“Thank you, oh where are my manners? I am Alpha Dante Garcia, the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack.” He introduced himself with a warm smile. I recognized the name; it was the biggest and strongest pack in California.
“Valerie Hayes,” I introduced myself. I wasn’t using Jerry’s last name because we hadn’t had a formal wedding ceremony yet.
“Valerie,” he repeated softly. The way my name rolled off his tongue sent a small thrill through me.
He leaned back slightly, still smiling warmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Valerie,” he said sincerely.
Dante had a very easy going personality that made it very easy to talk to him. We spend hours chatting, laughing and exchanging stories.
My phone pinged with a notification. It was a message from Nancy. My smile faded instantly,
~~Jerry said that I should inform you that he won’t be back tonight. I was having some symptoms, and he offered to stay to make sure I was taken care of.~~
I pursed my lips in frustration. Jerry hadn’t even called to cancel, to apologize, to postpone, or anything at all. He didn’t even acknowledge our anniversary dinner.
“Val?” Dante muttered softly, watching me carefully. “Are you okay?”
The frustration and the pain were so much that I found myself pouring out everything to him. How Jerry kept prioritizing Nancy over me, his mate. Dante listened with an intense expression on his face.
When I was done, his jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened slightly.
“That’s unacceptable,” he said firmly, “You deserve to be cherished, Valerie, not cast off and made to feel unwanted.”
I blinked in surprise by the intensity in his voice. He sounded genuinely upset for me, as if he really cared. I flushed.
“It’s complicated,” I said softly. “He’s not a bad person. I think… I think he loves me in his own way, but… but I can’t help but feel that he doesn’t really prioritize or respect me.” I admitted.
For a moment, Dante didn’t say anything. He just kept watching me with an intense look in his eyes that made me wonder what was going through his mind.
“Marry me,” he blurted out, leaning forward.
My heart skipped a beat. “What?”
“I know we just met, and it sounds absurd, but there’s just something about you, Val. There’s just something that makes me want to be with you, to protect you, to treat you as you should be treated.”