Page 158 of Finding the Forward: Part One
He sighed and sat next to me. “I know I’m asking a lot of you. You’re not bonded to any of us. You’re not officially part of this pack, yet I expect you to behave like it. Also, I’ve never spelled out pack rules besidesdon’t runandwe talk things out like grownups, but the safety and protection of Dean shouldn’t have to be explained.”
“I didn’t mean to fail you.” I kept my head down so he’d know how sorry I was.
“You’re fucking lucky nothing bad happened.”
“I’m so sorry, Jonas.” My throat swelled and tears pricked my eyes.
He tipped up my face with his hand, his amber eyes meeting mine. “Whose idea was the fake sex tape—yours or Dean?”
“I... I don’t remember. We were being silly.” I thought it was funny.
“I have no issue with brats, but don’t do anything you aren’t willing to take responsibility for.” He let go of my face.
While I wasn’t drunk anymore, my brain wasn’t at full capacity, and I had no idea what he was talking about.
“I like you a lot. I’m so proud of the progress you’re making. Dean and Grif belong to you. But do you belong to us? If you do, youhaveto protect them. Breaking rules has consequences even though this was an accident. However, I know this is going fast, so I’ll give you a choice. You can walk out this door and break everything off now before everyone gets in too deep. Or you can accept your punishment, knowing that you belong with us,” he told me, the room filling with alpha pheromones, willing me to submit.
“I like all of you so much. I want to be part of this.” Sliding off the bed to my knees, I bowed my head, submitting to him as head alpha. “I’ll take the punishment.”
There was no other choice but to do whatever I needed to stay. Walking away would break me.
Also, everything Jonas said was true. If you broke a pack rule, you faced the consequences. If anything, the fact that he felt like he needed to hold me to pack standards meant everything to me.
Because it meant I was something to them.
I wanted, no, needed, to keep them. If I lost them...
“Good. It would tear us up if you left. We care so fucking much for you.” He got up off the bed. “I like seeing you submit to me. But are you submitting to me because you’re afraid, or because you want to?” He stood in front of me, voice growly.
“I want to.” Hopefully, he knew I meant it in multiple ways.
I longed to be part of this pack. I longed forhim.
“How many days am I banished? I trust this goes into effect after I get back from seeing my sister? Someone needs to take Mercy to and from the training center. Please don’t punish her, too.” This time, I kept my head bowed and shoulders rounded so he knew how sorry I was.
“Banished?”
“Well, yes. When Mom was head alpha, she’d banish people as punishment. It’s the adult version of being grounded.” I never got banished, only grounded, even in my twenties.
“Um, no. I have another punishment in mind,” he growled.
“Oh. You’re going to beat the shit out of me? I deserve that. The last thing I want is to hurt Dean. I trust you.” Inwardly, I winced. From my understanding, that’s how most packs punished alphas. Endangering the omegawasa grievous offense.
“I accept that trust. I’m not going to beat you or banish you, Verity. We’re not that sort of pack. No, bratty little asses get spanked so hard you can’t sit.” He tipped my head up. There wasn’t any anger in his eyes.
“Spanked?” A sinking sensation in my belly told me that this might differ from anything Grif and I got up to.
“Yes. Now, lay down on the bench and take it like a good girl.” While it wasn’t a bark, it was very much an alpha order.
“Yes, Alpha Jonas.” I took off Dean’s shirt and laid down on the bench. It wasn’t quite like anything I’d seen, but I had read enough romance novels to know exactly what this was.
A spanking bench.
“Here.” He helped put my knees on the spots for them.
Lying along the flat part, my head nestled in the headrest. My ass was in the air, legs spread and exposed.
This wasn’t what I was expecting. It was better than being banished or beaten up. My throat remained swollen with apprehension.
