George threw the bottle of pills at Owen which the latter caught with the flick of his wrist.
"Take one," George said with finality.
Owen didn't like the obvious show of distrust, but if the roles were reversed, Owen would do the same. He didn't want to fuss about it. If George or James wanted to harm him, they would do it already.
Owen took one white pill and placed it on his tongue for George to see, and then he swallowed it.
"Are you going to ask me to leave?" Owen asked George after returning the bottle with the remaining pills.
"That would be for the best," George said. "However, considering what you know, I can't afford leaving you out of my sight."
"You don't trust me."
"Do you trust me?" George responded with a question.
Owen puffed his cheeks. George was right. They had no reason to trust each other. Owen was acting like an ass for years and a simple sorry won't fix it. "Now what?"
George didn't have a long-term solution. If this was anyone else, he would just snap his neck and eliminate the threat. It wouldn't be the first time for people to have a deadly accident after finding out things they shouldn't know about. However, Owen was Zina's mate and George needed to be less murderous. "You will spend the night in this villa, in the room where you woke up."
"What about Zina?" Owen asked.
Owen was looking forward to some alone time with his fiery Goddess. At the same time, he was dreading that alone time. What if he messes it up?
George saw many guys ruining what could be a harmonious mate relationship. He didn't care about those before meeting Dawn, but she showed him that females have a voice and are capable and that he shouldn't force his will without considering what she wants.
Zina was Dawn's best friend and George remembered Damon's warnings when his bond with Dawn was fresh. At that time, George thought that Damon was unreasonable, but later George confirmed that Damon was right.
With that in mind, George thought of giving advice to Owen.
"Zina comes from the Dark Howlers pack. There, females are equal to males. When your mate stands in front of you, it doesn't matter if she is an Omega or Alpha's daughter. As your mate, she is your other half. Mistreating her is mistreating yourself. Do you understand?"
Nope. Owen didn't understand. "What are you getting at?"
"I want you to respect Zina's wishes. Respect her boundaries. I know that the pull of the bond is urging you to get closer, but don't force it. If she is not comfortable, give her time."
"Is that what you did with Dawn?"
George didn't want to talk about Marcy, but there were things he could say. "Dawn is my second chance mate, and she knew it. I needed to convince her and myself that I will be a good mate. Don't assume that Zina can read your mind. She can feel your emotions, but without context, it's just confusing. If you want something, tell her."
OK. This part made sense. Owen had to ask, "And you are telling me this because…?"
"Because Zina is Dawn's best friend. If you make Zina sad, Dawn won't get off my case. I push through each day because Dawn is at the end of it waiting for me. If she is not happy, my happy will be spoiled also. Don't mess up, or I will mess you up."
This time, Owen was confident that George was serious.
"I will do my best. But…"
"But?"
"How do I know I'm doing the right thing?"
George thought for a moment before responding, "Listen to Zina and listen to your wolf. In that order."
Dawn peeked to check if George and Owen were done talking.
George and Dawn lingered on the landing of the second floor, waiting for Zina and Owen to say their goodnight because Zina's and Owen's rooms were in opposite directions.
Zina glanced at George and Dawn and then she turned to Owen.
"I feel like a teen on my first date and my parents are watching."
Owen's eyebrows came together in a frown. "You had your first date as a teen?"
"Not really. But I saw that in movies," Zina said quickly. Was he disapproving because she mentioned early dating, or because werewolves don't date?
Owen's expression relaxed. "So… what happens next in movies?"
Zina's eyes darted to Owen's lips, and she realized that her mouth went dry. Will she chicken out now? She was a grown woman, for crying out loud! But why was Owen not making a move? Surely, he kissed girls before… or did he?
"Owen," Zina called. "Do you want me to initiate our first kiss?"
Yes! No, no! Owen was glad that Zina couldn't read his mind because she would see them naked right there in that hallway with her pinned against the wall and him ramming himself inside her.
Owen swallowed hard. Did Zina ask something? Yes, about a kiss... "How about we do it together?"
Zina puckered her lips and closed her eyes, and she got on her toes while Owen leaned lower… and Zina frowned when she felt some weird texture.
Zina's eyes snapped open, and she couldn't believe that she was kissing Dawn's hand.
"Dawn!" Zina shouted in protest.
"Sorry, Zi. If you start kissing, you won't be able to stop," Dawn said. "Say goodnight and let's go."
"I don't want to say goodnight!" Zina whined.
When Dawn and Zina talked outside the study, Dawn told Zina that it would be for the best for Zina and Owen to spend the night apart and use that time to think about their situation and potential solutions. It would also remove the possibility of Owen marking Zina before they were ready. A mark on Zina's neck would be a bad thing at tomorrow's party.
At that time, Zina thought how Dawn made sense and she agreed, and also, Zina didn't want to prolong the conversation and her time apart from Owen. Yes, Zina agreed to spend her night alone, but now that it came to executing it, Zina realized how she didn't want to do it.
Zina didn't want to part with Owen. Period!
Dawn grabbed Zina's arm. "See you in the morning, Owen. You know where your room is. Don't try anything funny, we have cameras around the villa and in the hallways!"
Owen watched helplessly as Dawn dragged Zina away and he could see Zina looking at him with longing.
Owen released a long breath and looked up. There it was. A camera. Dawn was not lying.
The most frustrating thing was that George was standing there with his hands behind his back, and he didn't object to Dawn dragging Zina away! Now what?
Owen turned around and dragged his legs to his room. It was the room where Zina tended to his wounds.
He sat on the bed and buried his face into the comforter where Zina was sitting previously. Her scent of chamomile still lingered there.
Why did he allow Dawn to drag Zina away!? If he stood up for himself and his mate, now he would be hugging his chamomile-infused fiery Goddess instead of fisting the comforter. Damn it!
