Only Her- ON HOLD

Chapter 6.

Dani's POV

Theo stood beside me, grabbing a champagne of his own and laughing quietly. "So, after all the searching, you two can finally stop huh?" I snapped my eyes to see him smiling down at me. He knew. "Noah told me. He's telling our father now. Don't worry. He won't say anything until you two have decided."

"Decided?" I asked in surprise, not sure what he meant.

"You don't have to accept him you know. It's not common, but it wouldn't be the first time someone rejected their mate."

I looked down into my glass, trying to absorb what Theo was saying. I'd never heard of someone rejecting a mate before. In Crescent, every ceremony I'd ever witnessed was their true mate. Only twice had I seen one that wasn't, and that was because their mates had passed and the two had connected after. Was he suggesting that Noah may want to reject me as his mate? "Has that ever happened here?" I asked, my tone level.

Theo let out a tight laugh. "Only once that I know of, but it was quite a while back."

"What happened?"

"Why? You thinking of letting someone else have my brother after all?" he smirked and winked down at me. "I'll take his place if it's vacant."

What in the world is happening tonight? I've gone from invisible with these two to this.

I rolled my eyes and bumped my shoulder into his arm playfully. "I guess that all depends."

His mouth curled into a smirk and he leaned in closer. "On what?"

I mirrored his expression and took another slow sip from my glass before speaking. "On which of you is the nicest to me."

He laughed as Blake and Noah made their way back into the room. Blake's expression was stern, and his gaze was locked solidly on me. My eyes widened as he closed the gap between us quicker than I'd prepared for, suddenly hovering just inches away from me.

His lip curled up over his teeth as he seethed. "You think you can come in here and just take my oldest son from his rightful place in our pack? You know that won't happen. I won't allow it. Especially not to Crescent of all places." He looked down his nose at me as he gritted out the last words with disdain.

I felt a flash of anger rise inside of me, but I shoved it down, trying to maintain my temper like I'd done a hundred times before while visiting other packs. This was just another night. "You think you're the first to accuse me of looking to steal your heir? I can assure you I came here with no such plan Alpha Blake, but what Noah's told you is true. I feel it. I don't know what that means, but the facts are true. I am his rightful mate."

My eyes snapped angrily back to Noah, gauging his reaction. His jaw was clenched, and he looked furious, but not at me. "It's not like it could be controlled dad. It just happened. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

I felt an ache stab quietly into my heart at his words. Nothing anyone could do about it? Did he resent it? Did he not want to honor the bond created for us? I shook my head and took a calming breath, trying to focus. "Noah and I will have to discuss what this means for us, and for our packs. I promise you Alpha Blake, we will not make any rash decisions before exploring every option."

Blake stepped back and looked me up and down before turning away, mumbling under his breath. "I can't believe it's with a shewolf from Crescent. This is bullshit." He stalked away, heading straight out of the door as Sera and his beta followed.

I was left breathing heavily, my heart racing as I stood between Noah and Theo. I couldn't bring myself to look up at either of them. I was humiliated that Blake's response was so angry. So negative. My pack was one of the most well respected in our culture, and my father had worked hard to build strong alliances and trust with our fellow wolves. My entire body was tense, and I closed my eyes, pinching my nose in frustration. I can't say I was thrilled about this match either, but I couldn't deny what I'd felt. I knew perfectly well what it meant, and I didn't know if I could just walk away from it without any thought or care.