In the hallway…
Talia jumped in fright when she felt someone fondling her ass and she whipped her head to see Damon grinning at her.
Damon finished talking to Travis a while ago and he expected Talia to come down, and when she didn't, his patience ran out quickly and he went to investigate. He didn't expect to see Talia sticking to the door and he couldn't stop himself from teasing her.
It was obvious that she was peeping through the crack on the door of George's room. What were Talia and Dawn up to? And where was Dawn?
Damon was not aware of this playful side of Talia. Every day he learned more about his adorable mate and he couldn't wait to see what else she had in store for him.
"What are you doing?", Damon asked in a hushed voice.
"Mates", Talia mouthed and pointed excitedly toward the door.
Damon's eyebrows shoot up and he craned his neck to see through the crack of the door above Talia.
And sure, there it was… George and Dawn were sitting on the bed with a tray of food between them, and they were feeding each other.
A big smile bloomed on Damon's face. He didn't care if they were mates or not. The only thing on Damon's mind was that with George awake, one of his problems disappeared.
George was not a kid who can be swindled, and he was definitely not a fun-hungry teenager.
But the most important thing was that Damon knew George's secret, and that went beyond George and Marcy breaking their mate bond. If the wrong people knew that the Alpha of the Frostcrest pack was alive and kicking, heads would roll.
The point here was that Damon would rather collude with a person he had something on, and he had something big on George.
Without any shame, Damon briefly knocked on the door and pushed it open.
Dawn bolted to her feet and bowed her head. "Alpha!" She looked like a kid who was caught doing mischief.
Damon waved at Dawn. "Continue what you were doing."
Damon spoke to George. "I am glad to see you are better. I congratulate you on finding your mate. Take your time to recuperate. Let me know when you are better so we can talk. My pack Doctor would like to examine you but considering the circumstances, the doctor won't intrude." Damon glanced at Dawn who sat back on the bed, but her head was still lowered. "Dawn can inform us when is a good time for the doctor to visit. Feel free to move to the packhouse where you will be closer to amenities, and not so close to…" Damon gestured toward the hallway. He didn't want to say Marcy's name, but they all understood what he meant.
Talia used this opportunity to approach Dawn and give her a hug. "Congratulations, Dawn. Enjoy with your mate. You deserve it." Talia winked at Dawn and mumbled congratulations to George before moving to leave the room and dragging Damon with her.
The moment the door closed behind them, Talia asked Damon irritably, "Why did you barge in there?" He pushed the door open, and Talia was still half-bent, and if Dawn or George paid attention, they would know she was peeping. How embarrassing!
"Are you upset that I spoiled your spying on a newly mated couple?", Damon asked with amusement in his voice.
Talia pouted. She didn't want to peep. OK, maybe she did, but just a little bit. If they started kissing or undressing, she would definitely stop.
By this time, Damon and Talia were downstairs.
Damon chuckled and pulled Talia into his embrace. "I didn't know that my mate is into looking."
Talia had no intention to admit to anything.
"I don't know what you are saying."
"I think you do, kitten…", Damon drawled. "Should your mate give you a good show? How about right here in the…"
"We should head back.", Talia said with urgency. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the front door. "The preparations for the party will start soon and we can't let others do all the work. We should tell Steph and Zina that Dawn won't be available today, and maybe for the next few days…"
Damon smiled helplessly and walked after Talia, allowing her to drag him with her.
In George's room…
"Tell me something about you.", George said while poking food with the fork for Dawn.
"Uhm… I work in the kitchen."
"Does that mean you are a good cook?", George asked.
Dawn lifted her chin smugly. Cooking was her forte. "You will find out soon enough."
"I look forward to it.", George responded. "Tell me more about you."
Dawn shook her head. "It's your turn to share."
George accepted the food that Dawn gave him and he chewed while thinking what would be interesting. She probably didn't want to hear about training and military stuff which was about 90% of his life.
Eventually, he thought of something. "I don't have parents."
Dawn's face fell as she imagined George without his parents, and then Marcy rejected him. It was a lonely picture, difficult to bear.
George could see that Dawn was upset. Was she feeling sorry for him?
"Don't worry about it. It happened a long time ago. They died before I could remember… Uhm… I mean…" George stumbled over his words when he realized that he only made it worse.
The image of a lonely young man turned into an image of a lonely child, and Dawn's heart cracked.
George felt the urgency to fix it. But what could he do? He was really not good at this type of talking with women.
In his panic, George pushed the tray with food away and pulled Dawn into his embrace.
Dawn stiffened for a moment, but then she relaxed against him, taking a deep breath that filled her chest with the scent of a meadow that was full of various flowers, and there were a lot of sweet clovers.
Even through the clothes, Dawn could feel the sparks of their bond prickling her skin, and the way his hold on her tightened told her that he felt the same.
She realized that her arms were slack next to her, and it didn't seem right, so she gingerly moved her hands around him.
Dawn smiled when she fully embraced George. The firm muscles of his back felt good under her palms, and she couldn't believe that this was her mate. It was surreal.
George buried his face in the crook of Dawn's neck and her scent of cinnamon made him lightheaded. It was warm and welcoming, just like the woman in his arms. He really wanted to get a taste of it, so he pressed his lips on the delicate skin of her neck and then he licked her there.
Dawn's hairs stood on ends.
George's embrace was solid, and he was kissing and nibbling on her neck and releasing small groans that sent pulses of need converging at her core, and she gripped his back firmly to steady herself because the whole room was spinning.
