Page 1 of Bound to the Chef

CHAPTER1

RHYLEE

Fuck.

Sliding down to the floor, I draw my knees up to my chest. My phone buzzes in my hand, but I ignore it. All I can see is the message in front of me, the words blurring as tears gather in my eyes.

I don’t need to be able to read it anymore since I’ve nearly memorized it by heart. The fucking Governing Body has deemed it’s my turn to walk down the aisle and marry a perfect stranger. Just great.

Placing my phone on the floor next to me, I bury my head in my hands. Thankfully, my break coincided with this little message; otherwise, I might have worked through my shift and missed it completely. What would the powers that be do then?

Would they hunt me down and drag me kicking and screaming from the restaurant? To think, being married in my work clothes and apron. That would certainly show my intended exactly what I think about all of this.

Closing my eyes, I listen to the sounds of clanking silverware and people bustling about doing their job. However, most of all, I listen for Jason—the head chef, my boss, my dominant, and most importantly, my master. What will he say when I tell him? Recrimination races through my veins like acid as tears soak into my apron.

We both knew this was a possibility, but we never discussed what would happen if that fateful day ever occurred. Ugh. It was stupid to get involved with an Alpha. I knew this; he knew this, and yet, I couldn’t resist his pull. As an omega, I should have known better and should have stayed far away from him.

At work, it’s unavoidable, a necessary evil, they say. I need to make money, and he needs a sous chef that can take orders. Besides, no one can fault me for having some odd infatuation with my boss as long as it stayed professional, right?

But it didn’t end there. Of course, it didn’t. Tragedies aren’t built on such mundane things as working for a hotter-than-hell chef that commands his kitchen better than some dominants command a willing submissive. Villains aren’t created merely because they worked with someone they thought they couldn’t have. Well, maybe for some. But for others, they can balance that need and want with what must be done.

What I should have done was stay in my own section of the kitchen, taking in his orders like the good little sous chef I was trained to be. What should have been done was not seek out the BDSM club, hoping some other dominant, beta preferably, could beat out the submissive urges I had towards my boss, leaving me sated enough to work and not succumb to his steely demeanor. What I should have done was walk right out when I saw him there, his half-naked body glistening in the dim lights as he flogged a beta.

Her cries pierced my soul, driving that longing up tenfold, twentyfold. And then, as if he knew I was there, could smell my desperation and wanting, he turned. The moment his eyes locked onto mine, I knew I would never be able to walk away again.

And yet, here I sit, a ball of misery while he barks out orders, commanding the other workers with an ease I’ve never seen before in an Alpha. My pussy spasms despite the agony threatening to tear me limb from limb. I have to tell him. He’ll need to know why I’m leaving in the middle of a shift.

To tell him, however, will make all of this far too real. The longer I sit back here, the longer I can pretend this is all a bad dream. Soon, I’ll wake up and realize this is a nightmare.

But nightmare or not, reality will soon come knocking. I was hoping I’d have several more years. Since I’m only twenty-two, there was still plenty of time to saddle me with some random Alpha and pop out his babies. Why can’t they let me live a little?

Again, my phone buzzes, drawing my teary gaze to the screen. Fuck. The Halloween party. In all of this, I completely forgot. My soft sobs begin anew as I picture the cute little his-and-hers vampire set we bought to wear tonight.

Master Jason kept hyping this party up, telling me it was going to be the best night of my life, and now I won’t even be able to go. What husband would want their wife getting her brains fucked out by another Alpha on their wedding night?

Whoever I marry will have to be understanding and realize I already have a life that doesn’t involve him. But there’s no way I’ll ever find an Alpha that’s willing to sit back and watch as another satisfies me. It goes against everything in their biology.

I stare at the screen, going back to the text. Only half an hour left before I need to be in place for dress fittings and accessories. Luckily for me, it’s not too far away, and traffic isn’t usually horrible at this time of day. I have some more time to mourn my fate and gather the courage to find Master Jason.

As I move to get up, his heavenly scent fills the small break room, stealing my breath. Even though we’ve been together for the last two years, it never ceases to fill me with hunger and longing. Turning my tear-stained face up to his, I note the pinched expression on his face.

“Love,” he murmurs, sliding close, enveloping me in his warm strength. “You know how I feel about you sulking off to cry alone. As your dominant, those tears are mine, just like every inch of you.”

“I wasn’t planning on crying, you big oaf,” I tease, giving him a half-hearted shove. “But I received a text-”

“Show me.” His voice is imposing but missing that Alpha command so many others use to get their way.

But then, Master Jason doesn’t need to. I obey him willingly and without hesitation. I always have, and I always will. Pulling my phone out from behind my back, I wait on bated breath as he skims it.

“I guess it’s official then,” he grumbles, his tone devoid of emotion. “We knew this day would come.” There’s a pain there, a hint of hurt, but I can tell he’s keeping it at bay for my sake, staying strong as only he can.

Throwing myself into Master Jason’s outstretched arms, I sob against him, allowing him to comfort me, cocooning me with both his body and the purr that rumbles through his chest. Just one touch, and I melt. No other Alpha will be able to soothe me this way. It’s impossible.

“It’s only six months,” he murmurs against my hair, his hot breath making my body tingle. “Six months and you’ll be back in my arms.”

“But will you even want me then? You know how Alphas are. If he wants to fuck me, I won’t be able to say no.”

There’s a tightness around his lips as he grinds his teeth. No doubt it’s anger at the idea of someone forcing me to do something I don’t want. “It doesn’t matter to me what happens in those six months. You’ll always be mine. Remember when I took you on as my submissive? I told you nothing and no one will ever separate us. Even if we have to go six months at a time while the government pairs us with other people, we will always come back to each other.”

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