The Alpha's Disobedient Mate

(9)

I'm aware there are some character design changes between Jace and Darcy, for those who remember them from My Little Mate. They're just meant to make both more realistic than how they were in My Little Mate, since I wrote that a very long time ago. I did try to keep all the same dialogue however, I figured the small crossover between stories would help show my growth. Thank you for the understanding. xoxo

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Darcy decides not to pretend she's asleep this morning as Jace walks in. She sits cross legged on the bed that no longer carries Jace's scent, the sheets having been washed and replaced and now covered with her own. His eye's flicker to her and she watches him move to the closet. Her stuff had been moved to the ground, haphazardly thrown about in a little area.

"I was wondering when you'd stop faking." He pulls out clothes, folding them and placing them on the bed. Darcy rests her chin on her hands.

"You could tell."

"It's not so hard."

She watches in silence as he gets clothes together. Oh... Oh, right. They were visiting another pack together. She notes how many outfits Jace has put on the bed before mirroring the number with her own clothes, picking them up off the ground.

"Why not put me in a guest room?" Darcy's eyes find him again, he's shirtless, the sweat pants he slept in hanging low on his hips. She's sure she's read a line describing this exact situation in a book before.

"My first instinct was to take you to my room." He's pulling out clothes for today now, his back muscles moving as he raises his arms. "I did not want to kick you out of the room I originally put you in."

"Give the guest the best room in the house, I see," Darcy snorts softly despite knowing what the instinct he meant was. A mate's instinct, to sleep curled up with each other. She likes this room a lot though, the balcony however, overlooked the side of the house and most of the view of her gardens was covered. She sometimes found herself in his office, sitting at the window seat of a massive window overlooking the gardens. Only when Jace wasn't in there though. She watches him, clothes in hand, start to leave the room.

"Did you even sleep," he questions as he passes her, pausing in the door frame.

"No." Darcy looks to his back, taking a deep breath. "This isn't my home, Jace."

He leaves after that, Darcy can feel his anger seeping off him. Darcy didn't sleep well at her old pack, nor can she sleep well here. Something about being in a pack again... It made her skin crawl, even if she isn't directly in this one. It took her two years after she left to start sleeping normally, and being back in a pack setting ruined that. She didn't mean to make Jace angry.

She empties the rest of the duffle bag onto the floor to pack up the clothes and necessities for their trip. After dressing and Jace making them both breakfast, eating in separate rooms, they are loading two travel bags into his car. She isn't even sure how long this ride is. Jace eventually joins her, slipping into the drivers side.

They haven't spoken since Jace angrily left the room and she doesn't exactly expect to either. In fact, she falls in and out of sleep for the first part of the ride. Whether it's because she's genuinely tired from not sleeping, or her body's way of avoiding Jace in such close quarters, she's not so sure. After she's been awake and properly conscious for a good five minutes, she fishes out her charger and phone, searching the dashboard for an aux port. Jace doesn't offer help, she wonders if he even knows what she's doing considering driving in silence seems to be his thing. Annoyingly boring. She finds the port and smiles, starting a playlist.

After some more looking around, she opens up the sunroof of the car. A smile stretches across her face, putting her hands up to catch the air flying by. A glance at Jace, whose face is stone, and she's removing the seat belt that holds her hostage. She pulls herself up, standing so she's half out the sunroof. The wind most definitely destroys her hair, probably making her curls go to poof, but the feeling is immaculate. She rests her head on her arms and stands for a while, eyes closed, enjoying the wind on her face, whipping through her hair. It gives her goosebumps despite the warm weather.