ALPHA(49)

“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, and turned 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 with 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, and had prepared 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, and rested 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, and moaned as he started to slowly move inside me.