No Escape

Chapter Thirty-One

"Jacks!" Lily yelled as she ran after her mate, she couldn't stand not being with him at the moment. "Jacks! Where are you?" She may have been getting better when it came to directionality, but she still hadn't completely memorized all the packs land.

Lily huffed as she continued on her way. "Jacks, c'mon. Give me something!" She waited a couple minutes and when there was no response, she continued moving. After hours of searching, she made her way to this mountain cliff. She blindly climbed up unsure of what exactly she was walking into as she couldn't see the edge. She had made up her mind: after this, she was giving up. If Jackson wasn't there, she would head back to the pack house.

Looking up from the ground her eyes had been trained on, she noticed the form of a wolf ahead, she remained wary as she was uncertain as to who the wolf really was. Lily was too far away to tell if it was her mate, but something inside of her was telling her it was. She heaved a sigh of relief as she got closer and realized that it was Jackson's golden brown wolf. "Jacks?" She questioned when she deemed herself close enough.

The wolf turned its head towards her and looked her in the eyes. Forest green orbs stared straight at her and her whole body relaxed as his did. She was hesitant to make any sudden moves, even though she wanted to rush towards him and wrap her arms around him. She wasn't educated on how to act around werewolves in this form.

Jackson sensed her anxiety and laid down, resting his head on his front paws, in the hopes of encouraging her to come closer. She was so beautiful, and she had no idea. Jackson vowed to spend the rest of his life convincing her that she was the most gorgeous woman in the entire universe.

Slowly, Lily made her way next to him. She sat down and leaned onto his side and brought her hand up towards his head. However, when she realized that it might have been insulting to just randomly start petting him, she froze. "Umm... is it okay if I, uhhh.. you know?" She asked awkwardly.

Jackson's wolf huffed out a weird noise that was supposed to be a chuckle, then nodded his head. She looked at him oddly before placing her hand on his head and then trailing it down his neck and back.

The two of them sat in the comfortable silence for a while before Lily spoke up. "You know, I imagined seeing your wolf for the first time in a completely different way. Maybe at the end of a date or something. You would've brought me out to a certain spot that's your favorite place to be and you would shift in front of me. At first I would be terrified, but then I would realize that you're still Jacks. And we would hang out for a while so I could get used to your wolf, then you would shift back unexpectedly, forcing me to cover my eyes knowing what state you are in when you shift back." She paused for a few seconds, then said, "I know it's cliche, but that's how I pictured it. Instead your dad ruined it. I hate him for that... among other reasons."

Jackson was glad that Lily was talking with him so freely. He missed having this with his mate. The mate bond was working hard to bring the two of them together for the rest of their lives and even though she wasn't fighting it anymore, it was still such an agonizingly slow process for him. He'd wait forever for her if he had to, he just hated that circumstances were the way they were. He already knew he loved her with all his heart and he would never in his whole life stop loving her.

"I'm sorry everything is so fucked up Jackson. I know it's because of me, and I feel terrible. I'm scared. I don't want to lose you or Charlie or Adrienne or even the pack because of this. Sometimes I think things would've been better if I had never been found." Lily only paused when Jackson let out a low growl. "At least you and your pack would have been safe, you and your dad would still be normal."

Lily could hear and feel the bones cracking from underneath her. She sat up immediately and covered her eyes, blush covering her cheeks at the thought of accidentally seeing Jackson naked.

After a minute or so, Jackson pulled her hands away from her face and pulled her up from the ground, "if you think for one second that I would have EVER stopped looking for you, you are sadly mistaken."

"I'm scared Jacks." Lily said looking at the ground between them.

Jackson grasped her chin between his fingers and pulled her face up so her gaze was locked on him, "you and Charlotte are safe here."

Lily just nodded, as Jackson brought his forehead to rest on hers. "I promise you, no harm will come to you or her. The two of you have already been through so much. I think it's time you caught a break, don't you?"

"You know that not how life works, Jackson."

"Maybe, maybe not. I have faith that the moon goddess has something wonderful in store for us. This is just one last obstacle blocking our path."

"Are you sure you want to be traveling down that road with me?" Lily asked, uncertain if Jackson really meant what he was saying, "I have so many flaws and I will make you angry and we will fight. I will mess everything up."

"No, you won't mess everything up. I want you, the way you are, flaws and imperfections. All of you. Because they make you who you are. They make you the most one of a kind, beautiful girl on the planet. I want that with you, Lil. No matter what that entails. I want the chance of a lifetime of happiness, with you."

Lily nodded her head and whispered an "okay" as silent tears flowed down her face at his words.

When Jackson noticed she was crying, he gently wiped the tears away and stood there admiring his mate. He thanked the moon goddess for blessing him with such a beautiful mate. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her. "Lily?" Jackson asked, she only hummed in response. "Can I kiss you?"

Lily's heart practically beat out of her chest, no one had ever asked for her permission for anything before, much less to kiss her. The question shocked her but she wasn't afraid, in fact she had wanted him to kiss her. She softly nodded her head and glanced down as his lips as they descended upon hers.

It felt like fireworks on her skin; the tingles stronger than they ever had been. She enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers and appreciated that he let her set the pace for their kiss. She began craving more of him, she licked his lips wanting taste more of him and groaned in satisfaction when their tongues danced with each other. Lily let Jackson take over the kiss wanting him to take charge of the situation.

The two broke apart panting for air. Jackson smiled and planted a chaste kiss on Lily's forehead. He grabbed hold of his mates hand and started leading her down the cliff, "c'mon. We should head back now. My sister's been trying to mindlink me for a while now."