Chapter 11: Talking Helps

Third Person POV

When entering the pack house Tori couldn’t help but notice just how empty it was. Something Tori didn’t know if he should be thankful for or concerned about it.

“Where is everyone?” asks Tori.

“At the festival. The pack house is completely empty right now” admits Jake as he moves to lead Tori up towards his bedroom so he could focus on his lip and cheek.

Tori wincing from being punched which causes Jake to notice as they began climbing the stairs. Jake pausing as they do.

“Tori? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine” replies Tori as he tries to move again only to hiss from where Dylan had landed a few good hits to his frame.

“No your not. God, I’m such an idiot” growls Jake before moving to carry Tori the rest of the way in bridal style. Tori quick to grab Jake as he did.

“J-Jake!”

Chuckling at Tori’s reaction does Jake begin to carry him. “Relax, I promise not to drop you” whispers Jake the longer he continued to hold him steadily within his arms. Tori’s presence warm and calm. Vox now purring like a newborn kitten.

Tori still clinging to Jake even as Jake eventually moves to approach his room. The pack house a tri-level of sorts. The main level, housing a living room, dining room, a formal dining room where everyone came to eat together as one, a kitchen, a workout room, and an indoor swimming pool. The second level was when guests came to visit, while the third level was where Jake and his parents lived along with Alex and Zak and soon hopefully him.

The Omega’s and Pack Warriors including Tori’s parents all opting to stay within houses along the pack grounds. The individual houses giving them the privacy that they needed. Something that Jake didn’t like because it left a majority of them unprotected but was unable to do anything else about it.

‘We need Tori closer to us’ whispers Vox, not happy that Tori wasn’t within the pack house yet.

‘I know and we will. Soon’ admits Jake just at they finally arrive within his room.

Upon reaching Jakes room, Tori can’t help but blush, unable to hide his nervousness as well as his curiosity for he had never been inside Jakes room before, let alone the pack house, so everything amazed him by what he was seeing for the first time as Jake continued to carry him.

Spotting Tori’s blush does Jake move to chuckle, even as Jake moves to enter his room, always careful of Tori and his injuries as he does. His foot now nudging his door closed before moving to head straight for the bathroom.

“J-Jake?” whispers Tori, still nervous and unsure of what Jake was planning to do with him.

“Relax little one. Your safe here, I promise” replies Jake as he gently sets Tori down upon the vanity of his sink before moving to collect the items he needed to help clean up Tori’s face. Tori’s amber color eyes still trained on Jakes even as his heart raced.

Can this truly be happening to me? Wonders Tori, his heart still racing even at the thought of being alone with Jake, his eyes now taking in everything else around him as he did.

Jakes bathroom large yet spacious. White marble flooring decorated almost all of the room while the walls were decorated in soft hues of greens and creams. A perfect blend between the two to keep them from clashing.

Amazed by the bathroom does Tori stay unaware of Jake or of the fact that he was now standing right in front of him until he feels the sting of something against his lip as Jake moves to touch it with a cotton swab which in turn makes him hiss.

“Sorry” murmurs Jake, still trying to be gentle with him as he continued to cleanup his lip.

Tori still sitting silently upon the counter even as Jake continued. Butterflies dancing within the pit of his stomach as the thought of kissing Jake now rises.

“You know… I’ve learned over time that talking really seems to help” teases Jake, his voice playful as he moves to clean his face, Tori surprised by the words.

“I-I” stammers Tori, his heart now racing.

“Relax” chuckles Jake as he continues to clean Tori’s face, Tori blushing as he does. “I’m just teasing with you. But you do know that Zak, Alex and I are here for you if you need us right, you aren’t alone.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine. Really I am” replies Tori, fully aware that he wasn’t but didn’t want to tell Jake.

“Your lying to me Tori. I can sense it all over you” whispers Jake, his eyes now on Tori’s as his hand moves to rest along his hips. The cheek currently done in terms of cleaning off the blood.

“I am not” snaps Tori, now angry that Jake would say that.

“Then prove it”

“How?! Your not me and I’m not you! You can’t possibly know how I feel” remarks Tori now feeling hopeless among many other things as well.

“Try me. Let us in Tori, please,” begs Jake, his eyes pleading.

“Let you in on what Jake? My life sucks! It’s always sucked especially since the day I was born. Not only am I completely scentless. I’m a wolf who smells completely weird too. Plus, lets not forget that I don’t even have my wolf yet let alone find my mate or they, them, whoever find me” cries Tori, hot tears now rising within his amber eyes.

“Tori… I told you before and I’ll keep telling you for as long as I need to. Your wolf will come to you, it’s just a late bloomer. There’s no need to rush it. Just because it’s common for us higher ranking wolves to get ours at 14 doesn’t mean all wolves do. Just please, give it time” replies Jake, his voice filled with sorrow for him. Vox whimpering at Tori’s pain.

“No Jake. I’m sorry but I can’t sit here and wait” replies Tori, his voice broken as he speaks again. “I’m done waiting. I’m done being Lilyanna’s punching bag. And to make matters worse, she even went as far as to say that I’m your mate! Me, the packs runt”

Listening to every word that falls from Tori’s lips only makes Jake want to go and find Lilyanna and beat her senseless. For not only did she hurt what was his, Zak and Alex’s by right, but she also put doubt into his mind as well.

“No Tori, your not worthless. Your so much more than that. So much more. And we’ll forever tell you that if we have too” is all Jake says before moving to kiss Tori upon the lips. Already knowing that Tori wanted to rebuttal and needed him to know just where they stood with him.

Tori’s eyes now wide in shock as he and Jake kiss. A kiss he only ever dreamed about and now relished in it as he slowly moves to grip at Jake’s shirt. His hands fisting the fabric as they continue to kiss.

Vox still whimpering at knowing that their future mate was still in pain and unable to do anything about it except be there for him.

‘We’ll handle Lilyanna later pal, right now Tori needs us’ whispers Jake to his wolf. Vox growling at her name as he does.

Suddenly, feeling Tori begin to push against his chest does Jake carefully pull away. Their foreheads now resting against each other’s as Jake moves to look into his beautiful eyes, eyes he could get lost in for hours at a time.

“Jake… I… we can’t. You have a mate out there somewhere. Just like Zak and Alex each have a mate too. There’s just no way that I could ever be your mate” whispers Tori, his heart breaking as fresh tears begin to rise.

“But Tori, you are. You are our mate. You just can’t sense it yet because you’re not 18. Please believe me. Our wolves keep telling us that you’re the one. That your ours. Please. Let me prove it to you” is all Jake says before kissing Tori once again. Tori unable to fight the way his heart always seemed to pull for each of them even as he allowed Jake to kiss him all while in the safety of his bathroom. A place where just the two of them could be themselves. Tori’s eyes slowly closing as he did.

Maybe… Just maybe, he could be right. Maybe they are mine and I there’s. And I just need to trust in them.