Responsibility
Jayce
She was gone before I woke up, and she probably used magic or something because I didn’t hear her leave. She’s now in the garden, her hair up in a high ponytail, wearing tiny denim shorts with a baggy crop top. Let’s just say she looks fucking divine.
She’s hanging with Katara, who looks visibly upset, but they’re having a deep conversation.
I turn away from the window when Dad steps into his office, pushing up his sleeves.
“Everything alright, Jayce?” he asks.
I observe him for a moment, sensing the pain he’s masking. I give a curt nod. “Yeah, could you close the door behind you?”
He raises an eyebrow, worry glimmering in his eyes as he does as I ask. “What is it?” he asks as he walks over to his desk and leans against it, crossing his ankles as he folds his arms, eyes fixed on me.
“I had a few things I wanted to discuss with you now that I’m back. I do think – no, I know I need to go back to Russia, at least once, but after that, I want to know what your plans are for the future, plans as Alpha,” I speak quietly, crossing my arms.
He’s holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he’s doing a pretty good job of hiding his exhaustion, his pain, and his loneliness.
He smiles, looking down as if weighing his answer.
He knows I can tell when someone lies, so he’s probably considering how to word his reply; he’s always been smart.
“There is no specific plan. I don’t want to burden you with the title; I’m alive yet-”
“Don’t,” I cut in, my words sharp, my eyes burning blue as he looks up, his eyes warm.
“You will live, and you will see this war to the very end. I’m not losing another parent.”
“Jayce-”
“Think about your retirement, because once I’m back from Russia, I will take the responsibility as Alpha from you, but only if you feel I am ready and only if I am the one you want for that title,” I say softly.
I want to ease his load; I want to show him I’m here for him to lean on, that he doesn’t need to do everything alone.
Why does everyone around me feel they fucking need to do everything themselves?
He shakes his head. “It’s nothing like that.
You will make an incredible alpha, and you are the rightful heir to this pack.
That is not even questionable. I always said to your mother that you will be the greatest Westwood Alpha this pack has ever had, and that was before you became the Deimos King.
You have all the positive traits that an alpha needs.
But are you sure this is what you want? I don’t want you to choose this out of worry for me. ”
And yet you couldn’t say you’re ok.
“I’ve never been more sure,” I answer.
He stands up and comes over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder as he looks outside, where Sienna has her arm around Katara, who is clearly crying.
“So, what do you say?” I ask. “Are you ready to take it a little easy?”
He nods slowly, his attention on Katara, his eyes filled with worry and sadness.
“When you return from Russia, we will be here, ready to celebrate the new Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. And I don’t need your intuition, but I can say with certainty he will take that title with his mate and Luna by his side. ”
Our eyes meet, and I simply scoff, not denying it, but…
“There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.” I change the subject instead.
“Katara,” Dad states.
I nod as we both look to the girls outside. “She’s struggling, quite a lot.”
“I know, but she refuses to open up to me at all. I’ve tried. Mom’s tried, so has Dad. She just won’t say anything, so I’m glad to see she’s speaking to Sienna. Robyn has tried, too.”
I frown as I look out the window. “The other night, she was at a club with some guy she said was her boyfriend. She had taken something, a drug of some kind; I’m not sure what, and she said it’s hard for her to be here because of the memories.”
“A boyfriend?” Dad’s brow furrows. “She has been talking to someone quite a lot on the phone. At times, it feels like she’s doing ok. I guess she’s masking her true feelings.”
I nod. “Probably, but maybe sending her to Aunty Kiara’s might help, or to Azura’s.”
He massages his jaw as he nods. “Yeah, I will make sure of it. I am trying. I just wish she’d talk to me.”
“This isn’t your fault, Dad; you can’t get someone to talk to you if they don’t want to.”
He smiles slightly. “Sounds familiar; I guess the same rules apply to stubbornness.”
I smirk slightly. “I have my reasons.”
“Everyone can say the same in every scenario. Want to share those reasons?”
I glance out at the window. Katara’s gone, and it’s just Sienna now. She’s got one leg raised, her arms loosely wrapped around it as she stares into the distance, a few strands of her hair billowing in her face.
She hasn’t got her glamour up; maybe she thinks she doesn’t need to here, since I’m the only fucking male it affects. I feel my cock twitch and scoff.
“Na, I’m good.”
Dad slaps my shoulder. “Alright then, now go tell our future Luna that she has a bunch of admirers watching her.”
I glance out the window sharply, my brows furrowing, only to realise it’s a few of the pack kids hanging at the edge of the garden. Annoyingly, they’re all boys.
“Why the hell are they even here?”
“Jealous of pups, Jayce? Then maybe you should go ask them,” he chuckles, patting my back before he walks over to his desk and sits down, his eyes wandering to the picture frame on it. His heart rate quickens, his eyes filling with sadness.
“Well, I think I will,” I say quietly. He’s holding it together for my sake, and I’m not about to make it harder for him.
I reach the door and glance back at him; his hand is in a fist, his knuckles white.
It’ll get easier… I promise. Shutting the door behind me, I head to the garden, shoving my hands in my pockets as I walk towards the group that is hovering within the mansion garden now.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask. There are a few girls here now, too; all of them are under ten.
“We came to see our Luna,” one of the boys, Anthony, states.
“Oh yeah? And who told you she’s the Luna?” I ask.
“She’s your mate; Alpha Damon told us,” Patricia, a seven-year-old, declares with confidence.
Uncle Damon needs to keep his mouth zipped.
“Is she your mate?”
“Wait, is that your mark? You’re marked?!”
Excited whispers follow, and I hear a laugh from behind me; I hear her footsteps before she stops beside me.
“Hey, I’m Sienna,” she introduces herself with a small wave.
“Wow,” Gary, another boy, says.
“She’s beautiful…”
“You’re so pretty.”
“Aww, thank you, you girls are too, and you boys – totally handsome, just like Alpha Jayce,” Sienna says, smiling sweetly at them.
Some of the boys huff, trying to brush it off, but they’re pretty chuffed at the comments. I cock a brow.
“Right, now I’m sure you’re not supposed to be around here,” I remark, folding my arms.
“Our ball got kicked into the garden. We only came to get it, and then we saw the Luna…”
Should I correct them and say she isn’t the Luna?
But it doesn’t feel necessary.
“Right, have you found it?” I ask. They shake their heads, and I nod, looking around.
“Then let’s go find it so you can leave,” I say. Sienna smiles slightly.
“You’re in a hurry to get rid of them,” she remarks, amusement in her voice.
I look directly at her, our eyes meet, and there’s a pause, last night clearly on both our minds. Her cheeks flush pink, but she’s doing her best to act normal, and her hand is at her chest, fiddling with the fabric of her top.
“Well, they’re just being nosy at this point,” I answer.
The deal was, we pretend last night never happened, and I intend to do just that, even if just the thought of having my dick buried in her turns me on.
“Mmm, well, they’re children; you were a nosy child, too.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, cocking a brow.
“You were, I mean, you were so observant of everything.”
“That’s different,” I reply as one of the kids shouts.
“There’s the ball!” He points into the bushes.
“I’ll get it,” I say as I walk over to the boys, sensing her gaze on me. I get the ball out for them, the branches snagging on my shirt. “Here you go.” I hold it out to them, brushing off the leaves and dirt from my T-shirt.
“Want to play with us?” Anthony asks, looking at me hesitantly. It’s hard to say no when someone has hope in you.
“Sure, girls vs boys?” I suggest, offering him a small smile.
“No, there are more boys!” Leah retorts.
“Alright, then, how about the girls on my team?” I suggest. “I think that’s fair.”
“And we will be on the Luna’s team,” Cole says happily as he moves over to Sienna.
“Alright, one goal to win; this is our goal, that’s your goal,” I say, pointing in opposite directions.
There are only three girls in comparison to the six boys, but come on, I’m Jayce Westwood, ex-captain of the Academy football team. I smirk.
“This is going to be a piece of cake; I’ll try to go easy on you,” I say, glancing at Sienna, who rolls her eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, we shall see, right, boys?” Sienna asks, glancing over her shoulder at me, though the way her eyes run over me, her gaze lasting a second too long, is appreciative. A devious smile crosses her lips, like she’s planning exactly how she’s going to prove me wrong.
The moment one of the lads taps the ball into play, I catch sight of the faint swirl of black smoke wrapping around it.
So, she’s going to use her powers. The ball glides smoothly across the grass, and it makes me scoff internally as I push forward, cutting in to intercept the ball before it can veer too far off course and send it skimming towards one of the girls.
She shrieks and jumps out of the way instead of stopping it, and Leah immediately drops her head into her hands.
“Patricia!”
“Sorry!” Patricia apologises, laughing.
“Losers!” Daniel shouts, darting in to take possession of the ball, and sure enough, that same flicker of smoke coils around the ball again as it clings too neatly to his feet, moving it closer to the goal.