by Alisa Woods
Jak held his smile in check and just gave him a sharp nod. “Glad to hear it. I think you really have some industry-busting stuff here, Nalik. You just need to give me the information to prove it.” With that, Jak turned on his heel and hurried out of the lab, down the stairs, and across the quad.
The day was relatively clear, but the wind was starting to pick up, lifting the fall leaves in tiny whirls off the pavement and sending them dancing into the air. He had just two minutes to get to Arianna’s classroom, so he picked up his pace.
It had been an agonizing four days since she had slammed the door in his face late Saturday night. He’d been over it in his mind again and again, but he just couldn’t tell if it was the mating bond that had sent him packing or if she truly didn’t want him to free her anymore. He couldn’t believe that was true, but he hadn’t had a chance to meet with her since. She’d returned to school on Monday, but Mace and his beta, Beck, were doing guard detail now. And Jak was clearly not in the rotation. On top of that, Mace hadn’t gone out drinking all week, which was not the norm, and Gage had been keeping Jak busy at work: there had been literally no time when he could go over and yank Arianna out of Mace’s house to have a real talk with her.
He would just have to sneak into her life.
Dashing across the red pavers of the plaza, he arrived at Kane Hall just as the other students were starting to trickle in. Jak stepped down his pace and played it cool, hoisting his backpack up on his shoulder and strolling like he was just another eager student arriving early to class. He was afraid Arianna might have been early too, but he’d left plenty of room: fifteen minutes before class ought to be more than Mace would be willing to do. And Jak knew Arianna’s schedule: she only had the one class today, just like the first day, when Jak had been her bodyguard. Which was also the day he first realized how much trouble he was in with her.
Amazing that it had only taken a week for her to change his life.
Jak put up his hood and kept his head down while surreptitiously scanning the few students in the hall and then in the classroom. None were her… and more importantly, he’d managed to slip into class before Mace arrived. Jak was counting on Mace staying outside in the hall—if he walked Arianna into the classroom, Jak would have to pull his hood down over his face and pray he could slip past Beck and get the hell out before he was recognized. With any luck, Arianna would come in alone.
Jak hung out at the top row of seats: the classroom was one of those theatre-style ones that could hold hundreds of undergraduates. He would have been ridiculously suspicious in a normal-sized classroom, but lurking with his hoodie and bent over his phone… he was one of a dozen students milling around the classroom, coming and going before they settled down for class.
He pretended to be engrossed in his phone while actually keeping his eye on the door. His heart lurched when he saw her: gorgeous, long brown tresses spread over her fall jacket; tentative smile, brightening more the farther she walked into the classroom; and a backpack banging lightly as she pattered down the steps, scanning for a seat.
She walked right past him.
He didn’t breathe again until he was sure Mace wasn’t following or watching. Then he trotted down the steps, dropping into the seat next to her just as she sat down. She startled a little, smile going a little uncertain but still bright, until her eyes worked their way up to his: then they flew open wide.
“Shhh,” he said very quietly. He still had his hood up, peering at her from underneath it as he dug around in his backpack for a paper pad. “I’m just another student who happened to sit next to you. Nothing special.”
She had already turned into a mannequin, stiffly staring at her swing-arm desktop then turning to dig into her own backpack. “What are you doing here?” she asked harshly.
A small pain tore through his chest. Maybe this was a mistake.
Arianna had failed utterly in keeping her voice down. The guy in front of them turned slightly but didn’t say anything before apparently deciding it was none of his business. He moved over three seats.
“I had to see you,” Jak said quietly. “But if you don’t want to see me… anymore…” He was having a hard time getting the words out. His whisper faded at the end, and that feeling in his chest was stabbing him again. He stared at her hands, turning white as she clutched her notebook.
“Jak.” It was just one word, but it was his name in a whisper full of emotion.
He lifted his gaze: her eyes were glassy with tears. If she told him to stay away, he could still blame it on Mace and the mating bond—her alpha had to be just outside—but that wouldn’t stop it from ripping a hole in his heart.
“All I want is you.” Her words were barely audible. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, and she ducked her face away.
Jak’s heart was soaring.
He glanced to the top of the classroom: the door was closed. He turned back to Arianna and reached for her face, lifting her chin with one finger so she would bring those beautiful blue eyes back to him. She blinked more tears, and he gently brushed them away.
Her lips quivered. “But I’ll die if you’re hurt because of me.”
He leaned as close as he dared. “You’re not going to die. And neither am I.” He pulled back and held up his notepad. “Notes only. Okay?”
She sniffed back the rest of the tears and nodded. If he had to pick one moment as the exact instant when he fell in love with Arianna Stefan, he would have to say that was it: when she had nothing to go on but his word, but she trusted him anyway. All while being amazingly brave in the face of what they both knew was a ridiculously dangerous idea: breaking her free.
All the more dangerous to be plotting it here under Mace’s nose. Although Jak’s heart was still flying from her words and her trust… now that he had that, nothing would stop him from being the one to set her free.
The instructor had arrived on the stage at the bottom of the room, and all eyes were on him. Jak bent over his notepad and scribbled out his first flush of thoughts. He would have the whole length of the class to write out all the details of his plans for Saturday. But he had other things he had to tell her first.
You’re all I think about. Everything I want. I made a promise to you. I’m going to keep it. And soon… Saturday, my love.
He slid the pad to where she could see it, still on the swing-arm desk of his stadium seat, but close enough for his scribblings to be legible.
She read it then bent over her own pad, and a moment later, held out a note for him. The submission ceremony? The whole pack will be there. Too dangerous.
He suppressed a grin. I’ll be the last thing they expect, he wrote.
This time, it took her several scratched out tries before she wrote back. Too dangerous.
I’ll need your help, he scribbled on the pad. You’ll have to signal me at just the right time. He dug into his backpack again. The instructor was telling them to get out their textbooks which led to a flurry of iPads being withdrawn from backpacks and covered his shuffling pretty well. He drew out a small phone, the tiniest he could find on the market. It was a burn phone, but it had text capability. That was all she would need.
He passed it to her under the tabletop. When her fingers brushed his, the warmth of them surged his senses. But her hand was gone an instant later, whisking away the phone before he could do more than wish to hold her hand.
My number is programmed in, he wrote on his pad. I’ll spell it all out for you, step by step. It will work. I promise.
Maybe we can just run away? she wrote back. The phone had already disappeared into a pocket deep inside her backpack.
He paused to look at her. She kept her eyes glued to the instructor rambling below them, avoiding Jak’s corner-of-the-eye stare.
It was tempting. He could just wait until Mace was out screwing someone else in a club in Seattle. Then Jak could simply drag Arianna out of his house until she would come with him willingly. Of course, the magic would still hold. It was
strongest when she was near Mace, or in his territory, but no matter where on Earth Arianna went, she would always carry Mace in her blood. And he would never stop searching for her, never stop wanting to reclaim his mate. She and Jak would have to constantly look over their shoulders. One day Mace might catch up to them… and then Arianna’s fate would be worse than it was now.
Much worse.
Not to mention that simply running away would mean she could never mate again.
She would never fully belong to him. That thought struck at a nagging fear: what if, once she was free of Mace, she didn’t choose to be with him? Once Mace was dead, his magic in her blood would die along with him… and the mating bond would be cleared from her mind. What if, in that clarity of mind, she realized Jak wasn’t really worthy of her? He was only a beta. And she was young and beautiful, smart and unmated: she could have her pick of any alpha on the planet. The likes of Mace only got hold of her by force. If she was free, she could choose to be with anyone… and, if she was at all logical, she wouldn’t pick a beta like Jak to mate with. To raise a family with. It wasn’t just tradition or pack ritual—it was primal. He knew her wolf would be drawn to the strongest alpha around. It was the instinct of their species, the way to ensure the strongest bloodlines. Survival of the fittest.
She could fight the instinct, of course, make a different choice. But would she?
Jak wasn’t even sure that she should. In any event, she would need the protection of being mated to someone. An escaped captive female who was still mated… she would never find another pack who would take her in. Jak would protect her with his life, but she would always be at risk of being hauled back to Mace by some wolf who thought he was doing the right thing.
Or a bounty hunter in it for the cash. Or the parts.
Arianna snuck a look at him: he was taking too long to respond. But that innocent, trusting look in her eyes decided it for him: whether she wanted him or not, he was going to wrench her free of Mace. This wasn’t about having Arianna for himself—this was about freeing her to make her own choice. No matter what that choice might be.
He finally wrote on his pad. I would run away with you in an instant. But as long as Mace lives, you will never have another mate. Or a pack. You deserve better than that. You deserve a wolf who will claim you with his heart as well as his bite.
He watched her face as she read his words. The tears slowly leaked down again, working a strange magic on him. They loosened a need to touch her that couldn’t be denied. He reached under her table, his fingers searching out hers. When he found them, her hands were soft and warm, and there was a tremble in them that he tried to soothe by lacing his fingers with hers and slowly running circles across the back of her hand with his thumb. He didn’t think his heart could soar any more, but when she squeezed his hand tight, it practically lifted him out of his chair.
She trusted him. She said she wanted him, at least for now. That was all he needed.
He spent the rest of the hour detailing their plans, step by step, so she would know exactly what to expect on Saturday. They promised each other they would try to find a way to meet before then, but even if they couldn’t, everything was set. An entirely new life was crafted with paper and pen on the pads before them. Jak would be sure to destroy all of it before they left, but it was all inscribed on their hearts anyway. All they needed was a little luck, and within two days, Arianna would be free. Then they would leave Seattle for their new lives. Together.
Neither of them spoke for the rest of the hour.
Jak held her hand until the very last moment of class… then reluctantly let her go.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Mace shouted into the phone.
Arianna flinched in the passenger seat next to him. He veered out of one lane and into a faster one. Their speed crept up, and Mace’s face turned red as the phone call progressed. She wasn’t sure who was on the other line, but it had to be someone from work.
Mace had been taking all kinds of work calls while acting as her guard this week. She knew he hated watching over her at school, but he was too stubborn to let anyone else do it without him. Or maybe too afraid someone else would make him look bad, on the off chance the bounty hunters came back and managed to capture his mate. It was already Friday, and Arianna was starting to give up hope that he would ever let her go to school without personally guarding her himself… although this morning, he sent Beck back to Red Wolf. Apparently, work was piling up on some project, and senior Mr. Crittenden was starting to complain about them falling behind.
“Well, call them back!” Mace shouted again, making a rude hand gesture to a nearby car as he swerved toward the exit to UDub.
Arianna gripped her passenger side door.
“Why the hell would you set up a meeting for this morning?” His voice was turning dangerous, and Arianna’s heart was pounding, both from his tone and the high speed they were taking the exit off the freeway. “You know I’m busy guarding Arianna. It’s on the damn calendar.”
They lurched to a stop at the end of the exit ramp. “Shit,” Mace said under his breath. He ran a hand over his face then glared at Arianna, which sent her pulse racing even faster. She shrank against the car door. “Okay, fine,” he said into the phone, his gaze holding her in a lock she couldn’t escape. When her alpha captured her like that with his eyes, she couldn’t look away. “No, I’ll be there.” He clicked off the phone and tossed it into the compartment under the armrest.
Arianna knew better than to say anything.
Mace growled, pounded on his steering wheel once, then rolled the car forward with the change in the light. Silence hung heavy as they wound their way toward the university.
Arianna waited, letting him sort it out.
“I have a meeting I have to go to,” he said eventually. It was half growl. “You’ll have to miss class today.”
Her heart sunk. “We’re already almost here. Maybe you could just drop me and Beck could pick me up later?”
“Beck… I swear to God, I am surrounded by incompetent assholes!”
She wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but she zipped her lips shut. Mace took the turn-off to head into the university. She struggled to bat down the hope that he might let her attend by herself, maybe catch a taxi back home… she didn’t dare suggest that.
“Beck is in the same meeting,” Mace grumbled, the anger still simmering hot under his breath. “He was supposed to handle it himself, but that idiot promised the client I would be there.”
“I’m sure it would go better with you there,” she said carefully.
He grunted but still seemed pissed. “You’ll have just run in and get notes or something from the professor.”
“It’s a really big class.” She swallowed. Did she dare even suggest this? “The professor’s already said he won’t hand out notes. Or let us share. He expects us to attend.” Mace growled audibly, so she rushed to add, “Maybe there’s someone else who can pick me up? Maybe one of Gage’s wolves isn’t too busy?” She didn’t trust herself to say Jak’s name… and besides, that would only be suspicious. She held her breath, clenching her hands in her lap, hoping Mace would be willing to at least try.
He let out a long sigh but pulled into the Red Square parking garage rather than circling back toward the freeway. Once they were parked, he dug out his cell phone again and dialed.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said into the phone. “Look, I’m at UDub, but I have a meeting. Do you have someone you can send to watch Arianna?” There was a pause. “Do you think I haven’t thought of that already? Beck’s tied up, and Alric’s off on a site visit. Do you have someone or not?” Another pause, then his voice dipped into sarcasm. “Fuck. That’s just perfect.” He sighed. “No, I’ll take him. But if he fucks up, I’m taking it out of his hide. Personally.” Another pause. “Right. We’re there now.” Then he hung up.
Arianna’s chest hurt from holding her breath so long. She tried to let it out calmly and without drawing
attention to herself.
“Apparently, Gage and his idiot beta are on campus on some kind of site visit. He’s sending Jak over. I’ll drop you off at class, and he’ll bring you home.”
Arianna’s heart spasmed, and she could hardly believe she had heard him correctly. “Jak?” Her voice was whispery, and her eyes had gone wide.
Mace snorted. “I know, right? I’d be better off leaving you with Alric, for Christ’s sake.” He turned to her, and his face softened a little at her expression. “Look, I’m sure the bounty hunters are long gone. Jak’s an asshole, but even he can handle this.” Mace held open his jacket and showed her a gun he had holstered under his arm—one he’d apparently been carrying all week without her knowledge. Her heart raced at the sight of it, retroactively ramping up her fear for when Jak had snuck into her classroom. And the fact that they were about to go see him again.
“With this,” Mace said, “even an idiot like Jak can keep you safe, all right?”
She nodded rapidly and with what she hoped was enthusiasm. As they climbed out of the car, her fears and tremors settled a little. She was going to see Jak. Although, once Mace saw her and Jak together in the same room, she was afraid their sins would be written clear as day on their faces. How could Mace miss it? Her heart lurched again.
Due to Mace’s speeding, they were actually early for class. By the time they crossed the plaza and entered Kane Hall, there were only a few students trickling into the classroom. Mace lingered, keeping them out in the hallway, apparently waiting for Jak to show up.
When he appeared around the corner, Arianna did everything in her power to keep her eyes down and her face frozen. She was afraid to even look at him: she was just sure she would give them both away. But she couldn’t help peeking up as Jak’s hard-soled shoes rapped against the tiled floors.
He hurriedly stalked up to them, his face furious. “I have better things to do than take care of your business, Mace,” Jak said, his voice low but harsh.