A Wolf's Claim

CHAPTER 18

*Stella*

I woke up the following morning alone, which made me feel a little disappointed. I was hoping Jace would have stayed, but maybe that was too difficult for him? I wanted to ask Sienna some questions about the whole mating process at some point today, whenever I could find the time. I was caught up at the moment last night and almost slept with Jace, which apparently means a lot more than just s*x to werewolves.

It was a little after nine in the morning, when I stumbled into the bathroom for a hot shower. I returned to the bedroom and began changing into jeans and a T-shirt, nothing special. When I opened the bedroom door, Jace was standing on the other side with a crooked smile. I grinned, probably a little too broad, when I felt my cheeks pushing my ears back.

"Good morning." He said, his voice husky and low.

"Hi..." I stuttered, choking on a deep breath of air.

"I want you to come with me to buy the new house," Jace stated, and I nodded.

"Right now?" I asked, turning to fetch my purse.

"Yeah, grab your things." He smirked, as I returned to his side with my small purse.

He held out his arm for me to link mine through, and led me down the stairs. There were a lot of other voices coming from the kitchen, but we didn't stop to see who. Jace opened the front door, and we walked outside without looking back. He opened the passenger door of a black truck, helping me hop inside, and shutting the door for me. He walked around to the driver's seat, and jumped in the truck with ease.

The truck's engine roared as we pulled away from Zara's house and drove through the dense forest. Jace was navigating quite well through the trees, given the broad vehicle's size. It was a bumpy ride, as we drove further up a mountain, deeper into the forest than before. After a short while, Jace shuts off the engine and hops out of the truck with a giant grin.

He helps me out of the truck and onto the ground, where he keeps hold of my hand. Leading me through a thick layer of trees, bushes, and tall grass, we finally emerged into a clearing. A massive house stands before us, surrounded by pine trees. There's a deck that stretches around the entire front part of the house, wrapping around the side.

It was a jungle green house with dark wood trim, and a dark wooden front door. We walked through the entrance and straight into a large room with a fireplace. The floors were hardwood, matching the front door. The walls were a cream color, a soft muted shade. We entered into the kitchen from there, where a set of stairs were off to the side. The kitchen was large, with brand-new appliances. There was an island in the center of the kitchen, and a nook area off to the left corner. A sliding glass door led outside to the backyard, which was just a vast forest.

He led me upstairs, where there was a long hallway with doors on either side. We walked past several smaller rooms, stopping at the end of the hallway in front of the only room with double doors. Jace opened the doors, and we walked into a spacious bedroom with a walk-in closet, and a personal bathroom. It was beautiful. What did he need my approval for?

"What do you think?" He asked, studying my expression.

"It's an amazing house!" I lightly gasped, not meaning to.

"So you like it?" Jace asked again, with a coy grin.

"I do." I smiled, feeling myself being drawn to him. "Do you?"

"I thought it would suffice, but I need to expand it. Currently, there's not enough room to house everyone." He said, glancing around.

"That's a lot of work." I murmured, dropping my gaze, the reminder that I caused this.

"It's a part of this life." Jace said, pulling my chin up softly.

I stared into his hazel eyes, searching for something I wasn't aware of, but I think I found what I was looking for. Jace is a very good Alpha to his pack, the exact opposite of what Solomon was to his pack. I admire how protective Jace is of his people, and of me, it makes me trust him.

Half of me wants to accept him and the mating process already, but the other half wants to know everything I can before making a decision. They're werewolves; I'm human. What if something went wrong? Could he accidentally hurt me? Could I hurt him? There were too many questions to ask, and I didn't want to bombard him with them.

We left the new house, returning to Zara's house, where everyone was hanging around outside and in the house. It appeared everyone felt safe here, trusting that they wouldn't be found again. It wasn't that easy for me. I was on guard, constantly glancing around to look for Tex or Edgar. I was afraid they'd find us again.

Sienna was walking past the front door as we walked in, and she immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me upstairs. When I looked over my shoulder at Jace, he was smiling crookedly. I disappeared beyond the stairs with Sienna, as she led me towards a different room. She opened the door and pulled me inside, shutting it behind her.

This room was spacious too, with a big king-sized bed. It was similar to my room, but slightly smaller. Sienna pounced on the bed with a giant grin, patting the empty space next to her. I sat on the edge, unsure of why she was so excited.

"Time for some girl talk, I think you need to hear this." She grinned broadly, and I already felt my stomach tingle with electricity.

"Hear what?" I asked, confused, but eager to hear what she had to say.

"You need to learn a few things about werewolves, and what entails being a werewolf's mate." She stated.

"Yes, I agree. I wanted to ask you myself." I giggled, and she winked.

"I know, I could sense it." She chuckled, "Jace already feels a strong bond with you, he knows you are his mate and because he accepted it, he desires to claim you."

"Claim me?" I asked, gulping, that sounds so... possessive.

"It's what we do with our mate." She shrugged.

"He said he would bite me on my neck, marking me as his mate, before the ritual is completed..." I said, hoping she'd enlighten me further.

"Yes," She smiled and turned to show me her mark from Adam, "It's to ward off other wolves who are seeking mates. Tradition, basically. However, once he marks you, the only way to complete the process is through s*x. That completes the bond. Once the bond is complete, you can feel everything the other person is feeling. It can be good, and it can be bad, but you learn to work your way through it."

"That just sounds so... invasive." I remarked, shuddering at the thought.

"You can shut your mind off to your mate, it doesn't always have to be like that... but they'll know that you've disconnected from the bond, even momentarily." Sienna added, studying me with a tilted head.

"What?" I asked, feeling exposed.

"You're nervous." She calmly stated.

"Well yeah, it's like marriage, basically!" I exclaimed, feeling myself heat up from the inside out.

"There isn't any pressure, you know?" Sienna smiled crookedly, grabbing my hand in hers.

"I know... but there kind of is..." I sighed, "I want to accept Jace as my mate, but I'm afraid I'm not good enough for him. He deserves so much better."

"Nonsense-" Sienna started to respond, until someone interrupted with an ice-cold tone.

"I couldn't agree more, Stella." Zara retorted, strutting into Sienna's bedroom with a scathing expression.