by Tigris Eden
“In all seriousness Jes, he’s immortal. Cut the guy some slack. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything buy it. Lycans are a close-knit community. From what I know of them, they’re usually walking around their compound butt ass naked. He’s making an effort for you babe. Immortals don’t have the same issues humans have. Once an immortal couple bond, that’s it.”
“We haven’t bonded yet,” Jes pointed out.
“But you will. Trust me, once you get your mark all your insecurities will go away. I can’t say the same for him though.”
Yeah, she knew that. Apparently, males were still barbaric right up until the end.
Chapter 4
“Dude, you totally fucked up. Had I done something like that, Bells would have my nuts crushed between her palms.”
Royce wasn’t making the situation better, Draven thought to himself. Yeah, he fucked up, had admitted he fucked up, but she still wanted to sulk in it. He was not that guy. You fucked up, you apologized, and you moved on. Not dwell on it.
Ronin as always was silent.
“Who is this Asia broad anyway? And why did she think it was okay to climb you like a stripper pole?”
Did he really have a good answer for the second half of Royce’s question? Nope.
“My ex-girlfriend. We were going to be mated until she left me for my brother Aidan.”
“Fuck.” Ronin said under his breath. Royce pulled out one of his red cigarettes lighting it, he took a puff, spit out some of the stuffing that stuck to his lips before coughing. Yeah, that pretty much summed it up. He was fucked.
Royce placed a hand on his shoulders while blowing out his smoke. His eyes filled with concern.
“That’s tough. Why would she come here now?”
“My father has it in his head I should be with her instead of Jes. That’s the only thing I can think of, the only thing that makes sense. It doesn’t help that Jes and I haven’t exchanged blood. I’ve marked her, but that was it. I don’t smell like her, but she smells like me. To the pack she isn’t even recognized as my mate, more so because she’s not a Lycan. It’s like saying she’s my mistress”
“Well fucking exchange blood.” Ronin said. To the point. Problem fixed. He had an answer for everything. It wasn’t like Draven had no intention of doing that, but she’d gone bat-shit crazy back at the house. His anger made him leave, If he’d stayed he would have said worse things. He was a hot-head, he knew that, but he wasn’t going to take it out on her. Never.
He was reminded of how they’d run into each other back when she was looking to escape her ex-husband. She’d been scared of him then. She’d also been human. But because of what some bastard did to her while she’d been trapped in that warehouse, torturing her for his own pleasure, she was now immortal. Her life no longer fleeting. Now she didn’t care who the male was, if they did something she didn’t like, she went ballistic. He’d seen her fight in the cage the night she’d almost died at Enri’s hands. She’d been ruthless and hadn’t even used her full power. A small part of him didn’t wish this kind of life for her or his daughter, but a bigger part of him was glad they were with him. He was selfish for thrusting Jes into his world without explaining the intricacies of pack law. He’d reasoned they’d only be here a few days and after that everything would go back to normal.
He’d been wrong.
“I had every intention of doing that. But in order for that to happen, we have to complete our bond. She has to mark me the same way I’ve marked her and take my blood. It’s why we’re here, one of the reasons I agreed to come here in the first place. My mother says this is the only way that the pack will accept her.” Draven shook his head.
“She went crazy back there at the house, things were floating man, actually floating.”
“You got the shining moment too?” Royce asked as he blew smoke.
“Shining moment?” Draven asked.
“Yeah, you know, Jack Nicholson, in The Shinning. Dude she almost busted through the bathroom door.”
“Shut up Royce.” Ronin chimed in. He turned his attention to Draven and gave him a harsh look.
“You have a choice to make.” Ronin said.
“You think.”
“Yeah, sometimes I do, despite what you troglodytes think.” Ronin didn’t string more than five sentences together, and usually it was because he was deep in thought on the next mission. Or was just ignoring you.
“Oh, now he can use big words.” Royce smirked.
“This is serious.” Draven pinned Royce with a harsh glare, daring the man to say one more word. He had no problem punching him in the face if he did. He’d done it before. He’d do it again.
“Look man, you have to make it right. Show Jes the bond between the two of you is not broken. She’s number one. The pack is secondary.”
“You’re asking me to choose Jes over my pack?”
“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. What if the shoe was on the other foot,” Ronin asked.
“It can’t be that way. The alpha of the pack always puts pack first.”
“Are you the alpha?” Royce asked.
“Even if he was, I call bullshit. You’re telling me that you would rather deal with pack business before your mate, your child?”
“She would understand if she was a Lycan,” was Draven’s only reply.
“But she’s not.” Royce said. “She’s a human who is now immortal, imagine how difficult that has to be for her? How do you think she’s dealing with all of this? First she finds you again, then gets tortured. Wakes up six weeks later to find that not only is she no longer human, but the man she loves is dead. Then she finds out you’re alive, only to realize you’re fucking your ex and you don’t remember who she is, I could go on? Tell you how she had to fight her way to get you back, had to fight all of us. It’s not my job to make you feel like shit. It’s to point out you’re being an idiot.” Royce put his cigarette out in his hand, tossing what was left in his pocket.
“Jesminda used to be human. What she knows is human customs and traditions. She’s not pack.” Ronin said.
As if he needed it all spelled out for him.
“She’s not human anymore either.” Draven argued.
“We know this, everybody knows this, but do you think that maybe she hasn’t truly come to terms with her immortality? That girl doesn’t even realize it, but she has centuries with you. At the end of the day, the pack doesn’t feed you; it doesn’t comfort you or hold you. They don’t give you offspring. The pack sure as shit doesn’t fuck you until your body aches and you lose your eyesight.” Ronin continued.
Did the male make sense? Of course, he did. But what he was saying didn’t refute the fact that she wasn’t pack. He would fucking love Jesminda until his last breath. However, making him choose between her and the pack? It was absurd. He wouldn’t ask her to do that for him. He’d understand her responsibilities came first as long as she was with him at the end of the day.
Fuck! He wanted to pull the skin off of his back and drag the thought that just went through his head in the mud until it suffocated. Of course, Jes should come first! But while they were on the compound, he had to obey pack law. Furthermore, Faith had to have her spirit walk. It was necessary for all wolves; otherwise, his daughter wouldn’t be balanced. She’d go through life disconnected from her wolf’s spirit. It was a recipe for disaster.
“Have you tried talking to her about it?”
“Of course I have, I’ve told her plenty of times that what happens on the compound is pack business.”
“Pack business?” Royce asked disbelieving.
“That’s your way to explain how your kind work? To answer all queries with ‘it’s pack business?” Ronin arched a brow at him and shook his head. The look he gave Draven clearly conveyed that he thought the other man was an idiot.
“Faith’s party is in two days, your in-laws arrive tomorrow. Get your shit together.”
“Thanks for the advice Royce.”
�
��I’ll be here all week.” His friend smirked and rested his back against a weeping willow.
Draven smelled Asia before she emerged from the shadows. Blonde hair, grey eyes, who wouldn’t fall for her? He certainly had. But that was in the past and far from his future. Draven’s gaze connected with hers.
“Asia, why are you following me?”
“You need me,” was all she said. As if that was the answer to his problems. She never held back, always thought she could get her way.
“We had this conversation earlier today Asia.”
She stepped closer.
“Not really. You wouldn’t let me explain.”
She was all but on top of him. She reached her hand out to touch his arms, and he jerked it back.
Draven stepped further away and turned harsh eyes on her. He knew he was being a dick, but it was the only way he knew how to make her understand. Once she got something in her head, she would never let it go. “I’m mated.”
“To a human.”
“She’s not human.”
“Because she can move shit with her mind? Many humans are telekinetic. The only other thing she has in her corner is she gave birth to your daughter. So you’re wolf likes her, hell, I’ll like her if that’s what you want. But baby,” she stepped closer and Draven moved back. Ronin and Royce were on the defensive as she tried to touch him. “She’s not pack. They won’t ever accept her. You’re going to be alpha someday. You need a wolf at your side not some human with the power to move things with her mind, it’s not a trait that will benefit the pack.”
Asia had a wide smile on her face as if what she said, solved his entire problem.
“You’ll like her for me?” Draven asked cautiously.
Both Ronin and Royce smiled. He knew they were reading his thoughts just now. He didn’t care.
“Of course baby. I’ll like her any way you want.” She sidled closer and whispered, “anything you want.”
Draven grabbed Asia’s shoulder and looked down into her grey eyes. His tone serious, he said, “You will not disrespect my mate at any time. The next time it happens Asia, I will put you on your back, and not in the way you’re thinking either.”
Draven’s body began to vibrate with agitated energy as he let his wolf surface.
“Is that understood?” His voice was double layered with his and his wolf, making it clear he was serious.
She smiled, and he growled.
“I asked you a question, Asia, I asked if you understood?”
“Fine. Whatever you want. But I know your father will have something to say about it.”
Draven looked to his friends before shoving Asia and stepping away.
“Make sure she does what I ask. I’m going to see about my mate. Help Jes understands exactly where I’m coming from and her position at my side.”
“About fucking time.” Royce said.
Draven turned walking in the direction of the main house. Somehow he’d make this right.
# # #
Jes looked at the room she shared with Draven, and tried to decide which end of the room she was going to start cleaning. She’d made such a mess of things. They’d been in transition and instead of staying back on base, Dravaggio had allowed them to go to the compound. That was a dumb mistake. They should have stayed. At least there they’d get the time together they needed in order to cement their relationship. What real time had they had together? She hadn’t had a period of fresh air, nor any time to reflect. There was drama, after drama after drama. She’d left one destructive relationship, only to find she may have jumped into another. Over reacting. She told herself. But was she really? In a way, she knew she was, but then she’d remember the one word that would drive her to commit murder. Pack.
The word made Jes feel inferior. She knew Draven loved her, but did he love her enough? Choosing his pack over her, how was that even normal? It wasn’t like she’d stop him from spending time with his family if they needed him, she’d let him go and do whatever needed to be done. But what happened earlier was a serious wake-up call. Draven hadn’t checked Asia. He’d only asked her to leave, even after the female had been disrespectful towards her.
She was going to sleep with Faith, or in the RV Camper Bells had offered her. She wasn’t going to sleep next to a man that couldn’t respect her. Especially if Draven was going to allow others to disrespect her as well.
The armoire in the room began to levitate. She needed to control her power before she broke something else. She already had enough to clean with the broken glass everywhere. She could hear Faith laughing downstairs, she’d promised Bells she’d come down just as soon as she got a hold of her feelings and cleaned the room. She was glad Faith hadn’t been privy to her emotional breakdown. Her grandmother always said never let the sun go down when you’re angry. Well, Draven hadn’t come back from where ever it was he went. She was the one standing in their room, where a few hours ago, he’d made love to her. She was willing to fight it out, didn’t matter if it became a verbal war. She was ready to go head to head with him until the end; they were worth fighting for, but the real question was, did he feel the same way?
Jes cleaned in silence as she thought back to all the reasons why she and Draven were perfect for each other. When she finished, she was ready to face the other’s downstairs. She turned the knob barely pulling the door, when it was pushed opened.
Draven stood there with a determined gleam in his eyes. A rough sound from deep in his chest escaped his lips as he stepped into their room and slowly backed her in, closing the door with his foot.
“Jes,” his tone held warning. “What the fuck do you call this?” His hands opened and swept in front of him, encompassing the entire room.
“It’s called moving out.” She countered. She’d packed a small bag still not sure she could be in the same room with him. Just because her family was coming didn’t mean she had to sleep with him. Hands on her hips, head tilted back she looked up at him.
“Moving out,” he whispered. “Moving out?” His voice growing louder as he got in her face. “MOVING THE FUCK OUT!” Draven and his wolf both yelled at the same time. It was the first time she’d heard both voices at once. It was quite unsettling.
Jes took a step back. “I said I’d stay until after the ceremony, but I didn’t mean I’d stay in the same room with you.
“You, Miss Thang,” he said with his thick Cajun accent. “Are going nowhere. Obviously we’re gonna talk. Starting now.”
Jes shook her head, in defeat. She wanted to work through things with him, but she needed to do things on her terms. She needed the space in order to wrap her head around her tumultuous feelings. She could tell he was angry, but couldn’t bring herself to care. It wasn’t always about him, she had a say in their relationship as well. His eyes were slits of molten gold bleeding out the green she so loved to get lost in. The image of his wolf just at the surface let her know he was pissed and ready to dominate. She watched as his jaw tensed. She even noticed his shoulders bulging, a sign his wolf was ready to make an appearance. The muscles in his neck strained as he bent lower, causing Jes to bend backwards.
“Is she gone?” Jes asked sweetly. Calmly.
If he said yes, she’d happily stay in the same room with him. If he said no, well, she was going to cut off his balls and hand feed them to the ducks in the pond.
“Jesminda,” his tone was dark. Malicious. Hearing the double layers in his voice again, she tried to hold her ground. She could be cold and unfeeling too.
“She’s not at the main house.”
“Meaning what? She’s still here?”
“She won’t be coming to the house unless given an invitation.”
Did he think that would solve their problem? It wouldn’t. The girl wanted Draven and Jes was not about to play catfight, or wolf fight in this case with the other woman. She’d proven herself a hundred times over and if he kept trying to placate her, shit was going to go down.
“Then when she’s
no longer at the compound, I’ll gladly sleep next to you.”
“Dammit Jes! We’re mated! You can’t just leave when you want and come back when you want. That’s not how this works.”
Jes moved to walk past Draven, but he caught her around the waist and pulled her back into his hard chest. She could feel the rapid beats of his heart as his arms banded tighter around her.
“Baby,” he breathed harshly in her ear. “I regret what I said before I left. I didn’t mean it. I wish I can take the words back, but I know I can’t. You get under my skin. Make me crazy, drive me to the other side of madness.”
She could feel the massive length of his erection pressing into her ass. Make-up sex was the best sex, at least for them, but she couldn’t let her mind cloud over in lust.
“You can’t make this go away by simply saying sorry. Action speaks louder than words Draven.”
He growled again against the shell of her ear and her body involuntarily shivered. She didn’t know if it was Draven or his wolf, but either way, she wasn’t letting him off the hook.
“You go nowhere. Not without me, not ever again.”
“How do I know that what you’re saying is true?”
Draven’s breathing stopped altogether. She felt him take a slow controlled breath.
“What do you mean, how do you know?”
It was now or never. If she didn’t voice her concerns, there would always be something in the back of her mind lingering there, just out of reach, whispering her worst fears.
“Not that long ago, I’m sure you told another woman she had nothing to worry about. Told her you loved her and that she was your world.”
“Who did I say those words to Jesminda?”
Like she needed to spell it out.
“Melissa, Draven, I’m talking about Melissa. Weren’t the two of you all set to make things work even though your wolves were not on the same page.”
His arms loosened, and he turned her to face him.
“Melissa and I both knew there was a chance we’d find our mates. Small as it was, she knew deep down that our wolves couldn’t help who they choose to imprint on.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her into the comfort of his arms. “I can’t change what happened to her or even how things ended with us, but I can promise you that, for me, it will always be you. Even as Black, I was still drawn to you. I couldn’t have asked the fates for a more perfect mate Jes, I love you.”