Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Isaac stared at his Little mate for hours the next day. He’d fallen asleep with her and slept hard, but he’d woken up refreshed long before her. Watching her hadn’t been a hardship. She rested so peacefully.
He’d extracted himself from her hours ago, leaving her curled up under the covers, hugging a pillow.
Luckily she’d had a lot of formula before she’d gone to sleep, so he didn’t worry about her starving.
The diaper helped her relax and kept her from waking up needing to pee.
The pacifier he’d slipped into her mouth had soothed her.
Isaac had paced in and out of the bedroom, often just staring at her for a while.
In between, he set up a monitor, carried it outside with him, and spoke to Hayes.
It was easier to choose one point person as his contact, and logically that would be his brother.
Hayes could disseminate information to the others.
He knew Rylee was anxious, and Hayes was keeping her in check. None of them had expected Isaac to permit his mate contact with any of the Alphas or their mates for weeks. But things had changed, and now he needed to admit keeping her all to himself wasn’t a viable option.
He was sitting on the bed that afternoon, leaning on one hip, watching his pretty mate breathe when she roused.
She blinked several times before smiling around the pacifier.
Isaac pulled it from her mouth. “Hey, sleepyhead. How do you feel?”
“Groggy,” she murmured, glancing around. “What time is it?”
“It’s afternoon. You needed your sleep. I was going to wake you soon if you didn’t on your own, though. You have to be starving and thirsty.” He leaned over and kissed her gently.
She pushed to sitting, and then it looked like everything snapped into place as she sat taller. “What happened with the bears?”
“Everything’s the same, Little one,” he informed her. “I’ve spoken to Hayes several times. Drow is in custody like you presumed. We’ll meet with our liaisons soon.”
“Who are your liaisons?”
“Two of the bears—Surge and Thorn. We meet with them often as part of a joint taskforce, combining our efforts.”
She frowned, her pretty face scrunching up. “What does the taskforce do?”
“We’re trying to track the lions. They snuck up on the bears a while back. That same night, Rylee scented one outside their home. It was scary. We don’t know their abilities yet. No one can scent or hear them. Khloe hasn’t gotten any visions either.”
“Why wouldn’t Molly hear them or Rylee scent them?”
“Could be they’ve moved out of the area. Could be they’re able to block scent or sound so they can’t be detected. Hard to say.”
Amber slowly nodded. “Everyone is hoping I can see them.”
Isaac sat up and pulled his Little mate into his arms. “Such a smart Little girl.”
She jerked her gaze down as her breasts flattened against his chest. “I’m naked.”
He chuckled. “No, you’re not. You have on a diaper. We should definitely take that off, though. Then you’ll be naked,” he teased.
He rose from the bed and dragged her sweet body to the edge.
Her cheeks turned adorably red as he quickly removed the diaper and cleaned her up.
When he was done, he almost regretted not taking his time.
Perhaps he should have lingered, wiping her folds with more care, keeping her in their bed, bleary-eyed and aroused.
Instead she rolled over and slid off the side. She raced from their bedroom, into the nursery, and over to the closet.
“Hey, naughty girl,” he admonished as he caught up with her, grabbed her around the waist, and lifted her off the floor.
She giggled. “I need to get dressed. Can Rylee come over?”
He turned her so she was fully facing him, her legs dangling. “Slow down, Little one. I’ll help you get dressed, but then you need to eat something.”
She lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist while she did the same with her arms around his neck. “But, Daddy…”
He laughed at the way she cocked her head and batted her eyes. “What a naughty girl. Do you know what happens to naughty Little mates who argue with their Daddies?”
“What happens?”
“They get spanked.”
She smirked for a moment before sobering and staring him in the eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. Would you like a demonstration? It might help remind you who’s in charge around here.”
She clenched her butt cheeks under his palm. “You can’t spank me. I’m not really a baby just because you intend to coddle me.”
“Oh, Little mate of mine. I can and will spank you. How often depends on how much you enjoy having your bottom swatted.”
She gasped. “What does that mean? Why would I want you to slap my butt?”
“Most Little girls like getting spanked. It’s part of life as the mate of an Alpha Protector. Wait until you meet up with a bunch of the other mates. They plot and come up with all kinds of naughty things to do in order to get themselves into trouble with their Daddies.”
Her eyes were wide, and she squirmed in his arms.
“Yep. I think you need a demonstration.” He carried her over to the rocking chair, sat, and turned her over his knees.
“Daddy!” She reached back with her hands to cover her bottom. “I don’t need a demonstration. I’ll be good.”
He circled her wrists and brought them together at the small of her back. She continued to squirm, and her heart rate elevated, but her arousal filled the room, too. She was intrigued.
Isaac gave her cute tush a swat.
She clenched. “Daddy…” There was no umph behind her whine.
“Relax your bottom, Little one. Concentrate on the feel of my palm.” He waited for her to comply and then spanked her two more times, once on each cheek.
This time, Amber gripped her thighs together.
Isaac grinned. Yes. She was definitely turned on. He continued, making sure to cover more of her bottom and the backs of her thighs. Not many swats. Just enough to give her a taste of what to expect.
When he stopped and rubbed her heated skin, she was limp and panting.
Isaac finally lifted her off his lap and stood her on her feet in front of him, keeping a firm grip on her waist.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she didn’t meet his gaze.
“You liked that, Little mate.”
She sighed before complaining, “It’s not fair that I can’t even lie to you.”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Hazard of being a shifter. You’ll never be able to hide your scent from Daddy.”
She pushed out her bottom lip in a fake pout, making him laugh again as he pulled her into his arms between his legs. “Now you know why the other Little girls conspire together to do naughty things.”
She shuddered in his arms. “So many things I didn’t know.”
“Yes. You’ll learn as we go along. Now, do you want me to put a dress on you? Or would you rather eat naked?”
She gasped, eyes wide. “Dress.”
He set her back a few feet, rose, and headed for the closet, impressed when she didn’t follow him with demands.
She probably had an opinion about what she wanted to wear, but she was learning to submit and probably decided that arguing about her clothing selection wasn’t a worthwhile battle to pick this afternoon.
Since it was a warm day, Isaac chose a deep purple sundress with thin straps that would settle on her shoulders. He gathered the material over her head. “Arms up.”
She lifted her small arms and let him slide the soft cotton down her body. It landed a few inches below her bottom.
“Panties?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir.”
He headed for the chest of drawers, opened the top one, and grabbed a pair of white panties before squatting down in front of her. “Hold on to my shoulders, Little one.”
She complied, her entire demeanor more subdued since he’d spanked her.
Before standing, he lifted her chin, noting the pink hue of her cheeks. “No need to be embarrassed, Baby girl. I promise you’re not the first Little girl to enjoy having her naughty little butt spanked. It’s common.”
She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “It’s weird,” she whispered.
He tucked a hand under her sweet butt and lifted her off the floor. “It will seem normal in no time.”
Next hurdle coming up. Alpha Protectors were used to the challenges the first few days of any mating posed.
Introducing their mates to a way of life none of them knew existed or expected was always rough.
With Amber, there was the added fact that instead of sequestering her for several weeks so he could have her all to himself, she’d been thrust into a new world while also facing strangers.
She had to be more stressed as a result.
Isaac carried her into the kitchen and lowered her into the highchair.
She giggled as he secured straps around her, restraining her so deliberately that she could barely bend forward. “Why am I not surprised?”
He kissed her.
“Are you going to feed me, too?”
“Would you like me to feed you?” He watched her body language closely as she wiggled against the straps.
“Maybe sometimes…”
He lifted her chin and kissed her again. If he could, he would kiss her every few seconds for the rest of the day, but unfortunately, they needed to eat, and as much as it displeased him, they also needed to face her new power and find out how far it extended.
His girl’s hair was a wild array of curls. It was adorable, but he suspected she’d be more comfortable if he brushed it out and braided it, so he rounded behind her, grabbed a brush and two hairbands from a drawer, and started working through the tangles.
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, moaning. “I could get used to this.”
“You should. I’ll brush your hair out every day, Little one.” The smile on her face while he worked was enough to make him want to keep stroking through her locks for hours. But he needed to feed her, so he quickly divided her hair into two sections and braided both sides behind her ears.
“How about grilled cheese and some tomato soup?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.
She lit up. “That’s my favorite.”
He chuckled. “I know, Little one.” Rylee had told him. Amber’s friend had told him a lot of things. It was coming in handy.
Isaac turned the soup on to heat while he made her a grilled cheese sandwich. It only took a few minutes, and as soon as he set it on the tray in front of her, she devoured it.
“That was delicious,” she told him. “Better than my mom’s, but don’t tell her that. I know how to cook, you know.”
He wiped her hands and face with a wet cloth and cleared away the dishes. “Fun fact,” he said. “The mates of Alpha Protectors do not cook. They don’t clean either.”
Her eyes bugged out. “Are you serious?”
“Yep.”
“Who will do the cooking and cleaning?”
He chuckled. “I will, Little one.”
“What will I do?”
“Whatever you want. If you have a hobby you want to pursue, I’ll make that happen. Some Littles like music or books or art. Whatever your heart desires.”
“What if I like knife play or bungee jumping?” she joked.
“Sassy girl…” He popped off the tray and unfastened her, but he kept his hands on the arms of the highchair. “My job as your mate is to make sure you’re safe and happy. That means there will be rules. Rules that are meant to keep you from getting hurt. If you break them, guess what happens?”
Her brown eyes were so pretty when they widened in shock. “I get spanked?”
“Exactly.” She didn’t seem overly incensed by the idea. In fact, as expected, she squirmed. So he dropped the next bomb. “Little girls who do naughty things in order to get their bottoms swatted do not get orgasms after a spanking.”
Her pretty cheeks turned pink again.
She was an absolute delight. He was the luckiest Alpha in the mountains.