"I'll let her know that her work has been appreciated." She smiles and his stomach lurches. Is it just attraction that makes him wish this would never end, or a desire for something more from her? He's not sure.

He's excited to find out though, and that's a nice realization.

He closed his eyes as she kissed his nose, smiling softly. "I'll try and remember that." Next time he's full of self-loathing for a designation he'd never have chosen on his own, revulsion at his own innate alpha-ness. "I don't know how to be anything else, anyone else."