Jolene
I walked down to him and put my arms around his neck. He stubbornly looked away from me.
I let out an annoyed huff and took a step to the direction he was looking at. “Lancelot look at me.”
He still didn’t look at me.
“Lancelot…” I peered at his face but he looked up and mumbled something I couldn’t catch.
“What did you say?”
He kept his eyes trained on the ceiling. I admit it is a nice ceiling, all lavender, and stuff, but this is ridiculous. I got frustrated so I climbed on his desk and jumped at him wrapping my legs around his waist and clinging myself to him. I was sure that this is one of those don’t try at home things you see on TV. Probably instinctively, he moved his hands to my thighs. I’m not going to lie. I kind of enjoy this position: my body squeezed against his strong, sexy-
“What are you doing?” He looked at me furrowing his eyebrows as if I was some strange being that he could not decipher.
“You weren’t looking at me.”
“So… You latched yourself at me.” He cocked his head to the side.
“Now, you can’t look away. Lancelot, I love you. I truly do.”
We gazed at each other’s faces. I don’t think that I’m doing a good job with all that I’m going to punish him thing I have been talking about for so long.
Lancelot sighed. He moved one hand to my butt and brushed strands of hair off my face with the other.
“Jolene… I love you too. So, if you want to give me the best two months of my life I will accept it. But, don’t act like we have a future together if you aren’t staying with me because that would destroy me.”
“Woah. You truly are stupid.”
He frowned and let go of me. I clung to him for my dear life. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” I yelled.
He held me in place again. “How is you are stupid said in a non-bad way?”
I put my hands on his cheeks pressing them so he would look funny. “If I were going to reject or leave you, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place. I am in love with you too, you know? I hadn’t told you about the rules because there is a long story I need to tell you. However, it was kind of difficult to bring in more problems when I get to your pack and the first thing I see is that my little, cute, adorable, kind, sweet, charming, delight-”
“Jolene, I appreciate the compliments but get to the point.” His cheeks were red, and he tried to turn his head away from me. In this position, he had nowhere to hide.
“As I said, I get to your pack and the first thing I see is that my little, cute, adorable, kind, sweet, charming little Alpha is acting like a paranoid jackass and torturing pack members.”
“I am not tortu…” He seemed to notice my glare at him for his raised tone. He shut up and his wolf whimpered.
“I understand you want to be a strong alpha. Those are instincts, but I also have instincts and they are telling me that I can’t let you keep on doing this to our pack members. I decided yesterday that whatever the rules were or whatever I had to give up, I wouldn’t let you keep on doing this. Even if I have to challenge you and become Alpha… Hey! What are you laughing for? This ain’t a joke.”
“You said our pack members…” He smiled brightly, wrinkles formed at the corners of his amused eyes. “Go ahead and challenge me. I would gladly have you as my Alpha. But, I get to be the Luna.” “What? I’m not joking, Lancelot.” I narrowed my eyes to him.
His smile didn’t falter. “I’m not joking either. I would happily be an Omega if that guarantees that you will stay with me as my mate.”
“You are so silly.”
“Nu-uh. I’m just happy. You love our pack.”
“Of course, I do. Are you going to stop being a terrifying dictator?”
“Are you going to be my Luna?”
“Lancelot…”
“Jolene…”
“I’ll be your Luna, but it might take time.”
“Why? Why is there always a but?”
“However, it might take time?”
“Very funny.”
“I know. Lancelot, I do not say ‘however’ because I want to. I have a responsibility. I need to stop the leader of the rogues.”
“Why?”
“Why what? I have to.”
“Why you? Why must my mate and Luna stop that rogue out of all the werewolves in the country? You are safe here. The council is working on that. The packs are sending warriors. You know that I can’t leave the pack for too long to chase after a rogue. So, why you? Why can’t you stay with me so I can protect you?”
“I just have to. It is my duty. I can sens- I mean, it’s payback for what he did to me.”
He removed the scarf around my neck. “Jolene, your scar is already fading. I’m offended you believe you can lie to my face like this.”
I chewed on my lower lip and averted my eyes. “I’m not-”
“You are my mate. I might have acted like an idiot when we were together, but I got to know you well. My mate doesn’t seek revenge. And she wouldn’t leave her pack and her mate to fight a simple rogue. So, are you going to tell me the truth or what?”
“What?”
“I can hold you in my arms the whole day, so you better talk.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I kissed his cheek.
He gave me a side smile but frowned again. “Tell me, why do you have to go fight this rogue.”
“I just have to.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Why?” he asked.
“It is my duty!”
“Why?”
“He tried to kill me.”
“Why?”
“He is crazy?”
“Why can’t you stay with me?” He caressed my cheek and I could feel his emotions. They were stronger than any negative feeling. He was in pain and desperate, but his adoration and devotion flowed to me.
“I have to kill him because I’m the only one who can sense him and mindlink him. He can’t block me out and I can’t block him out either.”
He shook his head and looked at me with raised eyebrows, which then knitted together. “That makes no sense. That only happens with first degree relatives, like siblings… and… don’t tell me… Is he your… father?”
“No! He is not my father! But, he is my father’s twin, his other half. It is as if he was my father… I can’t stay here. My mother rejected him, so he killed my parents. He hates me. He will attack our pack if he finds out that you are my mate.”
He staggered back and let go of me. I fell on my feet.
He chuckled darkly and looked at me with darkened eyes. He had never looked so angry. “So, you think that I wouldn’t protect you? There is a crazy murderer that hates your guts and you would rather go with the council chase him and leave me, your mate?”
“I don’t want to be protected! I will fight.”
He took a step toward me and I took a step back. His eyes were completely black. “That is your problem, Jolene! You don’t want to depend on anybody, but at the same time, you let anyone get close to you. You think that you have some invisible shield and are so almighty and powerful that no one can touch you. You are too trusting because you think you are untouchable.”
“I don’t think that I’m untouchable.”
“Then what is it?” He stopped and his frown disappeared for a moment when his eyes widened, but it came back. He growled. “You! You know that you can die. You just don’t care.” He shook his head and clenched his fists. “That is why you are so reckless. You want to save everyone and play hero even if it costs your life!” He scrunched his nose and looked away from me as if he was disgusted by me.
I… I think it is true.
Tears filled my eyes. “Lancelot…” I walked up to him and tried to grab his hand, but he shoved my hand away.
“You are my mate, and you don’t care enough about yourself or me to protect your own life. I felt the unbearable pain of my soulmate dying on New Year’s Eve. It’s worse than the pain of rejection. I can’t even begin to describe how much it hurt. It was hours of torment. It stopped when your wolf healed you, but I read about that. If you had really died, the pain wouldn’t have stopped until my wolf died to join his mate. Did you know that?”
“Lancelot…”
“Did you or did you not know that?” He looked at me as if begging me to say that I had no idea what he was talking about.
“I heard rumors, but I thought that since you had rejected me, it wouldn’t be like that.”
He scoffed. “Oh, you thought. You know, I can’t blame you.”
“You can’t?”
“I mean, I rejected you. It’s only natural that you hated me enough to want me to suffer a very slow and painful death.”
“Lancelot that is not true.”
“Let’s leave it at that. I understand-”
“No, that’s not-”
“What I can’t understand is that you say that you love me so much and want to be with me, but still, you want to run face first to danger without even telling me something as small as hey. I’mma fight that rogue. I may die, but I don’t care. We cool?”
“I was going to talk to you.”
“Were you, Jolene? Or were you pushing it to the back of your mind until you had to leave and thoughtlessly do whatever your instinct says?”
“I…” When did he figure me out like this? That was just what I was doing.
“You can’t even answer. I just can’t stay here.” He stormed out of the room.
I ran after him toward the front door. “Where are you going?”
“I’m not going to fuck some whore if that is what you are worried about. I need time. Don’t follow me.” He shifted not bothering removing his clothes and ran into the woods.