The Mate He Couldn’t Control (complete)

Chapter 28

“Alison, you need to feed,” My aunt pleaded, holding a blood bag out in front of me. “Elgar says you should be feeding at least once a day. You transitioned on Tuesday. It’s Sunday. Stop saying you’re fine.”

“I don’t know how to prove to you that I am not hungry.” If I was hungry, I would say so. Not a single craving has come up yet, other than for normal food. “He said that with the right amount of blood in my system my body will function normally. It is, so obviously, I’m doing something right.”

“She’s been cuddled up to my neck every night. I don’t think she’s lying,” Jaylon reassured from beside her.

“Because you are her mate. She refuses to leave your room so we don’t know how she will be with the pack.”

“I had no problem on Wednesday. I was perfectly fine Thursday when everyone thought I wanted to kill them. And Friday I did the same thing. I don’t want the pack members to be uncomfortable, so I’m staying up here.”

“I doubt that you noticed they were there on Friday,” Martha raised her eyebrow at me.

“I’m going to put these up somewhere safe,” Jaylon mumbled, grabbing the blood bags and walking down the hall.

“Now you’ve done it,” I glared over at her. Jaylon has avoided the subject as much as possible and she just has to bring it up. She began knocking in my head through our link until I opened it. “What?” Her fingernail quickly slid across her palm, making the blood splatter on me. I froze in shock before growling in frustration. “Why did you do that? Jaylon got me this dress!”

She stood confused while I calmly stood, grabbed her hand, and wiped the blood with a tissue as the wound healed. “It isn’t bothering you?”

“I have said that. You ruined my dress, got blood on Jaylon’s sofa, and hurt yourself for no reason. I wish you didn’t need to hear my thoughts to understand that I am not lying.”

“I’m sorry to irritate you, but I need to make sure you can control yourself around the pack.”

“If I was on the verge of snapping, don't you think I would have fed from Bridget the moment I saw her dancing with my mate? The only thing I’m craving right now is spaghetti bolognese from The Smith.” I rushed to the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.

I immediately took the dress off, frantically trying to remove the blood in the sink as Jaylon came in behind me. “Calm down. Calm down. It’s okay,” he eased, gently grabbing my arms and holding them to my stomach.

“It’s not okay. You got me this dress,” I began to tear up as he met my eyes through the mirror.

“It’s just a dress. I can buy you more.”

“That doesn’t make me care any less about this one,” I whined, making him turn me around.

“Look at me,” Jaylon demanded, grabbing my jaw after I tried to look in the opposite direction. “We both know this dress isn’t why you're upset.”

I fought as I looked into his eyes before bursting into tears. “I know I shouldn’t have said that but she refused to believe me. She’s going to hate me for it.”

“Your aunt loves you. She knows you would never hurt Bridget.”

“No, she doesn’t. I don’t even know if I will hurt Bridget.”

“We all know how much you love her, even when she reaches your limit. You’d hurt yourself before you hurt her.”

“You don’t know the things that come into my mind when I see her with you.”

“I do. I see them when other guys are with you. I’m sorry that I upset you, but she was standing alone. In your right mind, you would have been more upset if you saw that.”

“I’m sorry-” I started but he cut me off by shaking his head.

“Don’t worry about it. Now let's get the blood off of you.” I watched as he gently wiped the blood off my face and hair with a wet cloth. “Do you want to go out tonight? I hear you are craving pasta.”

“Did my aunt ask you to work your magic on me?”

“No. So much has happened over the week. We haven’t had time to celebrate.”

“We have been celebrating multiple times a day,” I smirked up at him.

“Not that kind of celebration.” He’s adorable when he’s trying to hide his smile.

-

Jaylon has a way of making me feel as if I were the only person in the world that mattered. The whole night he was extra gentle and loving. In the back of my mind, I think of how much it will hurt when it stops. I feel a difference in our relationship this time, but my doubts still linger.

The pack greeted me with warm hugs once we arrived at night service. I get why they would have their precautions but it still hurts. It was my first time seeing everyone, besides Jaylon, my aunt, and Dalton since the ball. Even with everyone swarming around, I noticed Nick’s absence. It didn’t take a genius to guess why. Worrying about it wouldn’t do me any good. Nick isn’t himself when he wants to be alone. I’d probably just get my feelings hurt.

Our relationship isn’t the only thing that feels different. I have become alarmingly possessive. Our walk through the packhouse the next morning was worse. I caught myself glaring at every girl we passed.

We stopped right before we reached his car. “I can’t find my keys,” Bridget smirked.

“Then go find them,” Jaylon replied coldly.

“But then we will be late,” Loren whined, walking toward us.

“That’s not my problem. Find someone else. Besides, there's no room,” he lied.

“There’s plenty of room!” Bridget argued.

“I don’t have time for this.”

“Then let us ride with you and stop arguing,” Loren continued.

“Fine! But you find your own ride home.” He opened the door for me, making Loren roll her eyes and climb in the back with Bridget.

“Don’t get used to it, he never lasts long without me,” Loren smirked in the back.

“Aren’t you supposed to stay out of the way?” I’m hanging on to a thread. Jaylon got in beside me as Loren argued. He smiled down at me and grabbed my hand as he pulled out.

“So I heard you gave it up last night,” Loren continued. “Figured it wouldn’t take long.”

“If she did we would be mated,” Jaylon lied.

“YOU SAID YOU WEREN’T GOING TO MATE WITH HER!” Loren screamed as Bridget shot up in agreement.

“It is way too early for all of that,” I complained, turning my attention out the window.

“I never said that.”

“Yes you did, I was there,” Bridget interrupted.

“Exactly!” Loren yelled out. “You can’t even be honest with yourself around her!”

“I meant that night.”

Loren continued for the remainder of the ride with Bridget for backup. I managed to zone them out somewhere along the way, focusing on the trees racing by. I don’t have enough energy to entertain their drama at the moment.

-

“Are you going to read our whole break?” Jacob complained in front of me.

“I guess not,” I sighed, rolling my eyes and putting the book in my bag. I returned to suffocating Jaylon’s arm with both of mine and scanned my eyes through the group.

“What was it about?” Julia asked.

“Alchemy.”

“What is that?” Penelope cut in.

“It’s chemistry, but it's so advanced that it's considered magic.”

“Don’t give the headmaster any ideas,” Nick replied, sitting beside Ethan. This is the first time I have seen him.

“I won’t.”

Jaylon readjusted uncomfortably in his presence. “So, who was your mysterious dance partner, Alison?” Nick smirked. The conversations around us were silenced as I shot him a disapproving look. Seriously? NOW?

“Noah. I don’t know him, but he’s one of the top students at the academy.”

“Ah. It seemed like there was some chemistry there, I didn’t know if you two had a secret thing going on. . .” he trailed off. What is wrong with him? He looked dark and ready to argue. He is trying to strike a nerve at not only Jaylon but also me. “You know, I am curious. . . what if since you are a tribrid, you know three different things, what if you have three different mates?” At that, Jaylon jumped over the table and pinned Nick to the ground. They were fighting as hard as they could. I could see their skin radiating as they were both about to wolf out. I shot up from my seat, throwing them in opposite directions with my hands.

“I don’t know why he’s mad, he didn’t even want you until he realized other men did!” Nick argued. Dalton and Seth held Jaylon back as Ethan and Jacob held Nick. They growled at each other as Penelope and Julia nudged me to do something.

“That is enough!” I demanded, which they ignored. “Now!” I added and it echoed around the cafeteria, causing the ground below us to shake and the lights to flicker. Both their heads snapped in my direction and they gave up after sharing one last glare.

“You two! My office. Now.” Father Blackwell demanded and they both shook off our friends and followed.

I turned to the cafeteria filled with curious faces. “Ali-” Julia started but I didn’t want to hear it. Good or bad, I didn’t. I grabbed our things, walked out, and stayed in the library for the rest of the break. Jheremy, Sarah, and Autumn were here, but they knew I wanted to be left alone.

-

The last bell rang and it was time to leave. I grabbed our things and headed to Father Blackwell's office. I got there just in time because Jaylon was walking out with his shirt and hair messed up. He looked irritated but gave me a fake smile. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” I replied cautiously. I left Nick’s bag by the door and walked with Jaylon to the door. He didn’t say anything, so neither did I. The car ride was silent and I was left to my thoughts.

When Jaylon parked the car, I grabbed his hand and blinked us to his room. His eyes widened in shock but he just sighed and walked off. I know he didn’t like magic, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood for all of the public interactions going on downstairs.

I dropped to his bed with a sigh, letting myself enjoy the quiet. I could have fallen asleep had it not been for the sound of Jaylon's footprints coming my way. I sat up on my elbows to see him throwing down his shirt and walking toward me. He crawled over to me, slightly lifted my shirt, and laid his head on my stomach. I dropped my head back down and played with his hair. He has to lay his head on my stomach, directly. He won’t lay his head on top of my shirt, only my skin.

“Is it possible?”

“Is what possible?”

“Is it possible that you could have a second mate?”

“I’m not sure. I did feel something, but it wasn’t our sparks. I think he’d act differently if we were.”

He shot up and looked down at me. “What did you feel?”

“Vibrations.”

“What are you going to do if it’s true?”

“That’s the one thing I haven’t thought about. I guess I would reject him, or any other mate that comes.”

“You would do that? For me? But everything I put you through, you wouldn’t even consider them?”

“I’m sure I’d like to know who they are, but Jaylon, I have known you my whole life. I know somewhere deep within you have got to love me the slightest bit. That is something I will risk waiting for,” I admitted and at the same time, opened my mind, momentarily letting him in. Tears came to his eyes, but he held them back and gently grabbed my lips with his. My eyes fell shut as he pulled me into a trance. The world seemed to slow around us before I was ripped back to reality when he pulled away.

“I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“Nick was dismissed from training today, talk to him before I get back.”

“Why do you have training today?”

“I don’t make the schedule.”

“But how am I supposed to know if you make any stops on the way there or back?” I questioned as my features darkened with jealousy.

“Trust me, I’m counting down the minutes until I come back to you. Will you please talk to Nick?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, he used to be one of my closest friends, I owe him that much. He cares for you, Alison. You are the only one that can help him let go. He needs to let go.”

“I will talk to him.” He gave me a quick kiss and met my eyes. I know he would never tell me, but his eyes say it all. He does love me, in one way or the other.