Forbidden Love (Stone Pack Book 1)

by Harper Phoenix

  ‘Will you come back here afterwards?’ he asks as I watch him wash. God, he is so hot.

  ‘If you want me too.’ I smile.

  ‘Yeah, I do. I don’t want to be away from you any longer than I have to,’ he tells me. I think about that. I didn’t really want to leave him either. Maybe it was time for Jared to meet my dad?

  ‘Come with me?’ I ask. He steps out of the shower with a dubious look on his face.

  ‘Uuh, you think that’s a good idea?’

  ‘Why not?’ I can’t see why taking Jared would be a problem, after all, he’s accepted me as I am, and wants to be with me regardless. My father would have to accept him too.

  ‘Well, the fact I’ve marked his only daughter and haven’t even met him could cause a problem. I doubt he’ll like that very much.’ I don’t see the big deal, but clearly, in Jared’s eyes, it is a big deal.

  ‘It’s like getting married without asking your father's consent. It's huge, and as soon as he gets a whiff of you he’s gonna know, so I guess the question is, do you think he’ll deal better if I’m there? Or would it be better if I’m not?’

  I giggle. ‘Are you scared of my dad?’ I tease.

  He doesn’t laugh. Instead, he gets real serious. ‘I’m not scared of much, Devon, and I can handle your father. I just don’t want to complicate things for you—for us, but if you want me there, I’ll be there.’ He stands naked in front of me, towel drying his hair. I can only stare. His muscles twitch and tense. I put my hands around his waist and squeeze his ass, making him laugh. He cups my face in his hands and kisses me. It deepens quickly, and as he lifts me up onto the vanity, my legs go around his waist. My hands are wandering, and I grip his cock. He steps back from me then, chuckling and taking my hand away.

  ‘Whoa. If I’m gonna meet your father, I’m not gonna go in there like a cocky kid who’s just fucked his baby girl. I want to be a bit more respectful than that.’ He kisses me, placating me. I stick out my bottom lip in protest, and he latches onto it, laughing.

  ‘Speaking of marks…’ I point to the huge hickey at the juncture of my neck and shoulder with a what-the-hell-were-you-thinking look on my face. Jared’s grin just gets bigger like he’s proud. He kisses the mark then meets my eyes in the mirror,

  ‘Mine,’ he says before heading off to get dressed. He makes my stomach flutter so hard when he acts like that, all dominant and caveman-ish. We finish getting ready together. He takes his time choosing what he’s going to make his first impression in even though he assures me that no matter what he wears or says, all my dad will notice is the fact Jared has marked me. He says nothing else will register. If that’s the case, then I’m hoping dad won’t react too badly at Jared being there.

  After bailing on the rest of the guys, Jared drives us to the restaurant. He parks in the lot and takes a deep breath.

  ‘The calm before the storm?’ I ask he rolls his eyes my way.

  ‘I’m really nervous actually. I’ve never felt like this before.’

  I kiss him, just a peck on the lips, to reassure him. ‘You’ll do great.’

  ‘I just hope he likes me.’ He grips the steering wheel with both hands and takes another long inhale. ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ He taps the wheel.

  Jared, like a proper gentleman, comes around the car and helps me out. He laces his fingers in mine, and we walk into the restaurant together. I spot my dad towards the back and give him a wave as we walk over. My dad is red in the face and looks like he may breathe fire. Jared’s step falters a little, but he holds his head high and keeps walking. Squeezing my hand slightly, he whispers, ‘I told you, he looks really fuckin angry.’

  My dad is mad, really really mad. He stands as we get to the table. I lean in to kiss his cheek, but he isn’t looking at me. No, he’s glaring at Jared. In an I’m-gonna-kill-you-any-second-now kind of way. Awkward.

  ‘Jared, this is my dad. Dad, this is Jared, who I’ve told you about.’

  ‘Apparently not everything,’ he grits out through clenched teeth. Jared nods to my dad.

  ‘Mr Hathoway.’ He doesn’t offer his hand, which is probably for the best since I want him to keep it attached to his arm. Jared pulls the seat out for me, and I sit, hoping that we can all sit around the table like adults. As Jared sits beside me, I’m looking at my dad, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Jared. I feel so uncomfortable, and I squirm in my seat. Jared thankfully doesn’t stare back—and being a very dominant wolf, I know that must be really hard for him. But instead, he looks at me with affection and puts his hand on my thigh. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad move, but I appreciate it.

  ‘So,’ I squeak out, ‘I’m starved, shall we have a look at the menu?’ They’re large leather-bound booklets, and for a moment Jared and I hide behind them, Jared mouthing to me, ‘I told you.’ He raises his eyebrows as much to ask ‘what do you want me to do now?’

  I mouth back, ‘You’re doing great, I love you.’ His face says it all—he’s so nervous. I laugh and snort a little, trying to hold it in, which in turn makes him smile.

  ‘Are we ready to order?’ the waitress asks eyeing Jared appreciatively. I order for my dad because he seems to have lost the ability to speak. I rush and order myself a chicken linguine. It is the first thing on the list. And then I look to Jared to get his order. Dad is still glaring, and he’s looking from Jared to me and back again. I guess that’s an improvement, if only slightly. Jared offers to go to the bar, asking what my dad wants to drink. He gets a mumbled answer of white wine. And he leaves. My dad turns on me immediately.

  ‘Jesus Christ, Devon! I didn’t even think you were—’ he blows air out through his nostrils as he clenches his jaw ‘—well, active!’ I look everywhere but at him. This is not a conversation I want to have with my dad. Jeez. I want the ground to open up and swallow me. ‘He’s marked you!’ It comes out like a whisper-sob. I cover my face with my hands. Please make this stop! ‘Do you have any idea what that means for you? Have you even thought any of this through? Did he discuss it with you first?’ No, it was a surprise to us both. But I wasn’t going to tell my dad that.

  ‘You’ve only been here for three weeks!’ I take a deep breath, trying to fathom an answer when Jared places a long island iced tea on the table in front of me. He gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

  ‘May I?’ he asks me. I nod. I’d rather poke my eyes out and cut my own ears off than continue this conversation. Go for your life. I had no clue what to say anyway.

  ‘Fill your boots,’ I tell him, my face beet red and my hands shaking. He takes a couple of breaths calming his nerves, and then he looks my dad straight in the eyes. My dad shifts a little in his seat. Until that moment, Jared has not asserted his dominance at all, keeping his eyes low out of respect for my father. Now. It is obvious. Almost palpable in the air. I feel a little sad at seeing my dad squirm under Jared’s authoritative stare. But Jared is respectful and makes my heart melt even more.

  ‘I’m sorry you had to find out like this. I meant no disrespect to you.’

  My dad clears his throat and cracks his neck, clearly nervous at the change in Jared.

  ‘I have marked your daughter, but Devon is completely able to make up her own mind about me, and I would never take that from her.’

  My father shifts again in his seat. He doesn’t look Jared in the eye as he speaks,

  ‘Well you say that now, but—’ Jared cuts him off,

  ‘There is no but, Mr Hathoway. Devon is her own person, and she is free to choose her path, with or without me. I would never force her.’

  ‘But, if she left—’

  ‘It would kill me, yes, but I want her to be with me of her own volition, never because I have forced her will.’

  ‘Do I have your word on that?’

  ‘Dad!’ Jesus Christ. ‘I’m right here?’

  ‘You have my word, Mr Hathoway.’ If my dad were a bird, he would preen his feathers at that moment. He seems to straighten up and have an air of c
onfidence he hadn’t had only moments before. Jared squeezes my hand. I have no clue what they are talking about really. Jared has never spoken of forcing me to stay with him. But I put that away for a later conversation. Right now we need to move past this. My dad seems satisfied with Jared’s answer. He lifts the bottle Jared has placed on the table and begins filling his glass. He looks over at my glass, which Jared has brought for me. It is a stemmed glass with lemon, and an umbrella protruding from the top.

  ‘What on earth is that?’ he asks me directly.

  ‘Um, huh, it’s a cocktail.’ Dad doesn’t say anything, just looked at me disapprovingly. Jared widens his eyes in apology. He wasn’t to know dad still likes to treat me as a child. Which is why he is having such a hard time dealing with Jared. Our food comes. Dad is on his third wine, Jared his second lager shandy, and my dad has even ordered me a second cocktail. Things are definitely starting to relax. Then dad pipes up with the questions again,

  ‘So, how do you feel knowing Devon has a kitsune mother?’

  I almost choke on my mouthful. But Jared doesn’t flinch.

  ‘If you’re asking if it changes how I feel about Devon? It doesn’t,’ he says flatly. Then my dad pipes up again, clearly with an alcohol-fuelled confidence.

  ‘Does it not bother you at all? What about your pack?’

  ‘I won’t lie to you Mr Hathoway. I was surprised when Devon told me, and I’m not going to tell you that it didn’t upset me because it did. But when it sank in, it didn’t matter. I couldn’t walk away. Who says that we can’t be together anyway? I love her, and I think it’s safe to say that she feels the same way about me?’ He looks to me then and squeezes my hand. I have a huge smile on my face. My dad is trying his best to work Jared out. I can see the cogs turning behind his eyes.

  ‘And your pack?’ my Dad queries. I look to Jared, unsure of what he’s going to say.

  ‘Part of my pack are here with me as we’re all attending university together. Devon has met them all, and they get along.’ Okay so, not a total lie, but not the whole truth either. Was it good enough for my dad? Apparently not.

  ‘So they know of Devon’s parentage?’

  ‘No, they don’t, and I see no reason to change that either.’

  ‘So you plan to live as if she is full blooded?’

  ‘Yes.’ Jared had stopped eating placing his cutlery down, his hands on either side of his plate. He looks relaxed, but I know different. The muscle in his jaw is twitching minutely. A sure sign he is getting annoyed.

  ‘And what if someone finds out?’

  Jared looked him in the eyes.

  ‘I would do whatever necessary to protect Devon and to be with her. If we can’t live among my pack or she doesn’t want to live among them, we will leave. It worked for you didn’t it?’

  My dad looks uncomfortable.

  ‘It was very hard for us over the years, and having being brought up as you have, to then go it alone will be extremely tough. I’ve done my best for Devon but had we been able to live with my pack, I would have chosen that. They cast me out because of her mother.’

  ‘I appreciate that, but it can be different for us. Devon isn’t just kitsune, and she can lead a life as a wolf. No one has to know.’ Jared had obviously given all of this thought. I knew he was willing to leave his pack behind because he had already asked me to leave with him. By the end of our meal Jared and my dad seem to be getting along great. We are all set to leave when my dad asks if I will go back to the hotel with him and stay the night. He wants to spend some time with me before he flies back home.

  ‘I suppose I should really be asking you, Jared? I know how territorial a bonded male can be.’ Jared makes a funny sound in the back of his throat, which sounds like a half-strangled scoff. I look at them both wide-eyed. Shocked that my dad had just asked for my boyfriend’s permission to stay with his own daughter. I mean seriously what the hell?

  ‘I’m good with that,’ he tells my dad.

  ‘Oh, well, now we’ve covered what I can and can’t decide for myself, maybe I should get a permission slip just in case?’ I look at them both, annoyance clear on my face. I think Jared actually blushes.

  ‘Devon,’ my dad splutters. ‘I’m not saying you can’t decide for yourself. I’m just respecting the fact that you’re a marked female now.’ Talk about a complete turnaround.

  ‘So you think that makes Jared the boss of me?’

  Jared laughs and tries to hide it with a cough.

  ‘Baby, calm down,’ he coaxes. ‘He didn’t mean anything by it.’

  I level him with a stare. He puts his hands up in resignation. ‘Baby, do you wanna spend the night with your dad at the hotel before he goes home?’

  ‘I’m going to the bathroom, and I’ll think about it while I’m there.’ I stomp off like a spoiled child. Of course, I will go back with my dad, but I won’t go because I’m ‘allowed’. Hell no.

  Saying goodbye to Jared feels worse than I expected. I really don’t want him to go. I want to climb in the car with him and go back to bed with him. But I owe my dad some dad and daughter time. It’s the least I can do since he’s flown all this way and I’ve acted like a total bitch.

  We enjoy a bottle of wine in the hotel bar—something we’d never done before. We have a lovely night. We talk a lot—about mom, our life, his life after the pack, and how he’d felt when mom left. As a kid, I hadn’t really picked up on his pain. He’d done an amazing job of shielding me, and I told him that. He gets emotional, and by the time we go up to bed, I feel like we’ve opened up a new chapter in our relationship. I resented my dad as a child growing up, always making me hide myself never allowing me to stay in one place or make friends. But after speaking to him at length and being completely open with each other, I came to the realisation that he had it just as hard as me. He’d never dated, never met another woman he could spend his life with, and all of that was because he was protecting me. I was the reason he’d never moved on to join another pack. And I had given him nothing but shit for it. I felt so ashamed of myself, but he showed me nothing but understanding.

  I text Jared before I slept,

  Goodnight, miss you already xxx

  I got an immediate response,

  I shudda said no! Miss you too xxx

  I sleep really well after our long chat. I never expected to be in this place with my dad, and I’m actually really sad to see him go the next day. His plane leaves at lunchtime, and we are up early so that he can make the three-hour trip to the airport. I wish I could take him, but instead, I wave him off and call a cab. I decide to go straight over to Jared’s, eager to see him after spending the night apart. I text him but don’t get a reply. Maybe he is still sleeping. Even better, I can climb in bed, and he can wake up to me.

  The cab pulls up around the front, and I hop out and walk around the back to the kitchen. I stop dead in my tracks. I’m stunned. I cannot believe what I’m seeing. Jared is in the kitchen and Kristen is wrapped up in his arms, her head in the crook of his neck. I’m trying to process what I’m seeing when he kisses the top of her head affectionately. I squeeze my eyes shut. Pain, like I've never felt, crushes my chest, and I can’t breathe. I run as far and as fast as I can. My body is quivering, desperate for the change but I can’t stop. I can’t afford to take the time to change, and I don’t want to have to come back for my stuff. Ever.

  I’m crushed. That bastard. I wipe away the tears streaming down my face. That’s the last time. The last time I ever cry over him. My heart is broken. No, not broken, shattered beyond repair. He fucking lied to me, and he played me.

  I don’t know how I got home. I don’t remember the walk, or how I got myself into bed. But I wake up sobbing. The sound is like a dying animal is clawing its way out of my chest. Maiya is standing over me with a look of pure fear on her face in a red bra and panty combo. At any other time, I would have laughed. I mean who wears that to bed? But I have no control over myself at that moment. I feel broken, my body aches
for something I can’t have. I’m like a junkie who’s run out of crack. As I wrap my arms around my knees, Maiya sits next to me, pulls me into her embrace and just holds me. It’s just what I need, but I can’t tell her. I can’t speak. I’m a hot mess of snot and tears. We don’t say a word—she gets it. I’m so grateful for that. I’m in no state to chat. I stay there for a while and wallow. When I wake again, Maiya is still there, and I know she has questions. I pull myself together enough to explain.

  ‘It’s over. He has a girlfriend.’ I burst into another fit of tears, and she wraps me in her arms.

  ‘Ssssh. It’s okay, huni. Everything will be okay,’ she soothes

  ‘I can’t believe he would do that to me?’ I sniffle.

  ‘Oh, huni. Listen, men are assholes. Karma is a bitch, though, and let’s hope he gets cock rot.’

  ‘Cock rot?’ I laugh as I wipe my nose.

  ‘Yeah, cock rot, and let’s hope it fucking falls off.’

  I giggle at her anger on my behalf. She’s thrown on a t-shirt now, but she flashes her ass as she bends to grab a glass from beside the bed, which makes me giggle harder, I can’t stop. I’m bordering hysterical. I can’t breathe. I’m holding my stomach because it hurts from laughing, then I’m not laughing anymore. Unwanted tears stream again. Oh god. Jared. I feel empty. Half of a whole. I cry myself to sleep as Maiya holds me.

  When I wake, it’s morning. Twenty-four hour’s post-Jared. The curtains are closed, but the daylight streaming through the cracks tells me I’ve overslept. I have my first intro classes today and a shit tonne of paperwork to do.

  ‘Heeeey, sweetheart.’ Maiya speaks to me like she’s trying to ward off a tiger. ‘How’re ya feeling?’ Like a fucking wrecking ball swung and hit me in the chest, but I don’t say that out loud. Instead, I force a smile