Chapter 7 - Mira #3
One of them places his hand beneath my jaw and tilts my chin up. It takes everything inside me to open my eyes and hold his stare. My eyes are glittering with emotion.
“You’re so weak, I don’t understand how your pack can possibly allow you to stay. If you were in my pack, I’d have exiled you long ago,” Remmington snarls.
I smell Jace.
His scent instantly floods me and pulls my head up, filling me with a strange sense of strength.
His voice vibrates like a feral growl when he speaks. “I don’t fucking care what pack you’re from, you address any Luna, from any pack, with the respect the Moon Goddess has granted her!” he demands.
All five of them spin toward Jace in shock. Their surprise is blatant.
And even more so, when they see how much he’s grown. The younger Jace they used to know, who was around the same size as them, is now a head taller than the rest of them, with broader shoulders and definition built over years of Black Ops training.
“Jace,” Remmington says, his voice a slight quiver, “Man, it’s good to see you.” he trips over his words, trying to change the subject.
Jace pushes between Brick and me, scowling down at the guy until he’s forced to back against the opposite wall. “Did you hear what I said? Because I’m not very fond of repeating myself,” Jace says, clipped and cold.
“We…we heard you, man. We’d never disrespect a Luna man,” Shev says quickly.
“Interesting, because I just watched you disrespecting my Luna, he snarls.
My Luna? I thought he’d be embarrassed to let anyone know I am his fated-mate. But here he is claiming me as his own and protecting me.
Fuck…it’s sexy.
Mika is doing backflips inside me. Joyfully snarling at the bullies, letting them know they’re getting what they deserve.
Every single one of their eyes practically bulges from their sockets in horror as they gawk at Jace.
Remmington grabs Shev’s arm and pulls him away from Jace, “We’re sorry, we should get going, sorry man,” he murmurs, backing away. “It won’t happen again.”
The others don’t waste a second to follow down the passage and out of the back exit of the bar.
My skin is tingling with a sharp current of need as I look him up and down.
My Alpha. My husband. I can’t believe how much he’s changed.
First, the training, giving Omegas these massive opportunities, and now this…
standing up against shifters who he once called friends. Standing up for me, of all people.
Jace growls, his eyes still burning down the passage until every single one of them is out of sight. I let out a soft breath, not realizing I’d been holding it in. I bite my lower lip, my pupil dilated with desire that I seriously fucking wish I could hide.
He spins toward me as though he’d forgotten I was there, and I squeal, jumping in fright at the intensity of his wolf eyes as they graze over me. My heart pulses quicker, my body begging for him.
Jace lifts his hand and places a finger beneath my chin to tilt my head up. He narrows his eyes as he stares into mine, and I realize he can see the glimmer of tears. Frantically, I bring them away.
“Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?” he snaps coldly.
My heart sinks a little. Why would I expect tender words? It isn’t who he is. And he only protected me because it is his duty, not because he has any feelings toward me.
I sigh, annoyed. More at myself than him, because I can’t stop my hormones from going crazy every time he comes without a mile of me.
Jeez. I didn’t even have a chance to say thanks for chasing them away, and this is how he wants to come at me?
“I… I…I know how to handle that type of situation ok,” I huff. “I’ve been dealing with bullies all my life.”
My eyes pierce into him with accusation. But instead of it coming across like that… it instantly feels like I’m undressing him with my glance.
Dammit, Mira, focus.
“You should never let people treat you like that, Miranda. Not now, nor in the past. But especially not now.”
I push his hand away from my face and turn my eyes away from him. “What would you know about what I went through in the past,” I snap.
He takes in a sharp breath, and I find myself looking at him again.
His jaw is set tight. Strong, capable. Sexy as all hell.
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Go back to your party,” I huff. “Thanks for whatever this was,” I throw my hands in the air.
He sneers, cocking his head to the side. “Oh, now you’ve got attitude?” he snaps.
I laugh bitterly, pulling my mouth tight.
Why is he doing this?
“I have a choice not to deal with those assholes from the past, ok,” I blurt out. “I choose not to go back to that time.”
“But you did go back there because you never stood up for yourself,” he argues. “I didn’t see you standing up for yourself once,” he growls.
This remark bites into me painfully. Tears sting my eyes again, and anger wells up inside me.
“Yes, and you would know, Jace. Because you witnessed it first-hand!”
He takes a step back and shoves his hands in his pockets. Why the hell does every single move he makes turn me on, dammit, this is fucking insane.
Every cell in my body is starting to ache, and a dull headache is pressing against the base of my skull.
“I’m not feeling that great, ok. I’m going to head home. I’ll see you there later. Please tell Kelsey I was tired and that I say goodbye,” I mutter, too drained to carry on with whatever this is.
Jace nods, his jaw clenched.
Nothing to say, hmm.
I stare at him for a second, trying to work him out, but I can’t.
A sharp knife of pain shoots through my stomach, and I sigh, turning away from him to go home.
But as I’m walking away, I realize what’s happening to me. Horror floods my mind.
The pain can only mean one thing, and it’s coming at the worst possible time.
I’m going into heat.
My body is ready to start breeding now that I’ve been given my fated-mate, and it’s going to be absolute agony until I give in and sleep with him.
I start walking faster, desperate to create more distance between Jace and me.
This is terrible.