His Crimson Mate

Slow Dance

(Janessa's POV)

I was miserable today, and the day kept going from bad to worse. It has been a few days since I made the deal with that demon wolf for a date. I regretted it immediately but figured if he followed through, the outcome would do more good than bad. I am just not looking forward to this "date" tonight.

To make matters worse, today is my birthday. It's a day usually dedicated to lovers, but I feel no spark of love like I usually do. To top it all off, I have never, ever, since conception, spent my birthday without my twin brother. Even after he found his mate, we still made sure to spend our day together. I am so homesick it's not even funny. I need to at least hear Quest's voice to know he is okay. That's when I formed a plan. There are not many cell phones in the packhouse and only ranked members have them.

"Good morning," I said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible as I approached Evi, the Gamma female. "Good morning, Janessa," Evi replied with a genuine smile on her face. I like Evi. She doesn't belong here, and I want to take her with me when I leave, but she was tied to her mate.

We had brunch a couple of days ago, and I felt like we really bonded. It's one thing to try to be friendly with the Omegas, but they can all sense my Alpha wolf and end up cowering away. Evi is a ranked wolf born and raised, and I just seem to relate to her better. She told me her story of being a Beta's daughter whose pack was attacked by Death Shadow over a year ago. Her mate, Lucas, found her, and they ended the mass slaughter of her pack.

Thankfully, her parents made it out alive and were somewhat forced into being allies with Death Shadow. She didn't speak to her mate for months after being here until finally, one day, he won her over. It's almost romantic in a sick, twisted sort of way. I, in turn, told Evi bits and pieces of my story. Not a lot, but enough to hope we formed some sort of a connection.

She reminds me a lot of my childhood best friend, Mina. Our relationship became strained after her accident when we were teens, but after being miraculously healed when we were nineteen, her mood and our relationship improved. Shortly after, though, she met her mate and left Blood Moon, and I hadn't had a real friend besides my Dark Angels since.

I looked at Evi, smelling a pretty blue flower and staring off at nothing in particular. "What's gotten you so in love this morning?" I asked her as I sat next to her on the back porch. "Nothing much, it's just Valentine's Day, and Lu is being extra romantic," Evi blushed. I tried to seem interested, but I didn't really care. Romance just wasn't doing it for me anymore. I decided to cut to the chase.

"Listen, I need a favor," I stated plainly. That seemed to get her attention. "What kind of favor?" she asked, skeptically. I took a deep breath and said, "It's my birthday, and I just really need to speak to my twin brother. Twenty-one years of life, and we have never spent a birthday apart," I explained, hoping she would understand.

"It's your birthday?!" she gasped loudly. "Yes, now, shhh! I don't need everyone knowing!" I told her while looking around mistrustfully. "Oh, you poor thing. Come with me up to my apartment," Evi replied as she stood up to head inside.

When Evi reached for the backdoor, it quickly swung open. Out stepped a tall, muscular, older male. His face looked familiar with his blue eyes and strong jaw. He was handsome, but the look in his eyes was deadly. The dark aura surrounding him was even darker than Hadeon's. While Hadeon's aura was badass, this guy's aura was more demented. The dominating aura seeping from him reeks of a retired Alpha. Wait, does that mean?.. Oh s**t!

"A-Alpha Damian," Evi stuttered out. I had never seen her so shaken up. "Where do you think you are going with the prisoner?" Alpha Damian asked Evi while staring at me with contempt. "She's just taking me upstairs so I can clean her chambers," I said, hoping to sound submissive and trying to stay out of his way. I might push Hadeon's buttons, but I knew not to f**k with this guy, at least not while I am staying here under their mercy.

Alpha Damian took a menacing step towards me, bent over, and said, "I'm not sure what type of spell you have cast over my son, but I look forward to the day life drains from your eyes. I would have preferred your mother, but you will do just fine. Don't forget your place as a prisoner while you're here, Blessed Wolf." He stood up straight and walked away as I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Let's go," Evi quickly said as she began to drag me inside the packhouse. We quickly went to the third floor and into the Gamma's chambers. "Stay the hell away from him, Janessa," Evi finally said with the most serious tone I had heard from her since I met her. "I plan on it," I responded. I don't know what it is about Alpha Damian, but he is worse news than his son.

Evi silently placed a phone in my hand and said, "You can use the spare bedroom. I will just sit here in the living room and wait." I gave her a faint smile, then I walked down the hall to a bedroom. Suddenly, I became nervous. I hadn't talked to my family in months and I wasn't sure what to expect.

After blocking the number, I quickly dialed the digits I knew by heart and waited for my brother to pick it up. It rang and rang, then his voicemail came on. My heart dropped, and tears threatened to spill from my eyes. Right before the beep, I tried to clear my throat so I didn't sound so pitiful.

"Hey, bro, I uh- just wanted to say happy birthday. I'm okay. Uh- tell everyone I miss them, and I'm okay. I hope everyone is doing well. I-I wish you would have answered. Is everyone alright? I-I'm okay. I-I will hopefully talk to you all later. Have a great birthday, ass wipe, I love you," I whispered into the phone before I hung up and burst into tears.

I left the room and quickly walked toward where Evi was in her living room. I handed her her phone and tried to escape before she started asking questions. I hated feeling this weak. "Is everything okay?' Evi asked with concern in her tone. I nodded my head as I turned my back to leave. She ran to me and touched my shoulder.

"Hey, don't let this ruin your birthday. I know you aren't in an ideal situation here, but I heard you had a romantic date night tonight with the Alpha," Evi said as she jokingly jabbed me in the side, trying to lighten my mood. It didn't work. It just made me sadder, and I slowly began to dread this stupid date night.

Why would he pick tonight out of all nights? It's not like he's romantic or like he even cares. Everyone in this pack is so miserable, I don't even think anyone is in love enough to celebrate besides Evi and Lucas. "Thanks for letting me use your phone," I whispered as I brushed passed her and quickly made my way to my room for a nap. It was only mid-morning, and already I felt drained.

I woke up to a knock on my door. By the look of the sun, it was already after four pm, which means I depressingly slept my whole birthday away. Another knock on my door made me get up to answer. I swung it open with an attitude, the only person who normally visits is Hadeon, and I still had two hours until I had to see his annoying face.

I opened the door to an Omega shivering in fear. "Yes," I stated with more annoyance than I had intended. "F-From the Alpha," she said, before handing me a large garment bag and running off. I sighed, shut the door, and placed the large bag on my bed. I opened it up to a dazzling deep red dress. The bodice and underskirt were lined with shimmering diamonds, and the red silk fabric flowed onto the floor. It was beautiful, but red was not necessarily my color. I know it matched my hair, but I preferred all black. I just reminded myself that this stupid date was for the greater good of the wolves in the pack.

I took a long hot shower before applying make-up and putting my long hair in a tight up-do. I wasn't sure what we were doing, but it looked like he was trying to get fancy. I finally slid on the dress that fit me like a glove. It hugged every single one of my curves, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a split that went all the way up to my upper thigh. I swiftly strapped my daggers on me. I had to be careful due to the split in my dress, but I was a master at tucking knives.

After I placed my last dagger in my top secret spot, I heard a light knock on the door. I answered and saw the same fearful Omega from earlier standing there with her head bowed. "Please follow me," she whispered before walking down the hall. I shut my bedroom door and followed closely behind her. I got a few curious stares from the Omegas that I passed, but no one dared to utter a word.

We descended the stairs, and I almost stumbled over my own feet once I noticed the god of a male standing near the door of the packhouse. He was in a fitted three-piece suit, and his muscles were trying to burst the seams. It's not like he was overly muscular like my dad, but the muscles he did have looked delicious. With trimmed hair and a full, clean beard, his 6'4 frame and dark aura were turning me on more than I would like to admit.

The temperature in the room rose as I neared him, his eyes drawing me in with every step. "My lady," he whispered as he placed a chaste kiss on the back of my hand. My stomach regretfully burst into butterflies at the gesture. I felt something heavy on my back and noticed silver fur draped around my shoulders. I looked up at him and smiled. Okay, maybe he really was going to put some effort into this pointless date.

A stretch Limousine was waiting outside for us. Really, a limo? If I thought it couldn't get any cheesier, I was wrong. I slid into the Limo and saw red rose petals sprinkled throughout. There were red and black balloons and two large bottles of champagne sitting on a seat.

"What's all this?" I asked in confusion. "What do you mean? This is our Valentine's date," Hadeon replied proudly. I slid comfortably into the seat, and Hadeon slid in close next to me, even though there was plenty of space elsewhere. He popped a bottle of champagne and handed me a full glass after dropping a piece of chocolate inside.

Hadeon and I rode in an awkward silence outside of the pack grounds and about sixty minutes to the closest harbor. By the time we reached the harbor, we had finished off the first bottle of champagne, and I was beginning to loosen up. Hadeon delicately grabbed my hand and led me down a pier to what appeared to be a large yacht.

The yacht was lit up beautifully under the night sky, and I have to admit, I was becoming impressed. The captain gave us a tour of our private boat for the night. It came equipped with a living room area, kitchen/dining area, and two bedrooms with a bathroom attached to each. All of those amenities were below deck. Above deck, however, was decorated for a romantic dinner on the water. A server appeared on the boat before we set sail.

"What's that look for?" Hadeon asked as we quietly ate our meal. I looked at him as if I was still trying to figure him out. I still think he is a despicable individual, but sometimes he was almost tolerable, almost. "When are we going to discuss the building of houses? Or were you just bullshitting about that too?" I asked.

A smirk appeared on his face before he responded, "Absolutely. I actually had a few companies in mind I wanted to go over with you," he replied thoughtfully. I was shocked and wasn't sure if this was still a part of his game. "Actually, I had a suggestion," I said. He nodded his head for me to continue. "I have been speaking to some of the Omegas, and I have learned that a lot of them have unused skills you aren't utilizing," I responded.

"Skills? Like what?" he asked, genuinely curious. "Like, I have met at least thirty males that had worked in construction and building before you stole - er- I mean, absorbed them into your pack. There are business owners and landscapers and so many others in the pack if you would take the time to get to know them," I explained, hoping I hadn't bruised his delicate ego.

Hadeon's eyes went blank momentarily, and I knew he was communicating with his wolf. When Hadeon's eyes returned to me, they were pitch-black, letting me know his wolf had taken over. "Hello, mate," his wolf's guttural voice called out to me, and I had to wiggle in my seat to stop the sensations his baritone brought. "Hello, Demon Wolf," I said cooly.

"Zeus," he replied. "Excuse me?" I asked in confusion. "My name is Zeus," he responded, while grabbing my hand from across the table and placing a soft sensual kiss on the back of it. I smiled despite myself trying to remain neutral. Oh, he was way more charming than his human. "Okay, Zeus," I smiled, and Hera purred in my mind. "Please tell me what I can do to make my pack better. Healthier. Happier," Zeus looked at me with puppy dog eyes that melted my heart. Did he truly care about the members of his pack? I knew his human didn't, but maybe he wasn't completely lost.

I smiled, feeling comfortable expressing myself to Zeus. "For one, you can hire from within. Money needs to be circulated to the Omegas. How else will the pack stay afloat? You have taken too much control of the pack's resources. Money should be flowing in and out of the pack from not only pack members but outside businesses. The pack members need to feel valued, and right now they feel like slaves. Used for whatever you and the other ranked members need, and they aren't even being used to their strengths," I explained while looking into his eyes.

Zeus smirked, and the dark look in his eyes gave me goosebumps. "I love your passion, mate. You will make the perfect Luna," Zeus stated, and my mouth went dry. That was the first time I heard those words leave his lips. Hadeon must have been just as shocked as me because shortly after he regained control, blinking his big ocean blues at me.

Hadeon cleared his throat, acting as if his wolf hadn't just mentioned me being Luna, which we both knew would never happen. "So when we get back, you gather everyone who you think would be best at building the houses, and we will get it done," Hadeon stated. "Really?!" I asked, sounding more excited than I had liked. Hadeon nodded his head while staring at me.

"Great! I even have some ideas on the layout of the land, so the houses are set up practically. Ooh, we can even build a General Store, so we don't have to always leave the pack for resources. For a pack this size, we should be more self-sufficient," I stated. "We?" Hadeon questioned. "Huh? Uh, I-I meant you all should be more self-sufficient," I responded nervously. Hadeon smirked, then grabbed my wrist gently. He touched it a bit before I felt something cold around my skin. Did he cuff me again?!

I looked down and noticed a diamond pendant bracelet. It was beautiful, and I noticed two pendants already attached. One was a howling wolf, and the other was a... birthday cake? I looked up at Hadeon in confusion. "Happy birthday!" he exclaimed with an excited twinkle in his eyes. "H-how did you know?" I whispered.

"May I have this dance?" Hadeon asked me while I stared at my bracelet stunned. It was beautiful. I finally looked up at Hadeon's outstretched hand and suddenly became aware of the soft music playing in the background. I looked up into his eyes and felt as if I was in a trance as I took his hand and stood up in preparation to slow dance.