~Dainin~ On the patio, Dainin was greeted by a short woman who engulfed him in a hug. “Finally,” she exclaimed as she pushed herself away, to get a better look at him. “It’s about time you found her. Goddess knows this child wasn’t much help,” she scolded, glaring at Tessa. “She was worth the wait, Miss,” Dainin admitted, smiling down at the elderly woman. She simply laughed as a blush crept up her cheeks. “Oh please, call me Lori. I’m Tessa’s Grandmother,” she smiled, and her eyes were lit with affection. It was just like looking into Tessa’s golden hues. Lori took Dainin’s wrist and led him to a table with an abundant spread of pastries. “This all looks delicious. Thank you for putting in so much effort for my sake,” he thanked her, earning him a fit of giggles. “Please, don’t encourage her. She has a huge ego already,” Tessa whispered. Dainin tried to contain his chuckle but failed when Lori shot Tessa another playful glare and slapped her arm. “Let the boy say what he wants.

~Dainin~ It was late morning when Dainin woke up at Tessa’s side. He was surprised to find her fast asleep with her beautiful hair covering her pillow, tempting him to run it through his fingers. Instead, he carefully pushed it aside to admire the imprint of his mark. Sparks pulsed beneath the pads of his fingers which traced the raised edges. Tessa stirred, snuggling herself against his large frame with a sigh and Dainin couldn't resist pulling her close to place a sweet kiss on her shoulder. After the chaotic weekend he had, Dainin never expected his evening would end with something so special. It was beyond anything he could have ever imagined. *** As soon as he finished assigning living arrangements for his pack, his wolf begged for a run and they were surprised to find their mate's scent beginning to fade just outside their borders. Dainin gave his wolf full control to follow her delicious scent and before long, he was standing outside of her bedroom, knocking desperately.

~Tessa~ Tessa woke up to the sensation of rocking in a soft comforting sway. She felt secure and opened her eyes to find her mate's toned, tanned chest. His sweet citrus scent pulled her in closer. "I guess someone's awake," Dainin chuckled, placing Tessa's feet on the ground. He towered over her and his larger hands enveloped her own in a gentle grasp."Why didn't you wake me up," he asked, laying his head in the crook of her neck. Reality set in and Tessa's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Her behavior from earlier was demeaning and he was never meant to see her that way. On instinct, Tessa turned away in shame. "I can only imagine how neurotic I look right now," she thought, wanting to run, but Dainin's hand caressed her cheek, pushing the matted hair away from her face. "Tessa, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but please don't feel ashamed. I will never judge you for having emotions," he assured her, softly kissing her forehead. "You're safe with me." Tessa'

~Tessa~ Tessa woke up to the blinding rays of the mid-morning sun. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and found she was alone in her eerily quiet room. “If only I never got out of bed this morning,” Tessa thought to her wolf, who only whined in a pained response. They both wished they remained safely in bed with their mate and were none the wiser to this new brutal truth. Stretching her limbs, Tessa’s body felt refreshed, but her mental state was sluggish and drained. Her heart was screaming at her to avoid everything and just get back in bed, but Tessa knew she couldn’t hide like a coward. With a deep breath, she threw the comforter off and rose from the bed. The soft, thick fabric of her robe fell around her body, hiding her shaking frame, but she welcomed the protective layer after being emotionally stripped raw earlier that morning. Thankfully, she already felt her courage being restored with the new purpose of revenge. Taking her first steps, Tessa’s damp hair skimmed her ch

~Dainin~The ballroom boomed with conversation as everyone settled in. Dainin and his pack leaders sat at their designated table in the front of the ballroom. Alan tried to lighten the mood, but Dainin couldn’t help but still feel sour about the encounter with Alpha Davis.“We shouldn’t be surprised that our mate had potential suitors,” his wolf said as he tried, but failed, to find the bright side of things. He was strangely calm about this whole situation.“I was just beginning to accept Elijah and now there’s Alpha Davis,” Dainin grumbled with his fists clenched on the table, glaring at Ronan from across the dance floor. “He’s lucky he’s been placed at a distance,” he growled to his wolf, but the sweet voice of his mate entered his mind, calming his anger.“Dainin, please stop shooting daggers across my ballroom. You, and only you, are my mate. There was never a chance it would have been any one of these Alphas. I swear,” Tessa declared, and Dainin turned his gaze to the head table,