3. Jordan
The entire Pack House sounds like a beehive, as the last preparations for my âbig dayâ are being finalized. I couldnât care less for my birthday or about finding my mate, but my father needs me to step in as the Alpha of the pack. Ever since my mother got sick, he has taken on her role as the Luna of the pack, in addition to all of his Alpha duties. This has caused him to spend many sleepless nights working. I love my life as an unmated male, as I can hook up with whomever I want.
Someone passes near my room, and the scent of caramelized apples wafts through the gap between the door and the floorâthe scent that has been tempting me for months to take a bite from a certain female.
Rain.
My newest plaything.
The previous night came to mind. If she has told me the truth, no male has ever touched her before. I was her first kiss. I bet I can take her virginity by the waterfall too.
âCan you stop being such a douche?â Titan, my wolf, growls in my head. âJust because you kissed Rain against her will, doesnât mean she will spread her legs for you.â
âDonât act like you havenât been lusting over Safia for months now. Honestly, I have no idea what you see in thatââ Titan growls louder, warning me not to say something insulting about Safia. â... she-wolf,â I finished. âShe canât even be mind linked.â
âIt is one thing to lust after Safia, and another thing is to treat her or Rain so disrespectfully. I donât care if Safia canât be mind linked. It adds to her mystery, to her allure. She is the one I want to run with under the Full Moon. To take to the Ritual Stones andââ
Before Titan finishes his thoughts, I kick the blanket to the side and get up. âDonât even think about it!â On my way to the bathroom, I walk past my desk. The sketch Rain made of Titan lies on it. I might have lied to Rain when I told her I tossed it in the trash. She did such a great job, I had to keep it. Not that she has to know. âThe only one we will take to the Ritual Stone is our mate. And I am sure as hell that that person is not Rain. If we are lucky, years will pass until we find the one meant for us. We should enjoy being unmated and unmarked while we can.â
âHow much longer do you plan on staying unmated? We are twenty-two today. It is time for us to find our mate and mark her. Put a pup or two in her belly.â
I enter the bathroom and get into the shower. Mom has invited females from other packs in the hopes that I would find my mate at tonightâs party. Goddess. I hope not.
âI am not ruining the best years of our lives by having a pup. Maybe when we are thirty or forty. Besides, we have plenty of time to think about pups.â
I still want to explore things with Rain. One kiss hadnât been enough. I want moreâmore of her.
âI donât want to wait to start a family!â Titan pouts like a pup.
Titan has been expressing his desire to find our mate for quite some time now. But if she enters our life, I will have to give up on pursuing Rain, and I am not quite ready for that. Not yet, at least. Maybe in a few months, when I get boredâŠ.
âLetâs see where things with Rain take us.â
âDonât try to hurt her, asshole, or else you will regret it,â Titan snarls.
Once I finish showering, I return to my room and take a look at the outfit my mother had selected for me to wear for tonightâa white shirt, black tuxedo, and a bowtie. I sigh. She means well, but there is no way in hell I am going to wear something like that. Maybe on the day of my mating. I take the tuxedo to the walk-in closet and select a random blue polo and black jeans.
âI am not going to hurt Rain. Just⊠prepare her for when she finds her mate. Besides, she is an Omegaâthe perfect match for an Alpha. And you know what all Alphas have, right? A knot that drives Omegas crazy with lust. We havenât been with an Omega before. I bet knotting Rain will feel amazing. Better than with that curvy Beta I fucked last month.â
I havenât been with an Omega until now. I always found their scent⊠too sweet. Sickeningly sweet. But the scent of Rain is so well balanced. The way her lips tasteâlike strawberries and cream. I get hard just thinking about it.
âStop thinking with your stupid dick! You always do that,â Titan complains.
I put on a pair of sneakers, a watch around my wrist and take a look in the mirror. Not bad.
âI donât think with my dick. I brought Rain sandwiches last night, didnât I?â
Titan snorts. âBecause I pointed out how skinny she looks! Donât forget you still have to apologize to her for talking crap about her drawings. Her drawings are amazing, and you know it. And grovel for the way you have treated her in the past.â
I frown. âI am trying to get laid, not married. Besides, we are talking about Rain, the packâsââ
Titan stops me before I finish the sentence. âWhat the hell did I do so wrong to be paired with you? Rain is special. But you know what you will do? You will break her heart. Only then will you realize what you have done, but it will be too late.â Why does Titan have to be so dramatic all the time? âDid you ever stop to think about what I want? Huh?â
Titan is right. I rarely take his feelings into consideration. âWhat do you want me to do?â
âUntil the next Full Moon, treat Rain like she is the most precious gem in the world. Do you think you can do that? Consider it your gift to me for our birthday.â
I sigh. âWhy until then?â
âBecause on the Full Moon it is her birthday.â
Is it? I thought it was in three weeks. âAre you sure?â
âFor someone who is to be the future Alpha of this pack, you sure are stupid.â
âWould you stop insulting me?â
âI am just stating facts. Treat Rain poorly, like you always have, and the day she finds her mate, he will kick your ass.â
I laugh. âI highly doubt it. After all, I am an Alpha. And if itâs someone from this pack, do you think he will look twice in her direction before rejecting her?â
âOnly an idiot will reject his mate,â Titan says before blocking me.
I donât understand why Titan is so passionate about Rain. He never had a problem with me fooling around with females until now. And for me to treat Rain like she is the most special thing in the world for the next ten days is⊠ridiculous.
I get out of my room and notice Rain cleaning the windows at the end of the hallway. Hadnât she done that already yesterday? The light of the July sun makes her hair seem like it is on fire. The freckles covering her face are so damn sexy. She hums something under her breath. I wonder what she is thinking about. I tried to do a mind-link with her a few months ago, but because Safia is mute, it wasnât possible.
Except for Rain and me, no one else is in the hallway. I tiptoe until I am right behind her. She doesnât seem to notice me, as she keeps humming a lullaby while cleaning the fingerprints left by some pups on the windows. A broom closet is to my left. I open the door, pull my right hand around Rainâs mouth and nose, and pull her inside. As soon as I close the door and push her into a corner, she starts fighting me, her eyes unfocused on my face. Her heart starts to beat like crazy.
âItâs only me,â I say to her in a low, calm voice. She keeps hitting my arm while she tries to kick me in the nuts. Did I scare her that badly? âRain, stop!â I order her with my Alpha voice. She obeys me. I remove my hand from her mouth. âI didnât mean to scare you.â
Rain opens her mouth a few times, taking big gulps of air. âA-are y-youâŠ.â She stutters a bit before licking her lips nervously. I canât wait to feel that tongue against my lips. âAre you going to⊠hurt me?â
I narrow my eyes. What does she mean by that? âI know I treated you like shit in the past, but I am trying to change.â
âOh,â she breathes while eyeing the door. âMay I go now?â I grab her chin between my fingers and run my thumb over her lips. âPlease?â
Rain sounds so fucking scared, it makes me wonder. âHas someone done something to you? Forced you in any way?â
She is quiet for a moment. âYou mean like you forcefully kissed me last night?â
I glare at her. She enjoyed it. âYou kissed me back,â I remind her. âAnd answer my question.â
Looking to the side, she says, âNo, no one has done anything to me.â
Why do I have the impression she is lying to my face? âThen why were you scared when I pulled you inside here?â I want to know.
Her eyes return to me. âMonsters lurk in the shadows.â
âWhat is that supposed to mean?â
She shrugs. âMay I go now? The party starts in a few hours, and there is still so much to do.â
I keep running my thumb over her lips. âNot before you kiss me. After all, it is my birthday.â
Rain pulled her head back, away from my touch. It annoys me that she is trying to run away from me. âI donât want⊠to kiss you.â
I put an arm around her, with my palm on her back, and pull her up to me. She is petite, my height towering over hers. âLiar,â I say as I dip my head and steal another kiss.
She tenses for a moment before returning the kiss. I lick her lips before pushing my tongue into her mouth. A rumble starts in my chest. She tastes even better than last night. Shyly, she lifts her hands and puts her palms on my shoulders. Her fingers brush against my neck, and my heart skips a beat. Now Iâm thinking that treating her like she is the rarest gem in the world will not be a difficult task.
âLetâs find a quieter place, away from the pack,â I suggest when I break the kiss.
Rain blinks a few times. âI have to return to my tasks, or else I will get in trouble.â
Anger flashes inside me. Why is she being so difficult? Other females would love a chance to be with me. But not Rain. âAs long as you are with me, no one will dare to do you any harm.â
Rain doesnât look convinced. âBut the party.â
âThere are plenty of females in the pack capable of finishing the last touches. Besides, you deserve a break.â
Rainâs hands slide to my chest, and she pushes me back. âIs this some sort of test? Or a cruel joke? Because let me tell you, it is not funny.â
âThe only thing being tested right now is my patience. I want you to come with me, and thatâs the end of the discussion.â
Her shoulders drop. âFine,â she says weakly.
A thought comes to my mind. âActually, it wouldnât be wise to be seen leaving the Pack House at the same time. Meet me at the waterfall as soon as you can.â
Rain nods, and I step out of the broom closet. Excitement runs through my veins as I go to the staircase and climb down the stairs, two at a time. Should I go to the kitchen and ask Ms. Marian to put some snacks and drinks in a bag for me? I bet Rain hasnâtt had breakfast.
The bottom floor is packed with werewolves, including my father. Not wanting my plans of spending a few hours alone with Rain to be ruined, I run outside before anyone can stop me. I keep running and donât stop until I reach the waterfall. Elly usually comes here during the day, but fortunately, she is not here right now. I sit on a rock and wait for Rain to show up.
The mind link I have with Kevin, my future Beta, opens. Mind links are special and are mostly established by Alphas and members of his pack. For now, I have only formed a mind link with Kevin and with Victorâthe future leader of the warriors. For a while, I considered asking Dan to take that role when the time came. However, he would rather take care of his sister than put more effort into his training. No wonder Elly is so scared, even of her own shadow. Dan is spoiling her too much.
âDude, where are you?â Kevin asks.
âHaving some alone time. Why?â
âRuth has prepared some special breakfast for you and keeps pestering me to mind link you, to see where the fuck you ran off to. She is very⊠excited to bring it to you.â
The last person I want to see right now is Ruth. I banged her once, and now she thinks she has a chance to be my Luna. I would rather make Rain my Luna than Ruth. At least Rain is not as obnoxious as her cousin.
âRuth can cook?â I ask.
âIt doesnât look edible, if you ask me.â Kevin is quiet for a moment before saying, âShe told me to tell you she has a very special gift for you.â
I bet I know what her special gift is. âTell her she sucks at blowjobs.â
Kevin laughs. âYou are not one to pass up the opportunity for a blowjob. I bet you already found a new kitten to play with.â
I chuckle. âYou know me. Think you can bring some refreshments to the waterfall? I want to woo my new girl.â
âWho?â he wants to know.
Kevin has been my best friend since we were still in diapers. We never hide things from each other.
âRain,â I let him know.
Kevin is quiet for about half a minute before says, âYou are the biggest narcissist I have ever met.â
I donât get to say anything back as he slams the mind link shut.
What the fuck is his problem?