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

Chapter 31

Jenna brushed the annoying tears away as she prepared the drinks for her table. She was tempted to pass the table off to someone else, but she couldn't bear to let Daniel out of her sight, even if he didn't remember her.

She'd been stupid, thinking that he would. She realized that she had propped him up so far in her mind over the last year, putting him on a pedestal, and now he was disappointing her. And he was with that beautiful blond. Jenna felt like a mouse next to her.

Jenna was still carrying around a bit of baby weight. She knew she looked frazzled and tired. This night had been rather exhausting and she was sure she looked like a rumpled mess. She wasn't the woman he'd met at the bar a year ago; that was for sure.

"Jenna!"

She glanced up at Tammy, one of the servers who had worked at the diner for years. She'd trained Jenna, and helped her as much as she could during Jenna's first week, though Tammy had been impressed with how quickly Jenna had caught on. "You have Table 4?'

Jenna sat her drinks down on her tray. "Yeah, I do, why?"

"The man next to the blond? That's Daniel. He's very nice and VERY generous. He's in here pretty frequently with Charity."

"Charity?" Jenna asked as she picked up the tray.

"The blond," Tammy grabbed a tray for her own drinks. "They've been coming here for years."

"So he lives around here?" Jenna asked. Was Daniel's pack here?

"Oh I'm sure he does. He's not always with her. Sometimes he comes in with another woman, sometimes with a man, sometimes alone. But he always leaves a nice fat tip," Tammy gave her a cheeky grin and headed back out to the dining room.

Jenna groaned. Daniel has been practically in her own backyard all of this time? And now he didn't even remember her and if she stayed here at this job, she'd probably have to see him on a regular basis? She gritted her teeth and headed back to the dining room. Now, she just needed this horrible night to end.

And Daniel was here frequently with Charity? Had he been dating her for a long time? Tammy had mentioned another woman as well. Was Daniel a manwhore? It hurt to think of him that way, but if he was dating one woman and then having affairs with others.. she hoped Charity wasn't his mate.

***

Jenna's emotions were all over the place, making it difficult for Daniel to even think straight. It was like a roller coaster ride, and he couldn't wait to get off. Anger, jealousy, frustration, hurt, disgust; it all stormed through him, leaving him reeling, and barely able to concentrate. Jenna's emotions were completely out of control. He watched her head towards them with the drinks and marveled at the fact that she seemed completely calm on the outside while her emotions were raging on the inside.

'What is wrong with you?' Charity's voice in his mind hit him like a ton of bricks, and Daniel did the one thing he'd never done over the last year. He shut it all out. He blocked Jenna's emotions from his mind, and Charity's voice. He couldn't handle it all and get through this meeting. Not that it got any better.

By the end of the meal, he wanted to come across the table and rip Jason apart. The man had flirted shamelessly with Jenna and ran her to death, asking for something every time she had come to the table, even rudely calling out to her if she stopped at another table.

Somehow, Jenna had kept her smile firmly in place the entire time, though Daniel could see the fury rolling off of her by the time she dropped off the check at the table. His Queen, he thought smugly.

"Thank you so much for dining with us tonight. If there's anything else you need, please let me know," she said sweetly.

Daniel smiled internally. He imagined she wanted to drop kick Jason across the restaurant.

'Mate is perfect,' Rafe said dreamily.

'She was born to be Queen,' Daniel agreed.

"Well, Alpha, I'm sure you have the check since you arranged this meeting," Jason leaned back in his seat and patted his six pack.

I'm pretty sure I didn't. "Of course, Alpha," Daniel gave him a sickly sweet smile.

"And you, Princess," He leered at Charity. "I've given you my terms. I'm really not sure why you invited me back here if you weren't planning on accepting my offer. Kind of a waste of our time, wasn't it?"

"Well Alpha, I wasn't aware that you demanding that we meet tonight was us arranging anything. You were never invited back here, and we sure didn't invite you to dinner tonight on our dime. I may not have told you before, but I AM SAVING MYSELF FOR MY FATED MATE. I will have no other. That decision will not change no matter what you threaten me with," Charity flashed him her own smile. "And Alpha, I will have my rogue pack settling in West Virginia on the land I choose. Don't think you can play your little games with me and expect to win. You have no idea who you are messing with."

Jason had the audacity to laugh. "Alpha, may I have a moment alone with Miss Charity?"

Daniel gave him a dark look, but nodded and stood to go pay the bill. He really didn't care about the money, he just hated the Alpha's arrogance, and he hated that they had upset Jenna so much.

He walked up to the register to pay, and was surprised when she suddenly appeared. Daniel opened himself back up to her emotions. He had to know how she was feeling before he left. She was calmer now, until she met his gaze. Their eyes locked for a moment, and then she dropped her gaze from his. Sadness washed over him, and he wished he could just pull her into his arms and tell her how much he truly wanted her.

"Are you ready to check out?" She asked softly.

"I am," I want to hold you too.

"Just a second please." She disappeared for a moment, and he could hear her asking someone else to take care of him.

'Mate doesn't want us,' Rafe said, both of them disappointed. But whoever she spoke to asked Jenna if she could take care of it, and she reappeared a moment later, her smile back in place.

"How was your meal?" she asked politely as she took his check.

"It was good like always," And our server was amazing, beautiful and so well poised. Daniel watched her ring up his order and he handed her his card, making a point to touch her fingers. The tingles erupted between them and he heard her small gasp. She looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, then back to the register. He watched her reach up and rub at her neck, and for a brief second, his mark was visible. He closed his eyes. He'd missed her so much and wished he could tell her that, but he knew Alpha Jason was watching him and listening, looking for any spot of weakness he could exploit.

Jenna handed him the receipt to sign, and he did so, then handed it back to her, along with his business card. She looked at him again, and he stared back, his eyes glowing. Call me, he mouthed to her, then did one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his entire life. Daniel turned around and walked away from his mate.

He walked back to the table, his gaze darting from Charity to Jason and his man. Her rage was almost palpable. He was just glad it wasn't directed at him. Charity was usually like their mother, in that she was calm more often than not. Easy going and had patience for days. But Jason had managed to get past that patience.

Maybe you should kick his ass yourself, he told her.

She shot a glare at him. You're not my favorite person right now, Danny. Actually you're on my shit list.

We'll talk when we get out of here. I promise.

Good because otherwise, the only person's ass I'm kicking is yours.