Shifting Love

Chapter 29: Breathe For Me

"Back off from my mate," he spat out at Teague.

Teague bowed his head in respect, "Alpha, I mean no disrespect but perhaps you should take a moment to calm down before you do something you will regret."

"I won't ask you again to back off from her," he gritted through his teeth.

"It's okay, Teague," I reassured him by placing my arm on his.

He reluctantly dropped his arm and stepped away from me.

"Leave us," Dante ordered.

Teague had no choice but to leave the room. He gave me one last look before closing the door behind him.

"Why do you have to be so mean? He was just trying to help me" I scolded him.

"You call that helping? I saw him kiss you on the forehead, Arianna!"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Seriously, Dante? Since when were you so insecure and didn't trust me?"

"Since I saw you making out with my brother," he sneered.

"This again?"

"Is it so wrong that I wanted you all to myself, Arianna? For once my mate was the one thing I had all to myself. You were mine. You didn't want him. You loved me and only me."

"I still do, Dante," I whispered and reached out to touch his face.

He swatted my hand away. His hands darted out and grabbed my wrists. I gasped when he roughly slammed me up against the wall.

"You loved him too. You weren't just mine, you were his too."

"He is dead, Dante. You have me all to yourself now. What more do you want?" I cried out as tears began to stream down my face.

"I want the memory of my mate making out with my brother out of my mind. Even in his death he has you crying over him. Tell me, Arianna, do you wish it was me lying in that casket instead of him?"

My mouth opened and closed. I was speechless. How could he even say such a thing? Of course I didn't wish that. Dante had every part of me, heart and soul. That was something Tristan could barely even begin to reach when it came to me.

"That is what I thought. I will leave you alone after tonight."

He released my hands and turned around. He opened the door and walked out of the room. He had misunderstood my silence for compliance to his question.

I slid down the wall as I tried to grasp the gravity of the situation.

"Arianna, sweetheart?"

I looked up to see my mother standing at my doorway. A concerned look crossed her face. It had been so hard this week to keep everything from her but she wasn't stupid. She knew something was going on between Dante and me.

"Yeah mom?"

"Are you ready to go?"

I nodded my head and allowed her to help me to my feet. I slipped my black heels onto my feet and took one last look in the mirror. My hands swiped under my eyes at the few lines of mascara that had run down my face. We walked out of the pack house together.

The car ride down into the village was spent in silence. Cooper drove us in the big black Alpha sedan. Dante and I sat on opposite sides of the vehicle as far from each other as possible. His jaw was clenched in anger and his fist was tightening around his knee.

There was so much anger radiating off of him that I was whimpering under the tension. His hand twitched a few times as he tried to control himself from reaching out to hold mine.