“Rule number one, is that you gotta have fun, but baby when you're done, you gotta be the first to run. Rule number two, just don't get attached to somebody you could lose.”
I woke up to see Ace and Hansel sitting on a couch with each other, Will sitting by my bed with dad on my opposite side occasionally glaring at him, Keegan and Davy sitting on the floor near a bookshelf and Caleb, Miller, Hayden and the doc all scattered around the room.
I growled as I tried to sit up, throwing back the covers to find a thick white bandage wrapped around my middle. ”She’s awake!”
I growled at the thumping in my head and the heat coursing through me. I stood up, ignoring everyone’s complains and walked to the bathroom as fast as my legs could carry me, jumping into the shower and twisting the cold water knob.
I unwound the now soaked bandage and looked at my new scars for the first time. Thick puckered scars covered half of my left side and were bright pink, very fresh. It was obvious I’d had sticking on them with the small needle scar and I only hoped that they’d begin fading soon; though I have no doubt I would have them for the rest of my life as silver scars permanently.
When I felt myself cooling down I stepped out and slid on a robe nearby.
“How long was I out for?” I asked walking back into the room to see dad looking at me weirdly. “What?”
“You were asleep two days, we had to towel you down you got hot. We were all so worried because you had so much silver in your system that we couldn’t even touch your side and we had to feed you baby foods.” I raised an eyebrow as it didn’t explain the look in his eyes. “You’re just like your mother; her spirit and fight, in looks and temperament. You’re tough as nails, strong and you’ve proved to everyone that you’re more than my daughter, you’re an alpha and a born fighter.” I swear I saw tears in his eyes. “You killed that rouge and got so hurt but you suffered through it and potentially saved lives Jen.”
I looked around the room and realised that everyone had left. “Thanks dad, I’m going to have a pretty wicked scar though.” I said opening the gown to show him the scar. He grimaced and his nose scrunched up. “It’ll look pretty terrifying in wolf form.” I’d have thinner hair there and if you looked close enough you’d be able to see it.
He shook his head and stood, striding over to engulf me in a hug. “You have to be careful Jenna! You underestimate how precious you are; you can’t just jump into a fight with a rouge twice your size!”
I rolled my eyes and pulled away. “Dad he attacked me first! The only reason I’m ‘valuable’ as you put it is because I can shift and stupid fucking males just see me as something to make their children stronger!” I yelled. “I’m not a person to them, I’m something to fuck and then leave to bare some heirs!”
It was so frustrating hearing that people ‘valued’ me; I wasn’t an object, I wasn’t a brood mare, I was a woman, one who wouldn’t back down.
He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Even if you couldn’t shift you’d still be valuable; you’re my daughter and you underestimate the love some people have for you. I’m just glad that you’re alright now; it killed me to have to hold you down and watch you in pain, sit here night and day wondering if you would live.”
My body was humming with heat and as I sat down I shut my eyes against the inferno raging inside me. I heard dad growl and something shattered.
When he stood I opened my eyes to look up at him; his face was murderous. “I will find the bastard who’s putting you through this and I will either kill him or make him watch as Will marks you; he doesn’t deserve you and he had his chance. Though I’m still not sure about William; he did let a rouge attack you.”
I knew what he was saying about Klaus was true; he lost his chance. “Hold up; watch Will mark me?” I asked confused. “We’re not together dad! He’s a friend who’s helping me out!”
He stared at me for a few minutes before he burst out laughing. “’Helping you out’; Jen he enjoys it just as much as you do. And I know for a fact that once that mark fades off your neck on the last day of your heat; he will mark you whether he wants you too or not. You underestimate the fact that his wolf will take over and mark you; and then you’ll be pregnant.”
I laughed and shook My head. “I’m not getting pregnant dad; I’ll kick Will’s ass if he tries anything like that.”
He laughed and nodded. “I know you will baby girl, but Will’s a strong alpha; just over two hundred years old and with enough experience to get what he wants.”
I sighed and began walking to the door. “What time is it, I’m starving!” Outside the window it was night so I rushed down to the dinner room where the pack were chattering and eating mass amounts of food.
I took a seat next to Ace and Caleb who sat next to his father before digging into the huge amount of food on the table.
“You half scared us to death Jen!” Keegan said between bites further down the table. “And we saw the wolf you took on; he was huge and you took his head clean off his body!”
I watched as dad took something out of his pocket and stood. “This is yours; your first kill.” He handed me a leather strap with one curved claw hanging from it.
I took it and put it around my neck, the claw hanging just above the valley of my breasts. “Thanks dad.” I knew it was a bit gruesome but he was trying and I really did appreciate it.
-
“I love you dad, I’ll see you in a month.” I said wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders as he bent down to hug me. The car waited for him and I felt a tear land on my shoulder.
“I’ll see you then. Love you baby girl, stay safe.” He his voice was muffled in my hair as he pressed a kiss to my head and got in the car.
I sighed and headed back inside, my heat sated for now because of Will. I had a month left, three days until Klaus’s mark faded and I still didn’t know what the hell I would do after. I’d have to sleep with both eyes open, a knife under my pillow and two guards to each door if I wanted to stay unmated because there were some very persistent males around.
I would kill anyone who touched me without my consent.
Looking up at Ace and Hansel I knew that I could trust them to be my gurds; they were mated and loyal. “I need to find mated guards for when the end of my heat approaches and after.” I told them. “Can I count on you two to help?”
They both nodded but as I turned to walk away Ace laid a hand on my shoulder. “Jen, don’t lose faith in him, Klaus does care for you.”
I gave him a bitter smile and laughed. “No he doesn’t Ace; I never had any faith in him to begin with and this just shows what he think about me and how much he valued me. He lost me.”
I knew that I’d have to arrange some different accommodation so that the unmated males in Miller’s pack didn’t cause an uprising as Will, Ace and Hansel deterred anything but I know that once I kick Will out of my bed that some might think to replace him.
Ace nodded and walked away with Hansel.
“So, one month; what do you want to do?”
Shrugged and looked at Caleb. “Stay unmated, become a better fighter.”
-
“Come for a run?” Will asked, poking his head into my room hours later. I shook my head, rubbing the wolf’s claw that hung from my neck. I needed to wean myself off Will; it would hurt but I couldn’t sleep with him anymore. He was a good friend but the longer I kept sleeping with him, the more I saw his possessive alpha nature come out. “You sure?” He asked walking up to where I sat curled up in a chair looking out the window and sitting on the arm, rubbing my leg.
When my body heated up I pushed him away and growled, “Positive.”
He scowled but left, slamming the door behind him. I snorted and watched as the males all gathered outside in the backyard, stripping down and shifting into their large wolves. I wanted to go; believe me I did, but I didn’t want to get in a fight when an unmated male tried to mark me. It wasn’t worth the effort right now.
My skin crawled as my muscles clenches, the heat burning in my belly at that one touch. I growled, clenching my hand until it bled and ran down to the kitchen. Grabbing empty ham bags I began pilling ice into them, refilling the empty trays. When I had four bags full of ice I ran back to my bathroom and dumped them all into the bathtub, stripping off my clothes and sliding into the ice- cold tub.
I yelled and hissed as I sunk further into the tub, skin instantly becoming numb as the ice began melting from the sheer heat my body exuded.
“Jen, we’re-, what are you doing?” Hansel asked as he walked into the bathroom.
I rolled my eyes and sunk deeper into the ice. “Having tea with the queen.” I said sarcastically. “Seriously; what does it look like?”
He looked down at the melting ice and grinned. “Looks like the icecaps are melting.” He said pointing that I now sat in water instead of ice.
I looked up at him with big eyes and a charming smile. “Can you get more ice? Buy it if you have to, but please get me more ice?”
He sighed and scowled. “Can’t you just have wild animal sex with Will again?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Please just get me some ice!”
He nodded and smiled. “For the record, sex is way more fun than bathing in ice.”