Omega 7

Chapter 15

Jade went into her room and closed the door. She then went to the bathroom to take a shower. She was still feeling gross from working out, but also needed to think and process everything she had just been looking at in Dante's office. Everyone had thought she was dead. There was at least a little solace in that, because it explained why nobody had ever come looking for her. But she didn't really want to think about that. She wept again, at the thought of the images she saw of her murdered parents. She felt the guilt all over again, for running away that night. She couldn't help but wonder if there was anything she could have done to help, if she had stayed. She felt her cowardice all over again. Then her mind wandered to Dante. According to the files, he had conducted an extensive investigation into the attacks. From what little she had seen in the files, he had also assisted in helping her uncle try to keep the pack from being taken over by others as well as providing resources for them to try to rebuild. She had also seen notes regarding several rogues that had been captured and imprisoned or killed for their part in the attacks.

She began to think of Dante in a new light. While working as a slave at Luther's pack house, she had never heard anything about Dante's efforts to help her pack. All she had known about him were the rumors she had heard as a child. But everything she had come to know about Dante showed him in a completely different light. And it actually comforted her think that he was her mate, and for the first time she actually wanted him to accept her. She shuddered at the thought of becoming a Luna at this point, she felt she had so much to learn and overcome before that could happen. And she knew she would have to start speaking again, too. But, all that wouldn't even be relevant if Dante decided she wasn't worthy, or if he decided to reject her. That thought made her sick to her stomach, and she could feel her wolf tremble as she considered what it would do to her, if he chose to get rid of her. She fought back tears when she considered that he might not want her, especially if he knew how she had run to save herself, when the rest of her pack was under attack. That was certainly not behavior fitting of a Luna, especially a pack as strong and powerful as Dante's Black Shadow pack.

She had just finished getting dressed after her shower, when there was a light knock on her door. Her heart skipped a beat, as she could smell that it was Dante, and she quickly went over to the door and opened it wide enough for him to enter.

"Can I come in?" he asked. "I brought you some lunch, I was hoping I could eat with you," he said, holding out the tray in front of him that had two plates with food. She nodded and backed way so he had room to enter with the tray, which he took over to the bed, as there weren't any chairs or a table in the room, and they both sat down, on opposite sides of the tray.

Dante watched Jade, as she immediately picked up her sandwich and bit into it hungrily. He couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked right now. Every time he looked at her, he found himself adoring her more. At this point, he had decided that he would accept her, assuming that she didn't plan to reject him. She didn't seem to be nearly as afraid of him as she had been, but she was still keeping her distance. Not to mention, she still hadn't actually even spoken to him. He didn't even know if she could speak, although Doctor Anderson had said that he didn't identify any physical reason preventing her from speaking.

Jade was half way through her sandwich when she realized that Dante hadn't even started to eat yet, and he was just watching her. She blushed immediately when she made eye contact with him, and quickly dropped her eyes back down to her plate, and put her hands in her lap.

Dante smiled when he saw her blush. "You're cute when you're eating" he said, hoping to get another reaction out of her. She gasped a little, and shifted her position, obviously a little uncomfortable with the compliment, as the red in her cheeks became even brighter.

Amused at the effect his words had on her, Dante took a bite of his sandwich and continued to watch her, thinking about more things he could say to cause a reaction, and wondering how much he could say before she got upset with him.

"I like your hair" he said, lamely, and her eyes flickered in response.

"Has anyone told you, you have beautiful eyes?" he asked her, touching her chin and lifting her face up so he could look into her eyes.

"You seem to have a healthy appetite" he teased, as she finished her sandwich.

She looked at him, and then looked away quickly. By now, she could tell that he was trying to get a rise out of her, so she didn't want to give him the satisfaction any longer. She scooted back and crossed her arms, giving him a scowl.

"Oh" he faked surprise, "did I say something you don't like? I'll never know what not to say, if you don't tell me" he said and then he finished his own sandwich, without ever taking his eyes off of her.

She felt incredibly self-conscious with his gaze never leaving her. She knew she had been blushing the entire time, and she was starting to feel irritated, and just wanted him to look somewhere else, even for a minute, so she could regain some composure. But his look never wavered, so she continued to sit there and fidget.