Stacyâs POV
I was having the best dream, something I hadnât been able to do lately. I was with Jacob; it was safe and warm, and I missed him. I wouldnât admit that out loud, however. I could smell him around me and feel the comfiness of his bed. If I could stay asleep forever, I think I would.
I felt something next to me, an arm snaking around my waist and warmth on my back. I froze, had I stayed at Masonâs last night? I couldnât remember, and then it came rushing back; my eyes flew open, yet I stayed dead still.
I was in Jacobâs room, in his bed. I remember coming over now and snuggling into his hoodie like an idiot. I must have fallen asleep before he had gotten out of the shower, but how did I end up in his bed?
âDear goddess, please say we didnât do anything; Mason would kill meâ, I frantically thought.
I had only come here to talk; I planned to make Mason want me more, but also, partly because I missed Jacob, and he was so sweet to me. But now Iâm in his bed, and I donât know what I did last night.
âI know your awake, Stace; I can hear your heart pounding so fastâ, he sniggered âdonât worry, we didnât do anything last night; I know thatâs why your panicking; you havenât cheated on your new boyfriend.â
Relief and grief washed through me. He sounded bitter when he spoke of Mason, but he held me so tenderly that the signals were mixed, and I was lost on what I should think or feel.
âIâm not panickingâ, I try to say, but he chuckles.
âThen why is your heart going as fast as hummingbird wingsâ he laughs but still holds me close.
âItâs not, your just imagining itâ, I snap back, but still, I donât go to push him away.
âOf course I am; anyway, you came here to talk last night, but when I found you, you had stolen my hoodie and fallen asleep,â he said and leaned in closer, his lips right by my neck. âSo, what was it you wanted to talk about?â he said, his voice husky in my earâsending shivers through my body and making a pulse flare to life down in my core. I hadnât realised how much I wanted him.
âI, um, wanted to talk about anything, really; you know me, I love to chatâ I cleared my throat, trying to clear my mind and keep my voice even at the same time.
âI see, but you have to keep your needs in check; I can smell it, Stace, and youâre laid in my bed; sending those kinds of signals to a horny wolf is going to get you in trouble; your arousal is doing things to me that I shouldnât be thinking about, and you know itâ he growled in my ear, making it ten times harder for me as I felt my panties getting wet.
âShut up, Jacob, you wish; you know Iâm with Masonâ I tried my best to sound pissed, but my voice wobbled, and the pulse below got stronger. The more he held me close to him, keeping me pinned to his chest I felt his returned arousal, his want for me digging into my arse. His hand gripped my hip, the other firmly held over my stomach, so large it covered almost my whole midsection.
âThen why are you here, and what do you want from me? I canât play games with you, Stacy, not when you can feel what I want, and you know how I feel about youâ He paused. âYouâre playing a dangerous game, baby; Iâm bigger and stronger than I ever was. Iâm a different guy now, donât make me want you, then walk awayâ the sound of his voice and his hot breath on my neck sent goosebumps rushing all over my skin. He was doing crazy things to my body, things Mason had never done. I wanted him, and he knew it.
âJacob, I â, I started to say, but he growled and spun me around so I faced him. My hands pressed against his chest, looking so small up against him. He had grown so big over the last few weeks; he looked amazing.
âRefuse me to my face; tell me you donât want me, and Iâll let you goâ he leaned in, so his forehead pressed against mine.
My heart slammed against my chest, my breath came out ragged, and I couldnât find my voice.
âTell me, Stacy, damn itâ, he growls, part anger, part need.
âI canâtâ a tear slipped down my cheek; I couldnât lie to him; I did want him, it was clear from my hammering heart and pulsing core that he knew I wanted him, and there was no denying it.
âThen youâre mine,â he said before claiming my lips in the fiercest, most possessive kiss I had ever received. I all but stopped breathing. Then I sank into the kiss, letting myself get lost and forcing myself harder against his body, needing him more than I ever needed anyone in my entire life.
Jacob reached down and ripped my joggers off my body; in one swift movement, my panties lasted less than a second. Before I knew it, this massive wolf had me pinned beneath him, staring me down before he claimed my body in one mighty thrust, making me see stars with each movement of his hips. Moan after moan left my lips, and I held on for dear life. Never had I felt anything like it. Jacob knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it. I reached my release way too quickly as my walls clamped tightly around his shaft, begging him to join me; moments later, we lay there panting in ecstasy.
I was exactly where I wanted to be, but fear rushed in, ruining it all.
âI just cheated on Masonâ, I gasped; fear was the only emotion I felt.
âHeâs an asshole that doesnât deserve youâ, Jacob growled and nuzzled my neck. It felt so good, but I couldnât enjoy it.
âJacob, stop. I mean it; heâs going to kill meâ, I breathed out, but a growl ripped through his lips.
âIf he ever touches you again, Iâll rip him limb from limbâ, he warned. âI saw the marks on your neck last night before you healed yourself. I know what heâs been doing to you, and I will make him pay,â and I knew he meant it.
âJacob, you canât; bigger things are happening here. I canât walk away from him, and you canât touch himâ I hold him pushing myself up on my elbow to look at him.
âWhy canât I? You know how I feel about you,â he told me with pain in his eyes. âYou canât say you donât feel it too.â
âI know, butâ more tears slipped down my cheeks; I was in trouble, and I knew it.
So much had happened lately that I had to stay with Mason because of the bonding spell. My mother would be so disappointed in me. Apparently, the pack would be better with our family in charge. But I didnât have feelings for Mason; I knew I didnât; I didnât even like him. he was nothing like I thought he would be. Heâs cruel and mean. He doesnât care about anyone but himself. Plus, I canât deny how I felt about Jacob. I did love him; I was so stupid not to see it before.
âBaby, please, listen to me; it doesnât have to be this wayâ, he said as he wiped away the tears from my eyes â I can look after you; you donât have to stay with someone if you donât want toâ he paused âAm I happy, you left me for that prick, no, but I miss you Stacy you are mine not his, I donât know what crazy shit went through your mind to make you think you wanted him over me, it came out of nowhere, but youâre here now, I can protect youâ he waffled on. Still, he wasnât wrong. I donât know where the sudden want for Mason came from; I was happy with Jacob, and then suddenly, all I could think about was becoming Masonâs mate; it didnât feel right.
âSomething isnât right. And I think Iâm in trouble, Jake,â I whispered. âI need to fill you in on whatâs going on.â
âThen tell me what is happening, and we will fix thisâ he sat up and watched me intently.
âI hurt you so badly I donât understand why you would help meâ I let the tears flow; goddess, I felt so stupid, so weak.
âBecause I love you, Staceâ my heart broke at his words, but I knew I loved him back with all the broken little pieces.
Lauraâs POV
Things had gone terribly wrong. Never had it gone so badly before. Usually, when this blasted spell had to be recast, it burned for a bit but snapped right into place. But this time, he fought it and fought it hard. Then that shadow man fucked everything up.
âWho the fuck was that, and how did they know what we were doingâ I mumbled. Beth had left hours ago. She needed to regain her energy; she was tapped out after channelling so much dark magic.
I needed to talk with my mother to find out what I was meant to do now. It wasnât something I could do easily, though; she wasnât part of this pack. She had never been. I had been the only one who knew the truth for so long, except for Beth, of course.
When I was sixteen, Beth integrated me into a Winter moon Pack family, making the whole pack believe I had always been here. When in fact, I hadnât. I had changed my hair and my accent to fit in. I had to get the Alphaâs attention and become bonded to him before that bitch Linda did. She would have been a great match for him, but I was better, and my pack needed this. We need to gain control of the Winter moon pack to better our succession. And all had been going fine until that bloody Elf turned up. Then I had to keep recasting the spell.
I had my suspicions that she may be his true mate, but I was never sure, that was until now. The way he fought the bonding spell this time was unreal. He clearly loved her, and his soul was refusing me.
âI will kill that fucking Elf and keep my man, too much rides on itâ, I whispered.
Pulling out my phone, I dialled the number I knew by heart. It rang a few times before its owner picked it up.
âWhy are you calling meâ my motherâs voice cracked.
âThe bonding spell is slipping, and he is fighting me nowâ, I whisper. The fear I held for my mother was immense.
âWell, sort it out, girl, because you failed to recognise what was right under your nose; my grandson is now lost to usâ, She paused. âTristan was a weasel of a boy, but at least he was trying to do as he was told; you just keep letting me downâ, she barked down the phone.
âIâm sorry, motherâ, I whimpered.
âYou better hope your brother and sister recover from the loss we took fighting your pack, Laura; the prophecy we have worked so hard to prevent is happening because of your insolenceâ my mother was never a pleasure to speak to, but sometimes I had to put myself through it.
âWhat do I do, mother,â I asked hesitantly.
âWell, Laura, use your bloody head and work out the best way to get rid of his true mate, that will be the only reason the spell isnât sticking, and donât expect us to run in and save you, we are recovering from the last failed attempt our numbers are down, and your pack now has an exalted on their side. So work something out and do it quickly; I expect results,â she barked at me before hanging up abruptly.
Drawing a shaking breath, I put the phone back in my pocket. I had to sort this out, or all the years of work we have put in will be for nothing. If I donât gain complete control of Michael again soon, things will start unravelling quickly, and he will start questioning everything, even my sonâs legitimacy.
âI guess I better find a way to kill the elf.â