“Dance with me,” she says, grabbing Emmett’s arm. “Since you insist on scaring off everyone else.”
He looks like he’s about to refuse, but then he looks at Jess’s face. She looks close to tears, her lip trembling.
“Come on, then, Jessalyn,” he says softly. Getting up, he holds out his arm. “Shall we?”
As they walk towards the dance floor, my view is obstructed by yet another alpha.
This one… doesn’t set off any internal alarm bells. My pack straightens, and Gray’s arm tenses again as the new alpha reaches us, offering us all a smile.
“Cohens. It’s good to see you,” he says, and he seems genuine. Enough that Tristan reaches over to shake his hand.
“Daniel. It’s been a while.”
“It has. Seems like you’ve been busy.” There’s a teasing lilt to his words, and he nods to me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Daniel. Pack lead of the Stevens pack.”
I give him a small but genuine smile in return. “Hi. Are your pack here?”
He laughs. “They are. Undoubtedly causing mischief somewhere. But I was wondering if you’re free for a dance?”
His bright green eyes don’t move to my pack, staying steady on mine, and I respect him more for it.
“I am, actually.” Tristan’s head snaps to mine, and I give him a sweet smile as I place my hand into Daniel’s. He bows, a ridiculously over-the-top gesture that pulls a laugh from my lips, before he leads me away. My back burns with the stares of my pack as Daniel pulls me into a waltz.
It’s been a while since I last danced formally, but my feet remember the steps well enough, and it’s easy to focus on him. His hands are light in mine as he keeps a respectable distance between us.
“So,” he says, his lips quirking up. “You’re a little bit famous, you know. Please forgive my curiosity.”
He’s direct, and I prefer it to the empty platitudes others have tried to offer. “You’re forgiven.”
He dips me before gently pulling me back upright. “Truthfully,” he whispers. “I just wanted to wind Tristan up. We used to play quite a few tricks on each other in training, and the last time we met, he had one up on me.”
Grinning, I wait as he spins me out, and we come back together again. “Well, I’d say this is probably the way to do it. Does he look angry?”
“Furious,” he says happily. “But I have to ask… why do you sound so delighted?”
I clear my throat. “You heard about my Mating Ceremony, I assume? It seems most of Navarre has.”
He winces. “I did. I apologize if I’ve brought up bad memories.”
“Not at all. It’s about time he had a taste of his own medicine.”
Daniel’s eyebrows fly up, and he looks amused. “You’re baiting him. Tread carefully, Sienna Michaels.”
“I know what I’m doing.”I hope.
“In that case…” I let out a shocked breath as Daniel pulls me closer. “Shall we give him a show?”
He waggles his eyebrows at me, and then he rotates, positioning us so I have the perfect view of my pack, all watching me with furious scowls.
Tristan’s eyes burn into mine, the promise he made to me earlier engraved into my mind.
Tonight, you’re ours.
When the dance finishes, Daniel bows, and I drop into a curtsey, tilting my head. “This was… surprisingly fun. You’ll have to stay in touch with Tristan more often. He could do with some more fun in his life.”
Daniel barks a laugh as he escorts me back to the table with his hand on my back, unfazed by the glares of my alphas. “It’s been a delight, Sienna. I’ll see you soon, I hope. Thank you for the dance.”
He kisses the back of my hand, and Tristan growls. “Stevens.”
