Claimed by My Bestie's Alpha Daddy novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Amelia

I woke up in his bed again.

I hadn’t started the night there-just like the other nights I told myself I was going to sleep on the couch. But somehow, I always ended up here. Nestled beneath his blanket, my cheek against the pillow that smelled like him, warmth surrounding me like he’d wrapped the night around me with intention.

And now, every morning, I woke up here. Even when I started on the couch, I ended up wrapped in his sheets. It was like he waited until I was fully asleep before reaching for me-holding all my weight in his arms, carrying me to the one place I could actually do something. To where I made a difference. To where he needed me.

And I liked it. I liked knowing I helped. That even if nothing else made sense, this did.

Still, when I opened my eyes and the hush of morning settled around me, the realization always hit the same

way-a strange mix of comfort and panic, soft heat and a sharp edge.

I never knew what to say when he was awake. I never knew if he’d be looking at me, or pretending he wasn’t. And I didn’t want to ruin whatever quiet trust we’d built by saying the wrong thing. I didn’t know what to say in

the mornings. I never did. So I did what I always did I snuck out. Quiet as possible. Careful not to disturb the

stillness he wrapped around himself like armor.

I arrived early. Too early.

–

The double doors to the council room were still closed, but voices murmured inside-low, clipped, important. I

smoothed my hands over my blazer and stood to the side, pretending I wasn’t vibrating with nerves. This

wasn’t just any meeting. This was the closed-door policy roundtable, and I’d been asked to observe.

When the doors opened, the space beyond looked exactly like I’d imagined-sleek, cold, and full of power.

Council representatives, Alphas, senior aides. All seated. All watching.

Beta caught my eye and gave a quick nod, gesturing to the empty chair beside him. I hesitated only a second

before taking the seat, opening my tablet and pulling up a fresh note file. I was here to listen. That was it.

Richard entered last.

He didn’t look at me, not right away, but when he did, it was brief-one nod, one glance-and something in m

chest tightened. He took his place at the head of the table, and the meeting began.

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At first, I was only taking notes, my stylus tapping a steady rhythm against the tablet. But it didn’t last. I kept looking up. Not at the graphs or the names scrolling across the holoscreens-at him.

Richard sat at the head of the table like he’d been carved to fit there. Calm. Sharp. Utterly in control. He wasn’t speaking often, but when he did, the room shifted to make space for it. His voice was low, deliberate, and completely magnetic.

And it was a problem. Because I couldn’t stop noticing him. The way his sleeves were rolled up just past his elbows. The way he absently rubbed his temple when someone repeated an already-resolved point. The way his jaw tightened when someone got too political, too vague.

I kept remembering the kiss. The press of his mouth against mine. The way his hand slid into my hair like he’d done it a thousand times in his head. I knew where it had stopped. But I also knew where it almost went.

And I hated how easy it was to picture it again. To imagine his hands lower. His mouth at my neck. The sound he’d made when I gasped into him.

I didn’t let myself think about those things when I woke up in his bed. I couldn’t afford to. But now, in this room, with a dozen powerful people and a glass of water sweating in front of me, all I could think was how

badly I still wanted more.

I was deep in it, spiraling in my own head, when his voice snapped me out of it.

“Amelia’s been overseeing logistics. She can walk you through the structure,” he said.

My head jerked up.

Twenty heads turned to me.

I inhaled slowly. “We implemented a three-tiered routing system to prioritize evac protocols in the new wing,”

I began, voice steady. “All emergency response lines are tied to direct ID scanners. We’ve also centralized

supply caching to eliminate hallway congestion.”

”

I kept it clear, efficient. The kind of answer that didn’t ramble or apologize. When I finished, a few of the reps

nodded approvingly. Even Simon shot me a subtle thumbs-up beneath the table.

I blinked and looked down before anyone could catch me smiling.

The meeting stretched on for two hours. By the end, my fingers were cramping from note-taking, but I stayed

quiet, focused. When the session closed, Beta leaned toward me.

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Chapter 42

“Stay a moment,” he murmured. “We’ve got something else for you.”

+25 BONUS

Emma was waiting near the door, coffee in hand and a grin tugging at her mouth. “Congratulations. You just got voluntold.”

“For what?”

“Final documentation,” she said, handing me a stack of files. “We need someone to help draft the summit’s official recommendations. And you’re terrifyingly competent.”

The rest of my afternoon disappeared inside a secondary command room. It was barely more than a storage space with two desks, a flickering screen, and three takeaway containers by the time we were done.

Emma kept things light. “You’re rewriting summit history, aren’t you?”

“I’m just trying not to misspell ‘infrastructure,'” I muttered.

When the first draft was done, I printed it-old school, on paper-and walked it to Richard’s office. He looked up as I entered but said nothing until he’d finished reading. His eyes moved slowly across the

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