Chapter 21
JASE
Danica steps out of the building into the parking lot and comes face to face with my wolf.
My lips peel back to show her my teeth as I release a warning growl.
She stops, teetering on her high-heeled boots, looking surprised as her fear hits my nose, making saliva drip from my mouth.
“Jase!” Grey clips from behind me.
I’m growling louder.
She looks at her cousin for help.
He steps between us.
“Quit it, Jase.”
I shift back to two feet, still growling, doing my best to level her with a kill stare while I get back into my clothes and shoes, struggling to fit my cock into my jeans.
When my growl fades, she jokes, “Thank you for putting that weapon away.”
But her expression betrays her fake bravado.
I glare at her. “It’s not for you. Believe that.”
“Bet you’re glad you didn’t let him use it on you, huh?” a young male’s voice quips from behind us.
My eyes snap to the source. Stacy’s teenaged cousin.
How the fuck is that news through the Silver Hills pack? Fuckin’ gossip around here is ridiculous. And I’m betting the local gossip mill is churning so hard right now it can whip up butter in record time.
“Back inside, Luke,” Grey clips and the kid rushes back in immediately.
Rye puts his hand on my shoulder. “Easy, bro.”
I shrug him off and shoot him a look of warning.
“Jason,” he reprimands. “Easy. Dani’s family to me.”
“And me,” Grey adds, then looks at his cousin. “That goes for you, too, Dani. Jase is family to us.”
She smooths out her long skirt and gives me a snotty look, eyes narrowing on me before she walks the rest of the way to her car. She doesn’t look so bitchy right now. I shook her up. Good.
“Charming,” she mutters, stopping by her car, where a fresh piss puddle waits for her.
She looks at me and fishes around in her bag. Shit. Is she about to retaliate and toss some witchy revenge at me?
She hauls out a pouch of wet wipes and uses one to open her door.
“I didn’t aim for the handle,” I tell her before adding, “Unfortunately,” only semi under my breath.
She looks over her shoulder. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Jase. I suspect it’ll be… fun.” And the smile she flashes makes my blood run cold for a second.
“What the fuck did you do?” I demand.
She gets into her car, not breaking eye contact as she starts it up.
I flip her the bird before I turn and head inside, paranoia climbing through my veins.
Grey and Rye follow me in.
“Let’s chat,” Rye suggests.
“Not right now,” I deny, moving toward the sound of my mate’s laughter.
I find her at her desk, but this side of it instead of behind it. She’s talking to that beta from Silver Hills that was crushing on Grey’s mate. They have their phones in their hands. She’s laughing. For him. Giving him a smile. She’s acting like she hasn’t even clocked my arrival.
When was the last time she smiled in my direction? She used to smile at me constantly. And sometimes it made me uncomfortable because it was so… expectant. But I haven’t seen it in days. Longer. And I never took the opportunity to let it soak in.
Am I really feeling jealous of this little beta? Is that what this new emotion is? What is he, five foot seven? A hundred and sixty pounds? Fuck. Knew I’d hate this ugly jealousy sensation.
Bailey wouldn’t pick this over me. No fucking way.
He pockets his phone, taking notice of us three alphas who have just walked in, flinching for a second before smiling.
“Hi guys,” he greets before he turns back to her magnetic smile that’s still fucking pointed at him.
He leans a little closer to her, which sets my hackles on fire. “So, I’ll pick you up here at six-thirty?” he asks.
And his face is pink. He’s shy.
He adds, “I mean, not exactly pick up, because we’ll have to walk, but–”
“I’ll meet you there,” she says, cutting him off, slipping her phone into the front chest pocket of her denim coveralls. Her eyes move toward me. “Hey Grey. Riley.”
“Meet him where?” I inquire, my tone dangerous.
The beta looks at me and finally catches the vibe. His concerned eyes flit to the alphas behind me before he looks at Bailey again, reading the room.
Bailey answers me without looking at me. “We’re having dinner at Roxy’s. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“How’s it goin’ guys?” the beta asks nervously.
“Mal,” Rye greets from behind me.
I shoot Grey a look that shouts, can you believe this shit? His returning expression tells me he and I are on the same page about it. He folds his arms over his chest and looks at his sister with his eyebrows up.
I tilt my head in question. “Dinner?”
“Yup,” Bailey says and puts her hand on his bicep, giving it a squeeze, saying, “Later, Malachi,” before she goes back to her desk, sits, and pulls her keyboard tray out, immediately typing something.
She put her fucking hands on this beta? Right in front of me?
He tries to move past me. I say, “Stop” with my hand flying out to halt him, my palm hitting his solar plexus and making him grunt.
“Jason!” she exclaims. “Do not put your hands on him!”
“Did you just put your hand on him right in front of me, Bailey?” I ask, feeling the muscles in my neck strain as I do.
Her mouth tightens.
“You put your hands on him so maybe I should too, Bay.”
“Jason!” she shrieks.
“Jase,” Rye says. “Don’t.”
“You’re not meeting Bailey for dinner, beta,” I grind out.
Malachi frowns, but he’s showing me his neck as he barely whispers, “Yes, sir.”
“Yes, Jason. He is meeting me for dinner!” Her snotty response makes my cock twitch. Fuck, I want to punish her for this. Rut her until she pleads for mercy.
The idea makes my vision blur with desire. Desire mixed with anger.
“You are not going on a fucking date with this beta, Bailey!” I thunder.
“Damn straight I am!” she shouts back.
“What am I missing here?” the beta asks.
Grey starts to answer, “Jase identi-”
I cut him off. “She’s mine.”
Bailey slaps her hand on the table and gasps indignantly. “I can’t believe you!”
“You know you are,” I correct. “Counting down the fuckin’ hours until I show you. Show you in a way you’ll never ever forget, Bay.”
“Whoa.” The beta lifts both hands defensively, one of them gripping a paperback. “Hey, Jase? I’m not trying to get between mates. I thought Bailey was single.”
“I need to walk away,” Grey mutters, sounding frustrated. “Don’t kill him, Jase. It’s clearly not his fault.” Grey shoots a disappointed look at his sister.
“No Greyson. Wait. Don’t leave! I need to talk to you! Mal, I reject Jase’s assertion that I’m his. I’m fighting it. I’ll meet you at six-thirty. See you there.” She shoos with her hands, urging him to leave.
Grey and I exchange glances again. He’s grinding his molars. It can’t be easy for him to listen to my carnal threats, but I refuse to hold back. I can’t. I’m not built that way. Especially not after this many days of being held back from doing what I’m supposed to be doing.
“He’s… super alpha,” the beta reasons, like she’s talking crazy, which… she absolutely fucking is.
“There’s a supernatural moratorium on their mating,” Rye explains. “He hasn’t claimed her yet. Jase and Bailey have things to work out.”
“Uh… nope. We do not,” Bailey denies.
“You aren’t taking her on a date, beta,” I tell him. “Walk away now before you can’t.
She growls.
As pissed as I am, I can’t help but like the sound of it.
“Don’t be cute right now when I’ve got limbs to break, baby,” I say.
Riley fake coughs to stifle a laugh.
“Please don’t break my legs,” the beta requests shakily.
“Get the fuck outta here,” I mutter, jerking my thumb toward the door.
“This is ridiculous,” Bailey says, “It’s not a big deal, Mal. It’s just dinner. There’s nothing wrong with two people hanging out while eating.”
He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
“You meet her at Roxy’s at six thirty, or ever, and you and me got problems,” I warn, moving toward her.
She correctly picks up on my energy and wheels her chair backwards, to escape. But there’s no escape as she backs straight into a wall.
“Not cool, Bay,” I say, pointing.
“Back off,” she snaps with more sass than the sassiest I’ve ever seen her.
“Or what?” I grab the arms of her wheeled office chair and lean in closer.
“Or you’ll get your arrogant ass zapped, fool!” she spits.
“Jase,” Rye says from behind me. “Cool it, bro. You’re making things worse.”
“Didn’t ask for your advice, Riley,” I mutter. “Walk away.”
He continues. “And Bailey, don’t play these games. You’re above this shit.”
“This isn’t a game!” she denies, but everyone in this room knows she’s full of it right now. “What’s wrong with me wanting to go out on a date on a Saturday night like every other unattached female my age? Every alpha in this room, mated or not, does whatever the fuck he wants, right?”
I whirl around to face the beta who’s still here, looking about to piss himself. “Go.”
“I didn’t know,” he defends.
“Well, now you do,” Rye says, standing in the doorway holding it open for him. “Best be on your way.”
“I reject him as my mate,” Bailey says.
“An alpha can’t be rejected,” the beta educates her unnecessarily.
“Well… I’ll be petitioning with the SCC for a legal change before he has a chance to claim me. You and I going for dinner is absolutely fine, Mal.”
“No, thanks,” he says and carefully sets the book in his hand down on the table beside Rye. “Already managed to escape being killed by an angry alpha more than a few times with Wyatt. Don’t need to put my ass in front of a firing squad when my new alpha and my pack need me.” He walks out.
Grey says, “Not cool, baby sister.”
“Back. Off!” she demands at me, red-faced.
“Not a chance!” I shout. “Grey, would you please go get your cousins to turn this shit off so I can talk some sense into my mate? So I can claim her like I was supposed to do how many fucking days ago?”
“Last warning!” Bailey yells, face red. “Let go of this chair, Jason!”
“Or what?”
“I’ll show you what! Remember, you asked for it,” she says, jumping to her feet and shoving me with both hands.
I don’t budge.
And I don’t get zapped.
What?
Did Danica turn the spell off?
Grinning, I reach for her face with both hands and she goes pale, wincing and shrinking.
After I lay a hot and heavy kiss on her, she’s getting thrown over my shoulder and carried home in order to immediately be wifed.
But the second my fingers connect, the jolt sends me flying backwards, crashing into a shelf of books. A bunch of them tumble down, some big hardbacks thudding on my head and shoulders before they land on the carpet.
“Fuck!” I clip. The effects are still hitting. My limbs feel like they’re on fire. And books continue to fall on me.
Rye and Grey both look tweaked. Bailey is wide-eyed with both hands over her mouth.
So, she can touch me and I don’t get zapped, but I can’t touch her or I do? Figures.
Tears spill from her eyes and she turns and runs deeper into the library, slamming a door.
Clenching my fists I growl at the ceiling.
“Jase,” Grey says gently.
“Unless you can fix this, please fuck off.”
“I wish I could fix it, bro.”
“Fuckin’ leave me be, then. Tell your cousins, Grey. Your mate, Riley. Get them to fix this shit before I rip everything in this fuckin’ place to shreds!”
“Don’t you dare hurt a single book!” she shouts from one of the back rooms, likely the bathroom.
“Fuck!” I shout.
I need to shift. To run. To get my aching cock inside Bailey Blackwood and fuck some damn sense into her.
Rye asks, “You want me to ask Rikki for something to take the edge off? She gave something to Brody.”
“No,” I deny. “I need space. Leave me be, you guys.”
“Call if you need anything,” Rye offers.
I grunt in response. They both go.
I hear her talking in the bathroom. Her voice is muffled by water running, so I strain to hear. She’s crying while speaking hysterically, saying something about a book talk? A book talk lean? A date with Malachi, underwear being on fire, and me being a fucking asshole. And now she’s apologizing.
I back away and find my back against a wall. I slide until I’m on my ass, blowing out a long, hard exhale, trying to cool my jets. I thrust my fingers into my hair and press my forehead to my knee.