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"Then make it a little less obscure for me, Vera. Why does Bob appeal to you over me?" His anger ramping up a notch, hesitating, then backing down, like Dale was struggling to control it.
"He's not an alpha."
"You can't paint us all with the same tainted brush, Vera."
"You imprisoned me in my home. You painted yourself."
Dale was quiet. "You are my mate. I've been struggling for months to cope with the fact that you aren't feeling what I'm feeling. The idea of letting you up and leave my life-"
"So, trapping me here was the solution? Taking away my free will, giving me no other option but to do what you wanted. That was the best way to deal with your feelings?" God forbid a man actually considers how I felt.
"It's the solution I had available to me. We prepared the injunction to stop you buying the land. Cameron came to the hospital to give you the last chance to sell the property. If you still refused, he was going to serve you with the injunction. When he saw you and caught your scent, he called me and told me you were one of us."
"So, you allowed me to buy the house so you could draw me into your pack?"
"It was obvious you needed a place to go, Vera. If I didn't take you in, another pack would have stumbled across you and taken you instead." He shifted his stance and avoided my eyes. "I didn't mean to attack you that first night. The wolf was in control when you scared away his dinner. It wasn't until I was standing over you that I caught your scent and realized you were my mate."
Dale moved closer to where I lay on the bed. "When I saw your body covered with those bruises, I was furious. It was the only reason I held back from shifting and marking you then and there."
"Thank you for having enough control to resist that," I whispered, a little terrified of how bad my first night here could have been.
"Thank you for agreeing to stay."
"Jeremy convinced me to stay, not you. Thank him."
Dale stopped moving closer. "Should I ask how Jeremy convinced you?"
Tears threatened to spill with the admission. "He showed me how weak and vulnerable I am. That's not going to change by going somewhere else."
With his brow's pinching above his nose, Dale looked confused.
"Goodnight, Dale. Lock my door on the way out please." My eyes fluttered closed, unable to stay awake any longer.
* * *
A few hours later,the pain in my ribs woke me. Making my way to the bathroom, I washed my face clean and then made my way out to the kitchen. Feet stopping, I stared at the image before me.
Dale stood looking out the kitchen window wearing only a pair of tracksuit pants. When he lifted the coffee cup to his lips, all the muscles in his back shifted. His olive skin was glowing in the morning light. I almost felt the need to take a photo of him because it was that perfect a pose. Frowning, I glared at his back. He chuckled.
"You knew I was here?"
He finally turned around with a satisfied smirk on his face. "I always know when you are near. Can't you tell when I'm here?"
When I shook my head, Dale's smile dropped, his eyes blinking several times. Going to the fridge, I dug out some aspirin, dissolving four into a glass of water.
"Jeremy's having trouble finding a store that sells the birch leaf."
Glancing at him, I noticed the way he stood. Feet apart, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the coffee mug. He looked just as delicious from the front. Biting my lip, my eyes traced the gullies and rises of his abdomen. Snapping out of my trance, I caught Dale smirking as he lifted the mug to his beautiful luscious lips.
"Oh, my god! You used to model, didn't you?"
Dale seemed amused. "Yes. That's how I got into the business."
Shaking my head, I went to my notepad at the table. "Can you put a shirt on? This isn't a photoshoot."
"You have any men's clothes here, do you?" Dale raised an eyebrow.
"Your house isn't even a kilometer away."
