~Chapter 7 - Unable To Ignore You~
2514 Words
~Reece~
The setting sun bled across the horizon, a riot of oranges and reds that should have captivated me. But all the fiery hues in the sky paled compared to the sight of Dawn standing beneath them. Her presence was a live wire connecting to my soul, each step she took sending jolts through my chest. I was so consumed by her, the world outside us seemed to melt away. I’d lost all track of time.
Damn it. It was almost dinner. And then, meeting the alphas about the recent news on Maddison and Salista. A conversation we had to navigate with the precision of a tightrope walker. Doing it all without raising Dawn’s suspicions. Hiding a thunderstorm from the rain.
Having a human in the packhouse… it was a seismic shift. An earthquake that cracked our foundations and forced us to confront a world beyond our carefully constructed walls. And we had to avoid stepping in the wrong place and having the world crashing around us.
A bird flew above Dawn, and a startled laugh slipped from her. It tingled like a chime carried on a summer breeze, and snapped me back to reality. It danced in the air, chasing away the shadows of the looming meeting and the knot of anxiety tightening in my gut. As she turned and walked backed towards me, her hips swayed with a rhythm that seemed both natural and impossibly alluring. Her shoulders shook with suppressed delight, as if she held a secret, some exquisite joy only she knew.
Goddess, she was beautiful. It wasn’t just the physical—the way the sunlight caught the delicate curve of her cheekbone, the cascade of dark hair that tumbled down her back, the intelligent spark in her eyes. It was something more. Something ethereal. Something that made me feel like I was watching a goddess descend from Olympus, her feet barely touching the mortal ground.
Her scent. It was heavenly. A heady mix of warm chocolate chip cookies and something uniquely Dawn. Familiar and addictive, like a drug I couldn’t get enough of. It swirled around me, a constant, intoxicating reminder of her. The closer I got, the stronger it became, wrapping itself around me like a silken cord.
And the touches. Those fleeting, innocent brushes of skin that sent tremors through my entire being. A casual graze of her hand against mine as she reached for a book. The momentary contact of her arm against my side as we walked. They were insignificant, almost imperceptible, yet they held the power to unravel me.
I wasn’t the only one affected. I could see it in her eyes, a flicker of awareness, a hesitant curiosity that mirrored my own burgeoning feelings. The touches, brief and innocent as they were, were stirring something within her. A yearning, a vulnerability that she tried to conceal, but couldn’t quite mask. Maybe Agatha had been right. Even human can feel the bond… even if it’s only slightly.
And that bond was driving Donte crazy.
Donte was clawing at the edges of my control. He recognised Dawn was our mate. In the werewolf way, he knew her. He’d been restless since the moment she’d arrived. We wanted her. Needed her. Our desires were raw, untamed, and difficult to suppress.
“I want to claim her!” Donte demanded. He was irrational and pushy, fighting against my will to lock him back. “Right now! She’s our mate, and we deserve her!”
“Calm,” I told him. “Give her time, we can’t force her into it… She’s human.”
“But she can sense it…” He argued. “I know she can!”
“I once sat at the beach for hours and drew a pod of breaching whales…” she said, running her hands through the fence hedge as we left the garden behind. She peered back at me over her shoulder. The look in her eyes made Donte whimper and my heart race. “They were blue whales… Have you seen whales up close before?”
“No,” I admitted honestly. “I haven’t travelled much since the kids were born.”
“Where is your daughter?” She asked curiously. “You mentioned her earlier.”
Her question shot deep and painful into my heart. Matilda was still locked away in the cells beneath our feet. She was eighteen and had her wolf now, but the silver and wolfsbane shackles kept her from turning. After she had betrayed the pack by trying to offer Louise to Dahlia. And she had been forced to live in the cells as punishment. And it had been just over three years, and Joseph’s ruling hadn’t changed.
Dawn turned to me as she continued to walk backwards. “I don’t mean to pry…”
“No,” I sighed, brushing my hair from my face. “She’s in jail… She did something… Unforgivable.”
Dawn froze. Her face sobered. “Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that’s like.”
“I’ve come to terms with her punishment,” I admitted, although the memory ached my chest.
“Some things are beyond our control,” she said, stepping forward and touching my shoulder. “And in turn, we blame ourselves. But we can’t do that, or we’ll fall down the rabbit hole. We need to remember we did all we can… And learn from it.”
She had spoken those words like a person who had survived the pain.
“I like her a lot…” Donte woofed.
I agreed with him. Dawn was growing on me more with each second.
“Dinners ready!” Alpha George called through the mind-link. “Now, remember we have a human joining us tonight who doesn’t know what we are… Be mindful of what we say.”
“Yes, Alpha…” I replied.
A procession of yeses followed.
Dawn was ahead of me, squatting before a bed of wildflowers. She was running her fingers over them, mumbling their names under her breath. She was intelligent, talented and gorgeous. It was no wonder the Moon Goddess had blessed me with her.
“You were right before,” she said, running her fingers up and down the lavender stem. She peered back at me. “Lavender has many abilities and medicinal properties. It can be used in oils or like this…” she held the stems between her fingers, “To promote calmness and relaxation.”
“They also symbolise purity, devotion, serenity, grace, and love…” I offered her my hand. “And dinner is ready if you’re hungry.”
“Oh, lovely…” She stood, tripped over her foot and fell into me.
Oh, Goddess, almighty! I tensed as her warm body landed against my chest. Her scent reached my nose, and I couldn’t think. I didn’t want to move and ruin the moment.
“Mate! Mate!” Donte panted, spinning in circles.
“We have to stop meeting like this…” I whispered, leaning my cheek against hers. “I might start thinking you were doing this on purpose.”
“I’m not,” she laughed, pushing herself off my chest. But she was smiling mischievously. “You’re just in the right place at the right time.”
“Maybe it’s meant to be…” I whispered, stepping away from her.
She coyly bit her bottom lip. “Maybe…”
Arousal sprang up as I watched her turn and walk towards the packhouse. I shifted my legs uncomfortably, trying to stop it from getting worse. “This is going to be hard, Donte…”
“Tell me about it!” Donte huffed.
Shaking off the sensation the best I could, I jogged up to Dawn. The two of us entered the packhouse to hear laughter and chatter singing out from the kitchen. Various foods wafted out to greet us, and my stomach growled.
“I think you’re hungry,” Dawn teased with a wink. “Not that I blame you. That smells amazing!”
“Let’s go eat then…” I pressed my hand to her back, ushering her into the kitchen. The tingles were consuming, but I held a straight face and tried to cover the joy.
We entered the kitchen to see everyone in the house gathered around the large dining table. The aroma of steaming food filled the air, making my mouth water. Looking around, I noticed Dawn pausing momentarily to take everything in. She had her eyes wide open, studying every detail with wonder. It was one of the things I admired about her—how she found joy in the simplest things.
Kingston and Agatha were already seated across the other side, with my adorable granddaughter perched on Kingston’s knee. The chubby-cheeked cherub was a mixture of both. She had a mop of Agatha’s black hair, but a few strands of white were showing through. Her eyes were as dark as Agatha’s, but she had Kingston’s sharp chin. Beside them sat Archie, Madeline, and their twin teenage daughters, Lauren, and Renee. It was nice to see the twins had taken moments out of their busy lives to join us.
“Reece…” Alpha George called from across the table. He waved at us and urged us over. “Introduce us…”
“Dawn,” I turned to her, trembling with arousal at the way her name sounded. She blinked up at me. “I want to introduce you to a few people…”
“Sure,” she nodded. “Lead the way…”
I headed towards the table where Alpha George and Luna Ruth sat, passing Luna Louise, Alpha Joseph, and Beta Tyrone.
“Oh, my goodness, those babies are adorable…” Dawn cooed under her breath.
“I’ll introduce you to my granddaughter in a moment,” I said, gesturing at Kingston.
“I still can’t believe you’re a grandparent.” She giggled, elbowing me. “You don’t look old enough.”
“I’ll take that compliment,” I teased, gently elbowing her back.
Once we reached George and Ruth, they stood to greet us.
“Welcome, Dawn,” Luna Ruth said, bowing her head. “I’m Ruth, and this is my husband George…”
“Thank you,” she said respectfully. “It’s nice to meet you. You must be Jospeh’s parents. The resemblance is uncanny…”
“Yes, he is…” George said with a grin.
“Hi…”
We turned to see Josie-Anne standing behind us. The Alpha’s daughter had shot up over the few years. The lanky girl reached my chest.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Dawn said, propping herself against her knees so she was at eye level with her. “It’s nice to meet you, I—”
“—Dawn…” Josie-Anne said, finishing Dawn’s sentence for her. “You’re pretty…”
“Oh,” blinking in surprise, Dawn stood back up. “Thank you. And your name—”
“My name is Josie-Anne…” Josie-Anne replied, her eyes burying deep into Dawn’s subconsciousness.
She was using her magical abilities to read Dawn’s mind and soul. This kid was psychic and had predicted a few events in the past. She lived with the elders for a while to learn how to understand her abilities. But there were rules, and she couldn’t reveal what she knew without facing the consequences from the Elders. But hints were a bonus, and that was how we saved the Sunset clan.
“You like this house?” Josie-Anne tilted her head, studying Dawn. “Can I see your drawings one day?”
“Oh,” Dawn glanced from me back to Josie-Anne, unsure who the girl knew she drew. “Sure…”
Josie-Anne pointed to Dawn’s face. “You have a smudge of lead on your face. That’s how I knew you drew. And a pencil behind her ear.”
Laughing, Dawn reached up to wipe away the smudge. “I’m terrible with that…”
When she missed it, I reached over and rubbed it away with my thumb. Dawn’s hand went to mine, and we locked gazes again.
“Sorry,” I said, removing my hand.
“That’s okay,” she replied, pulling her gaze away.
“Mate…!” Donte whimpered.
“Mate…! I sighed inwardly.
“Can she feel the bond?” Alpha George asked curiously. Out of my peripheral, I saw him rub his stubbled chin in wonder. “I can swear she can…”
“I don’t know…” I admitted, still looking at the beauty that was mine.
“It’s nice to meet you too…” Josie-Anne giggled as she skipped to her seat beside Joseph and dropped into it.
“We’ll let’s eat…” Alpha George announced, slipping back into his seat. He rubbed his belly. “I’m starving… And we have a meeting in two hours.”
I guided Dawn to the seat beside Madeline and slipped into the seat between her and Kingston. Dawn’s eyes were wide as she studied everything on the table before her.
“Hey, Dad,” Kingston said, turning to me. “How’s it going?”
“I don’t know…” I glanced sideways at Dawn as she started placing food on her plate. “Sometimes I think she feels the bond, then other times I don’t know…”
“Give it time,” He patted my back. “Did you want to hold Anya while I grabbed some food?”
“Of course…” I reached out for her, and Kingstone placed her in my arms.
“Pa-Pa,” she cooed, excitedly. Her big, dark eyes looked up at me. I loved my grandchild. She was the perfect little cherub.
“Is this your granddaughter?” Dawn asked in a cute tone. Her eyes softened towards the toddler. “She is adorable…”
“Would you like to hold Anya?” Kingston called over me.
She thought for a moment, then nodded. “Why not…”
“Here…” I slid Anya into her arms, and a strange feeling consumed me. The moment I watched her interact with my granddaughter, I knew I wanted another pup of my own with her. That was the mate bond in action. I don’t care how old I am. I want to have one with her!
“Yes… Yes!” Donte panted and pleaded.
“Dad?” Kingston said, squeezing my shoulders. “If you keep staring at the woman like that, you’ll scare her away.”
“I love her…” Donte replied for me.
Laughing, Kingston shook his head. “You don’t say…”
“Oh, my goodness, you are the cutest little thing,” Dawn cooed, tickling Anya’s chin.
Anya made a cooing, contented noise that made Dawn turn to Putty, and my loins scream. I saw everyone’s attention flitter to us knowingly. There was no hiding the attraction to your mate from other werewolves. And my attraction to Dawn was screaming out an open for all to see.
“Mate!” Donte howled.
- Writer
