The Unmarked Mate

Chapter 3

Dahlia

I left my house and saw Mr. Jenkins sitting on the bench in his garden. He was reading a letter. He lifted his eyes from the piece of paper when I closed the door.

"Hi Miss Dahlia, thank you again for the crepes. Why don't you come eat dinner with us when you have time this week? Elizabeth will only let me smoke when you're here and I have received a couple of cigars I'd very much like to share with somebody." He said while standing up. He walked down the path in his garden to meet me.

"You're on Mr. Jenkins" I replied.

"You know you could call me George!"

"I know!" He smiled at me but then his gaze was sad.

"Dahlia, I am very sorry about what happened earlier with Otto", he said in a low voice.

"How ..."

"It's okay!" he interrupted me. "I didn't want Mrs. Jenkins to know it would upset her if she was told a daft Delta insulted you. If any of this happens again, bring them to me and I will give them a piece of my mind! We like you, our Alpha and Luna like you but you know that, their parents like you, I seem to recall there is a warrior and a Gamma who like you too. Never forget this is your home and we are your family. And you know, we all have cousins we never wish to be sitting next to at a family dinner." As he said that he gave me a side hug like my father used to do. I was moved and did not what to say.

I looked up to meet his eyes and said "thank you" without the sound really coming out of my throat.

"Go kick some ass at training it will do you good! Come on! On your merry way!" And he shooed me out of his garden with a big smile.

I left the little dead-end road of our houses quite emotional. He was a good man, he and his wife were my family, that was for sure. I felt energized to go punch something.

I arrived at the training building. On the top floor there were machines if we wanted to use them. The ground floor was made of a massive room with mats on the floor and behind rooms to change and to shower. When I entered, there were about twenty people there including Orithya, Olivia, Alpha Matthew, Beta Oliver and Damian, as he was the training instructor. They were all speaking when I arrived. I greeted them all. I turned a quick eye to Damian, looking hot as always. For a second, I got distracted by his soft looking dark brown skin and muscular arms. He caught that and grinned.

Alpha Matthew, was looking calm as always, a strong and serene authority contrasting with the spitfire energy that his mate exuded. He was twenty-seven, only a year younger that me, and had officially taken over as Alpha of the pack after his father a few months after I joined the pack. His greenish-brown eyes landed on me and he said hello while the others were speaking before speaking to me through mindlink:

"I heard about this morning. Do you want me to do something? He should face the consequences of his words. But Orithya told me you didn't want to cause any trouble, you sure?"

"Damn! Everyone is aware of what happened this morning... Don't worry Alpha, thank you for your concern but you have done quite enough for me and a few words against me by your Delta is a small price to pay for your generosity!" As I told him that in our private mindlink conversation I bowed my head low, Orithya turned her eyes to us frowning her eyebrows, wandering if she missed something. But she got that we were talking and let it be and we all started warming up.

"Good morning everyone! I hope Mrs Lambert's food has not made you all too slow. Get in pair of twos and prepare for sparring!" Damian announced loudly at the room. The Beta and Alpha got together to train. Olivia was still new to this pack having mated the Beta only a few weeks ago and our Luna told her they would train together. I looked around and saw everyone paired up. That was my luck! I really wanted to fight that day. Damian caught my attention and eyed me to join him.

"Everybody is afraid of you I see" he said teasing.

"Dear Gamma I was saving myself for you. There is no one else I wish more to crush into the mat" I answered with a grin.

"We will see about that" he said laughing. I enjoyed his sarcasm as it was all done in good sport and we both loved to tease each other... among other things. He caught this glimpse of arousal in my mind.

"Focus Dahlia, or you will end up on all fours begging for me to stop!"

"I'm sure you would like that!" I said with a look of defiance in my eyes.

"Let's go everyone!" he shouted to us all.

I momentarily gazed over the room to see every pair started circling each other and it got me focused.

Whatever fun I could have later, at this instant I wanted to train, I wanted to fight, I wanted to remind myself and everybody else how much of a fighter I was. We started circling each other too. Damian knew me, he knew how I fought, and that wasn't an advantage.