Chapter Forty-Three - Jessica

Sunshine woke me the following day. My fingers involuntarily searched for Mason’s arm, but all I came up with was a blanket where he'd slept. His scent lingered on the fabric, drawing my nose to it.

God, he smelled so dang good.

Leaning up on my forearm, I blinked at the room.

Dust particles floated in the air. The heavy scent of coffee nearly suffocated me. Groaning, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms to push back the grogginess of the morning. Aaron’s soft snores came from the chair in the corner of the room.

There was no one else here.

They must have woken up before me. I'd been out like a light.

I climbed to my feet, feeling weightless in my legs as I walked toward the kitchen. Every step was easy, and my movements were smooth and carefree. I felt different.

Dad and Jacob sat at the dining room table, eating breakfast while drinking cups of coffee. “Where’s Mason?” I asked.

“Shower,” Jacob said, pulling out the chair next to us. “Come sit down.”

I shifted in the doorway. “Is he ok?”

Jacob turned to face me. “He’s fine. His wolf was able to heal him. Now, come sit down. We need to talk.”

I walked over and sat down beside him. Dad looked at me, reached across the table, and pushed me a cup of coffee. I looked at it. “I don’t even feel like I need this anymore. My body feels strong. I feel awake and alive."

Jacob leaned back. “Because you are strong. You’re stronger than I imagined you would ever be.”

I swallowed, reaching for the coffee to give myself something to do with my hands. I rubbed the ceramic of the mug and stared at the dark liquid.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re more than just a she-wolf. My wolf is telling me that you’re meant for fighting. Your dad and Mason aren’t too keen on that. I don’t blame them. We have something insane happening here right now. These lycans can change someone with one simple scratch. I’m afraid they are going to take over the town. It’s our job to protect the town.”

I nodded while taking a sip of coffee. “Ok. That’s what I expected you all to do.”

Jacob nodded, his dark eyes studying me.

“Stop staring at me like this,” I said. “What are you getting at right now?”

He sighed. “You’re part of the pack, Jessica. It’s not something any of us chose; it’s fate. You’re part of our pack, meaning you’ll fight with us.”

I lifted both brows, remembering how badly my wolf wanted to kill the lycan that hurt Mason. It didn’t shock me like I assumed it should have. “My wolf wanted to kill the lycan last night, but as you know, I don’t know how to fight.”

“I know. We need to train you.”

“While lycans are running around our town? Do we even have time for that?”

“We have no choice,” Jacob said.

Someone scoffed from the doorway, but I knew who without looking. Mason stood with his hands on his hips, his hair wet from his shower, and anger on his face.

“Are you ok?” I asked.

Mason sighed heavily and walked over to sit next to me. Cupping my jaw, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. My wolf moved around inside of me. She whimpered delightfully at his touch like a cat thrilled to be petted.

“I’m fine, but I’m not fine with this.”

I looked around at his hand gesture. “You’re not ok with what?”

Mason gave me a look. “You fighting. Those lycans…you saw what it did to me, Jess. I couldn’t live with myself if that happened to you.”

“It won’t,” Jacob said, tapping his fingertips against the table. “I can feel how strong she is.”

Mason slid his tongue against his teeth. “I feel it too, but it doesn’t mean we should toss her to the wolves. They are strong, and we don't know their exact number."

Dad cleared his throat. “I know I’m not part of this pack, but I am her father. I agree with Mason.”

I furrowed my brow, my wolf shoving me to stand up for myself. “She doesn’t like that,” I said, looking at all three of them. “She wants to fight. She wants you all to shut up.”

Jacob gave me a daring look.

Mason sat back away from me, a stoic look on his handsome face. “I understand why she wants to fight, but it’s unsafe.”

“Neither is you fighting, obviously.”

“It’s my job,” Mason said.

“It’s mine too,” I said, feeling it for the first time. I shifted to face him, touching his jaw with my palm. “She is meant to fight. Teach me. Teach me everything you know so that I can prepare myself."

“We’ve been practicing for years,” Liam said, suddenly appearing in the doorway. “It’s not something you can teach overnight.”

Seth joined him and folded his arms over his chest. “If she’s meant to fight, we must teach her.”

I gestured toward Seth. “Thank you.”

“No one asked you,” Mason snapped.

Seth rolled his eyes as Jacob stood up and commanded the room. “Everyone shut up. I make the final decision. She learns to fight. Tonight, we’ll go back out again. She will stay with Mason until she’s ready.”

My wolf grew excited at the idea of fighting.

Mason stood abruptly. I could feel his mood shifting. He wasn’t a male chauvinist; he was afraid. He was afraid I would get hurt, and he would lose me.

I stood and placed my palm on his chest. He followed me to the second floor and into his room.

He shut the door behind him and opened his mouth to say something when I lifted onto my tiptoes and kissed him.

Mason’s fingers sank into my hair, and he held me closer. My wolf grew restless at the contact and began to claw at me for something.

“She’s restless,” I whispered against his mouth. “She wants…” I tried to pinpoint her need when I felt it.

She wanted me to mark him.

My gaze lowered to his neck, and the realization hit him. “She wants you to wear her mark.”

He grinned slightly. “I’ll gladly wear your mark, Jess, but I want to talk to you about something first. I’m not trying to be cruel…”

I put my finger against his mouth. “I know. You’re afraid I’ll get hurt. As much as I admire that, it’s not going to work. She’s pushy. I can’t stop her; I’m not strong enough. I have to find common ground for her. She needs to learn to fight so I can have some peace.”

Mason closed his eyes and touched my face with his palms. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. The pain is excruciating.”

I traced his biceps with my fingertips. “She knows. She doesn’t seem to care.”

“What about you?” he asked. “What do you feel?”

“Horny,” I whispered.

Mason laughed and curled his arm around my waist, pulling me tight against him. “We’re not alone,” he whispered.

My wolf didn’t care if we were in a public place; she was tossing dirty images into my head left and right.

I shoved Mason against the door, making his eyes widen in shock. “She doesn’t care. She wants to bite you and then spend the next several hours in every position she can imagine. She has some pretty amazing ideas, actually."

Mason grinned, the heaviness of our situation slipping from his face. “Yeah?” he asked, angling his neck and locking the doorknob. “Let’s have it then.”