Page 32 of Dark Auctioned Mate

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming his way and turned to see Sara, with Alanis, walking towards him.

His breath hitched. Alanis was in a dress—obviously one of Sara's. It was a deep burgundy which made her creamy skin pop more. It had a sweetheart neckline, which revealed enough of her cleavage to cause his mouth to dry, and it was mid-thigh, revealing legs that appeared to extend endlessly. Her long dark hair was gathered in a high ponytail, showing off her neck, and she was wearing heels that raised her height by a few inches. She was so beautiful and obviously out of her comfort zone, judging by the way she was pulling at the hem of the dress.

“Hold still,” Sara hissed as they approached. "You look amazing."

“This is too much. I should have just thrown on a pair of jeans and called it a day.”.

“You look beautiful.”

Both women stopped. Alanis locked eyes with him. “Sure,” she mumbled.

"Really." He was drawn to her helplessly. “You are... fuck, Alanis. You are so beautiful.”

“See,” Sara nudged her. “He is drooling over you. Told you.”

“I am not.” Rael began, but he had to stop because Sara was not quite mistaken. Having Alanis standing there looking like that was making him have a hard time forming coherent thoughts.

“Well, my work is done here. I am going in. You two take a moment.” Sara climbed up the stairs and walked into the house, leaving Rael and Alanis alone.

“You did not need to dress up,” Rael moved closer. "It's just a family dinner."

“Sara said I should make an effort.” Alanis glanced down at herself. “I feel like I'm playing dress-up.”

"You look perfect." Rael raised his hand and gently caressed her jaw. “But, if you don't feel like staying, just let me know, and we'll leave right now.”

"No, I want to." She shook her head. “Elle went through the trouble for this, and I would like to... I would like to try. To be a part of this.”

Warmth rushed into Rael's heart. “All right. But should you at any time feel like leaving, then you only have to say the word, and we'll be out of there. No questions.”

"Deal." She inhaled deeply. “Let's go in before I lose my nerves.”

Rael extended his arm to her, and she accepted it after a moment of hesitation. They climbed the steps together, and Rael tried to ignore the fact that it felt so natural to have her at his elbow like this—dressed up, going into his brother's house as a couple, about to have dinner with his family.

This was the way normal looked. This is what he desired their future to be. He just hoped they were able to make it through the night without any mishaps.

Dinner started surprisingly well.

Elle had outdone herself with the food. They had roasted chicken and vegetables, fresh bread, and something like a berry tart for dessert. The table had some candles and cloth napkins. Isa sat in her special chair between Silas and Elle.

Alanis was seated next to Rael, with Sara on her other side and August across from them. Javi was on the other end of the table, the farthest possible distance between him and Alanis.

The first thirty minutes were filled with easy conversations. Sara continued to keep Alanis entertained with questions about her favorite foods and colors, and whether she had ever been to some cities. Elle talked about tales of pack life and was careful to say nothing that Alanis would find embarrassing. Silas, too, did his best, and his dry humor caused Alanis to laugh more than once.

Rael had his hand on her thigh, under the table. The dress had risen a little as she sat down, and the sensation of her bare flesh in his palm was like an aphrodisiac.

She gave him a quick glance but made no attempt to push his hand off. Rael started to make little circles on her inner thigh with his thumb. He maintained a neutral expression and became involved in the discussion of pack training schedules with August, his hand creeping upwards.

Alanis picked up her glass cup, her hands shaking a bit.

“So, Alanis," August said, drawing the attention of Rael back to the table. "Sara mentioned you were interested in observing training. How did that go?"

Alanis drank some water and replied. “The pack has excellent methods. It was... educational.”

“Educational,” Javi drawled at the other end of the table. "That's one way to describe it."

The table fell silent.

"Javi,” Silas sighed.