyes, which were weirdly focused lookin
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Forty-One
Samantha couldn’t believe what she was seeing right now. The man on the bench, Dave, had been giving her increasingly creepy vibes. She hated how she just wanted to get away from him. She especially hated how she wasn’t able to stand up for herself.In the past, she would have let him know it was time to move the fuck on, but when she tried, her heart pounded and her mouth became dry. Images of this strange man reacting to her like Richard did that night paralyzed her every time she tried to assert he left her alone.It didn’t help when a group of men in suits passed by. A laugh sounding just like Richard’s coming from them. She froze, absolutely terrified. She hadn’t seen him since he left in frustration and anger last night. Afraid to look more closely, watching from beneath her lowered brows, one of them looked similar to Richard as well, in hair color and build. She didn’t realize it wasn’t him until they got closer. She was so afraid that if he saw her, he would know what she was
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Forty
The morning began crisp and clear, but warmed quickly. Thursdays had always been his favorite days to come to the art park, ever since he was a kid, and he kept up with the same ritual of starting the day with an ice cream cone and throwing a few pennies into the fountain for a wish.He perused a few of the artists’ tents, admiring the ease of which they applied their talents, then paused at the edge of the square under a white flowering dogwood while he finished his cone.That’s when he saw her. Her dark hair was in a loose braid, slung over her left shoulder. Her steps seemed cautious, as if this coming here alone wasn’t something she was used to. At first, she seemed overwhelmed at the bustling activity around the fountain and stayed toward the edge, stopping to admire a few of the sculptures. She stopped at his favorite one, a rust-colored piece made of concentric circles on the same axis, each ring set at a slightly different angle than the one before it. The metal was hammered
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Thirty-Nine
Lucas was busy with Paige, giving her a tour of the departments today. Thomas was going through the background checks as they were coming back, building files for each of the employees.That left Daniel with a free morning. He couldn’t remember the last time he had one. There were always things going on with the pack, and by putting a pause on new contracts, Donna was able to maintain any flow coming through Clearfork Securities. Which reminded him…He pulled out his phone, dialing in to Donna. Three rings in, she picked up. “Alpha?”“Donna, I need you to set up a work order and a two or three man team to come down with equipment. I’ll get you a detailed list of everything I want them to bring and email it to you. Pass it on to Justin and have him do the footwork. Emmanuel can run point on this and he can pick who he wants to bring with him,” he instructed. He could hear the scritch of her pen as she wrote the cliffnotes.“No problem, anything else?” She asked.“Actually, no, I don’t t
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Thirty-Eight
It had been a long time since Richard had driven past the stone columns and the open black gate that led to his uncle’s home, not feeling the need to visit when he had worked with him almost daily. He looked curiously over the open green hills that faded into a clean forest toward the edges and at the horses grazing contentedly in the fields. The horses were Marsh Tackies, a rare breed specific to Carolina, closely related to the Banker Horse of the Outer Banks, as they are also descendants of the Colonial Spanish horses brought to America. They were Mauricio’s pride, feeling a close connection to them as both of their roots were bound to Spain. Richard pulled into the circular driveway and entered through the front door, finding his Uncle Edward relaxing on the back lanai. Edward stood up and embraced him, then settled back into his chair as Richard took a seat on the love seat adjacent. “How’s Samantha?” Edward asked. Of course, she would be the first thing out of his mouth. “She
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Thirty-Seven
The drive to Uncle Edward’s home was only forty-five minutes from the city, and Richard took his time, enjoying the morning drive in an effort to clear his head. He had a close relationship with his uncle, even closer than the one he had with his father.Edward Merrick was Richard’s mother’s older brother. Richard’s mother, Laura, was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after Benjamin was born. Richard knew his early memories of her were happy ones, even if they were fuzzy in detail, but his strongest memories were of her constant sickness and doctor appointments—nights in the hospital, seeing her weak and hooked up to machines.A nanny was brought in to watch the boys full time. She was the mother Benjamin remembered, but young Richard knew she wasn’t his mother and resented her presence. Somehow, he equated in his mind that his mother was sick because she was there.At first, Richard’s father stayed by his wife’s side faithfully, at every doctor appointment and every hospital stay.
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Thirty-Six *Mature Content*
TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains GRAPHIC AND EXPLICIT depictions of DISTURBING SEXUAL FANTASIES AND ACTS that may be EMOTIONALLY DISTRESSING and triggering for some readers. READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED. This chapter may be skipped without losing essential plot points. Mari was still wearing a pleased smile as she exited the elevator into the foyer. She looked up in time to see the new owner of Elevated, Mr. Sanford, his COO, CFO, and a young blonde girl as they passed her on their way in. As soon as she recognized them, she quickly tilted her head down slightly . None of them seemed to notice her, thank goodness. She called Richard when she reached the parking garage. “Miss me already?” He asked as he answered. “Shut up,” she rolled her eyes. “Seriously though, I thought you might want to know that Clearfork’s people are staying in the same hotel as you.” “Shit,” Richard swore. “I need to get back home.” “Probably a good idea,” Mari agreed. “Alright Mare,
Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure • Chapter Thirty-Five
Richard paced in his hotel room, checking his phone every couple of minutes. He wasn’t nervous, he kept telling himself, just anxious. He finally decided to wait down at the hotel bar and ordered a Johnnie Walker Blue with soda. A woman in her fifties was a few seats down from him and kept giving him long side glances. The rock on her left hand suggested she was waiting for her husband to conclude business of some kind or another. Her demeanor indicated she was used to finding ways to entertain herself while he was gone. Richard wasn’t interested, though, and continued to sip on his scotch. His phone buzzed on the bartop in front of him and he anxiously picked it up. It buzzed again and an email notification appeared as well. He opened the text first, hoping it was the one he was waiting for. It wasn’t. SHAREHOLDER MEETING: Thurs 1845; Third level conference room. Announcing changes and financial review. Changes? What kind of changes? Just my luck. Richard wasn’t ready to reveal
