27. Chapter 27
Emily
“What the fuck?” John growls as Jackson bursts in through my door.
He takes one look at my tear-stained face and then the two imposing males who are glaring daggers at each other before he positions himself in front of me, a wall of furious muscle and snapping dominance.
I can’t see his face from my position behind him, but I can detect the raw fury emanating from him—lethal, controlled only by the thinnest thread.
His voice is pure threat. “Someone going to tell me why the fuck there’s two wolves in my girl’s room and why it reeks of her fear?”
He wasn’t here when Caleb intervened, and he probably thinks they were both doing something bad to me. My small room can barely contain all the masculine energy and swirling alpha aura. It’s then that I realize Caleb’s aura is every bit as strong as John’s.
Ryan and Luca appear in the hallway outside the room and their snarls join the already loud melee.
“He was going to rape her, and he threatened to banish me if I didn’t let him, if I didn't fucking join in. Sick cunt,” Caleb spits, his tone dripping with vitriol.
“I’ve challenged him for Alpha. I can’t sit by with this sick fuck for a fucking second longer.
He was going to rape her and then hand her back to her ex. ”
“Like fuck he is,” Jackson says with a growl. “I’ll fucking kill him.”
“No, you won’t,” Ryan barks, stepping into the room with an Alpha command that shoves through the tension like a wrecking ball. “John is an Alpha. You can’t kill him in cold blood. Let’s take this outside now.”
My heart sinks at his words. Is he going to let John get away with what he just tried to do to me?
“Fine, let’s do this,” John sneers. “You’re never going to fucking win against an Alpha, anyway. ”
“Outside now,” Ryan snaps, applying his alpha command. “We’ll wait for your pack elders to arrive before the actual challenge. You won’t be accepted unless it’s seen by your own pack members,” he directs at Caleb.
“You can’t possibly think a Beta is going to beat me ?” John scoffs.
“Possibly not,” Ryan agrees. “But Emily is part of my pack and under my protection, so if I were you, I’d be hoping he does. My Delta might not be able to kill you under council rules, but you come for one of my pack members and I’ll rip you to fucking shreds myself if I have to.”
I feel a tinge of warmth in my eyes, and I realize I’m crying again. But this time it’s not because I’m afraid or defeated. Unlike before, these tears are of something deeper; of happiness, relief, belonging .
Because I might not officially have broken my bonds with Blood Moon and joined Lunar Eclipse, but Ryan is treating me like I belong here.
Like I matter. He barely knows me, but he is willing to kill to protect me.
Jackson didn’t hesitate for a moment to throw himself into a situation that could have been deadly in order to protect me from higher-ranked wolves.
Even Caleb had my back and he owes me nothing.
“I’m not leaving Emily,” Jackson tells Ryan. The anguish in his voice is clear and I know he’s torn between wanting to not let John out of his sight and knowing I need him here with me. And the fact that he chooses me tells me everything I need to know.
He chose me .
Ryan moves to stand beside Jackson who remains a barrier in front of me. Regret paints Ryan’s face as he looks at me.
“Emily, I can’t begin to express my apologies to you for this happening in our pack house.
I will station warriors outside your room tonight when Jackson joins us to discuss pack security,” he says.
The implication is clear in his tone. He doesn’t want me to be hurt.
He will ensure my safety, but Jackson can’t spend the night here because the pack comes first.
As everyone leaves the room. The adrenaline evaporates from my body and my legs buckle.
Jackson spins to catch me before I hit the ground.
He picks me up in a bridal hold—the same way he carried me to the pack hospital that first day.
He carries me the couple of steps to my bed before frowning when he notices my half-packed bag.
“I panicked,” I whisper.
He doesn’t speak for a long second. “Were you going to leave without saying goodbye? ”
“No,” I murmur. “I’d stopped packing before he got here. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here with you.” He places me down on the bed before moving my clothes and bag to my desk. He sits beside me and looks at the ground.
“Did he… what his Beta said… did he touch you?”
“No, not really. Kind of…” I blow out a breath, not even knowing how to explain what happened and what could have happened. A shudder rolls through me, and Jackson tenses as he waits for me to tell him about my experience.
“He threatened to tell Aidan where I was if I didn’t agree to let him do whatever he wanted to me.
And when I refused, he said he was going to rape me anyway.
His beta came and interrupted him. John tried to get him to watch, even offered him a turn.
” I let out a humorless laugh. John Anderson might even be worse that Aidan.
“I’m so sorry, Emily,” he mutters, and I can see how heavily this is weighing on him.
Tears are in his eyes and he looks like he’s afraid to touch me.
Like he doesn’t know what I need for the first time since we got together.
“I should have been here. That never should have happened to you. You should have been safe.”
“I’m safe, Jackson,” I say while reaching for his hand and interlacing our fingers. “How did you know to come?”
“Sofia. She mindlinked, said you seemed upset, that something seemed off and I should check on you while she was organizing things for the visiting Alpha. I called for reinforcements when I got to your room and realized you weren’t alone.”
“Caleb didn’t let him hurt me. And even if he hadn’t, you would have got to me in time. I’m okay.”
“You don’t look okay.”
But I am.
I know I should be traumatized right now. John Anderson just threatened to rape me. He used his Alpha command on me. But he didn’t get to hurt me because I am safe . I have people who are truly on my side. I’m not alone anymore. I’m not helpless. And I’m not broken.
And that feels pretty amazing.
My lips tip up at the corners and I let myself focus on the relief rather than the darkness. Jackson stares at me, his brows furrowed as confusion mars his handsome face. I’m sure my smile makes no sense to him. But I can’t help it. I’m free.
I climb onto his lap, straddling him and push him back onto the bed. I take off my hoodie and pull my sports bra off over my head as I push my pelvis against him .
“What are you doing?” he rasps, his voice husky. His hands settle lightly on my hips, unsure. “Emily… We shouldn’t do this. What happened to you… I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re vulnerable.”
“Maya told me something before. That trauma isn’t the awful thing that happened to you, it’s how your body and brain respond to the danger.
It’s how your brain keeps the memory alive to keep you safe.
And this should be one of those things that my brain will remember forever.
It should be traumatic. But it’s just… not.
Because I’m not alone anymore. Help came for me. You came for me.”
Jackson’s expression crumples, some of the tension leaving his posture as he absorbs my words.
His breath stutters, torn between desire and concern.
He is telling me one thing, but the way he hardens under me shows me how much he wants this, too.
How much he wants me. How he doesn’t see me as a damaged and broken thing.
“I can't be gentle right now, baby,” He groans. “I'm so angry, baby. I'm damn murderous. I know you need a distraction but I'm worried I'll take it too far.”
I press my lips to his—soft, slow, deliberate.
“You won't. This isn’t about distraction. This is about me reclaiming my body. I’m showing you how okay I am,” I whisper as I pull at his top.
His eyes search mine, like he’s looking for any hint of hesitation.
But I’m certain. My pulse is steady. My choice is clear.
He sits up and reaches one arm behind his head to pull off his t-shirt.
I climb off him and wiggle out of my shorts and underwear so that I’m standing in front of him completely bare.
A brief moment of common sense reminds me to lock the door.
I do, and when I turn back around, he’s watching me like he’s starving and I’m his favorite entrée.
“You make me feel safe, Jackson. I don’t want to be a victim anymore.” I don’t try to hide anything. I want him to see me—all of me. I run my fingers over my breasts, tweaking my nipples until they ache just the way I like.
“What do you want?” he rasps, his voice thick with need. His eyes dark with complete, unbridled desire. His mouth has drawn into a tight line and his fists are clenched. Like it is taking an almost unbearable effort to restrain himself. Seeing the effect on his body spurs my confidence.
“I want to be in control of everything that happens to my body. I don’t want anyone to take anything from me ever again.
Not unless I give it freely.” I smirk at him as I return to where he sits on the bed.
Standing in front of him, I trail my hand down the valley of my breasts towards the apex of my thighs.
I gently circle my clit before dipping two fingers inside my soaked pussy.
“And what are you planning to give to me so freely?” he groans as he slides his hand into the front of his sweatpants. Goddess, I love his sweatpants. The v shape of his abdomen dipping down towards the clear outline of his dick has my mouth watering.