Alpha King's Missing Mate (Book 1 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 34

Jenna slipped on her new sunglasses and started the car. She'd had a very productive day, securing herself a new job, a new haircut, and some new clothes.

Securing a new job had gone smoother than Jenna could have possibly hoped for. She'd stopped in the diner to pick up an application but was told if she filled it out there, she could have an interview right away. Jenna had agreed and found herself seated at a table with a drink while she filled it out. The interview had been easy, and the manager had hired her on the spot. She'd left with an apron and a work schedule for the rest of the week.

After calling her father to check on Noelle, Jenna had decided to go into Williamsport to buy some new clothes. Her body had changed in the last year, and she knew some of her old clothes didn't fit right anymore. Plus, she just wanted something new.

She hadn't been shopping in a long time, and she had really enjoyed it. She used to love shopping with Talia. She could get Jenna to step out of her comfort zone and buy clothes she wouldn't normally even consider. She needed her friend's expert guidance.

Jenna knew she also needed to work at forgetting about Daniel. Maybe go on a date. A sharp pain ran through her, and she gasped. Okay, maybe one thing at a time, and getting back into dating was definitely not high on her list. She had other priorities now anyway.

Jenna settled easily into her new routine. She only worked three days a week, but that was plenty for her. She also usually only worked in the evenings, which meant both her father and Tyler could take care of Noelle for her. She liked the diner and the staff. The only thing missing was Talia. She really missed working with the other woman. Her old job was where she and Talia had become best friends.

Jenna had already decided that after a few months, she was going back to New York to find Talia. They could reconnect and give Jenna a chance to talk to her friend about all of her concerns for Noelle. Talia was going to freak when she found out Jenna had given birth. She was going to freak out even more when she found out who the father was. A small part of Jenna hoped that Talia might even know of a way for her to reconnect with Daniel, especially since she had given birth to his daughter. But did Jenna want to reconnect? Mostly yes, but there was a small part of her that was afraid Daniel had found his mate and would want nothing to do with her or Noelle.

She couldn't bear the thought of him being with someone else. But really, it didn't matter. If Daniel had found his mate, Jenna would mean nothing to him. As it was, more than likely, Daniel had a one-night stand every weekend, and he wouldn't even remember her. She could very well be just one girl of many. She didn't want to see him and have him reject both her and her daughter. That was the biggest thing she was afraid of.

By the time Jenna arrived back home, her good mood had completely dissipated. She was really starting to hate her obsession with Daniel. She would love nothing more than to forget about him altogether, or at least stop caring about him as much as she did.

A part of her hated that he was always there in her mind. She hated that she dreamed about him almost every night and that the dreams were intensely erotic. He always told her that he was looking for her, and he would find her. But that was just a dream, a manifestation of her normal everyday thoughts of him. Her stupid obsession with him.

Jenna grabbed her stuff and walked inside to cuddle her baby. She had to get over herself.

***

A month had passed since Charity had rejected Alpha Jason's advances. She'd made two trips to West Virginia to visit the rogue pack, and she almost had their paperwork finalized to make them official. She also had been working on securing their new lands, but a small problem had crept up, frustrating her even more.

Regal Eclipse had allowed each pack a one-time land grant, where they would purchase land and gift it to a pack. When she had told Nathan about it, he'd almost wept with relief. He had no idea how he was going to secure the funds for their land, but there would be enough money to not only purchase land but also to start building housing.

Charity's "small" problem was Alpha Jason. Somehow, he had found out about her offer on the land, and he had put in an offer too. Charity was furious, though there was nothing she could do about it, as the decision was at the mercy of the landowners. She wasn't even sure how he'd found out about it and wondered if one of Nathan's pack members was relaying information back to the Alpha.

Jason had asked to meet with both her and Daniel again, though this time he said he'd prefer to stay in the small town nearby and meet off park lands. He had specifically told her that he didn't trust them, which had made her roll her eyes. Charity wasn't sure what game he was playing, but she had no choice but to agree. She needed the land, and the man was infuriatingly petty. She knew he'd rejected his own mate because he thought she wasn't good enough for him. That poor girl had dodged a bullet.

"Why am I coming along again?" Daniel asked as he pulled his car out onto the main road towards town.

"Because Alpha Jason thinks this is still the last century, and he views women as second-class citizens." Daniel had been more agreeable over the last two weeks. He hadn't been as tense as he'd been for the last few months and had been helping her with the paperwork for the rogue pack. But he still hadn't really been himself. "He's probably going to ask you to give me to him."

Daniel almost choked. "He what?"

"That's what he asked for last time. He told me he'd back off if I agreed to be his Luna. He tried to get me to sleep with him when he was last at the pack house," Charity explained. "Ragnar thinks he's suicidal."

Her brother chuckled, surprising her. "Well, this should be fun."

Charity smiled. This was the Daniel she knew, and she was happy she'd brought him with her. She wanted the old Daniel back, not the melancholy one who seemed constantly preoccupied. She'd started to ask him about it, but Ragnar had told her to back off. "If he wants you to know, he'll tell you," he'd said. She didn't like that answer, but she'd respect it. For now.

But if things didn't fully change with Daniel soon, she was going to confront him. She wanted to know what had his panties in a twist and why he'd been so withdrawn from the pack. Daniel was her older brother and the only sibling she had. He'd never been like this before.

Daniel pulled into the parking lot of the diner, and they got out of the car and headed inside. "At least this place has good steak. That's probably the only reason I came along."

Charity rolled her eyes. "And to protect me from Alpha Jason."

Daniel snorted. "More likely to protect Alpha Jason from you."

***

"Jenna! You've got a table. Number four just got sat for you."

"Thank you!" Jenna smoothed down her apron and plastered on a smile before heading out to the dining room. She had been at the diner for almost a month now and felt completely at home. She had the menu memorized already and was starting to recognize regulars. The town was small, and the diner was a favorite local hangout.

She liked the people she worked with, and the training had been easy. Most of the servers had been there for years, and they were more than willing to help her out in any way that they could, especially when they found out that she'd given birth not too long ago. They always asked her about Noelle and how she was doing.

Table four was a round booth in the back corner and usually had larger parties seated at it. As she approached it, she looked her guests over. There were four of them, two men to one side and a man and a woman to the other. Then two men were large, well-built, and both gorgeous. They both had dark hair, and one had a goatee, while the other was clean-shaven.

Werewolves were her first initial thought, and it solidified her guess that there was a pack nearby. This was the first time she'd seen any in here, though, but now she'd have to keep an eye out. Maybe the pack wasn't that close, but then again, it had to be close enough for Ben to commute.

Her gaze darted to the other two at the table. The woman was blonde and very beautiful. Her eyes were bright blue, and the smile she flashed at Jenna was contagious. Jenna looked at the last person and almost tripped over the carpet as her eyes locked with Daniel's.