The Unloved Rogue

Chapter 7

Caleb POV

I stand here holding my breath as she looks at me with pain and confusion behind her eyes. *She’s our second chance mate Caleb we can’t let her go. Mark her now then she can never leave us!* Jax demands

*we both know why I can’t do that Jax. She will never forgive us if we force a mark on her. She has to want to be ours.* I sigh inwardly as I watch my mate internally debate what she wants.

*she’s struggling if we just mark her there won’t be a struggle anymore!* Jax growls at my and tries to take control. I have to fight to keep him at bay

*Jax NO!* I demand and he shrinks back. Sometimes you have to be aggressive with your wolf to get them to calm down.

“Are you okay? It looks like your wolf is trying to take over.” Daliah says with concern in her voice.

I realize she was watching me the whole time, I sit on the edge of the bed, I want to reach out and pull her into my arms, I want to feel her touch on my skin but I have to restrain myself and give her the space she needs. “Jax wants to mark you so you have no choice but to stay with us.” I tell her not wanting to lie to her.

She steps back instinctively and places a protective hand over her marking spot.

“Don’t worry Daliah, I won’t let him. I won’t mark you unless you ask me to.” I have to reassure her that I won’t force anything on her.

She nods and sits down on the bed next to me her bright purple eyes look up and me and she smiles slightly before taking my hand “I know Caleb. And that’s why I trust you. I know you would never force anything on me. Rhea is demanding me to mark you as well but I shut her out, I don’t need her added influence right now.”

I nod understandingly, “I have to ask D, what happened. This morning we were together and there was no mate bond, and now all of the sudden I show up and the mate bond is stronger than it was with Rebecca?”

She sighs and runs her hand through her hair. “My new client, Elliot Reed, he was my mate.”

“And you rejected him?” I ask genuinely concerned for her happiness. I don’t want to take advantage of the situation but I need to know. I’m sure she did otherwise we would have the mate pull right now.

She nods and looks up at me as tears spring to her eyes, “he would have rejected me if I hadn’t first. He has a chosen mate and a family with her. She is absolutely lovely, but even if I did want him I would have accepted his rejection for the fact that he has a beautiful family that I do not want to interrupt.” I reach up and wipe the tears from her eyes. “But it really hurt Caleb. I didn’t think it would hurt that bad but it really did.”

I nod knowing exactly how she is feeling. I remember all too well how it felt when Rebecca rejected me.

“I don’t want to reject you Caleb but I also said I would never have another mate. And it’s not that I don’t want to reject you because I know now how badly it hurt and honestly I don’t think I could survive two rejections in one day, but I have always had a weird love for you. I never wanted to hurt you when I left but I also knew I had to leave and couldn’t tell anyone where I was going.” She grabs my hands and looks up at me. “Please give me some time. I understand if you don’t want to or if you just want to cut your losses, but I just need a little time to sort out my feelings and emotions.” She gives me a small smile.

I thought for a moment I had no chance of being with her but this sliver of chance she is giving me is enough to put a huge smile on my face. I wrap her is a big hug and take in her delicious scent. “Daliah I will give you all the time in the world, whether it be a day, a month, a year, or even ten years I will give you that time.”

She breathes in my own scent deeply and I feel her smile against my neck. “Thank you Caleb.” She lightly kisses my neck and it sends lightning bolts through my body. Every touch the sparks feel amazing and drive me crazy. I want all of her forever and I will do whatever I can to prove to her that we should be together.

She pulls back and I immediately miss her touch. “I’d do anything for you D. just know that.”

She nods. “Well how about you take a shower and ill cook dinner then you can help me go through my folder for this job I got.”

I smile, “sounds like a plan” I chuckle and realize I’ve been training all day and I’m sure I smell disgusting. “Sorry I got all my stink all over you.”

She laughs and walks towards the door “maybe I like your stink.” She winks and walks out the door.

Damn that woman.

I look down and realize that now I have a situation I need to go take care of. This will be a longer shower then originally planned.

Daliah POV

Twenty minutes later Caleb comes walking into the kitchen just as I’ve set the steaks on the table “perfect timing!”

“Smells f*****g delicious D! I didn’t realize you could cook.” Caleb nudges me with his elbow causing my cheeks to heat up.

“It’s one of my many hidden talents.” I wink and we both sit.

I watch as he takes his first bite “mmmm Daliah.” He looks at me and his eyes are blazing “this is the most incredible steak I have ever eaten!

I smile and dig into my own food. It really is exceptionally good tonight.

We sit and eat while Caleb tells me about how training went today.

“Oh by the way, Vlad was looking for you.” He says looking at my curiously.

I roll my eyes “he’s always looking for me. I really don’t care honestly, let him look, I won’t be there tomorrow either I have a job to do.”

“Yea the guy seems pretty smitten with you.” He chuckles as I glare at him.

I groan “he needs to get it through his thick skull that nothing will ever happen between us as long as I live.”

“You never know he may prefer you that way.” He laughs a full belly laugh so I grab my steak knife and throw it just past his head so it sticks in the wall behind him.

Caleb freezes and stares at me with eyes like saucers. I smile and lean past him pulling my knife out of the wall.

“You almost hit me.” He says so quiet it’s almost a whisper.

I wink. “Almost being the key word. If I wanted to hit you, I would have.” I cut off another piece of steak and pop it into my mouth.

A huge smile spreads across his face and his eyes blaze with desire. My body starts to betray me and I feel myself getting aroused just by the look on his face. How does a look do this to me.

“That was the sexiest thing in the world D.” He shifts in his seat and takes a drink of his water. “f**k D, taking this slow isn’t going to work if you keep looking at me like that and I can smell you arousal.” He runs his hand thought his hair.

I blush and shift in my seat. I need to calm myself down so let’s talk about something boring. “So back to Vlad.”

As soon as I say his name his eyes dart to me “well that’s a great way to kill the mood D.”

I giggle and shrug “kind of the point.”

He groans “yea I get it but I don’t like it.” He pouts and takes another bite of his steak.

The rest of the meal is spent with small talk, he tells me about the rest of his day.

“I’ve been talking all evening. It’s your turn. Tell me about your day.” He says as we clear the table.

“Well how about you come sit with me and we can go through my folder and I’ll tell you all about my new mark?” I ask.

His eyes light up and he nods. “Awesome I’ve been dying to know how that whole thing went!”