(This chapter is completely unedited. Please ignore all the spelling and grammatical errors that are bound to be throughout the chapter. It's getting late and I wanted to get it posted for you guys! I'll edit it in the future(: Enjoy everyone!)
**Edited 12/13/2016
Jaxon's POV
I couldn't take my eyes off her. I feared she'd be gone again at any moment. I couldn't risk wasting even a second of my time with her. As I stared at her, I memorized every feature about her; the fire that filled her eyes, the way she carried herself, the delicate way she held her facial features in a composed manner, the way she tried to ignore my presence. The last one made me laugh because no matter how hard she tried to ignore me, I knew she was hyper-aware of me. I burned every detail of her into my memory and safely stored them away.
Nina, myself and six other women from her pack were crammed into my SUV. Rilynn was currently driving, and Nicki was her co-pilot as she sat in the passenger seat. I was taking over the driver's seat once night began to fall over us.
Jason was expecting us around 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. The two of us collaborated on a team for Nina and I to bring with us while we hunted down the rogues that took Keiva. I still wasn't sure how we were going to keep her rank a secret from my pack. The way the girls looked at her would be a dead give away. Hell, even the power that radiated off her was enough for anyone to tell she was an Alpha. The only explanation I had for no one noticing the power she possessed the first time she was on my territory was because of the lose of her wolf.
"I know I said you could stare at me for the 20 hours we'd be in the car, but I was joking." Nina said with annoyance clear in her voice.
Even after she said this I still didn't remove my gaze from her. Instead, one side of my mouth turned up into a smirk. "Well you should've specified that earlier."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "The joke was implied."
I shrugged my shoulders, "Guess it wasn't implied well enough." Nina's lips formed a tight line and she didn't respond back. As much as she was a pain in my ass, I had to admit to myself I loved our constant bickering. She was the only one who knew how to press my buttons, and she was the only one who dared to defy me. The spunk she had was intoxicating. Everything about her called out to me, to my wolf. My lips craved to caress her entire body with ki-
"Will you please stop thinking whatever thought you are currently thinking? Your emotions are suffocating me." Nina said through clenched teeth.
A small chuckle left my lips, "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not." At the mention of her feeling my emotions, I tried to tune into hers. But I came up with nothing. She's blocking them from me, I thought, a little annoyed by her actions. "You're blocking your emotions from me. Why?" My voice became a little hard.
"Because." Her answer was short and final.
I narrowed my eyes and continued to stare at her. I was attempting to gage her mood, which was impossible to do. NIna always seemed impassive about everything except for her pack. When she talked about her pack her gorgeous honey eyes filled with a light that I was jealous about. I wanted her eyes to light up like that when she saw me, when she talked about me, when she thought about me.
It was useless trying to key into what Nina was feeling so instead I tried to get her to tell me her reason behind shutting off her emotions from me. "Tell me why." The other passengers in the car were forgotten.
She turned towards me. "Because I can. I had no say in this." Nina pointed to my mark that painted her skin. "But I at least have a say in my emotions not being available to you."
"I saved your life." My fists balled up and my teeth were clenched.
"You did, nut that doesn't mean I wanted this." The way she talked about my mark, with venom in her voice, it stung. I knew her reaction wasn't going to be good, but a small part of me hoped that she'd accept it, accept us. She didn't even seem grateful for what I had done for her. Did she not realize how hard it was for me to even work up the courage to mark her? It wasn't like I jumped at change.
My jaw clenched flexing the muscles in my cheeks. Lyra's words flashed through my thoughts, don't let her push you away. I wasn't going to let her down. I chose not to fuel the fire, I didn't respond to her.
She will accept us, Zev growled.
I nodded my head mentally to him. Lyra accepted us no problem, even though Nina wasn't as accepting, being marked was a whole new ball game for her. It'd be harder for her to push us away now. My wolf and I had an advantage and we would surely be using it against her. It was only natural for her to cave under feelings that being marked brought to a werewolf.
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Hours passed before anyone in the car spoke. The tension between Nina and I drastically changed the atmosphere in the car leaving it awkward for everyone else. It was one of the most unpleasant car rides I had ever been involved in, third to the two rides to Nina's territory when she was sick; one by myself and the one with her in the car.
"Anyone need to use the restroom?" Rilynn asked cautiously from the driver's seat.
"I do!" A few of the girls from the back seat shouted quickly at the same time.
The other girls nodded their heads in agreement. I think they wanted an excuse to escape the tension filled car, not that I could blame them. Rilynn pulled off the highway and parked at one of the designated rest areas. As soon as she put the car in park, doors flew open and everyone was exiting. I doubted any of them actually needed to use to the restrooms.
I sighed heavily, Nina and I were the only two left in the car. "We need to talk about this." I said without looking at her.
She snapped her head towards me and then I turned my head in her direction. "There is nothing for us to talk about." Her voice was dark.
"Nina..." I drifted off.
"Don't you Nina me." She gritted out. "Did you even think about how I'd feel about this? About what you did to me? Did you think I'd just come back and welcome you with open arms? That just because you marked me, I'd all of the sudden be head over fucking heels in love you? Well guess what Jaxon, that is not the case."
Her words made me livid, and I for damn sure made sure she could feel it. "Do you honestly believe I didn't take your feelings into consideration? Fuck Nina, you were dying. But to answer your question, yes I did think about how you'd feel about me marking you, on your deathbed." I paused for a second trying to control myself. My anger was increasing with each passing second and Zev was fighting me to take control. "The pros outweighed the cons, I would've done anything to save you, even if it made you hate me. You being alive was all I thought about."
Nina shifted in her seat, obviously feeling how much her words enraged me. I wish she wouldn't hide her emotions from me, I wanted so badly to know how she felt right now. "Dammit Nina. I did it for you, for your pack, for all those women who need you. I was the last person I thought about in that moment. Never once did I expect you to come back and just fall into my arms after what I did was done."
She remained silent, her face was completely composed as usual. Nina gave off no indication of her feelings and I wish she would slip for once and give me a peek into what she was feeling. A couple minutes passed before she finally spoke, "This changes nothing between us." Her voice was average, no signs of the previous argument. She was simply stating a fact.
Her calm response irked me. "Seriously, Nina? Do you want to go down that road again?" Did she learn nothing from her behavior last time?
"I'm done fighting this mate bond with you. I didn't say I was rejecting you, nor did I say I was openly accepting you. I know how much Lyra needs you, but I don't. You're here for her, not me."
It will only be a matter of time before she gives into the mate bond herself, Zev said confidently. We will win her over.
I planned on winning her over. I'd get through the walls she put up, break through them one by one. I just needed a good strategy. Her resistance in the mate bond has only turned it into a challenge for me. Lucky for her, I was always up for a good challenge and I never lost.
Game on Nina, I thought.
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Nina's POV
When the conversation with Jaxon was done, I jumped out of the car faster than even I thought was possible. As soon as the fresh air hit my skin I sucked in a lungfull of air. I felt like I was being suffocated in that car. I already felt claustrophobic from how many people were in there, but the emotions rolling off Jaxon made it hard for me to breath.
There was a nice open area around the parking lot, a lush scenery of green. I made my way over to the open field needing some time to think before I had to sit back in the enclosed box on wheels.
I caught myself unconsciously touching Jaxon's mark on neck. Immediately after I realized what I was doing, I dropped my hand from its position. Of all the things that could have saved me...it just had to be being marked? I laughed at the situation I was unfortunately stuck in. The Moon Goddess was surely laughing at my expenses right now.
"You just had to stick me with him, huh? Not someone who would've given up trying to find me after weeks of having no luck, or someone who would've laughed at me being an Alpha thinking it was a joke and leaving when they found out it was no joke at all." I said towards the sky.
I don't want this, I thought to myself in a defeated voice.
Yes you do, Lyra countered me.
I sighed, I really didn't want to fight with her anymore about Jaxon. I watched their entire relationship unfold. The way she looked at him in the hospital right after he marked us, how happy she was when he slept next to her, the hurt she felt when she woke up and he wasn't there, all of it. I felt and saw everything, I chose to sit back and watch for over a week.
Sure, I could've taken over days before I did. Hell, I could've taken back control the day after we left the hospital, but Lyra needed him. She needed to be around our mate, needed to spend time with him and strengthen their relationship. I had to allow her that time or else I'd risk losing her again. The question I needed to ask myself was how am I going to keep her happy and not have their relationship affect our Alpha position.
Mate makes us stronger, if anything he makes us be a better Alpha. My wolf told me.
I had to admit he did bring out the Alpha side in Lyra. That day she addressed our pack I had never witnessed that side of her. I was impressed, and Jaxon helped her do that. He made her confident, made her stronger. But I already possess those traits, I didn't need his help with being confident or strong.
I'll admit he did help you tap into your Alpha side, I said back to her.
Which makes us stronger.
My response to her was a nod of my head. I knew I couldn't stop their relationship, but I somehow needed to make it clear to both of them that I have no part in what goes on between them. I do not need him to make me a better Alpha, I do not need a mate. Lyra can partake in whatever she wants to with him, but would have no part in it.
Boundaries, I need to set some boundaries with him, I decided. There needed to be some ground rules if this love triangle, mate bond whatever the hell that was going on here is going to work. Maybe I could setup some kind of system, Lyra needed to be in physical contact with her mate a few times a day, so maybe hand holding for at least half an hour everyday will work?
Our mate, she growled.
I rolled my eyes at her before I asked her about my plan. Will that work for you? Hand holding for 30 minutes everyday?
She laughed, actually laughed at what I had to say. The more you keep trying to deny your feelings for our mate, the harder you're going to fall for him when you actually come to terms with the bond.
I don't have feelings to deny, I retorted.
Again, my words were met with laughter. Whatever you say Nina, he may not be able to feel your emotions, but I can.
I scoffed at her. Say what you want, but give me an answer on the hand holding thing.
I'd be much more content with him sleeping next to us at night...naked.
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She was crazier than I thought if she believed that was even an option. Not happening.
Not happening anytime soon, but it will. You can't resist the mate bond for much longer. Lyra said.
After her answer I cut off the connection with her. She was going to have to suffice with the goddamn hand holding for her physical contact with Jaxon. I took in one last deep breath of air before I turned around and walked back to the car. I really wish they didn't choose to make this journey by car, I was itching to shift. It's been over two weeks since I've last shifted, even though Lyra had full control over our body, the doctor didn't advise to shifting until we were both 'better', whatever the hell that meant.
Hopefully when we reach Jaxon's territory tomorrow morning, there'd be a few minutes of downtime and I could go on a quick run. I knew I had to shift soon before I started to become irritable. It was a wonder to me that I haven't already.
I reached the car and noticed that everyone was already inside, patiently waiting for me. My gaze looked for an open seat, I was partially hopeful that someone would've saved me the torture of sitting next to Jaxon. Unfortunately for me, they hadn't. I cursed the Moon Goddess silently once more for putting me in this situation, and took my seat next to my mate.
As I took my seat next to him, I could feel the relief he felt when he saw me, and the longing he felt to touch me as well. That was what killed me inside, being able to feel everything he felt towards me. Make it stop, I wanted to scream at him. The lust and love he felt when he looked at me made me want to jump off a really tall building into a vault of battery acid. At least that's how I wanted to feel. What I really wanted to do when I felt his emotions was jump into his fucking arms and never let go.
This is it Nina. You've officially boarded the train to Crazy Town. I thought to myself.
When I was a passenger in my own body watching Lyra and Jaxon around each other; I thought it'd be easy to come back. That I'd be able to distance myself from whatever they had going on. I told myself everyday that I wouldn't get mixed up in it. I'd come back and wouldn't be affected by their emotions. I thought I was strong enough to hold my own, but I was so wrong. What I felt when I watched them and what I feel now were completely different. The emotions I feel from him now are more intense than anything I've ever felt. This damn mark on my neck was harder to ignore than I thought.
Somehow, someway I'm going to make this work. Both Jaxon and Lyra keep telling me I won't be able ignore this mate bond for much longer. That I would give in to the demands and the wants that my so-called 'feelings' and nature had towards a mate. I'm ready to prove to them wrong. I won't give in to these feelings they believe I have