Jealous Much, Mon Loup?

PATRICK

“Patrick, it was nothing,” Eva said, her eyes rolling in exasperation.

She looked at me like I was overreacting. I wasn’t.

“Did I need to find him with his pants down for it to be something?” I shot back.

“If you think I’d let it go that far, you clearly don’t know me,” she retorted, her voice flat.

“You shouldn’t have let him flirt with you to begin with,” I argued.

“And you didn’t seem to mind his sister’s attention,” she fired back, her eyes blazing.

Was she serious?

We’d just come back from a party at one of our allied packs. There was this unmated alpha there (why do fathers hand over the reins to their sons before they’re mated?) who’d brought his sister along.

She was unmated too.

It didn’t take long to realize that this jerk didn’t care if a she-wolf was mated before he tried to charm her. He didn’t seem to worry about her mate ripping his throat out either.

His sister was just as bad. I couldn’t shake her off for most of the night.

But while I made it clear I wasn’t comfortable with her attention, Eva, my love, my destined mate, was giggling at everything the alpha said.

I held back, not wanting to cause a scene. We were there to build alliances, not embarrass ourselves. But inside, I was seething.

If thoughts could kill, that bastard would’ve turned to ash the moment he dared to touch my Eva.

“You should’ve paid more attention,” I said, my voice hard. “But you were too busy flirting with him.”

“Patrick, for the last time, I wasn’t flirting. I was being polite. I was trying to make allies.”

“We don’t need allies like him.”

“His pack is strong,” she argued.

“I don’t care. If the price of an alliance is my mate spreading her legs for some horny alpha, I don’t want it.”

“That’s ridiculous!” she scoffed. “You can’t throw away a good alliance because an unmated alpha tried to flirt with me.”

“It was more than that.”

“No, it wasn’t, you idiot! And I would never spread my legs for anyone but you. Although, now that I think about it, you don’t deserve me any more than he did.”

My anger started to fade, not because I was convinced by her words, but because she was undressing. It wasn’t seductive, she was practically ripping the dress off. But it still turned me on.

She’s breathtaking. The most beautiful woman in the world, and I want her. I always want her.

Sometimes I think that if we could spend the rest of our lives in bed, I’d do it without a second thought.

Sometimes, and I hate to admit it, I don’t care about anything else but her.

“Are you even listening to me, Patrick?” She threw her hands up, frustrated.

“I want to fuck you. Now,” I said, my eyes glued to her half-naked body.

“Now?” She laughed. “Try waiting a hundred years and see how you like blue balls.”

Ignoring her taunt, I stepped closer. She backed away, but I kept moving until she was trapped between me and the wall.

“No.” She shook her head, her face stern. “You don’t get to accuse me of flirting with another alpha and then expect me to just give in to you.”

“Then don’t give in,” I murmured, leaning in to gently bite her neck. “Fight me. Show me how mad you still are.”

I heard her moan before she pushed me away, glaring. I smirked and pressed against her again, kissing her fiercely. She retaliated by biting my tongue.

For every caress, she hit me, and I was glad I’d soundproofed the walls.

EVA

Angry sex can be quite freeing.

It’s not an everyday thing, but every now and then, it’s necessary. Even for us werewolves.

There’s this idea—which I used to believe—that the passion between mates is eternal. It’s not.

It lasts longer than in the human world, but things usually settle down after a few years, especially after kids come along.

So, it’s not bad to shake things up a bit. To reignite the passion, the jealousy.

Sure, mated wolves are always jealous, but after a while, they might not show it as much.

Just to be clear, no. I wasn’t flirting with that alpha on purpose. Not completely, and not at first.

At first, I was just tolerating him because, as I told Patrick, his pack is strong. I started laughing at his jokes when I saw the alpha’s sister trying to stick to my mate.

Patrick didn’t seem to enjoy it, but I was jealous anyway.

So, I pretended to have a great time with the alpha, who thought he was hilarious. I hoped to kill two birds with one stone: secure an ally for our pack, and make Patrick jealous.

I think I succeeded on both counts, but I made sure to shake the alpha off before we left.

How? I had a small vision of him meeting his mate at a future gathering, and I might have given him a hint.

I didn’t go into specifics, but it was clear that the poor guy was just flirting because he hadn’t found his soulmate yet.

If you could see the way his face lit up when I told him he was bound to meet her soon, you’d get it.

I figured we’d have a little spat when we got home, then make up with some passionate sex, but I was wrong.

Just to be clear, I wasn’t pretending when I yelled at him. Jealousy is one thing.

Accusing your partner—or soulmate, in our case—of the things Patrick accused me of is another. I definitely didn’t want to sleep with him.

That is, until he started touching me.

I didn’t make it easy for him, and right now, he looks like he’s just come out of a war zone.

The best part is that the marks left by one’s mate are more lasting and stubborn, and he’s got plenty of bruises, bites, and hickeys that will take about twenty-four hours to heal.

This means everyone will get to see him like this.

Well, that’s what he gets for offending Luna and the mother of his three kids.

“Stop looking so smug,” he growled, nipping at my shoulder playfully.

“Why should I, Alpha?” I smirked. “You got what you deserved.”

“Maybe I did, but you didn’t exactly have a terrible time either.”

“No, I can’t say that I did. But if you ever talk to me like that again, I can’t promise I won’t have you castrated,” I threatened.

“Okay, okay.” He chuckled. “I was out of line, but I was jealous. I don’t want anyone else near you. You should know that by now.”

“Same here. I wanted to rip that she-wolf’s hair out,” I muttered.

“Did you?”

“Of course I did! What did you think?”

“Damn, I’m lucky to have such a passionate woman.” He kissed me, and I could tell we were heading for another round very, very soon.

“You know what I don’t get?” he asked, nibbling my lower lip.

“What?” I breathed.

“How Max can stay so calm all these years. Except for when he first found her years ago, and with very few signs of irritation when someone is near Estella, he’s pretty stoic about it.”

“He’s stoic because he controls his wolf, and Estella only has eyes for him. He feels secure. If she starts messing around, we’ll see how cool he stays,” I replied. “Now kiss me.”

ESTELLA

They say a friend in need is a friend indeed.

So what can I say about those two idiots, who, instead of helping me with a boy crisis, are busy arguing just because Sarah smiled at the football team captain?

The guy isn’t even a werewolf, and those two are soulmates! Destined for each other.

When Sarah turns eighteen, they’ll mark each other’s necks, and they will live happily ever after, while I have a real problem here.

It seems the universe decided to take pity on my lonely soul and sent me a boy.

His name is Matt, he’s in my class, and we were assigned a project together. He’s not a knockout, but he is super cute and even wears glasses, just like me.

And let me tell you. He doesn’t look like a nerd at all because he’s well-built and on the swim team. Oh, and he has dimples too. They show up when he smiles, and the effect is just… captivating.

You might be wondering what the problem is with Matt.

He likes me. Like really likes me. Like, he asked me out, making it clear it wasn’t about the assignment, and I said yes.

When I realized what I’d done, I panicked and tried to ask my supposed best friends for advice, but they completely ignored me because they were too caught up in their stupid fight.

The thing is, my problem is kind of urgent because the date is in a couple of hours, right after school (and by the way, Caleb wasn’t supposed to be here, but he is).

Matt said he knew a great ice cream shop nearby and wanted to take me there.

I already texted my aunt and uncle, giving them the new location for their driver to pick me up since they would be at work until late today, and Max had stopped coming after our last fight.

I think, if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have accepted Matt’s invitation, no matter how cute I find him.

But if Max can see other women, and let’s not forget about his bloody mate, maybe it would be good for me to keep my options open.

I’m sixteen, and I’ve only been kissed in my sleep. Even if Matt isn’t the one, someone will be eventually.

Seeing that Sarah and Caleb weren’t paying attention to me, I left them to their bickering. Mainly because the alpha girl decided to skip the last hour to spend more time with her boyfriend slash soulmate and left me alone.

When the final bell rang, Matt came over to me smiling, and we walked out of the classroom and then out of the school together.

I swear, I hadn’t noticed Max’s car (because I wasn’t expecting him to show up) as I chatted and laughed with Matt.

At some point, he took my hand, and I let him while feeling a bit weird.

Then I heard it.

The growl.

MAX

I needed some time away from Estella after the last time when I almost lost control.

You see, I could feel her irritation throughout the ride, and my wolf was nagging me from the back of my head that she was right to be angry with us, and it was hard to keep it together.

I hated that she made me feel even guiltier. So, I decided to put some distance between us. Again. The problem with that was that I missed her terribly.

Every time I looked at her painting above my bed, I wanted to at least call her and hear her voice. I didn’t call her. Nor did I text her.

But after a few days, I made up my mind and went to her school.

I had a plan to take her out, maybe for ice cream or to an amusement park. Whatever she'd enjoy.

I got there early, waiting for her to show up. And she did.

With a guy.

A guy who was holding her hand as they strolled toward the gates. And she let him.

She let him and even gave him a shy smile. The kind of smile she usually saves for me. The girl I've been waiting to be old enough to…

Shit.

I don’t even know how I ended up right next to her, pulling her away from that boy.

The boy stepped back, looking scared, and Estella looked shocked at first, but quickly recovered and pulled her hand out of mine.

“Matt, this is Max, one of my guardians,” she introduced me politely, which only made me angrier. “Max, this is Matt. We were just about to go get ice cream.”

“No, you’re not,” I said sharply.

“Yes, I am.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “My aunt and uncle know about it, and if you had told me you were coming today, I would have told you not to bother.”

“Well, I’m here now, and I’m taking you home.”

“No. I promised Matt,” she said, sounding annoyed.

“Hey,” the boy finally spoke up. “It’s okay, Estella. We can do it tomorrow instead.”

Was he trying to do us a favor now? Seriously?

“Matt, I…”

“It’s fine. I’m free tomorrow too. I was hoping it would be our second date, but I don’t mind if it’s our first if it keeps you out of trouble.” He winked at her.

He fucking winked at her, and we’re not allowed to attack humans.

“So nice of you,” I said sarcastically.

“Well, she’s worth it, I think,” he said, and he seemed to mean it. “Tomorrow then, Estella?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“We’re good.” He smiled and walked away.

As soon as he was out of sight (good riddance, lover boy), I felt her shove me angrily.

I stumbled back, surprised, but she just did it again. She shoved me, and she punched my chest, and some part of me—not a physical part—hurt from her actions.

“You had no right to ruin my date!” she yelled at me. “No right!”

Feeling my anger flare up again, I grabbed her wrists and twisted her arms behind her back. I pulled her toward me until her body was pressed against mine. Inappropriate, yes, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Since when do you date?” I growled.

“Since tomorrow, apparently,” she shot back angrily and tried to pull away. “Let me go.”

“No.”

“Let me go,” she said again.

“No. Do you even know what this guy wants from you?” I asked.

“Best case, he wants to get to know me better. Worst case, he wants what you want from the women you sleep with,” she said angrily.

“Watch your mouth,” I warned.

“Or what? You have needs. Maybe I have them too.”

I tightened my grip on her wrists, and I saw her wince in pain, but she was still glaring at me.

“You’re not satisfying any needs with him,” I said, leaning in closer to her.

“Then with who?” she asked, tilting her head up to look at me.

I knew she shouldn’t be this close, and I knew I didn’t have an answer for her, but she kept moving closer to my face, or maybe it was me trying to close the distance.

“Not with him,” I said, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead.

“You can’t always get your way, Max,” she whispered, her voice shaky.

“I know, darling. I know,” I whispered back, just holding her close to me.