Chapter 28 #3
“He’s not,” I mutter. “Apparently being fated to be mated to me brings out the worst in him.”
Because Jase doesn’t typically have a bad temper. If that’s who he was, I probably wouldn’t be so surprised and devastated by the way he’s been treating me lately.
And now that newly discovered bad temper is worse because he can’t fuck me.
And here he is, walking in with a pail of drywall spackle and a bag of stuff.
“Hey Jase,” Stacy greets with a smile.
I shoot her a dirty look for being kind to my enemy. She looks remorseful.
“Ladies,” Jase greets warily, eyes skimming all of us, but landing on me.
“Jase,” Erica greets.
“Hiya Jason,” Ivy says without looking at him.
“Jase,” Amie chimes in, giving him a dirty look.
His jaw muscles flex and he looks both tired and irritated. He walks past me and pulls a trowel from the bag.
“The Moonshine Springs pack is having a cookout. Should we go, girls?” I suggest.
“Ooh. Hot dogs,” Ivy brightens. “I thought I was smelling hot dogs.”
“Hot dogs aren’t exactly healthy for a pregnant person,” Amie points out.
“Well… I need to eat at least three,” Ivy tells her.
“My stomach just growled. I think Puppers wants hot dogs drenched in mustard,” Amie says, holding her stomach.
“You hate mustard,” Ivy points out.
“I know,” Amie says. “But… mini Doggo wants hot dogs drenched in mustard.” She shrugs.
“I hope they have burgers, too,” Stacy muses. “And potato salad. Patsy makes this awesome potato salad filled with deviled eggs.
“Bleurgh,” Erica mumbles before making a gagging sound and looking a little green.
All eyes snap to her.
“Are you…” I ask.
“What?” Erica asks.
“Pregnant?” Stacy finishes.
Erica looks a little pale suddenly. She’s frowning, though. “I’m… not late. I just got a visual of deviled eggs that made me…” She makes a gack sound and covers her mouth.
“Are your boobs sore?” Ivy asks.
“Uh…” Erica takes her boobs into her hands. Jase turns away, grinding his teeth and looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
“Nnoooo…” Erica drawls.
“The idea of hard-boiled eggs usually make you go green?” Amie asks.
Erica makes another face, dry heaving a little less dramatically. “No,” she whispers and gags again. “But don’t say that again.”
“Riley would’ve smelled a baby, I think,” I put in.
“Could be super-early,” Stacy muses.
Erica, wide-eyed, smiles at us. “I hope so.”
“It’d be awesome if we all get to be pregnant together,” Ivy squeals.
All eyes hit me suddenly and though the words aren’t spoken, I can tell they want me in this club with them. The club of females freshly mated to our council alphas, being pregnant together, raising kids together.
The lady on the plane comes to mind again. With her little knitted booties. Telling me about my future daughter.
If I manage to reject Jase and make all this nonsense stop, what about her? The future daughter?
Pain lances through me and now I hear yelping. Far away. High-pitched yipping, like a pup.
“Should we go eat some hot dogs?” Ivy asks, bouncing a little.
“Yeah, let’s,” I say, eager for some fresh air.
I turn off my computer and pocket my phone.
“I’m not so sure,” Erica says. “I feel a little barfy.”
“Ooh. This is exciting! When are you due for your period?” Amie asks, linking arms with Erica as we move outside.
I look over my shoulder and see Jase watching us go, eyes on me, putty-covered trowel held aloft.
As our gazes connect, his expression hardens and he looks away.
And for some reason, I want to burst into fresh tears.
***
Jase and Riley are eating pulled pork sandwiches, standing with Brody.
Me and some of the girls are sitting at a table. The pregnant ladies have all got piled-high plates. Vivi is here but she and Erica are standing away from the group, talking behind their hands. “Who can lip read?” I ask.
“Me,” Amie says. “A little.”
“Is that why Erica and Vivi are talking behind their hands?” I muse.
“Possibly.”
I look at Amie and Ivy. “Do you guys think I’m being too harsh with Jase?”
“Absolutely not,” Amie states.
“Nope.” Ivy agrees.
“But you’re still hoping we make up,” I mutter.
“Of course we are,” Amie says. “But again, we support you.”
I look over at Jase who looks miserable. Our eyes have met at least five times since he came over here with Riley. Each time our eyes meet, I look away. I keep telling myself to stop looking at him, but I keep doing it.
I’m questioning everything right now. I’m questioning whether the SCC will agree to let the coven extend the spell so they can review my motion.
I’m questioning whether or not my friends on my group chat are right about me letting my anger cloud everything.
I’m thinking about the conversation on the plane and the yellow booties.
I’m wondering how in the world I’ll sift through all these emotions I’m having.
I’m wondering if I’m being unreasonable.
But none of it changes the feeling of being completely heartbroken that it’s all come to this. I can’t make sense of it.
Noise cuts through my misery and I look around. It sounds like a very young wolf close by. We don’t have any youngsters shifting as far as I know. I look around and can’t find the source.
I’m about to voice a question about it when Stacy’s pretty blonde friend Caroline walks by the guys slowly, carrying two glasses of wine, eyes on me.
Before she gets to me I’ve got the distinct impression she’s putting on that extra wiggle for the benefit of the group of alphas.
None of them are watching her walk here, though she has no idea.
She sits beside me, putting a glass of wine in my hand while sipping her own.
“This is pretty good.”
I smell that it’s peach wine.
“I really like Skye’s peach wine, but I’m driving.”
“Okay, I’ll be two-fisted then,” she quips. “She brought some over for us to try and gotta say, I didn’t think I liked wine, but I like this a lot.”
“She and Andy are really good at wine and moonshine-making,” I say, setting the wine glass on the picnic table.
“Real glad they’re going into business with Brody. It should help us get on our feet fast.”
I manage a smile, but I’m not feeling chatty and it seems like she’s a little tipsy. And even if I were feeling chatty, my guard would be up because of that obvious runway strut she just did walking by those alphas, all of which are attached. Except… Jase.
Maybe I should excuse myself from this little party. Slip out and go be alone. The problem is that he keeps looking at me. He’ll definitely notice if I leave. I probably won’t even get out of the parking lot without him on my heels.
“So…” Caroline continues, staring off while running her fingertip around the rim of her glass. “If you’re not interested in that inky-hot hunk because he’s such a man whore, how about if I give it a test run?”
I jolt in surprise. “What?”
I look at Ivy whose mouth has dropped open.
“Oh no she didn’t…” Amie mumbles, eyes bouncing between Caroline and me.
No wonder Caroline came to sit with me, bringing me wine.
She goes on, clearly not reading the room. “I’ll make a pass at him. If he turns me down, you know his man whore days are behind him. If he doesn’t…” she grins, “we both win.”
Looking at her, waiting for her to tell me she’s joking, I’m shocked. Jase is still watching me from the grill where he stands with Brody, who’s flipping burgers.
Stacy and Adelaide are dishing up plates of food for folks who are lined up.
And this chick who barely knows me is suggesting to me that she make a pass at Jase? As a test?
“we both win…”
Wasn’t she just rescued from that massage parlor where they’d been prostituted and abused?
I’m not even trying to hide my annoyance as I ask, “What the fuck, Caroline?”
A gaggle of kids run by, some of them carrying big bubble wands that I gave out last week, leaving a trail of dish soap bubbles behind them as they wave and I get a bunch of helloes from them.
I clear the anger from my face and wave. “Hi everyone! Yay, bubbles!” I clap my hands enthusiastically, hoping they didn’t hear me cussing.
Once the kids have moved out of earshot, I turn my attention to her.
She’s staring at Jase. Blatantly. With lust.
“You do realize that he’s identified me as his mate, so what you’re suggesting is kind of pointless.”
She snickers. “Yeah, and word is that you don’t want him because he’s a man whore.”
“That’s not…” I shake my head. “That’s not it. But bottom line, he’s not gonna go for you while he’s… forget it. Just… you’re gonna make yourself look stupid.”
Like I did. So many times. Though not this stupid.
She looks at me like I’ve insulted her. Does she not know an alpha who’s identified his mate won’t even look at another female let alone fool around with her?
I get to my feet. “Do yourself a favor and learn a little about this pack’s dynamics before you not only make yourself look stupid, but maybe also earn yourself a black eye.”
I hear Ivy gasp.
Caroline looks at me with challenge. “You’re threatening me?” And she’s kind of loud.
“What?” she continues. “So you don’t want him but you don’t want anyone else to have him?
I’ve gone from a pack with one lousy alpha to having just a few more days around this pack with a whole bunch of real alphas who are unattached and you think I’m not gonna try and bag one?
The one you’re not interested in is the hottest of the super alphas, so seems to me if you don’t want him, you shouldn’t care if I go for it. ”
“That’s debatable,” says Misty, who I didn’t realize was clued into this conversation. “Joel is beyond dreamy. Not that Jase isn’t. I just prefer dark-haired guys. And… you know… lusting after guys that are actually single.” She shoots Caroline a dirty look.
“What’s goin’ on?” Stacy asks, stepping up with a look of concern on her face. She’s picking up on the seriously unhappy vibe between me and this chick.
“She intends to make a pass at Jase,” I hiss. “She’s obviously clueless about what happens when an alpha identifies his mate.”
“Well, our pack was pretty sheltered,” Stacy starts to say, but Caroline cuts her off.
“Seems to me if you don’t want him, he’s fair game. No?”
“Caroline,” Stacy says, “it doesn’t work that way. He’s only going to be focused on Bailey and just Bailey unless their bond is somehow severed.”
“Well, if that happens, at least he’ll know I’m interested.”
She gets to her feet and downs her wine before she sets her empty glass beside the full one and moves in that direction.
Before I even calculate what I’m doing, I’ve got her blonde hair in my fist and I’m yanking her back.
She shrieks.
And all eyes are now on us, including… fuck… Jase’s.
Jase rushes this way calling out, “What’s wrong, Bailey?”
I let go of Caroline and mutter, “Ohmigod!”
I hurry away, mortified, feeling eyes on my back as I rush toward the building.
Jase catches up with me at the door.
“Bailey?”
“Leave me alone, Jason,” I mutter, going inside and heading straight for my desk where I squat to open the cupboard and grab my bag, fishing through it to find my keys.
All I can do is shut off the lights and walk back toward the door, where he’s holding it wide until I get through.
He steps ahead of me and I lock it. He follows me to my car, but just before I can grip the door handle, he’s between me and my car, demanding, “Talk to me.”
“What part of leave me alone don’t you understand?” I snap, then cry out, “I mean, fuck!”
He raises his hands defensively, expression hardening before he steps aside.
I push away the crushing sensation in my chest, unsure if it’s because of all that’s happening or just the look on his face right now and yank the door open and get inside, slamming it and driving myself home.
Of course he’s almost immediately directly behind me, following me.
Argh.