His Crimson Mate

Smile

(Janessa's POV)

It had been about a week since the movie night. It was early morning and I had awoken with knots all over my stomach. Why am I letting Hadeon and the bond affect me this way? The butterflies of excitement mixed with the nerves of the unknown are making me feel uneasy.

I mean can you really teach an old dog new tricks? "What's that supposed to mean?" Hera asked. "It means, could Hadeon really change? Or is he just saying those things to get us into his bed?" I responded.

"Well, he could get me into his bed anytime! We could have woken up in his bed this morning if you weren't so stubborn!" Hera whined and I rolled my eyes and climbed out of bed for a shower.

Hera doesn't see how terrible an idea it is to get close to Hadeon, but I do. One thing my Great-Gran always taught me is that you can never change a male. So I knew I could never change him, but was he willing to change on his own?

I shook those silly thoughts from my head. Hadeon is dangerous, in every sense of the word. I quickly finished my morning routine with one hundred jumping jacks and one hundred and fifty push-ups. Once I got in a little exercise, I left my room and headed toward the dining room for a quick breakfast.

Hadeon walked in just as I sat down. His scent took over my senses, and as usual, I tried to ignore it. "Good morning, Juicy," Hadeon said as he sat next to me at a table. I looked around embarrassed, "What did I tell you about calling me that in public," I whisper-yelled as I felt heat rise up my neck to my cheeks. Hadeon chuckled at my response and began to eat.

This has pretty much been our routine lately. He meets me in the dining hall because I refuse to wait for him to walk me there. Then he's pretty much up my ass for the rest of the morning while we work on houses.

He really has been trying to open up to his pack members. I mean, he's awkward as hell, and even though our conversations flow easily, I realize Hadeon is a male of little words. He just grunts a lot and sends a lot of warning glares and everyone runs from his path. We are working on that.

Hadeon scarfed down his food and waited for me to finish mine before we headed over toward the houses. There were a few projects going on simultaneously at this point. We have a couple of dozen houses almost move-in ready and a few dozen we started putting the framework up yesterday.

"G-Good morning, Alpha," Dave greeted Hadeon before giving me a friendly smile. Hadeon grunted in response before I elbowed him in his side. He looked down at me questioningly and I gave him a stern look, letting him know we had already discussed this.

Hadon gritted his teeth before he gave a painful smile and grunted, "Morning." Dave looked concerned at his creepy grin, and I facepalmed at his dry-ass greeting. "He will get better," Hera said with little confidence. I'm not sure who she was trying to convince, but I'm not buying it.

"How'd I do?" Hadeon asked me with hope and excitement in his voice once we began working, away from everyone. I gave him a weak smile. He really is trying. "Umm, you're getting there," I said as I hauled some materials into an almost-finished home.

"Why do I not believe you?" Hadeon asked with a frown. Damn it, why is he so adorable? I sighed. "Listen, all you do is grunt in response to everyone, and you smile like a creep," I told him as nicely as possible.

"Excuse me?" Hadeon asked in shock. "I'm sorry, but your smile is really... demented. At least your fake smile. Your real smile is actually quite charming," I said as I quickly turned away from him and blushed. Hadeon sighed in defeat. "Why do I suck so bad at this?" He grumbled, looking off into the distance. I sighed.

"You don't suck, you just need practice. You're not used to being approachable. You'll get better," I tried to encourage him as I touched his face gently. I don't know what has gotten into me, but for some reason, I have a strong need to comfort him. He leaned into my touch and the sparks that erupted made my heart skip a beat.

"You really think I could be better?" Hadeon questioned with genuine hope in his eyes. "Practice makes perfect," I responded with the hope that maybe one day he could be a great and kind leader.

After another hour of working inside the house and laying the carpet, I decided to step outside for some fresh air. "I'll be right back," I shouted to Hadeon before I walked out of the newly placed front door.

"Hey, Janessa, how's it going?" asked a Delta warrior named Grier. He's a cool guy. He's mated to a kitchen Omega, and I usually see him patrolling the pack and its borders. He, his mate, and I have run into each other a few times and chatted. They are a sweet couple.

Grier approached with two warriors at his side. Franklin, a tall, dark, and handsome warrior who I have encountered a few times, and another warrior whom I have seen around but have not formally met. "Everything is well, Grier. How's patrol?" I asked. Grier shrugged his shoulders. "Meh, same old," he responded.

"Hi, I really have been looking forward to meeting you," blurted out the tall blonde whom I hadn't met yet. I gave him a warm smile to take away what appeared to be his nerves. "Hi, I'm Janessa," I responded as I reached out to shake his hand.

"Pleased to finally meet you, I'm Rodney but my friends call me Rod. I just wanted to say, I really appreciate everything you have been doing around here. It doesn't go unnoticed," Rod blurted out while giving me a million-dollar smile and shaking my hand vigorously.

"Aww, I can't take too much credit. The Alpha had a lot to do with it as well," I responded, finding the perfect opportunity to give Hadeon praise. "Really?" Rod asked shocked, as Franklin and Grier looked just as stunned as Rod sounded. "Yes, of course. He's even been down here all week putting in the hard work to get these homes up," I told them while looking around.

Suddenly, my body began to react in a way that only one person could accomplish. The door to the house opened and Hadeon stepped out onto the small porch.

From Hadeon's imposing aura, you could instantly smell the nerves and fear wafting from the warriors. I cleared my throat and motioned for Hadeon to join me on the lawn. Now was a perfect opportunity for him to practice what we had rehearsed.

Hadeon looked slightly irritated before he walked down the steps and towards us. I couldn't help but admire his sexy physique. His muscles flexed under his short-sleeved t-shirt and the tattoos that covered every inch of his exposed skin made my core clench.

Damn, why did he have to be so hot? I could imagine ripping that t-shirt off and exploring his body with my tongue and claws. I had to fan myself as I felt my body heat elevating.

I was pulled from my enticing reverie by Hadeon's smug smirk. Damn it! I was caught staring. Hadeon's scent consumed me as he walked closer and his body heat pulled me in. He had no shame when he stood by my side and wrapped his arm around my waist, gripping me possessively.

I rolled my eyes at his show of dominance before I stepped out of his grasp. Hadeon let out a low growl at my actions, causing the three warriors to almost jump in their places.

I growled back at Hadeon before I elbowed him in his side. Then I began to dramatically move my eyes towards the warriors, trying to silently let him know that now was his chance to do good.

He seemed to finally get the hint before he nervously cleared his throat. What, does he have social anxiety or something? I decided to help him out a bit.

"You fellas have been doing a wonderful job around here," I stated, looking at Hadeon. I gave his arm a light squeeze, encouraging him to continue. "Yeah, uh, you do," Hadeon responded with what sounded like a grunt.

I rolled my eyes. Is it really this difficult? "They do what, Alpha?" I questioned him through gritted teeth with feigned sweetness. He was beginning to wear my patience.

"You, uh, do good," Hadeon responded in what seemed like pain. "What are they doing good at, Alpha?" I questioned, on the edge of annoyance. I am literally holding his hand like a pup at this point. What's the big deal?

"You do a good job at protecting our borders. T-Thank you," Hadeon mumbled. See, that wasn't so bad. I smiled genuinely at him and made eye contact, letting him know to execute the next move.

He let out a deep breath before he painfully said, "If you need anything-" Hadeon stopped to look at me. I nodded my head, encouraging him to continue. "-My office door is always open," he said through gritted teeth. Good boy. "Oh, uh, T-Thanks?" Grier stuttered, confused.

I showed Hadeon a big smile, reminding him of the final step. He looked at the warriors and a pained expression broke across his face as he showed most of his teeth in a dreadful smile.

I mean, seriously, how do I tell him he looks like a perv? Literally, he looks like he sits in a van with "treats" waiting on unsuspecting pups and children. It's creepy and doesn't suit his handsome face at all. We will keep working on it.

The warriors became concerned by his "smile" and began looking around nervously. "Well, it was nice meeting you," stated Rod tensely. "Alpha," they all nodded respectfully before scurrying off.

Hadeon eyed me anxiously and once they were out of hearing distance he turned to me. "How did I do?" he asked with hopeful eyes. Damn, how do I tell him he completely stumbled through the compliment and his smile looks like it belongs to a `pedophile?

"You could have been more genuine in the way you were speaking to them. You could tell it was completely forced. If I didn't know any better I would have thought someone had your arm twisted behind your back," I told him honestly. Hadeon let out a deep breath and wiped his hand down his face.

"I don't know what my problem is. Besides Lucas, I was never allowed to socialize. It's hard, and to make it worse, I wasn't raised to apologize or even thank anyone. I was raised knowing that I am an Alpha and that what I say goes. There were no thank yous around here, just do as I say or else. Your pack should fear you above all else! So it's hard for me to try and be genuine with wolves who I know hate my guts," Hadeon responded.

"Yeah, well, you are the reason they hate your guts. You are the reason for a lot around here. You have so much power and you could use it to take care of your pack," I told him. "Yeah, that's what Zeus says," he responded with his head hung low. My heart clenched, Zeus was a good wolf. Hera purred in my mind at the thought.

"So do you want to keep practicing?" I asked him with hope in my voice. "Yes, ma'am. I want to be better, no matter how hard I have to work at it," he said, and I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"So, how was my smile? Did I improve?" Hadeon asked me as we made our way toward the packhouse to make sure lunch was situated. "Umm-uh-wellll," I struggled through my response. "That bad huh?' he questioned. I couldn't help it. I burst into laughter. His adorable face was so serious. Hadeon laughed and a beautiful smile broke out across his face.

"See! Why can't you just smile like this?" I asked, as I admired his handsomeness. Hadeon's smile faded slightly as he stopped me mid-stride, grabbed my waist, and pulled me close. He inhaled my scent and ran his thumb across my cheek. My body quivered at his touch as goosebumps erupted over my skin.

"I don't know why, but it's just easy with you. Besides Luc, you're the only person I can just be myself with. No big tough Alpha, no world domination, just me. Just me being relaxed and maybe even a little silly," he said with a chuckle as he held me close and stared deep into my eyes.

My stomach was in all kinds of knots. He does this to me every day and every day I find it harder and harder to resist him. My chest was heaving up and down due to my erratic breathing and my mind told me to run away, but my heart and body refused.

"The Death Moon is in two weeks. Let me take you away from the pack and spend some time with you properly," Hadeon whispered near my lips. I could feel his warm breath fan my face and I discreetly inhaled his intoxicating scent.

"What? Are you still trying to get me into bed before you sacrifice me?' I stated sarcastically as I tried to escape his arms. Even though I will be long gone from here before he can do that, I still can't help the tinge of pain I feel in my heart and in my gut at the thought of him trying. "Do you really think I could still do that?" Hadeon asked me with genuine pain in his voice and eyes.

I was at a loss for words. Here Hadeon is telling me the words I've been wanting to hear and I don't know if I can believe him. "W-What are you saying?" I asked with yearning in my voice as I looked into his eyes for any ounce of betrayal.

"I'm saying I want you, baby. I want you so badly I can't breathe! You're consuming my mind and thoughts, and Zeus, nor I, could ever imagine any harm coming to you. I know I have done wrong but I am a slave to this bond and I will protect you with my life," he exclaimed with so much passion. I melted.

"Mark him! Make him ours!" Hera roared in my mind in excitement. She was prancing around with her head held high and a love-sick look in her eyes. "Calm down," I chastised my wolf.

"So will you let me take you out for an overnight date?" Hadeon cut into my conversation with my wolf. "Overnight date?" I questioned as I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, just you, me, and an incredible view," he replied, making my stomach flutter.

I thought about it. I mean seriously thought about it, and I was scared. It was a terrible idea. It would be stupid to get closer to him with my impending exit so soon. Then again, I will never experience mind-blowing orgasms like that either.

Let's face it, if we stay the night together, there is no way we will be playing footsies all night. There is some pent-up tension that we both need to get out and I am afraid of where it might lead.

Hera was whining in my mind, practically begging us to go with our mate, even if for one night. "So what do you say?" I heard Hadeon's husky voice ask as he pressed my body to his. Before I could protest, "okay," slipped from my lips.

Hadeon's eyes lit up like Christmas trees and my heart melted. Damn this bond! "Okay, tomorrow night we will go up to the mountains for the weekend," he stated. "The weekend?! You said overnight," I exclaimed with a high-pitched voice full of concern.

Hadeon chuckled, "Overnight, weekend, same difference. Pack warm, we will leave tomorrow afternoon around four," he stated bluntly, leaving me at a loss for words. That snake! He thinks he is slick!

A little bit of fear mixed with anticipation clenched in my gut at the thought of spending the weekend away with Hadeon. "Now, let's see about lunch," Hadeon stated as he threw his arm over my shoulder and we continued to walk into the house.