Winning Over the Alpha

Chapter 27

~Dainin~

Dainin could feel Tessa trying to contact him, but he had given his wolf full control to run off their anger and hurt so they could face this with a clear mind. Tessa may as well have ripped his heart out, yet Dainin wondered if he would have doubted her if the roles were reversed.

"Still doesn't excuse her behavior. She should have just asked us," his wolf interjected. He wasn't ready to let it go. "All that talk of honesty and trust was just that. Talk. For once don't be so level-headed," he snarled, clawing a nearby tree and turning it to splinters.

Dainin knew if he ever wanted his wolf to calm down, he'd have to stay quiet and go along for the ride. He knew better than to argue when a wolf's emotions were involved, especially an Alpha.

***

After hours of running in the rain, Dainin's wolf finally felt the need to return to the house. A group of wandering pack members had returned from Blue Ridge but didn't dare make eye contact with him.

"They must have witnessed what happened," his wolf growled, ashamed.

"Everything is fine. I want you all inside before nightfall," Dainin ordered them all through the pack link. There was still the threat of war at their doorstep and their safety needed to be a priority. They nodded their understanding but were still cautious of his presence. He couldn't blame them.

Dainin felt exhausted. It had been a long time since he gave his wolf full control and his whole body ached when he shifted back to his human form, but he felt the tension leaving his body with every step upstairs. When he reached his bedroom, Dainin found Alan sitting outside his door, fast asleep, with his knees to his chest.

"Hey, Alan. Wake up," Dainin called out, kneeling in front of his brother. "Alan, I'm back," he tried again, nudging his leg. Then with a mischievous grin, Dainin stood. "Cadence? What are you doing here," he called out, and Alan shot up, looking nervously down the hall until his eyes landed on his laughing brother.

"That's not funny. She'd have me running laps if she thought I was slacking off," he complained, sending a light punch to Dainin's shoulder, but then he became serious. "Are you okay," Alan asked, looking over Dainin's mud-covered form.

"I think I will be. No one said relationships were easy, right," he sighed, slapping a hand on Alan's shoulder before opening his bedroom door. He turned toward his brother once again with a smile. "Thanks for waiting up for me." Even if Alan were a royal pain in the ass, he was loyal, and they looked out for each other.

Alan nodded. "Goodnight, man," he yawned, walking down the hall with his arms stretched above his head.

Dainin waited until Alan shut his bedroom before doing the same. His bedroom seemed empty and cold without Tessa's presence and her scent had nearly faded since the last time she was over. "Tomorrow is a new day," he thought out loud, grabbing clothes for a shower.

He decided to reopen their link while the shower warmed up but was met with silence. "I'm sure she's busy," his wolf spoke, justifying why the link wasn't being flooded with apologies, but Dainin was still disappointed.

"You're right. I shouldn't worry about it since we'll have to talk eventually," he assured himself, choosing to remain positive. Dainin preferred speaking about this face to face anyway.

Stepping into the steaming shower, many thoughts crossed his mind. Tessa's life, past and present, proposed a lot of obstacles for them. "Hell, our past had a lot of problems too," he mumbled to himself, watching the muddy water run down the drain.

He began to understand moments of mistrust may happen now and then until they truly got to know each other. If that was the case, Dainin was ready to prove he was in it forever no matter how many times she needed reassurance.