Chapter 7

"Dakota, wake up, baby," Jason's voice said. "We're home."

Opening my eyes, I rubbed them so I could focus. He opened the door, and picked me up bridal style. The house was immense; this must be the pack house. It was three stories high, beautiful columns in front, gorgeous front granite front steps, and the front door was a perfectly cut mahogany entrance. It was overwhelming.

"I can walk, Jason. It's okay," I sleepily said.

"I got you, baby," he answered.

Curling in closer to him, I closed my eyes again. Something soft hit my back, and I cuddled in closer. I felt warmth, and it roused me awake.

Jumping out of bed, Jason looked at me strangely. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not ready for this," I confessed. "Can I sleep in a different room?"

Sighing, Jason got out of bed, half dressed, and led me down the hall to a guest room. It was fairly plain, but the furniture was elegant. "You can stay in here," he said, sighing.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He gave me a slight smile, and went back to his room.

Crawling into the large bed, it felt empty, and cold. Covering my head with the comforter, my mind started racing. I was thinking about home, my parents, brothers. Tears fell. As much as I wanted to go home, I knew being with Jason was right; I just wasn't ready to share a bed with him. That would take time. The only way I could calm my mind was to think of Jason, and his warmth; I was lulled to sleep quickly.

~the next morning~

A delightful smell woke me from my slumber. Smells like home.

Getting up, my bags were in the room. Jason must have left them here early this morning. Digging through, I found my toothbrush. Padding into the bathroom, I looked at myself into the mirror. My hair was all over the place, and the bags under my eyes prominent. Jason will definitely find me repulsive; I hate mornings.

Throwing my hair into a ponytail, I put my feet into comfy socks. Rubbing my eyes, I was careful not to run into anyone or anything. Maybe if I look gross on day one, Jason would send me back home.

The smell of food just got stronger the closer I got to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, there were several people sitting at the kitchen island chowing down. Jason included. Walking in, they all stopped and stared at me.

Jason got up, swallowing what was in his mouth. "Good morning," he said. All I could do was smile at him. He ushered me to a stool next to him. The boys continued to eat once I was seated. "Are you hungry?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I wasn't sure. "Kinda," I whispered.

There was a lady slinging the pancakes, bacon, and sausage. She was humming to herself; she looked a lot like Jason with her dark hair, and eyes. "You must be Dakota," she beamed.

"Yes, I am," I replied.

"I'm Jason's mother, Diedre. It's so nice to meet you, sweetheart. You are just the cutest little thing." She squeezed me in a hug, cutting off my oxygen.

"Mom," Jason groaned.

"And I'm Jason's father," another male voice boomed, "Anthony." He extended his hand, and I shook it.

"Oh, stop it, Anthony. She'll be your daughter-in-law before you know it, may as well give her a hug. She's cute as a button."

His father was a formidable specimen. He had lighter brown hair than Jason, and his wife. No less muscular than Jason, his features were chiseled. I was intimidated by him; the former Alpha. "You're the only daughter of Don Mayfield?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"I remember your brother, Trevor. Strong wolf," he said.

"Dad," Jason warned.

"It wasn't your fault," he said.  Looking up at the former Alpha, he could see that I held guilt in my heart for my brother's death. "Vampires are filthy creatures, killing for sport. You should let go of that guilt inside you." His wife smiled at her husband, proud that he said comforting words. Unexpectedly, he wrapped me in a warm embrace. "Eat, you're too skinny," he teased.

Jason's mother went back to cooking for the hungry wolves in her kitchen. It was almost sickening how much they put away as she cooked it. Though, I should be used to it. Devon, and Ronnie put as much away when Mom cooks.

"You aren't eating," Diedre pouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Morgan. Not really hungry," I confessed.  She looked to her husband who shrugged his shoulders. Then she looked to Jason who looked concerned that I wasn't eating. "Don't fret, honey. You'll get used to being here."

"Come on, Dakota. We'll use today to get you settled in," Jason suggested.

Helping me down from the stool, we went back upstairs, stopping at his room. "My room is down the hall," I said.

"You can use my shower, if you like," he suggested. "It has one of those nice shower heads like a rain fall."

Sighing in resignation, that did sound nice. "Let me get my clothes." Going down the hall, I reached into my bag, picking up a pair of skinny jeans, and a loose fitting grey sweater. Turning, Jason scared the crap out of me. "Jesus, Jason. I was coming back," I said, holding my chest.

"I wanted to make sure," he smirked.

"Oh, shit," I said, then I quickly covered my mouth.

He started giggling at me. "You're cute when you curse."

"I forgot my shampoo, and other things," I admitted.

"It's okay, you can use mine."

Going into the bathroom, it was immense. White tile with black swirls on it, huge shower, fluffy towels. This whole place was luxurious. He handed me a white fluffy towel, and left me to shower.

Turning on the water, Jason wasn't kidding. This shower was pure bliss; it felt like warm rain was hitting my body. I don't know how long I stood there absorbing the water into my skin. The shampoo smelled like fresh linen; my favorite smell. I absorbed every inch of the water touching my skin.

A knock roused me from my reverie.

"Dakota, you okay?" Jason asked through the door.

"Oh, yes, I'll be right out."

It was a sad moment when I turned off the shower. Looking around, I realized that I left my clothes out in the bedroom....with Jason. "Crap," I whispered. "Jason?" I asked through the door.

"Yes, baby?"

"Could you hand me my clothes? I left them out there."

A low rumble came from him, heard clear through the door. "Why don't you come out and get them?"

"Please, Jason." Obviously, his wolf had taken over for a brief moment.

"Why don't I leave the room, so you can come out, and get them?"

"Promise you won't look?"

"I swear."

Waiting a moment, I heard his bedroom door click. Slightly opening the door, I poked my head out, no Jason. Breathing a sigh of relief, I dropped my towel getting dressed. As I was about to leave my towel in the bathroom to dry, I walked by his dresser and his sweatshirt was on it. Running my fingers over it, I brought it up to my nose, inhaling his scent. He smelled so good. Why was I so afraid of this? By all accounts, Jason had treated me well, thus far.

The door opening, made me throw the sweatshirt down, and I scurried into the bathroom, embarrassed. Brushing my hair fast, I walked out fresh, and clean. Jason was sitting on the bed, with his sweatshirt in hand. "You can wear it, if you like," he offered.

"No, its okay," I said, waving my hand at him.

"Please, honey," he protested.

Taking the sweatshirt from him, I smiled at his gesture. "Thank you."

Standing, he smiled, and kissed my forehead. "Come on, why don't we spend the day together? Get to know each other."

Today is the first day that we're going to spend together, getting to know each other, and getting comfortable. He's putting forth a lot of effort, and I applaud him for being so considerate.

Jason Morgan is a good person, and I look forward to the coming days.