Reclaiming Herself—Completed

Chapter Thirty-Three

Danielle.

As she watched Patrick unpack the basket, Danielle was overcome with emotion. It seemed so normal for a boyfriend or husband to set up a cute date for his partner, and yet, she hadn’t let herself dream of normalcy since she had been captured by Richard. At first, she had thought she could escape his pack grounds, but after her attempts were proven fruitless, she had resigned herself to being his play-thing until he grew bored of her. However, he hadn’t grown bored of her. Instead, the more time he spent with her, the more obsessed he had become. And, after talking with Maria, it made more sense than ever. He believed in some silly myth that most likely was just a bunch of lies. And it had ruined her life.

Now that she was free of him, she could enjoy the small things. She could smell the freshness of the forest and of the air. She could roam the grounds when she wanted and train to regain her strength. She could learn to be herself once again and do all the things she had dreamed of doing.

Danielle felt true joy as Patrick pulled out two glasses, plates, cutlery, an assortment of tea sandwiches, and a bowl of fruit because she would be able to enjoy the time with him. She also felt sadness and anger at having been denied the smallest luxuries in life. She had eaten old bread and cold soup for too long to remember how delicious other foods were and that one could look forward to meals. Food was for more than simply keeping her alive, it was to be savored.

“Are you alright?” Patrick asked, peering over at her.

“Hmm?” she responded, her eyes focusing on the spread of picnic items laid out in front of her.

Patrick smiled at her. “Seemed like you zoned out there for a second.”

“Oh,” she chuckled. “I must’ve. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. No need to apologize. It happens.”

She nodded. “I suppose. I guess I used to do it so much that I don’t even recognize when I slip into it.”

He patted the blanket next to him, and she happily took it. Their knees just barely grazed each other and she felt the telling sparks fly up and down her leg. Her eyes widened in embarrassment.

“S-sorry.”

“What ever for? In fact, I prefer as much physical contact as you’re willing to give,” he laughed.

Danielle’s blush deepened, which made Patrick laugh harder.

“How are you so easy to tease?”

“I’m not…” she faintly deflected.

Grabbing a plate and filling it with fruit and several sandwiches, Patrick only grinned at her. “Seeing as I’m not exactly sure what you like, I sort of asked for everything. So, we have egg salad, turkey and cheese, cream cheese and cucumber, uh, ham and cheese, and I think this one is roast beef. Oh! We made a chicken salad as well, and I think there’s one with hummus and veggies, in case you’re a vegetarian and I never asked.”

“Oh my,” Danielle said, feeling overwhelmed by the choices. “I, uh,”

“And the breads are different too. Because, again, I don’t know what you like. So, there’s whole wheat, sourdough, uh, rye, and, uh, just plain white. And, I know we packed like a whole grain one, too. If you like pumpernickel, I can make that happen. Just name it, and I’m sure we brought it.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.

He frowned. “Huh? Why? You haven’t even eaten yet.”

Danielle felt her eyes tear up. “I–I know. But, it’s just, I haven’t had such simple choices in so long,” she then sniffed. “It’s almost too much at once.”

Patrick froze. “Well, s**t. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that. Then, uh, why don’t we start by just sampling everything? And tell me what you remember liking. Does that sound alright?”

She nodded and took the proffered plate from him. “That would be good, I think.”

On her plate, she recognized everything, though she couldn't exactly remember the taste of it all. She popped a grape in her mouth, and as the skin broke and the juice exploded, she instantly remembered how much she loved grapes. The gentle sweetness coated her mouth, and she eagerly began eating the rest on her plate. It was so simple, yet it was everything to her. After eating all the grapes, she moved onto the chicken salad sandwich, which was on the grain bread. Danielle took a bite, the flavors melding together perfectly.

“This one. This sandwich. I forgot how good this was,” she giggled. “And the grapes. Oh yeah! There are cut up grapes in the chicken salad!”

“Try this,” Patrick said, holding out a strawberry.

Danielle leaned over and took a bite, his fingers brushing against her chin, sending more tingly shivers throughout her body. Some of the juice from the piece of fruit dribbled down her chin, and Patrick was quick to wipe it up with his finger. She watched as he licked his finger off, and she felt a strange sensation rise up within her. Nothing that he had done had been erotic, and yet, her mind became filled with dirty thoughts. She balked at herself. How could she even be having those thoughts after everything she’d been through? The mere thought of Patrick licking strawberry juice off of her made her face flush.

“What’s wrong?” he asked innocently, painfully aware of what was going through her mind.

“Oh–h nothing. I just remembered why strawberries were my favorite fruit.”

“Yeah?” he smiled at her. “And why is that?”

“Uh,” she stalled, racking her brain.

Danielle had blurted out the first thing that came to mind in order to hide her true feelings. The strawberry had been delicious, but it had less to do with the fruit itself and more to do with the man who had fed it to her.

“It had been my mother’s favorite, actually. We would eat them almost every morning,” she started, a sudden memory coming to mind. “Dad would make parfaits or pancakes or something and then he’d heap cut up strawberries onto it. Mom would eat up every piece, often asking me if she could have my share.”

She laughed to herself. Danielle hadn’t thought of those moments much due to them being so painful. But, somehow, sharing the memory with Patrick hadn’t hurt. It was nice to share things with him and to share her past with someone who genuinely cared.

Patrick gave her a soft smile. “That’s wonderful.”

“It was. Though, it isn’t something we need to dwell on. I don’t want to ruin the mood or anything. This is supposed to be a fun moment.”

“It can be whatever you need, Danielle,” Patrick reassured her.

Again, she was filled with emotion. Never had someone comforted her like he did. Somehow, Patrick always knew what to say or what she needed.

“How do you do that?” she asked abruptly.

“Do what?”

“Say exactly what I need to hear.”

He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. She closed her eyes, letting the tingles overcome her senses. She then felt his soft lips on hers and melted into his kiss. Her body seemed to crave his touch like a dehydrated person stranded in the desert searching for water. Before she could continue the kiss, however, he pulled away.

“I just listen to my gut and hope for the best,” he said huskily, their foreheads pressed together.

Danielle was overly aware of their contact. His hand was gripping her neck, and their breath was mingling together in front of their faces. She felt the urge to continue their kiss, wondering both why she wanted to do that, and also questioning if she was moving herself too fast.

Trust your gut.

With the approval of her wolf and the desire welling up inside of her, she decided to trust her gut, just as Patrick had mentioned. She leaned in, pressing her lips back onto his. He responded in earnest, kissing her hungrily yet gently.

Everything about the kiss was completely different from when Richard would force his lips on hers. He had always been aggressive and needy. Patrick, on the other hand, was soft and sweet. He was eager but reserved. He was respectful of what she wanted instead of just taking what he wanted. Kissing Patrick had been her choice that she made on her own; it wasn't a choice made for her by someone else.

They exchanged several more kisses before she finally pulled back, breathless. Danielle smiled shyly at him. This time, it had been totally her choice to kiss him. She couldn’t blame her heat this time.

Patrick chuckled at her. “What’s with that face?”

“What face?” she teased back.

Instead of answering, he took a bite of the sandwich, his eyes flirting with her. Danielle felt like a schoolgirl again. She was finally willing to accept that she had a crush on her mate. Kissing him had only confirmed the feelings that had started to grow. She felt silly for acting so childishly, but also liked that she was free enough to express her feelings.

The two spent the next couple of hours sampling every sandwich, fruit, and dessert, as well as the three different juices. They giggled and talked about what Danielle would like to eat or try. They created a dinner menu for that night–fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and baked broccoli. Everything felt so normal and right that Danielle felt like she needed to pinch herself. Nothing could ruin their first official date together.

Until she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Chills crept down her spine, and distinct growls sounded from behind them.