His Wolf's Choice

by Mary Goldberger

  “Well, I think I was kissing Daya,” Garin said slowly in a thoughtful voice. Shifting Daya a challenging look, he asked with a hint of mockery. “That’s what I was doing, right, was kissing you?”

  Daya saw the challenge and heard the mockery, and what she did next startled everyone including herself. “I’m not quite sure, Garin,” she spoke carefully and hesitantly, “Maybe you should do it again, so maybe I will have a more definite answer for you.”

  Garin didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. “My pleasure,” he mumbled a second before he lowered his lips to hers.

  If possible, the kiss was even better than the last one, Daya realized, feeling Garin slowly take her lips with his not worried about the individuals watching them, or the angry woman who was glaring with hatred. They didn’t hear her muttered ‘bitch’ or her strolling out of the kitchen slamming the door behind her.

  After watching her dramatic exit, Kala cleared her throat while Trevor laughed at the two individuals until Garin finally pulled away his breathing fanning Daya’s face.

  “That was definitely kissing,” Daya muttered hoarsely. “And we really need to do something else before I become a puddle at your feet.”

  Garin clenched his jaw and reached out for her thoughts of going back upstairs to finish what that kiss had ignited was the only think on his mind until Trevor’s voice stopped him getting his immediate attention.

  “Garin, we need to talk before you, and the others, leave on your mission tomorrow.” There was note in his voice which caught all their attention, and Garin nodded his head turning to Daya.

  “Go,” Daya replied giving him a small smile. “I need to get going, too, so I can do a few things around my apartment before getting some sleep for my long shift tomorrow. Just be careful and give me a call when you can.”

  Garin gave her quick kiss with a whispered assurance he would before following Trevor out of the kitchen to the office.

  Daya watched him leave with a sad smile having caught Trevor’s tone of voice also, and she had a feeling there was a reason for the sudden need to talk with Garin.

  “Daya.” Kala said interrupting her thoughts and Daya turned to her with the same smile.

  “I’m trying not to fall in love with him,” Daya told her with a small shrug of her shoulders. “He has a mate out there, as I know, but he hasn’t talked about her. Either she rejected him, or…”

  Her voice trailed off a swift look crossing her face, but it was Kala’s shocked expression which made her chuckle.

  “He didn’t answer when I asked him about his mate, so I surmised that there was a reason for it,” Daya explained taking a swallow of water. “Since I know the bond between mates, I’m sure when he meets her again he will forget all about me.”

  “What if it is his second mate?” Kala asked staring at her intently.

  “I got Garin’s promise he will let me know when he finds his mate, even if it is his second one,” Daya told her. “Although I already know that Garin doesn’t believe in the idea of second mates.”

  Walking over to her, Daya gave her another ‘congratulations’ before she strode out of the kitchen heading for the front door meeting Kelsey and Jaime at the door.

  “Daya,” Kelsey greeted getting a smile and nod in greeting from Daya before she kept going aware that they were staring after her.

  “That was weird,” Kelsey uttered after Jaime closed the door, and they headed for the kitchen.

  Kala glanced over from where she was standing at the window. “What was weird?” She asked them turning from the window and the view of Tammie dancing with one of her members.

  “Daya,” Jaime and Kelsey said together, and Kala frowned shaking her head shifting her gaze back to the window.

  “Tammie is here.” It was the only thing she said and when she turned back, Kala saw the look Kelsey and Jaime shared. “Jaime, you may want to go outside and talk with Sebastian about tomorrow.”

  Kelsey’s mouth turned down at the corners and Jaime gave her a swift kiss before going out the kitchen door.

  “Kelsey, it will be all right,” Kala assured her. “Help me with dinner.”

  Kelsey smiled walking over, and Kala gave her a brief hug before turning back to the things laid out on the counter her mind on what was happening in the office.

  “Garin,” Trevor stated after they entered the office, and Garin closed the door behind him a frown on his face.

  “Why do I get the feeling that you are about to give me bad news?” Garin replied staring at his Alpha intently.

  “I don’t know whether you will find it bad news,” Trevor uttered a sound of reluctance running a hand across his face. “But after these weeks with Daya…”

  His words trailed off, and Garin’s face went pale eyes narrowed now on Trevor.

  “Are you telling me…?”

  “Alec called earlier with some new information,” Trevor explained going around and sitting down in his seat leaning forward so his elbows rested on the top of it. “Alpha Leonardo told Alec that you, and the others, full duties will be protecting the Alpha Female of an Alpha who asked for help along with asking for our instance.”

  Garin’s mouth straightened in a straight line. “Who is the Alpha Female, Alpha?”

  Trevor closed his eyes a harsh look crossing his face.

  “Trevor,” Garin said quietly calling him by his first name. “You wouldn’t have called me in here if you didn’t want me to know since technically, I’m not lead on this mission, but Sebastian.”

  “Whitney,” Trevor uttered opening his eyes to watch the mask settled over Garin’s face. “Whitney is the Alpha Female and according to Alec, she was the one who asked for us to protect her.”

  “Does she know who is coming?” Garin asked watching Trevor’s flash briefly before he shook his head.

  “But you believe she does know that I’m part of this pack,” Garin stated, and Trevor grimaced at his words. “She wants to show me, or if I’m not there, have it told to me that she has done better.”

  “Garin, I believe she is,” Trevor agreed with a shake of his head not going to admit that he had feeling something else was going on.

  “Unfortunately, we’ve already decided who was going on this mission and we can’t change it now,” Garin replied sighing and running a hand through his hair.

  Trevor sat back in his chair. “Garin,” he said slowly. “Why don’t you go over and spend the evening with Daya, and may I suggest you tell her about Whitney.”

  Garin stared at his Alpha with narrowed eyes before nodding his head walking out of the office. He headed up the stairs to his room where without a second thought he grabbed his keys, cell and wallet deciding to take his Alpha’s suggestion although he wasn’t sure about revealing to Daya about Whitney.

  Leaving his room, he locked the door which he did when there were other individuals in the house besides the pack members who he trusted with his life.

  Striding down the stairs and out to his vehicle, Garin sent a short text before he slid the phone in the pocket of his shirt.

  Getting into his vehicle, Garin heard his cell go off and pulling it out he read the brief message, and a smile drifted across his face before he tossed the cell in the passenger seat. A second later, he was driving down the gravel road heading away from the pack house.

  Daya was changing her clothes her mind distracted when her cell went off and she frowned going over to pick it up from the bed where she tossed it after arriving home.

  I’m on my way over. We need to talk.

  Daya felt her stomach churn at the message, but she didn’t let it stop her from sending back a short reply and putting the phone back down on the bed.

  “Yes, we do,” she muttered in the silence of the room before sighing and slipping on the tank top she wore to bed although she went over and grabbed a pair of shorts sliding them on, too, since she was about to have company.

  Fifteen minutes later, Daya was in the kitchen getting herself somethi
ng light to eat when her doorbell rang and drying her hands on a towel, she went to answer it.

  Opening the door, she stared at Garin seeing the weariness on his face along with a look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read.

  “Are you okay, Garin?” She asked softly waving him inside before closing the door.

  Garin didn’t answer right away glancing around her place, but Daya was staring at him wondering what was eating at him that he came to see her.

  He turned to her and taking a few steps, he pulled her into his arms holding her tight against him.

  Daya felt a shiver go through him, but she got the feeling it had nothing to do with lust or passion circling her arms around her his back.

  “I am now.”

  The brief response was low, but Daya heard it giving him a light squeeze of her arms her only way to show him that he had her support even if it wasn’t much.

  “Worried about the mission?” Daya asked resting her head on his shoulder so she felt it when he tensed at her question.

  “No,” Garin replied.

  Yet, Daya heard an odd note in his voice. “Would you like to talk about it, whatever is bothering you,” Daya asked leaning back to stare up at him.

  Garin shook his head slowly. “No, not really but I think you have the right to know especially since I promised myself I would tell you before we became intimate.”

  Daya blushed at his words and he laughed quietly running a hand down her hair, which was loose and hanging to the middle of her back.

  Taking a step back, Daya started over to the couch before she stopped turning to him. “Would you something to drink, Garin?”

  Garin sighed taking off his jacket and throwing it across a chair. “A soda if you have it.”

  Daya nodded her head turning to head for the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable while I get it.”

  Daya disappeared while Garin sat down leaning his head back against the couch, and he smiled slightly since this wasn’t what he had in mind when he first took Trevor’s suggestion deciding to ignore his advice about talking to Daya, but it looks like that what was going to happen tonight.

  She needs to know. Besides, she told us about her mate, his wolf growled at the mention of her mate.

  I know, he told his wolf, and hearing her come back, he opened his eyes watching Daya walk toward him in a pair of shorts and t-shirt noticing that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  “I love the view,” he muttered when she sat down next to him, and she flushed handing him the drink.

  “Thank you, kind sir, for your compliment,” Daya teased fluttering her lashes at him although her face was still flushed earning her a wicked grin even as he accepted the drink.

  He took a long drink before he settled the glass against his jean clad leg watching Daya curl up on the couch next to him waiting patiently for him to speak.

  He leaned forward to put his drink on the coffee table earning a questioning look from Daya which changed when he leaned back letting his head fall toward Daya landing on her shoulder, and after a brief hesitation, Daya snaked her arm around his shoulders allowing him to shift until he was nestled against her breasts.

  Then he began to speak liking his current position although his mind had drifted to the past. “I recognized my mate when I was 16 years old, but she hadn’t shifted yet and I didn’t want to proclaim her mine until after her wolf came out. I waited patiently for two years until she was sixteen when she shifted into her wolf for the first time, and then I introduced myself watching her eyes flare with the knowledge of who I was.” He started to shake his head but cushioned against her it was slightly difficult. “So, imagine my surprise when in the next breath, she rejected me without hesitation. It seems she wanted an Alpha for her mate, and while I was considered a good catch, I wasn’t what she thought her mate would be.”

  He could feel Daya flinch at his words while her arm tensed along his shoulders. “What happened after she rejected you?”

  Garin closed his eyes listening to her heartbeat under his ear. “Nothing, she went her way and a few months later, I joined Trevor’s pack.”

  “You weren’t originally in Trevor’s pack,” Daya asked in a surprised voice.

  “No,” Garin shook his head. “He needed some fighter wolves and I needed to get away from my old pack, and my Alpha at the time didn’t stop me.”

  Daya frowned tilting her head to the side, and Garin sensed it although he didn’t see it.

  “Her parents were well-known in the pack, so to forestall any issues, he allowed me to leave,” Garin explained opening his eyes.

  “Oh,” Daya replied with a chuckle.

  Garin sighed nestling closer yawning against her, and Daya stared at him seeing the flash of hurt that drifted across his face. He didn’t have to tell her how much his mate’s rejection had hurt him, and she felt her heart clench in knowing it.

  “Other than Kala and Trevor, I’ve never told anyone else about my mate,” Garin slurred tiredly.

  “I’m honored,” Daya replied leaning down to lay her cheek against his hair when he yawned again. “You’re almost asleep.”

  “Umm,” Garin mumbled earning a soft smile from Daya.

  “Come on,” she jostled him slightly. “Let’s get you to bed. You can stay here tonight.”

  At her words, Garin opened his eyes and lifted his head staring at her with a raised eyebrow which made Daya giggle before she got up from the couch.

  Then she leaned down taking Garin’s hands pulling him up which he allowed before she escorted him back to her bedroom.

  “You can go ahead and strip down to your boxers while I go turn off the lights,” Daya told him stopping at her bedroom door waving him to go inside before she turned back to the living room.

  “What if I want to do more than sleep?” Garin found his tongue at last, and he grinned when Daya almost stumbled at his question.

  She sent him a brief look over her shoulder at him a blush staining her cheeks. “I wouldn’t say no, but I think we both need sleep more.”

  Garin’s mouth dropped open, and Daya’s eyes flashed with an invitation along with weariness before she blanked them turning to go back into the living room.

  “Get ready for bed.”

  Her voice called back making him smile before he walked into the bedroom shifting his gaze around the room liking the décor of her room which was simple and clean. He started to strip down and then decided to find the bathroom first before getting ready for bed shaking his head at the thought since it wasn’t something he normally did with a woman.

  When he walked back into the bedroom, Daya was sitting on the edge of the bed and she glanced up at him when he came in.

  Garin closed the door behind him earning a laughing look from Daya, and he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s habit,” he explained watching Daya laugh.

  He grinned taking his cell out of his jean pocket placing it on the nightstand near the bed before he started to strip out of his clothes seeing Daya swallow and shift her gaze away playing with the hem of her shirt.

  After he was down to his boxers, he climbed into bed since Daya had already pulled down the covers. Once he was settled, Daya turned out the light and cuddled up next to him pulling the covers over the them.

  “Goodnight, Daya,” he whispered wrapping his arms around her and tucking her tightly against him.

  “Goodnight, Garin.” Daya sighed allowing her body to rest against him while her arm went across his chest and her leg nestled in between his own.

  They drifted off to sleep under the satisfaction of Garin’s wolf who was enjoying this night.

  Garin woke up slowly the next morning frowning when he realized that Daya’s warmth was missing, and he opened his eyes searching the room.

  “Good morning.”

  Turning in the direction of her voice, Garin relaxed seeing Daya standing in the doorway already dressed in a pair of jeans and button up shirt much to his disappointment.

  Daya chuckled s
eeing the look on his face. “Your cell went off,” she explained, and Garin came alert tossing off the covers and slinging his legs to the floor.

  “I answered it,” Daya told him with a wince. “I hope you don’t mind since I didn’t want to wake you up.”

  Garin was shocked staring at her since it was the first time he had actually slept later than the woman he was with. Even more alarming was that he hadn’t even heard his phone.

  I was awake and to be honest, I enjoyed listening to Daya move around the apartment, his wolf uttered getting a silent reprimand from Garin which his wolf ignored.

  “I was going to make you breakfast,” Daya was telling him getting his attention and he started to admit he would like it. “But unfortunately, I was just about to wake you. Alpha Trevor needs you back at the pack house.”

  Garin winced running a hand reluctantly through his hair. “We must be leaving sooner than he thought,” he admitted watching Daya nod her head.

  “Yes, although he allowed me to give you another hour of sleep before waking you up,” Daya informed him walking over and giving him a light kiss to both of their astonishment. “I made coffee so you can have a cup before you leave.”

  Garin groaned arms going up and around her holding her tightly to him. “I wish…”

  “This mission was planned before you and I started seeing each other,” Daya reminded him softly running a hand through his hair.

  “I know,” he grunted turning his head to kiss her stomach through her shirt before he pulled back staring up at her. “I’ll get dress and have that cup of coffee.”

  Ten minutes later, he was striding to the front door grabbing his jacket from the chair and Daya followed him.

  “I’ll see you when the mission is done,” Garin told her turning to put an arm around her and pulling her up to him giving her a slow, passionate kiss. “When I get back, I would like to have that breakfast.”

  Daya chuckled breathlessly nodding her head in agreement. “It’s a deal. Be careful, Garin.”

  In response, he gave her another lengthy kiss and then headed out of the apartment putting on his jacket while his wolf sighed in sorrow, which Garin understood already missing Daya much to his bewilderment.