Alpha (Wolves Creek Book 1)(27)

Jackson had been so busy sorting things out within the community, trying  to reassure the terrified people, that I'd barely had five minutes to  speak to him. For the first time in days, we finally had some quality  time to spend together, but something had been playing on his mind and I  couldn't bear to see how much it was eating him up. Tyler.

"How did I not see it?" He used his foot to gently push us back and  forth in the porch swing, squeezing me tighter while kissing me on the  forehead.

"None of us knew, Jackson. How could you? He acted as your best friend  and followed every single order you gave him. No-one would have ever  suspected a thing."

"That's not the point. It's my job as Alpha to protect this pack. I  trust those men with my life. I should have known something was up. What  kind of Alpha lets a traitor loose in their pack to do whatever the  hell they want? He managed to get them access to our town, set fire to  my brother's fucking house almost killing you, and pretended to rescue  you from those guys when he was in on it all along! I wish I'd killed  the little shit slower."

"Jackson," I said softly, holding his face with both of my hands forcing  him to look in to my eyes. "Please, don't lower yourself to his level.  Killing is never for pleasure. Tyler fooled us all."

He leaned towards me and I instinctively reached up to meet his lips as he kissed me with a desperation I'd never felt before.

"I need you," he whispered against my mouth, his hot breath mingling with mine as I tried to steady myself.

"Not here," I giggled and he groaned as he pulled away. He sat back up,  pulling me more securely on his lap, just holding me in a comfortable  silence. I loved the time I spent with Jackson, whether it was out on  dates or in his bed. It was these moments I craved the most though. With  Jackson, we could just sit in silence and it wouldn't matter. We  allowed each other moments of silence to process our own thoughts, but  we were there if the other ever needed to talk about anything. I craved  those instances because they made me feel even closer to him. It scared  me how much I was starting to depend on him and I knew that my life  without him would be a much bleaker place.

"I need you tonight. I need to feel you next to me. I need to feel that you're alive and you're with me."                       
       
           



       

I smiled at the urgency in his voice and for the first time in days, I  felt weightless and safe. Like nothing could ever hurt me because I was  in Jackson's arms.

"Wheeey!" Jackson and I were suddenly pulled apart by Blake, who sat in  between us both, throwing his arms over our shoulders and squeezing us  in to his body like we were kids.

"So, what's the conversation?"

"Fucks sake man, we were trying to have some privacy." Jackson sounded  annoyed, but his lips turned up slightly in amusement at his brother's  antics.

"No such thing as privacy when I'm around, guys."

"Good job we are sitting on the porch and not up on the roof, huh  Blake?" I asked, winking at him. He looked at me, confused by my words  before his eyes widened and he turned an accusatory stare on Jackson.

"You told her!"

"Told her what?" Jackson asked, innocently.

"You told her about my fear of heights! Did you tell her the tree  story?" He ended on a whisper, as if praying I wouldn't hear him.

"I think it's sweet!" I laughed, when Blake turned his accusing stare on me.

"Sweet?! Please don't call me sweet. And can you please not tell anyone  that story? Girls around here actually think I'm hot, and I'd like to  keep it that way."

"Well, at least if any of them want to get away from you, we can tell  them to just climb the trees in the forest. They'd definitely be safe  from you." Jackson said and we laughed as Blake huffed like a toddler  having a tantrum.

"Thanks man," Blake grumped. "I'm gonna be extra annoying, just to get you back for that."

Blake going out of his way to be irritating? Yep, everything was definitely back to normal.



****

It was late at night and I was currently sprawled naked on top of  Jackson, after the most delicious lovemaking session which had knocked  the wind right out of me. I was still trying to catch my breath, while  Jackson lay underneath me, not even breathing any harder than normal  with a smug smile on his face. Damn that shifter stamina. I wished I was  a shifter just so I could keep up with him, although if I didn't need  to sleep then we'd probably just end up going at it all night. Although,  that didn't sound like such a terrible idea. I was covered in sweat  from his body heat and needed a shower but I couldn't even bring myself  to move, I was just too comfortable.

"I love you," Jackson whispered, and my heart felt full enough to burst.

"I love you, too."

"Mate me," he said. I stiffened on top of him, turning to look at his  face. His eyes were fixed on mine and the love shining in them made my  heart pound in my chest. How could I have ever thought I was in love  with Craig? The love I thought I had for him paled in comparison to what  I felt for Jackson. The love I had for Jackson was that all-consuming  love which terrified me at the same time as making me deliriously happy.  It was nothing that could ever be put in to words and I was incredibly  grateful to have found something like it in my lifetime.

"Seriously?" I asked, not wanting to believe it but praying he was  asking what I thought he was. I'd already heard from Jasmine what  happened during a mating, preparing myself for the moment if Jackson  should ever ask. In a mating, the male would bite the female which  released a chemical in to the bloodstream and tied the two together in a  way that was impossible to describe. I laughed as I compared it to the  way a vampire would act and asked Jasmine if they were related to the  vampires. She just laughed and it wasn't until later that I realised she  hadn't actually denied the existence of them. Christ, I could barely  wrap my head around the world of shifters and finding out that witches  existed had just about blown my mind. If I found out that vampires  existed I think my understanding of the world would change so completely  I wouldn't know what to do with myself. This whole new world of  shifters and magic was totally overwhelming, but I wouldn't want to be  anywhere else. I'd always craved excitement and adventure and fate had  delivered it to me in spades.

He smiled. "Seriously. I know it's not the traditional human wedding,  but the sentiment is the same. I want to be with you forever, and  hopefully have a family. Recent events have shown me how short life can  be. If you become my mate, hopefully we can enjoy a long and happy life  together."

"Well, I mean … how does it work? Will everyone know that we're mates?"

He rolled over until he was above me and I shivered with anticipation as  I felt him harden against my thigh. He caged me in his arms, resting  his forehead against mine.                       
       
           



       

"Everyone will know we are mates. The whole thing is done in private,  but if you like we can have a party for the whole town to celebrate, so  it will be like a wedding."

"Can we get rings? I kind of want to show the whole world that you're mine, even if they already know."

"Hmmm, possessive aren't you?" He smiled and kissed me. I gasped when I  felt him enter me, moaning as he started to slowly move inside me.

"Yes," I whispered. He stopped moving, causing me to pull him towards me  so he would continue. I wanted him forever and all that came with it.

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'll mate you. If you don't move in a minute I swear to god … " He  laughed and picked up the pace, both of us moaning as the intensity  built. I felt him placing soft kisses on my neck and I tried not to  tense as I prepared for his bite.

"Relax," he murmured against my neck. "I would never do anything to hurt you."

I smiled because I knew that to be true, but I still worried about the  pain that could be caused from a bite. I mean, I'd had love bites before  but his saliva needed to touch my bloodstream, so I knew it was going  to be a deep bite. I'd never really been in to any kinky pain stuff, and  even though the delicious things Jackson was doing to me were acting as  a great distraction, I still found myself panicking at the unexpected. I  needn't have worried though, because as soon as I felt his teeth bite  in to my shoulder, my climax hit and I screamed out in pleasure whilst  stars clouded my vision. It was like his bite had a caused a chain  reaction within me and as he started pounding in to me harder, he caused  three more orgasms from me in quick succession. I had never felt  anything like it, and I honestly wondered if an orgasm could kill you.  The feel of his teeth in my neck and his body in mine was the most  intense feeling I had ever experienced and I pulled him in to me as if  trying to get him even physically closer. Even though we were joined and  his teeth were even inside my neck, it still wasn't close enough. By  the time Jackson found his release, I was completely spent and could  barely hear over the sound of my own breathing and Jackson's groans as  he came inside of me. I focused on his harsh breaths in my ear as I  tried to regain composure, too tired to even be embarrassed by the  sounds I had just made and the fact the whole town had probably heard  the amazing sex I'd just experienced. If I'd known it was going to be  like that, I would have asked him to mate me a long time ago. Jackson  kissed me sweetly and rolled to the side of me, pulling me in to his  arms and burrowing his face in to my neck. I lifted my shaking hand up  to my neck, to find the bite had healed itself already and although  tender to the touch and probably bruised, I could feel no bite marks or  any evidence of what had just happened. If my body wasn't so sore I'd  have thought I'd imagined the whole thing. Although, I don't think even  my mind could have conjured up something so amazing.