Jackson's Vengeance

Chapter 15

Jackson’s POV

This day is turning out to be nothing like I planned. We are supposed to leave for our mission first thing in the morning. I have two missing scouts; a wolf I am not sure I can trust to join our mission and the intense urge to march right back into Tori’s room and complete the marking ritual. The kiss we shared is still lingering on my lips. I can still feel her body pressed against mine and I can smell her hair that reminds me of waterfalls in summer.

Bruce is waiting for me at the war-room, I walk there quickly and find him in conversation with Lucian, I will deal with him later but for now, I need to handle the pressing issue which is the missing scouts.

“Did you find them?” I ask.

“Yes, but you not going to like my answer,” Bruce says.

“Tell me!” I say through clenched teeth.

“In their room. Angelo says he isn’t going out the gate to put his life at risk anymore.”

“Fine, replace him with someone else and tell Angelo and Gail I want to see them with the council,” I say thinking a council decision would be the best way out.

I turn to Lucian and say,

“Keep away from Tori!”

“Alpha, I …I can’t do that.” He says plain and simple.”

“You dare disobey your Alpha?” I say looking at him like I want to rip his head off and I can assure you I want to. I want to rip his head off and put it up so every male here knows what I will do if anyone comes near Tori.

“Alpha, I can’t do that because she is the Alpha female of my old pack. I am here because of her, to protect her.” Lucian says calmly.

“I already can tell that she is marked by you, you have nothing to worry about Alpha, I am here to pledge my life to both of you. I would die for my Alpha’s.” Lucian says and bows down.

I take a step back and feel like an asshole, I let my jealousy get the better of me. I tell him to stand up and because I now know that Lucian is the best person to protect Tori, I say,

“Keep her safe.”

Lucian leaves and Bruce eyes me with a smug grin on his face.

“Get out of my face!”

“Well, it seems that someone has decided he wants his mate and hasn’t told his Beta,” Bruce says laughing as he follows me. I am walking to the courtyard to make a statement.

“I know a lot of emotions Bruce, but today I found out what jealousy feels like, I don’t like it.”

“So, what are you waiting for?”

“We have important matters to deal with,” I say annoyed by this delay.

As we reach the courtyard, I howl so all the first in command show up, by now the vampires also know this howl as well as the humans. Every first in command show up and bows. I look at Tori and something inside of me stirs. I think about the first time she bowed down to me and how freaked out it made me. She had no idea that she was indirectly accepting my marking and it scared me so much. We have only one step away from us being official mates and right now I brush that thought aside and focus on the issue at hand.

“It has come to my attention that some wolves are not following orders and I want every resident of this safehouse out here right now, hustle your areas of command. I am waiting.” I stand by and watch as they move out to get their people. Bruce stands at my right-hand side and I just look ahead waiting as the crowd emerges. Slowly they all gather, and I get ready to make the statement that I should have made a long time ago. As usual Angelo and Gail stroll in last and that pushes all my buttons, I look to Bruce and he looks shocked.

“Alpha!” He says but I turn away and say,

“This safehouse can only be safe and continue to run if everyone in here does what they are tasked to do! It has come to my attention that some of you don’t see the need to partake in the tasks assigned to you and well, that will not do!” as I say these words I can hear the way it rumbles out of me, my voice deeper than usual and something feels different but I have committed to this and so I continue.

“Where were the two of you?” I turn to Angelo and Gail.

“Oh please, why are you suddenly exercising your so-called Alpha rights?” Angelo says casually like it means nothing to him.

I move to him faster than lightning and look directly into his eyes. He takes a step back in shock and I wonder what is wrong with him. Then I move forward, and he moves back again like he is afraid of me.

“I gave you a task, why didn’t you complete it?” I ask stepping forward.

“Answer me!” I shout and let out a roar. Not like before, this one is louder, harder, and vibrates through the ground, shattering the windows close by.

“It won’t happen again Alpha,” Gail says and holds Angelo in shock.

“Angelo?” I say his name slowly, so he knows that this is his moment to make a decision.”

“It won’t happen again Alpha,” Angelo says and bows down.

Every wolf, vampire, and human follows and I say,

“We are a pack, every wolf, every human, and every vampire here are part of this pack. We will treat each other with respect, and we will all bring our side, or you will be banished.”

A final rumbling roar escapes my lips and I glance at the window across the courtyard. In the reflection, I see that my eyes have turned red, like that of a true Alpha. I take a deep breath and try to calm down as I see my reflection change.

“How on earth did I evolve without completing the ritual?” I ask myself.

I see Minnie rushing to me and I know what she is going to ask, I am as puzzled as she is about this and I have no idea how to explain what is going on.

***

“I can’t believe that he mated with her, when, how. I… I need to do something.” Cayley says. She is furiously throwing things in the kitchen and Caleb is watching from the hall. He has made his choice and it is with his Alpha. He will not allow Cayley to hurt either Tori or Jackson.

Caleb walks away and joins the scouts in preparation. When the sun rises all the scouts, fighters and Alpha will leave to fight in the next leg of the war. Amongst the scouts, Angelo and Gail stand cowering in the shadows as the Alpha commands his pack of fighters. They will spend a week a mile away from the coven house watching and waiting for Frans to arrive. The morning after he arrives, he will be killed.

“Hey, Cayley!”

“Lin, get out of my face.”

“So, you also noticed that they mated.”

“Can you leave?”

“Do you know what mistletoe is?” Lin asks.

“No!”

“It’s a poison that kills any species,” Lin says.

“So why are you telling…….meeee!” Cayley says as she realizes what Lin is implying.

“She can only be his mate for as long as she is alive to be it,” Lin says as she walks out the kitchen and drops a small pouch at the door.

Cayley walks over and picks it up.

“Enjoy it while it lasts Tori!” Cayley says out loud.

***

I am standing outside Tori’s door and I want to knock but I have no idea what I am going to say to her. She is probably confused, and I know I need to explain the marking to her. I also need to ask her if she is happy with this and decide where and when we will complete the ritual should she agree. Before I knock on the door, she pulls it open and looks at me,

“Come in.” She says.

She looks calm and I feel at ease.

“I have a lot of explaining to do,” I say.

“I know what the marking is Jackson.” She says.

“Lucian told you?” I ask to confirm my suspicions.

“Yes.” She says and looks away.

“I am sorry I didn’t tell you,” I say sincerely.

“So, what happens now?” She asks.

“You tell me how you feel, I know that the wolf chooses the mate but if you not happy with this we can go to the second marking.” As I say these words, I feel my gut twist.

“Wait right here!” She says and leaves.

She comes back with Lucian, Bruce, Hilda, Caleb, Iva, and Minnie. They all look as puzzled as I do, then she tells us to wait and goes out the door. She comes back a few minutes later with a fish from the lake she places it in front of me and then bows down.

“The first time I unknowing accepted your marking, now I am accepting it with the full knowledge, and I am ready to complete the final ritual, but I only request that the final ritual take place when we return from our mission.”

I pick her up and pull her into my arms, my heart beats so fast that I am sure she can feel it. I look into her eyes and I say,

“I searched forever for you but when I found you I didn’t recognize you, but my wolf always knew and when we get back, we will make this official to the rest of the pack,” I say smiling into her hair.

When I lay in bed, I smile to myself. Finally, things are starting to fall into place for me. The moment I realized that I felt something so deep for Tori I knew that my life was about to change. Tomorrow we leave to fight our final battle. When we return, we will be official, and we can move on with our lives and finally find some happiness.