Chapter 115 An Iron Fist
1044words
It's as if I can't even recognize the man standing in front of me. He looks at me like I'm his prey, his hungry eyes searching the forest for his next meal. I feel my heart leap into my throat when I feel his tongue swipe across my neck. I take a deep breath, picturing my mate and my best friend to center my scattered thoughts, and push him off me with all the strength I can muster.
"Christian. No," I say in such a chilling voice that I startle even myself. He blinks, and suddenly his eyes return to their usual shade of green. "I'm sorry, Adeline. I don't know what came over me. I guess my wolf is just protective of you," he says, and I almost believe him with the sincerity in his voice.
"It's fine, it never happened," I respond, crossing my arms over my chest. "Sophia is my best friend; I would never do anything to hurt her. And Jaxon is my mate—even if I've been upset, he's my entire world. Once you're mated to Sophia, you'll understand. You'll see just how magnetic the mate bond is." He nods at me. "You're right, I'm just riled up from Jaxon's no-touch order with Sophia," he says with a smirk. I laugh, shaking my head at him. "Yeah, he can be a lot sometimes. Come on, we should go find them."
Alpha Christian fills me in on the details about the fire, how the pack has never experienced such a threat, and how his men are now patrolling 24 hours a day to prevent any further attacks. I nod, pretending to listen and act interested, but my wolf keeps urging me to get away from him. She's seething with anger that he dared to put his hands on us, and she's mad at me for not stopping him sooner. Her intensity is giving me a headache as I keep trying to push her down.
"Can we shift? Sorry, my wolf is antsy to get back to Jaxon," I explain to Christian. He looks at me cautiously, then nods. "Yeah, no problem." I look for the farthest tree I can find and shimmy the black, tight-fitting number down my body. Just as I'm about to get on all fours and shift, I catch Alpha Christian already nude and staring right at me. He bites his lower lip. "Damn, Adeline, don't take this the wrong way, but Jaxon is one lucky fucker," he says before he shifts into his large, gorgeous wolf. I follow his lead, caught off guard by his compliment but still trying to keep composed and not make things awkward between us. Jaxon had already nearly torn his throat out once.
Once I've shifted into my red wolf, I follow Alpha Christian through the forest and finally feel my body relax when the cabin comes into view. I see Sophia sitting on the wooden steps, sipping a glass of red wine that almost makes my mouth water. Maybe that's what I need to take the edge off.
"Adeline," I shudder when I hear my name vibrate through the mind link. "It's not safe out here for you to be playing these fucking games."
"I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, thanks, Alpha," I respond as I race toward Sophia, who has a huge smile on her face. Sophia stands up and comes down the steps toward us, wine glass in hand. "Finally! I was starting to think y'all abandoned me," she says with a giggle.
No matter how hard I try to block Jaxon out of the mind link, he still manages to break through. "Adeline. You have three seconds to tell me where the hell you disappeared to. Three, two..."
I swallow hard, knowing Jaxon's patience is already hanging by a thread. "Counting to three? What am I, a pup?" I scoff. "If you asked nicely, I'd have already told you I'm back at the cabin with Sophia and Alpha Christian."
I don't miss the growl through the mind link as I shift back into my human form and cover my hands over my breasts, knowing Jaxon would be furious to see me naked in front of another male. Friends or not, nothing compares to an Alpha's jealousy. "Hey! I want one of those," I tease Sophia, shooting her a wink before I rush into the cabin. Once I'm in the bedroom, I reach for Jaxon's suitcase instead of my own, knowing I have to mask Alpha Christian's scent, which is surely all over me.
"Where is she?" I hear echoing through the cabin, causing the windows to vibrate. I slip a white, oversized T-shirt over my head and quickly pull on my own black leggings. I roll my eyes when I feel Alpha Jaxon towering behind me and spin around to face him.
"Running away? Really, Adeline?" he scolds. I know I have to accept defeat, so I step forward to my mate, wrapping my arms around his neck. He picks me up in one fluid motion and I wrap my legs around his waist as he presses his forehead against mine. Even though he's furious with me, being in this moment just feels right. "I'm sorry, Alpha," I mumble, unsure if he can even hear me.
He kisses the tip of my nose, sending warmth and comfort through my body. "Jaxon," he says. I tilt my head at him and stare deep into his amber eyes, feeling myself almost get lost. "What?" I choke out.
He grins. "Cool it with the Alpha. I'm your mate first. I accept your apology as your mate, but as your Alpha, you'll have to work for that one, little Luna," he says with a smirk. I feel my panties dampen at his threat, pressed against his rock-solid waist. My mind races as I drift into a daydream of just how he expects me to work for that apology. My wolf is already counting the ways to make it up to him—she's loving the edge in his tone.
"Ha, oh really?" I reply sarcastically. This is going to be fun. He laughs and presses his lips to mine, taking his time as he deepens the kiss and his tongue tangles with mine.
