The Power of a Mate

X: Selfish

Song: White Lie by Lumineers

"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live."

― Oscar Wilde

Jace's POV:

Stella could no longer focus on the task at hand which was finding Theodore. She would not shut up about the mating ceremony. Once she started to talk about pups, I ignored her. My mind was in a constant battle with Shepard.

I did not know which one to trust, so instead I ignored my problems as well and tried to find Theo. The note that was left along with his tattered shirt could only be one person- the person that I wanted to love. There was no scent, other than Theo's attached to the evidence. Personally, I thought she would be classier than this.

"Jace, maybe we should head back. It's getting late. We can send out more troops tomorrow to search," Stella offered.

"No we have to keep looking, Stella," I gritted.

"Since we're going to be a team now, I think we should start acting like one."

I stood and pinched the bridge of my nose. She was giving me a headache. I knew my eyes had flashed black with a metallic silver and indigo center as I looked at her. I had not meant to show my wolf's eyes, but I was overwhelmed with emotions and could not control it. First my mate, now the boy that my wolf looked at like his own... I couldn't handle it all. 

I could feel Shepard smirking inside my head. He wanted me to rip her apart and find his mate, but I would not allow it. I could make this relationship work. The eyes of Shepard were very peculiar as many wolves only had one color eye or their pupil was black and the color surrounded it.

I was not like the other wolves. The iris of my eye was indigo while the pupil was a metallic silver. Stella stumbled backwards when she gazed into my eyes.

She immediately dropped my stare and looked away from my face before speaking,

"Do they always do that? So you do have a wolf?"

A growl emitted from my throat, but before the anger made me lunge for her, I advised her,

"You might want to head back to the pack house. We'll talk later when you mind your mouth. Understood?"

Stella did not say anything, but slowly walked away.

"I wish I were her because she would put you in your place," she mumbled.

It took everything inside me not to chain her to a post and remind her exactly who she was talking about. I restrained myself from punishing her as I knew my soon to be Luna would not take it well. She was out of sight and my emotions still felt out of control.

I knew that I would have to face my pack and the consequences that tied with my accepting of a new Luna. I was torn between responsibilities in my pack. I would need to make arrangements for the mating ceremony-

"I will warn you. I will let you do no such thing unless it is with our mate," Shepard cautioned me.

"You have no choice in this matter," I responded sharply.

"You will regret these decisions. You'll lose your place as alpha without me. You'll be nothing, but human after mating with her."

"I couldn't care less about your pathetic excuse for a mate," I responded to Shepard.

I finished the conversation and blocked him from my head though he was raging within me. He wanted to be let out, though I knew I could never let that happen. He would be too much of a liability to our secrets. I had not realized that I had crossed into another pack's territory until I smelled their scents, though it was not of werewolves. The creatures were strong and raced around, stalking me. I knew that I would have to face a confrontation sooner or later.