Chapter 41
(Chapter song ‘Friday I’m In Love' by The Cure)
JAYSON
After our mate bonding experience, lead Sarah carefully down the hill to the car.
After my mind cleared, I realized I actually didn’t know what I was going to find up there. She could have easily eaten me alive. Thankfully, it looks like she fought off the Rogue Sickness long enough until I found her.
When we get to the car, I grab a blanket from my trunk, wrap her in it and kiss her lips. I’ll never tire of kissing her.
I helped her into the car, buckled her in then texted everyone to tell them I found her.
She fell asleep almost instantly the whole two hours home. Keeping an eye on the highway, I would glance over at my angel, moving her hair so I can see her face.
As I looked out at the road, I glanced up. Looking at the moon, its blue magic fades as it crosses the sky.
"Thank you." I whisper to it. I never believed in cosmic beings, but I'm sure now, there's something out there and I thank fuck it was listening to me.
As we pull into Black Lake, she stirs. She stretches and cracks an adorable eye to me.
"Hey, kid. Have a good sleep?" I grin.
She sits up. Her hairs a mess, but I don't care. She could look like hell warmed over and I'll still love her to death. I will admit though. She needs a shower.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Two hours. Has anyone told you, you snore?" I grin.
She slaps me. "I do not!"
"Oh yeah, you do. I almost pulled over because I thought there was something wrong with my engine. You also drooled all over my interior." I laugh.
"Shut up!" She punches me and I flinch as I cackle at her.
"Fuck, I love you." I say as I catch my breath.
"I love you, too." She gives me a toothy smile
We pull into the pack house driveway and park.
I've barely got Sarah out of the car when Luke storms out the front door, jumps over the steps and takes big steps to us.
"Where is she?!" He growls. He sees her and stomps right up to her. "You! I'm so going to fucking..."
Sarah blinks at him.
Luke’s face softens. "Come here." He grabs and puts her in a death hug. "Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear me?"
"Luke... I can't... breathe." She chokes.
"Ok, Luke. Let go." I pull him off her.
Kale joins our circle. "Hey, champ." He hugs her, too. "We thought we lost you." He says, burying his head in her neck.
"I'm sorry." She chokes.
Kale lets her go and it was Wren's turn. "Hey, sweetie. We missed you so much."
"I missed you, too." As Wren pulled back Sarah's blanket slipped. Wren caught Sarah's mark.
Her brow arches. "Uh. What's that?" She looks at me and points to Sarah’s mark.
I pull back my shirt. “What’s it look like?”
A little smile plays on Sarah's lips as her cheeks flush.
Wrens eyes meet mine and she smiles.
Kale glances at Sarah's shoulder and he slaps my chest. "You dog! You got yourself a mate?" He turns to Sarah. "How much did he pay you. No way the fates would mate you to this guy." He laughs.
I smirk. "You're one to talk. What's that?" I pull back his tank. Revealing the mark on his shoulder.
He scratches his head. "Well, the fates decided a douche like me deserved an amazing woman. They gave me Georgia."
"I knew it!" Sarah squeals.
"Yep. I'm damn lucky." He grins.
Sarah turns to me. "I need a shower. Stat."
I laugh. "Ok. Come on." I grab her hand, take her to the pack house and at the bottom of the stairs, I pick her up bridal style.
I stare into her eyes as I climb the steps. "You'll never walk up these steps ever as long as I can carry you." I grin.
"Stop." She giggles. Her face turns pink with embarrassment.
I take her to my room. "Ok. Have a shower and I'll see if I can find you something to wear."
I leave the room and head downstairs. My mom is sitting in the dining hall. "Hey mom." I kiss her cheek.
"Hey, Alpha." She giggles. "Your father told me. I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks. Um... Do you have something Sarah can put on? I'll get her stuff from her house later."
"Sure. I think I have some pajamas she can wear." She says, rising to her feet.
"Great, she's showering in my room right now. Can you just drop them on the bed. I've got some stuff I have to do."
"Sure." She smiles and heads to her room.
I walk into the common room and the guys were just coming in.
Wren sat on the couch with Kale and Luke on either side. "Dea just called. We have to leave tomorrow."
I sat on the couch corner to them. "Oh. Ok. Do you want to go back?"
Kale scratches his temple. "It's kind of our jobs. We can't exactly say no, can we?"
I tick my head. "Well, no, but ever think of training in the private sector?"
Wren squints her eyes. "What are you planning?"
I sit back. "We have a really good training camp here and kids to go with it. A good training camp might put this place on the map."
"What about Caledon?" Luke says.
"I think once the council and everyone finds out that the Security Unit tried to take over a pack without the Alphas permission, it won't be that popular."
Wren tilts her head in confusion. "Didn't your dad sign the transfer paper?"
I nod. "He did, but he's not Alpha." I bounce my brow, lean back and cross my leg.
"Who is?"
"Me." I grin.
"He gave you the pack?" Luke's brows shoot up.
“Yes, he did and all the powers that come with it. I'm going to shove that paper so far down River's throat, he'll be coughing it up for years." I say maniacally.
"What about the Unit?" Wren asks.
"Don't need it. I've got my pack, my home, my woman. What do I need the Unit for?" I shrug.
"Hi." A tiny voice squeaks from the stairs.
Sarah's on the stairs in a tiny white tank top and pink flowered pajamas pants. Her hair is wet and combed and her cheeks are still a slight shade of pink. Luna looks so good on her.
She looks so beautiful I can't help but smile. "Hey, baby. Come here." I hold my arm out to her from the couch.
She walks over and joins me on the couch. She cuddles under my arm and I drop a kiss in her hair.
I look down at her. "Feel better?"
"So much better." She smiles. "Your mom is great."
"Trust me. She can drive you nuts." I snicker.
Wren leans on her knees. "So, we're leaving tomorrow, Sarah. The kids, too."
Sarah sat up. "All of them?"
Wren nods. "Yeah. Riker said even you."
I shake my head. "No. No way. No one trains her, but me."
"Jay, she's part of the Unit. She can't say no as a first year." Wren stares at us both.
"Don't care. I'm her mate and I trump the Unit. If they have a problem with that, they can come to me and that goes for her brother, too." I say confidently.
"Don't I have a say in this?" Sarah asks.
I turn to her and look her in the eye. "No."
"Excuse me. Just because we're mates doesn't mean you can control my life." She scowls.
"You hate that place." I snort.
"Yeah, and?" She folds her arms, sitting up on the edge of the couch.
"Oh, so what? You're just trying to start a fight then?" I lean to her and smirk.
"No, but I'm not a kid and I can make my own decisions." She scowls even harder. It’s too damn cute to take seriously.
"Yeah. Horrible, destructive and suicidal decisions." I laugh.
Wren sighs. "Sarah, do you want to go back to camp?"
"No, Wren. Thank you for asking." Sarah says smugly.
Wren looks at me. "Was that so hard?"
I point to her. "Shut up."
Sarah giggles.
"You think that's funny, do you?" I move in close to her.
She bites her lip and nods. "Yeah."
"Yeah, real funny." I mumble on her lips then kiss her.
Luke stands up. "Well, I'm done. Goodnight, all. I'm going to pass out somewhere." He waves and heads towards the guest wing.
"Georgia's outside with her friends. I better go get her and head to bed myself." Kale heads for the door.
"Yeah. I'm heading to bed, too." Wren gets up and leaves.
"What do you think? Bedtime?" I ask.
She thinks about. "How about... sexy time." She playfully growls and wiggles her brow.
A smirk crosses my lips and a growl grows in my chest. "Come here." I pull her to me.
She gives a little scream, jumps out of my arms and runs for the stairs. She stops and turns at the banister.
"You think you can run from me?" I growl and spring from the couch after her.
She yelps and laughs up the stairs as I run up hot on her sexy little tail.
****
Light plays on my eyelids and I crack an eye. It takes me a minute to figure out my face is buried in silky, blonde hair.
At first, I thought it was a dream, but no. Here she is. In my arms, sleeping soundly. I'm feeling damn good. I haven't slept this well in weeks. Make that years.
I gently move her hair and see the mark on her shoulder. I kiss it and run my fingertips over the scars.
Mine.
I was about to kiss them again when she spun around in my arms and gave me a bright smile.
"Good morning." I purr
"Good morning." She kisses my nose.
With my one eye open, I look her over. "You know what I love the most about this fated mate stuff?"
"What?"
"I get to wake up to you every day." It my turn to kiss the tip of her button nose.
"Mmm. I love that, too." She whispers.
I pull her on top of me and she lays on my chest as I kiss her. "Mate lips are so much better." I chuckle.
She giggles.
She folds her arms on my chest and rests her chin on them. "So, what are we doing today?"
"Besides having as much sex as possible?" I bounce my brow.
She rolls her eyes. "Besides that."
"Well, we need to see everyone off and then me and you are going to have a sit down and talk about how it's wrong to almost get yourself killed." I arch a brow.
"Ugh..." She pulls herself up so she's sitting on me. Her perfect naked body is on full display and it's going straight to my dick. "It's over. I'm home now. I learned my lesson. I'll never do it again." She says with that teenage attitude I missed.
I slap her ass and she yelps. "Damn straight you won't." I point my finger at her as she rubs her but and her nose crinkles. "Now, I think fifty laps around the pack house and an hour of suicides will be a suitable punishment for you."
She leans close. "You know. The next tennis ball won't miss." She narrows her eyes as our noses touch.
My lips shrink. "You wouldn't dare."
She looks around. "This house has pretty nice rooves, too."
"Am I going to have to lock you up?" I squint at her.
She snorts. "You should know by now that I pick locks in my sleep."
"Damn." I scrunch my brow.
She giggles.
I tap her hip to signal to get off. "Alright, we better get down there before they start tearing up the place." I push her off.
"What does that mean?" She furrows her brow. “Who?”
I pulled up my sweat pants. "Uh... while you were gone, Falcon Ridge took the town."
"What?! Oh, hell no! Jayson!" She bounces to her knees. If it wasn't such disturbing news, she'd look hot as fuck right now all naked with knees spread.
I toss her panties and clothes to her. "Baby, I'm fixing it. Don't worry. They aren't taking it, but I have to get down there before they move in."
She slips on her panties and pulls her tank over her head. Again. She still look hot as fuck. "Jayson, you better not let them take our home." She wags her finger.
I walk over to her and point to the mark on my shoulder. "See this? This says there's no way I'm letting anyone take anything from you. I will fight till I die, before my Luna loses a damn thing."
"Luna?" She blinks at me.
I smile, stand back up and cross my arms. "Yeah, kid. I'm the Alpha now." I reach out, pull her to me and wrap my arms around her waist. I bring my lips to hers. "And that makes you... my absolutely, knock out, gorgeous, Luna."
I kiss her and she pushes me back, my lips stuck mid kiss. "When did that happen?"
I lean my head back. "Yesterday, before I figured out where you'd be." I grin, rocking her back and forth.
"Wait." She pushes me off her and puts her hands on her hips. "It took you this long to remember our game plan?"
"Well... um... I was kind of, you know, stressed." I need to back pedal quick here.
"So, I could have been up there for weeks?" She tossed her hands up in the air.
"Well, at least I found you." I try snuggle into her.
She folds her arms and narrows her eyes.
"Oh, come on. Hey, my timing couldn't have been more perfect, right? That was smooth, right? Like, that's got to be the best mate bond story in the history of stories. Right?"
"Ok, Romeo. It wasn't that smooth. You cried." She giggles.
I stand straight and scowl. "So did you."
"I'm a girl. What's your excuse?" She laughs.
I open my mouth to retort, but nothing comes out and instead I wag my finger at her. "Get dressed, smart ass." I give her another kiss.
She laughs and pulls on her pajama's pants.