Chapter 6

 ~Dainin~

Dainin paced the conference room, growing impatient the longer he waited for the Alpha to arrive. His mate's scent overwhelmed his senses from the moment he stepped into the packhouse and he needed to see her.

"Are you in a rush to be ignored again? Don't forget why we're here," his wolf growled.

"Well, the sooner we get this settled, the sooner we can get answers from her," Dainin snapped, pointing out the obvious.

"You don't think I want to find her as desperately as you do? I'm choosing to focus on the pack's needs first," his wolf exclaimed, and Dainin took his seat before his fist flew through the nearest wall.

He wasn't trying to be selfish, but he needed to know the relationship between his mate and the Alpha. He wouldn't accept losing her after they just found each other. He just needed to catch her eye.

"You definitely caught someone's attention," his wolf stated gravely and Dainin turned to see the Beta staring him down. She wore the same judgmental expression as Zander. He was about to attempt small talk, but the doors finally opened and Zander walked in with the Alpha in tow, but something was off.

"You were wrong. This man is not the Alpha," his wolf confirmed. Dainin turned his attention towards Cadence to find she was still silently staring him down.

"You lucky man," Alan chimed in before looking down at the table, but Dainin ignored him.

His glare was focused on the new man in the room. Alpha or not, this man was still involved with his mate somehow. He could smell her sweet scent clinging to his clothes.

"How dare he touch what's ours! I'll show him who she belongs to," his wolf snarled, taking control.

Dainin's body began rising from the seat but he froze when Cadence touched his forearm.

"Please keep it together. Alpha Hayes is on her way down," she spoke kindly, but her eyes showed a different emotion. They promised a fight if he threatened a pack member.

Dainin nodded, raising his hands in surrender, but his glare shifted to a look of confusion. "Did she just refer to their Alpha as a female," he asked, but his wolf was silent.

"That's Elijah. He's our Delta and part of the council making the decision about your pack," Cadence explained, bringing him out of his thoughts again.

He locked eyes with Elijah, who looked confused by his animosity, but Dainin decided to let it be, for now. Suddenly, his skin rose in goosebumps and his heart began to race as Tessa's scent became stronger, instantly calming his emotions. He was more than ready to see her up close and personal.

The doors swung open and there she stood in all her beauty. Her bright eyes held a hint of excitement when they met his own, but her full lips formed a grim line. He slowly looked her over and saw her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, exposing her bare neck.

"Look! She isn't marked," Dainin pointed out. He was overcome with relief and had to fight every urge pushing him to claim her in front of everyone.

"I think you're missing the bigger picture here," his wolf purred as they watched her take her place at the head of the table. Dainin and his wolf growled with satisfaction as they admired her strong figure. They reveled in the power that radiated off their mate. She was the embodiment of confidence and everyone in the room gave her their attention.

Cadence rose, motioning to Dainin. "Alpha Hayes, this is the Alpha of White Sand, Dainin Monroe," she said and Dainin's eyes grew wide with surprise once more.

"It's about time you caught on," his wolf sighed, obviously embarrassed by Dainin's stupidity.

"Wow, now it all makes sense! The way her pack surrounded her at the border and the grief they gave us when we referred to their Alpha as a "he"," he thought, putting the pieces together. Dainin felt like he was seeing his mate with a fresh pair of eyes. Both he and his wolf couldn't have been more turned on. Dainin couldn't help but stare at her while she motioned everyone to sit.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Monroe. Welcome to Blue Ridge," she said, and he was rendered speechless.

"Are you kidding me right now? Snap out of it," his wolf scolded in disappointment, but Dainin couldn’t help but be bewitched by her. She was perfection and he was in awe as she arched a perfect brow while leaning in closer to him. All Dainin could do was breathe in her scent.

"Alpha Monroe? Are you okay," she asked, her voice like velvet. Alan jabbed him in the arm, bringing him back to his senses.

"How can she be so calm around us? I feel like my skin is on fire," Dainin wondered, but his wolf just whined with worry.

"I apologize for his behavior, Alpha. He is just as surprised as we were to find a female Alpha in charge," Alan explained, his cheeks flushed pink.

"Of course I'm surprised! You could have told me," he scolded his brother through the link. "No male wolf expects their female mate to be an Alpha," he finished, glaring daggers at Alan, who looked shocked by his admission.

"I understand, but that is not important," she growled, slamming her hand on the table. "Given your peculiar circumstances, I would like you to tell me why we should let your pack move here," she asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Of course, Alpha Hayes," he said, slowly rising from his seat. As he walked the room he could feel her eyes raking over his body, causing his chest to swell with pride as he smirked in victory.

"Business first," his wolf reminded him.

Dainin's eyes scanned the room making eye contact with everyone on the council. "I am looking for a safe place where my pack can live freely. We moved up our arrival because of a rogue attack and we have reason to believe it was orchestrated ahead of time," he explained, pausing briefly to gauge their reactions until his eyes finally landed on Tessa, whose expression was unreadable.

Zander was the first to speak, asking the question that was most likely playing on all their minds. "What makes you think it was planned? Rogues are drifters. They’d never work together," he stated and Dainin nodded his head.

"That is what we all believed too, but we found evidence surrounding my land that proved otherwise," he said.

Tessa spoke next. "Why would Rogues plan an attack against your pack? They wouldn't band together without a reason," she pointed out and his wolf purred once again at the sound of her voice.

Dainin sat down in the chair beside Tessa, not missing the way her body stiffened when he moved closer. "As far as I know, they had no reason. My warriors are scouring their encampments for evidence as we speak, but haven’t found anything to prove otherwise," he admitted, leaning back in the chair to take in the room.

"We're peaceful, living modestly, much like Blue Ridge," he assured them while looking deep into Tessa's eyes. He wanted to make sure she saw the truth within his words. "All we want is peace, safety, and the freedom to live our lives without worry," he paused to let his words sink in and watched as Tessa's eyes clouded over.

Breaking out of her daze, she leaned closer to him. "For now, we will let you stay with us. Keep me updated with anything new you find out about the attack, especially if you uncover why your pack was the target," she ordered, leaving no room for argument. Her eyes darkened as her wolf surfaced and it sent a pleasurable shiver down Dainin's spine.

"You won't have our approval until we know this attack was by chance and nothing more. Do we have an agreement," she challenged, extending her hand which Dainin took immediately.

The bond instantly coursed between their bare skin causing them both to take in a sharp breath and Dainin's own wolf came to the surface. "I'd make the same call, so I agree to your terms," he promised, moving his hand to rest on her leg, forgetting they were not alone.

Tessa instantly backed away and broke their eye contact. "Great, then this meeting is over. You are all free to go," she said, and everyone began to depart, but Dainin remained seated He was still staring at Tessa, waiting for her to bring up the elephant in the room.

He knew the next steps she wanted to take with his pack, but what about as mates? His chest tightened with concern when the thought of rejection crossed his mind. "You better not let that happen," his wolf threatened, he was just as worried after sensing her wolf's strong sense of independence.

Tessa moved closer and Dainin saw just how flawless she was. From their close proximity, he admired her long lashes and rose-tinted cheeks. Her beauty was making it hard for him to ignore his primal urges. From her cheeks, his gaze dropped to her pouting lips just in time to watch her tongue sensually run over her bottom lip. "Alpha Monroe, the meeting is...," she began, but he interrupted her, not ready for this moment to end.

"Please, call me Dainin," he said, grazing his hand over her cheek. Light tingles traveled through his fingertips as he moved down her neck where his mark should be. His eyebrows drew together in disappointment when she leaned away, instantly missing the way her skin felt under his touch.

She stood, her hazel eyes looking down at him with a cold expression. "Alpha Monroe, as I was saying, the meeting is over and it's time for training," she said, then began to walk away.

Dainin panicked and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to his chest. He encircled her waist in his arms and couldn't stop himself from grazing his nose over her neck, inhaling her sweet scent once again.

"I won't let you leave before we talk this out," he whispered in her ear. He could feel her body relax, leaning into him as one of his hands moved up her bare arm. However, when he pressed his lips to her marking spot, she seemed to break out of her trance and quickly broke free of his hold.

She released a growl of outrage and was behind him before he could make sense of what was happening. She took his wrist and bent his arm behind his back while forcefully pressing him face-first into the table, with a force so powerful it knocked the wind out of him.

Tessa held him down, stretching her body over his so her lips could reach his ear. "Never do that to me again," she said harshly and practically spat her next words, but Dainin couldn't help but enjoy this moment.

"You may be my "destined" mate, but I am still an Alpha and your equal. Don't think a moment of your "charm" will cause me to lose my control and follow your orders so freely," her voice dripped with malice as she pushed herself off him, letting her wolf surface.

"You’ll need to work a lot harder than just telling me your name, Dainin, if you ever want to mark us," and with her last words, she left him in silence, leaving Dainin stunned.

He slowly stood from the table, watching Tessa slam the door behind her. Many males would feel the need to assert their wrath of dominance over a female, but the large bulge in his pants proved otherwise. He wanted to dominate her in another way, but he could get used to her being in control.

"If you don't follow her, I will shift and claim our strong ass female personally," his wolf threatened.

"Oh, don't you worry," he thought, adjusting his pants. "I'll win her over if it's the last thing I do," he swore, leaving the room with a cheeky smile on his face and feeling like he was walking on cloud nine.