SWNOVELS Chapter 25
Nearly two weeks have passed since Devon has encountered the Moon Goddess, and his discontent with their encounter weighed heavily on his mind. Neither he nor Sammie have engaged in a lot of intimacy, and ironically, she held no protest to their lack of it. This, too, concerned Devon. To be honest, since the past events that occurred regarding that piece of shit, Justin, and how Sammie handled him soon after, she had not instigated any sort of affection. The fleeting moments that they had shared any sexual intimacy always felt as if she wasn’t quite herself. There was no warmth in her actions, but instead, she was more primal and disconnected.
Surprisingly, Devon noticed that his Gamma, Aiden, and Sammie had become a lot closer despite everything. There were several occasions where he had caught them talking solely amongst themselves as well as a few fleeting glances. Once Devon had even seen Aiden grasp Sammie’s tiny hand and give it a gentle squeeze eliciting a warm smile from her; on a few other occasions, Aiden’s scent also appeared on her as well. To say that the sharp pangs of jealousy weren’t rearing their ugly heads into Devon’s psyche would be putting it lightly. To be honest, Devon was becoming very jealous. Even though Aiden had his own mate whom he was undoubtedly enamored with, Aiden’s sudden bond between him and Sammie left a bad taste in Devon’s mouth. There had been several occasions where Slade had emitted an occasional growl directed towards Aiden whenever he appeared to be too close to Sammie for his liking.
If the sudden rise in random attacks against the werewolf packs, his included, as well as the Vampire clans and Witch Covens, hadn’t been such a dire issue, Devon wouldn’t be resorting to entrust Aiden alone with Sammie for the upcoming couple of weeks. But unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to the contrary.
Devon’s undivided attention was needed at his pack. There were a few smaller packs seeking refuge, and he needed to make sure everything was taken care of, which would entail traveling to the packs. His busy schedule included meeting with their respective Alphas in order to finalize everything before they would be merging their packs. Devon’s Beta, Michael, needed to be sent to another neighboring pack, The Dark Crescent Pack, as well. Michael and a few warriors were necessary to provide the pack with additional training. Shay and Astrid would also be gone during this time. The Grand Coven had also had an influx of witches who were seeking sanctuary. Being quite powerful, the Shay and Astrid were needed to ensure that more substantial barriers were in place to protect their growing populous. Sammie had also spoken with Lord Danesh, and apparently, they too had their hands full and could not provide additional guards for her protection as they were all enlisted to guard their own territory’s borders. Aiden was the only person left that could be trusted enough to safeguard her at any cost.
As much as he hated it, Devon was stuck. He knew it would only be a couple of weeks, and despite being a possessive Alpha male, he needed to trust both his mate and his Gamma. His thought process was that he would see how things were upon his return and then talk to Sammie regarding his concerns, hopefully allowing his frustrations to settle down a bit.
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As Sammie flitted around her room, organizing her books and cleaning out any unwanted debris that had caught her eye, she couldn’t help but think about Devon’s near departure. She was well aware that he and her friends would be gone for the next couple of weeks, but it was Devon’s approaching absence that was lingering in the forefront of her thoughts. Despite it only being a little over a month since the traumatizing events that had been inflicted upon her, Sammie felt a small sense of normalcy finally. She knew that she would miss Devon and had decided that with all the chaos being reaped upon their packs, covens, and clans the like, she needed to let her own defenses down with him finally. The imminent danger only solidified her thought process. If anything, Goddess forbid, should happen, she did not want her insecurities to intercede with her ability to express her love for him. She was willing to tear down her fortified walls and try and enjoy some semblance of peace and intimacy. She had decided that tonight before his departure tomorrow morning, that she herself, as opposed to her counterpart Samantha, would not only engage but partake in an intimate moment for the two to take pleasure in during this time apart. As silly as he may seem, Aiden was a major driving force in Sammie’s decision. He had been an enormous help in her recovery process. She hadn’t realized how much she had needed someone that she could finally call family. Aiden was someone whom she could fully confide in without reservation about the pain she had been harboring before his approach. Shay, Astrid, Michael, and Devon were always considered to be family as well, but Aiden was the blood of her blood. Aiden was her sounding board, her shoulder to cry on, and he was her voice of reason. Aiden’s advice to Sammie about opening up and being honest with Devon prompted her to surprise her mate with a romantic evening. Thus the reason she was getting everything ready in her room. She had already set up the balcony with a beautiful table setting consisting of Champagne, roses, mood lighting, and romantic music set to queue on her iPod. She had already showered and prepped her body for tonight’s events. Her dark, burgundy satin halter slip dress rested on her bed. She was still in her bathrobe, finishing the final touches prior to donning herself in the silky material and a pair of black Manolos.
She looked over at the digital clock resting on the dark mahogany night table, 5:30 pm. She had just a half-hour before Devon would be done with his meeting with Michael and Aiden before he headed over to her home. She quickly placed her Door Dash order, deciding on the Cheesecake Factory. Afterward, Sammie dashed down to the wine cellar to grab a Louis Roederer Brut Cristal bottle to set to chill in the gold champagne vessel. Giving everything a once over, she was pleasantly gratified and made her way to the bathroom to finalize her appearance.
Tonight would be a night she hoped that her sweet Devon would never forget.