Chapter Four

“I'm starting to think teaching you how to fight was a bad idea.” Jett complained as he got to his feet and bared his teeth at her. The instinctive nature of the wolf trying to take over his common sense. “Cassidy… you're… going through a heat I think.” He said gruffly through clenched teeth. He didn't dare move right now, not sure he could actually trust his body if he did.

“Gee, ya think?” Cassi snapped back at Jett, her honey eyes blazing with anger. Her body was flushed and she was trembling from the fever. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but Jett thinking she was in heat made more sense than she being sick. Her anger faltered and she stood down from being ready to defend herself but that lasted all of three seconds when it seemed like her guardian thought that was some kind of invitation. When he growled and he stepped forward towards her in aggression, Cassidy growled right back and resumed her defensive stance.

“You touch me and I will rip your arm off Jett. I swear to the gods I will.” She snarled and bared her teeth at him in warning. When Jett continued forward with a steady pace, the fine hair on her body stood on end. Jett had taught her how to fight and he taught her like a warrior to take down wolves of all skill levels. She had been good enough to take Jett down several times as well, even her grandfather.

Cassidy had never had to face any kind of real danger however and right now, everything in her body was on edge screaming this situation was dangerous. She was burning up, her muscles hurt and she was emotionally unstable. This was nothing like the heat Jett had warned her about when she was younger. She wasn't crazy with wanting to have sex and the burning fever wasn't unbearable. If anything she felt annoyed and angry.

Jett had been calming down after she hit him and he thought he had decent control of his instinctive urges until she backed down from her aggressive posture. Cassidy was his alpha, and as her beta, Jett typically was subordinate to her but with the scent of the heat all the aggression he was feeling over the last several hours was overflowing.

When she relaxed Jett took it as an invitation and he began to stalk towards her. All sanity left his mind and all he could sense was the addictive taste in the air. Cassidy wasn't moving from her spot and excitement shot through him that the she-wolf was going to accept him without anymore fighting but as he reached for her, Cassi lunged at him with a growl.

Of all things, he was not expecting Cassidy to attack him. She was generally mild tempered and never had shown a bit of aggression to anyone in her entire life so when she launched herself towards him she got the upper hand for the first few moments, throwing him back several feet into the nightstand and the lamp.

Jett's strong arms came around Cassidy right at the same time she used her weight to swing her arm and ram her elbow up into his stomach, knocking the breath out of him with a loud grunt for a second before she turned her body into him and the little she-wolf brought a knee up sharply into the erection he had been sporting. He froze and cringed downward with a howl of pain before he was shoved to the floor.

Jett curled up in the fetal position, grabbing his cock and balls with his hands where Cassidy’s knee had connected with him, protecting them as the woman stood over him and growled angrily.

“You will never… do this again to me Jett… And you will sleep out in the truck until this is over. Am I clear?” Cassidy had said to him in a tone unlike anything she had ever used before. Her voice and her posture radiated power and dominance as she stood over top of Jett with her lips drawn back baring her teeth at him. When he didn't answer fast enough, she lifted him by his shirt to come face to face with her.

“Am. I. Clear?” she repeated through clenched teeth. The dominance in her voice made him whine and he turned his head to look away from her in a show of complete submission.

“Yes alpha.” Jett whispered. His mouth dry from fear and shame of being scolded by Cassidy, but her dominance along with the pain in his gut and between his legs had cleared the lust from his mind. He was disgusted with himself and all he wanted to do was tuck tail and run out of that room as fast as he possibly could. Jett did not dare move until Cassi released his shirt and even then he laid still, head turned and his neck exposed while she moved away from him.

When the courage to move finally came to him Jett rose from the floor, keeping his eyes downcast while he quickly got to his feet and grabbed his bag and the keys to the truck. He needed to get out of there before instincts kicked in again and got him into more trouble. Limping his way to the door, Jett stopped and paused for a moment, glancing back at the young Alpha at the opposite end of the room.

“I'm sorry. Please… don't hold this against me.” He said quietly before he left, letting the door lock behind him.

Cassidy had stood strong after she attacked Jett even though she was trembling on the inside with adrenaline. She had given him fair warning to stay away from her and with the look in his eyes and aggressive behavior, she suddenly didn't trust the one wolf in the entire world she had trusted with her life. She held her breath as her guardian asked her to not hold any of this against him. Of course she wouldn't.

This heat… wasn't his fault. Nor hers. She couldn't blame him for the way he acted when she knew it was just how wolves reacted to each other in these kinds of situations. As soon as the door latch clicked and locked, Cassidy’s shoulders fell and she let out a shakey breath, reaching out and holding onto the dresser to keep herself upright. She had never been put in the position where her dominant nature of an alpha had come out or had she ever been put into the situation of dealing with a lust-crazed wolf. Neither one of those things was something she wanted to deal with again any time soon.

Going to the door, she slid the dead bolt into place before coming back to bed. With the adrenaline rushing through her body, she had hardly been aware of the tension and heat but now that the adrenaline was subsiding, all the uncomfortable sensations were returning.”Fuck..” Cassidy cursed softly and went between the beds to pick the lamp up, setting it back how it belonged on the nightstand and slipped back into her bed with an unhappy groan. “Please Moon Goddess. Let this be over with soon.” She whispered in a prayer.

Tomorrow, she hoped, this would be over and she and Jett could get back to normal and they could get back on the road. She didn't want to think about how he had acted and she especially did not want to think about the power she had just expressed or the complete control it had on Jett. She didn't want that kind of power and she especially didn't want to have to use it on people she considered friends. That kind of power is what made people afraid. Cassidy chewed her lower lip in concern with the thought Jett might change after being knocked down a notch or two. The last thing she wanted was for anything to change between them.

It took a good full thirty six hours before the heat was over for Cassidy. She remained locked up in the hotel room, miserable and uncomfortable even with the ac on full blast and several long cold showers. She had gone through a whirlwind of emotions after she had asserted her dominance over Jett. First was regret for fighting with him. She didn't see him as a beta or subordinate. She never had really. Jett was like her older brother and after her own family had been killed that was the kind of relationship they had fallen into with one another. She was sure the time would come where their relationship would change in one way or another.

Maybe… she would go off on her own and live with the humans in the cities. Or he would find a mate and then join her pack leaving her to either follow and join or go her own way. Cassidy wasn't ready for their relationship to change, at least not like this.

The regret she felt was short lived and it was quickly followed by anger. She wasn't angry at Jett. She couldn't be. She understood their natures and she wasn't going to fault a wolf for following his instinct. Oh no, she had been angry at herself. Anger wasn't even the word for the way she felt. She had seen everyone she had loved who was in power be killed and Cassidy had made up her mind long long ago that she was never going to be in power. Having that kind of power and hold over others was dangerous and that kind of power in the wrong hands?

Thats how the great wars were started. Like with the rogues. So the fact that she had to resort to using aggression on Jett and seeing him act like he did in submission to her just ticked her off. Cassidy did not realize however, that it wasn't just the aggression. It was her Alpha heritage shining through and her true self. A small glimpse of what she could be under the right conditions.

She napped off and on and three times a day there had been a light knock to her door and food left outside of it as well as little trinkets and gifts of apology from Jett. A flower, a shell. Even a neatly folded incredibly soft hoodie from the truck stop across the street. She took them all but kept him locked out.

When the ache and tension in her muscles relaxed and the fever cooled, Cassidy knew it was finally over. By the time lunch was rolling around, she was showered and dressed in black jeans, tan boots and a Grey printed t-shirt. She was waiting for Jett out side of the room, leaned up against the open door with her arms crossed and a passive expression on her face as she was lost deep in thought. When the elevator opened with a chiming ding, Cassidy looked up at her guardian when he stepped out holding a bag of takeout and came to a direct stop when he seen she was outside of the room.

“Its alright Jett. Its over now. You can come back in.” She said softly before heading into the room.

Jett quickly jogged down the hallway to the room and came inside almost cautiously, afraid to breath in too deeply but as Cassi had said, the heat was over. He set the food down at the little table before he turned to face her. Awkward silence filled the air between then for several seconds, both wolves looking at each other warily for a moment. Cassidy was the first to move, she rushing forward and wrapping her arms around Jett in a bear hug with a little sniffle.

“I'm sorry.” They both said at the same time, Cassidy lifting her head and grinning up at Jett. “Good. Because I don't think you would have been too helpful if I had to rip one of your arms off.” She said with a little relieved laugh. Stepping around Jett, she went over to the little table and sat down in the chair, digging into the bag of Italian take out.

Jett’s shoulders had sagged in relief when they both admitted to being sorry for what they had done. In the back of his mind, he had been afraid that she wasn't going to forgive him for his part in what happened. “So…” he started as he sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his hair. “I made a few calls yesterday.” He started and sighed, resting his elbows on his knees while leveling a serious look at Cassidy.

“What happened-” he paused when the young she-wolf flashed her honey brown eyes at him before going back to eating her spaghetti. “What happened to you wasn't supposed to happen. I've never heard of a she-wolf going into heat when her wolf hasn't emerged yet. I know you have one in you whether you want to believe it or not. I know a few healers back in Maine and I called them up to see if we could brainstorm and they had an answer at least. They said it is extremely rare, that a female as old as you not having your wolf yet you should not ever go into a heat. What they said was you went into a false-heat.

A much lighter version of what other she-wolves go through. You get a milder scent and a milder physical reaction. They told me you may never get another one, or in six months you will go into another false heat like all other females.” He said and sat still on the bed, letting Cassidy process the information he had gathered for her.

It didn't take her long to process the information. She paused, mid bite of the cheesy toast she was stuffing into her mouth and looked over at Jett. Her brows came together in a worried frown for a second and she bit off her bite of food, chewing it quickly. “So… What you are saying is… since I don't have a wolf I lucked out?” she asked and at his nod, she made an unladylike snort.

“Figures. The Moon Goddess forgets to give me a wolf, but curses me with the heats anyways.” She said and shook her head. “At least we know now and can be better prepared for it. I wasn't feeling very good for a day or so before it happened so now I will know what to look for. Can we leave today?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah. The truck is all packed. Eat your lunch and then we can be on the road again. It wont be long before we are in the mountains.” Jett said with a grin on his face. He loved the mountains and he knew she did too and he personally couldn't wait to get out on a run and smell the mountain air again.

“Come on. Eat up. Dont let it go cold. I will get everything in here put in the truck.” He said as he got up and went to gathering the bags and load them up.