As soon as we finished eating the food, Bethany Ann stood and started to collect the dishes. She didn't say a word while she did so, and I had a feeling that she was going to try and clean by herself because we were the ones that had set up the table and cooked the food.

I stood and started to help her, ignoring the small growl coming from her, and I couldn't help but bite back a small smirk. I did not say a word while I did so because I was not going to let her clean this up by herself.

"Damion," she warned, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye while I raised an eyebrow in question. "Stop."

"No," I said and shook my head while I grabbed some more plates before I started to walk towards the kitchen. "I am not listening to you."

Again, she growled, and I couldn't help but snicker while she rolled her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't say another word, and I had a feeling that she had given up on the fight because she knew that I wasn't going to change my mind or let up.

"I love you," I said, and she grumbled and rolled her eyes but didn't say anything back, and I couldn't help but laugh, amused. "Come on, Beth," I teased and flashed her a small smile. "Admit it, you love me, too."

"No," she said and shook her head, and I couldn't help but laugh because I knew that it was a damn lie. "I do not love you, Damion," she said. "I tolerate you. That is all."

"That is a complete and total lie, and you know it." I set the dishes in the sink, and she did the same thing and placed the stuff in the sink before she started to walk away from me. "Admit it, Beth. You know that it is a damn lie, and you love me just as much as I love you."

"I am not going to admit, Damion," she called over her shoulder, and I couldn't help but laugh again while I followed her. "Go ahead and sit down with the rest of the family. I can go ahead and do this on my o-"

"You are not doing this on your own," I said. "We will do this together."

Moria looked between the two of us and started to get out of her seat. "And we c-"

"No, no," Bethany Ann said and shook her head, interrupting her. "We will do it. Go ahead and sit down, Moria. We do not need any help."

"Oh, and look who is saying "we" now," I said, and my mate turned to look at me with narrowed eyes. I grinned and pulled her to me before she grabbed something else and placed a small kiss to the side of her head, wrapping her into a small hug.

My mate growled and placed her hands on my arm. She didn't try to get out of my arms like I thought she would, and I couldn't help but feel very grateful and relieved because I knew that she didn't like this at all.

(06/24/2024)

'I love you,' I said and pressed another kiss to the side of her head. 'Tell me that you love me, and I will let you go.'

My mate scoffed a laugh and rolled her eyes, pressing her lips into a thin line. 'You will let me go as soon as I tell you to let me go,' she said. 'Do not lie to me because I know that you will do it.'

I bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded because I knew that if she told me to let her go, then I would immediately do it even if she didn't tell me that she loved me. 'I know,' I said and placed another kiss to the side of her head.

She sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing against me. 'How long are you going to keep holding me like this?' she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, even though I could not see it. 'Or is it until I tell you to let me go or tell you that I love you?'

'I can stay like this for the whole day, Beth,' I said with a cheeky smile on my face. I pulled her closer to me and rubbed her stomach with a small smile on my face. 'I do not mind doing this at all.' I laid my head on hers and closed my eyes, relaxing some more.

My mate bit back an annoyed groan and rolled her eyes. 'Fine,' she grumbled.

'Fine?' I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. A bit back a small smile appeared on my face while I rubbed her stomach. 'What is it? What do you want to do?'

'I love you,' she said, and my heart grew warm as soon as she said it. She bit back a groan and rolled her eyes at me. 'I love you, Damion. Now, can you please let me go? We still have dishes to do.'

I bit back a small laugh and kissed her on the side of her head one last time before I let her go, and my mate turned to look at me with a small scowl on her face. 'Most certainly,' I said and looked at her with a soft smile on my face, tucking my head closer to my chest. 'Are you happy that I have let you go?'

'Yes,' she said and nodded in confirmation. She turned back around and started to collect some more dishes. "I would be happier if you let me do all of this alone," she said and looked at me with a small scowl on her face, and I laughed and shook my head no.

"That's not going to happen," I said and continued to help her collect the dishes. "The faster that we can get this done, the faster that you can escape this hell hole." I winked teasingly, and she rolled her eyes and scowled.

"This is not a hell hole," she grumbled under her breath with a shake of her head, and I couldn't help but snort and roll my eyes while a small smile flickered on my lips. "I know of places that are hell holes, and this isn't one of them."

She walked into the kitchen again, with me following her.

"But I do want to go outside," I said, "and I know for a fact that you want to get outside, too."

My mate gave me a weird look, pursing her lips in annoyance. "You could have gone outside at any time, Damion," she said with a shake of her head before she looked at me with a small frown on her face. "I do not know why you didn't."

"Because my lovely mate couldn't go outside, and I wanted to be with her," I said and shrugged with a small grimace on my face. "And I wanted to make sure that everything stayed fine here. It's why I asked Michael and Chloe to bring me my work so that I can do it from here and not in my office."

"Even though most of your stuff was already here," she "reminded" me and gave me a pointed look with both eyebrows raised. "It's why they didn't have to move that much stuff."

"I know," I said and nodded. "And most of my clothes are here too because the person that I love the most lives here."

"Don't tell Sandra," she teased, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly with a small smirk on her face. "Or does she know?" She cocked her head and studied me with a small smirk on her face.

I laughed and nodded in confirmation. "Oh, she knows," I said. "She makes fun of me and then I point at her mate because he does the same damn thing."

My mate snorted and walked into the dining room again, and I followed her with a small smile on my face. She didn't say a word and started to collect more dishes while they watched us.

"Who is Sandra?" Ben asked and looked between us curiously with wide eyes. He cocked his head while he studied us with a small frown on his face. "Is she nice?"

"My sister," I said. "She lives at the main pack house with her mate, and yes, she is nice, but she is annoying sometimes." I shrugged and grimaced, rolling my eyes and setting my jaw.

"She is your little sister," Beth said and gave me a pointed look. She pressed her lips into a thin line and raised both eyebrows in unison. "Of course, she is going to be annoying."

'Dammie, I am coming over,' my sister said, linking me, and I bit back an annoyed sigh when she called me by a stupid nickname that I hated. 'And yes, I have a guard with me, and no that stupid Alpha isn't following me.'

'Ok,' I said, biting back a small sigh of relief. 'Where is your mate?' "Speaking of the devil, she is on her way."

My mate snorted and nodded before she continued with the dishes, and I helped her while I waited for my sister to say something else.

'Busy,' she replied, and I had a feeling that she rolled her eyes and scowled. 'He sent me away, so now I am going to bug you and Bethany Anne.' She paused and cleared her throat, growing serious. 'It's safe for her to be out of the house now, right?'

'Yes,' I replied, breathing a small sigh of relief. 'We are cleaning up from breakfast first now and then will be outside. After that, Bethany Anne and I will be going on a date.'

'Ooh, where?' she asked. 'And for how long?'

'Not long,' I replied and mentally shook my head. 'We are going to Mays for some baked goods and then we will be back. I want you to stay here when we are gone. Is that understood?'

My sister snorted and rolled her eyes, and I had a feeling that she set her jaw. 'Yes, Alpha,' she said, and I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips into a thin line, amused. 'I understand, and hear your message loud and clear.'