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“Alright!” She ran up to the group and took a spot on the court.
The volleyball match started. I watched everyone having fun while my thoughts were racing.
Gabriel and Esteban wanted me? Was this why they had saved me from Victor? So they did want something in return after all. Were they after a sexual relationship with me? Friends with benefits; was that the term for it?
I didn’t want to have sex without stings attached. The kind of girl who could have sex with anyone she liked just wasn’t me. I needed to form an emotional attachment to someone before I slept with them.
After I got my scar, nobody wanted to be serious with me but before my accident, I’d had one boyfriend whom I’d slept with a few times. The sex hadn’t been anything to write home about. He had been much more interested in his pleasure than mine and that unfortunate experience had turned me off from relationships. Then, of course, my mate… yeah, with my mate things had ended before they had even begun. He wasn’t even worth thinking about.
But was that kind of thing, being sex partners, really what Gabriel and Esteban wanted from me? Wouldn’t they be adults and just outright offer me the opportunity? Why walk on eggshells around me instead?
Could the truth be that the two Alphas wanted to mate with me? My heart jumped up in my chest when I thought about the notion. No, that outcome couldn’t be possible! They couldn’t want someone like me – a scarred half-breed. They were two hot men and could have anybody they wanted.
Why me then? What did they want from me? And what did I want?
Chapter Ten
Gabriel
When it started getting dark, we put down the volleyball net and returned to the village. Daphne had sat out most of the time we were playing, but she had joined us for a little while. I hoped the game had helped her relax. Every bit counted.
However, I wasn’t done with the day yet. “Hender, put on some music! We haven’t had a welcoming party for Daphne yet!”
The people of Santuario cheered. Every opportunity to have some fun was valued around here.
“I’ll go make some colorful drinks!” Yoselin turned to go to the dining hall, which was stocked up with alcohol as well as snacks.
“I’ll help you,” Daphne offered.
I stepped in closer to her, blocking her path to the dining hall. “Ah-ah! Tonight is about you! You should relax and have some fun. I don’t want to see you working at your own party.”
I flashed a smile at Daphne, and she looked away, blushing. She wasn’t completely immune to my charms, although she still wasn’t entirely comfortable around me.
“Alright then, but you should send someone else to help Yoselin. Making the drinks and carrying them out is too much for one person,” Daphne said in a small quiet voice.
Despite her soft tone, I heard her and nodded. “Will do.”
I called someone else to help Yoselin. In the meantime fun party music started booming from the tall speakers Hender and Jaime had pulled out of the warehouse. The residents of Santuario started coming out of their homes, lured by the sounds. Some had already started to dance energetically to the music.
I looked at Daphne who was watching the others having fun as well. She had an uncertain look on her face, as if she wanted to join them but didn’t dare. I stifled a sigh.
Had the negative experiences of her past taken away the ability for this woman to feel joy? That dilemma seemed to be the cause of her hesitancy as she only ever relaxed when she was alone with Yoselin, and even then not entirely. I was glad we had made the choice to assign the cook to help Daphne adjust. The two had become friends. Our mate needed a girlfriend in the sleuth.
“Dance with me?” I extended my hand to Daphne, flashing my characteristic charming smile that women liked so much.
She, however, looked at my hand with uncertainty. I felt my heart drop, and I had to muster all of my confidence for my smile not to fall. It physically hurt me to see my mate resist my closeness when I wanted to touch her so badly, but I couldn’t give up!
“No, thank you,” Daphne said a moment later, even though I had already known from the look on her face she would refuse. Still, the words were painful to hear.
“Do you hate me?” The words escaped my lips before I thought better of voicing them.
Daphne frowned. “No, I don’t hate you.”
“Why do you avoid me then? Please give me a chance. I will prove to you that I’m a good person. I just want to befriend you!” That claim was a lie, but not entirely. I wanted her heart, but I also wanted to be the best of friends with her.
Daphne gave me a look which told me she was suspicious of something. With a small sigh she placed her hand in mine. “Alright, one dance.”
I beamed. She was giving me a moment of her time. This development was more than I had expected, and it made me excited and hopeful.
