Mel's POVThe rest of the week, I manage to avoid Jaxon. I pick up Moon from school early and only drop her off at the house after Elinda gets home from work. It sucks seeing my sister less, but I know she’s in good hands and I don’t have to see him.Staying with Bliss isn’t too bad. Sure, she probably has sex with Patrick every night, but at least all the rooms in her apartment are soundproof. I only have to see the aftermath of her disheveled hair and the constant trips to the kitchen for water.This morning, I wake up early and park across the street from Moon’s school, just to make sure Elinda drops her off. Once Moon skips into the school, I head to the diner to meet Bliss and Patrick."Hey Mel, what are you going to do now that you've graduated the Academy and you're not going to be Alpha?" Patrick asks, shoving a piece of bacon into his mouth.Bliss glares at him. "Pat, I told you not to ask her that!" She mouths "sorry" to me.I shrug. "That's okay. I'm just going to be another
Mel's POVBoth of them stare at me with raised eyebrows.“Okayyy, I see you defending your man!” Bliss teases, smirking.I pretend to gag. “Eww, no. I just know Jaxon wouldn’t do that. He’s about to be Alpha, and a scandal like that would turn the pack against him.”“Yeah, I guess you’re right. They just wait until after to start fucking everything that moves,” she grimaces.She’s right about that, though. Until Alphas find their mates, and sometimes even after, they start thinking they’re Goddess’s gift to women or something. I can only imagine how much worse Jaxon’s ego might get.Like his head could get any bigger…Pat finally raises his head from his phone. “I just texted my friend, Malcom. He said he’ll come by the house to pick you up tomorrow.”I don’t know who Malcom is, but I guess I’ll meet him tomorrow night.I smile. “Cool, thanks Pat!” I say, trying to sound more enthusiastic than I feel. I’m a little nervous now, but this is the right move. This way Jaxon will have no cho
Mel's POVAs I chop up the vegetables for the soup, Elinda makes the roux for the soup. “So, what is going on between you and Jaxon?” she pries shamelessly.“Between us?” Absolutely nothing!She glances at me as she stirs our dinner. “Well, something must have happened since you’re actively avoiding him, and he’s been moping around the house ever since you left.”The thought of Jaxon, a fully grown Alpha-to-be, sulking makes me laugh internally. What does he have to be upset about? Tomorrow, this entire territory will be his to rule. I would call that a massive win in my book.“I think Jaxon likes me, but I have a boyfriend.” This is less embarrassing than the truth. It’s not like I can tell her that the earthshattering oral sex that her son gave me made me develop confusing feelings that I’m trying to run away from.Elinda goes silent for a long moment, probably weighing her words. “Well, that shouldn’t be a problem soon, right? The Mating Ball is only a few weeks away. I’m sure both
Mel's POVAs we begin eating, Elinda clears her throat. “Another meeting with Alpha Damon?” she asks quietly.“Yep.” He doesn’t say anything else, and she doesn’t pry any further. The tension in the room is palpable, and I regret like hell I didn’t bolt before he got here. Why won’t he look at me? And why does it make my chest ache?I glance at him, trying to read his mood. His eyes seem distant, like he’s miles away trapped in his own head, and that doesn’t sit right with me. I want to know what his meetings with my dad are really about, and if he won’t talk to his mom, he should be able to talk to me.Moon tries to lighten the mood with stories about her adventures on the playground, her cute laughter breaking through the heavy atmosphere. Elinda smiles at her, and even Jaxon manages a small grin. But when his gaze drifts toward me, it’s like a wall goes up again. He looks away, pretending to focus on the food he’s barely touched.What the fuck is his problem? I know I’ve been avoidi
Mel's POVI sigh and unwillingly follow him upstairs to his room. Once we’re inside, he closes the door and pins me against the wall. I glance up into his dark eyes, and the intensity makes my heart stutter. “Does your boyfriend know how wet you get from a single touch from me?” he asks, his voice low and rough. His hand runs along my side, his fingers tracing the hem of my shorts, teasing me. I want him to touch me, to tear off my clothes and take me right here against the wall, but I can’t allow that to happen. This is wrong—so fucking wrong. We can’t do this.I force myself to breathe, to think. “Jaxon, stop,” I say weakly. “You have no right to touch me like this.”He leans in, his breath hot against my neck. “You sure about that? Because your body is saying something else.” His lips brush against my skin, and I nearly explode, letting out a desperate whimper.Fuck. Me. I grit my teeth, feeling Nina urging me to give in. But we can’t. If we cross this line, there’s no going back.
Jaxon’s POVToday is my Alpha ceremony. Omegas from the packhouse arrive early to move my things into the Alpha’s floor. Mom had a choice to move with me, but she wanted to stay in the home my father built for us. At least Ameer will be living here with me, so I won’t be all alone. As for Melanie, who knows how things will turn out. What if she decides at the last minute, she doesn’t want to be my Beta? Wait…she doesn’t have a choice. Alpha Damon will kill her if I don’t intervene.After my morning run with Ameer, Alpha Damon summons me to the packhouse. He sits at his desk, sipping coffee. “So, Jaxon, how is our plan going?” he asks, his voice calm but with an edge that raises the hairs on the back of my neck.I take a deep breath before answering. “Alpha, I don’t have enough evidence to exile her yet. I need time.”In a flash, he crosses the room, pinning me against the door with his forearm at my throat. His eyes are red, his wolf dangerously close to the surface. “I chose you for a
Jaxon's POVFortunately, the windows are open, and after a few minutes, we catch sight of Melanie in the kitchen, digging through the freezer. She pulls out some ice cream and starts eating it straight out of the tub while dancing around the kitchen. She’s wearing pajamas and her hair is tied into a messy bun. I chuckle at how fucking adorable she looks.You’re a bad influence, Shadow. We should leave. I say that, but I end up spending another twenty minutes watching her. Just as I’m about to leave, she stands in front of the bedroom window on the second floor and begins unbuttoning her shirt. It falls to the floor, revealing a black, lacy bra. I can’t tear my eyes away from her flawless body as her pants are the next to come off.Fuck, I’ll need a cold shower after this. This feels creepy. We should go, I tell Shadow, but he doesn’t budge, his focus entirely on Melanie. It’s not just lust. There’s something deeper, something that ties us to her in a way I can’t explain.Her eyes sud
Mel’s POVAfter picking up Moon from Elinda’s house for the last time, I head to the packhouse. Every member of the Nightshade Shadows pack gathers near the river behind the house for the ceremony. I was hoping to see Jaxon at his mom’s, but he had already left. Maybe he’s just getting ready for the ceremony, but a part of me wonders if he’s avoiding me after what happened earlier.I’m still in disbelief about my little strip tease in front of the window. I wasn’t planning on doing that, but when Nina and I picked up Jaxon’s scent and caught him practically stalking me from the woods, I just couldn't help myself. I wanted him to see what he could never touch again, that the “favor” was a one-time thing. No more playing games.Instead of meeting Malcolm at the house, Pat gave me his number, so I texted him to meet me here at the ceremony. But I have something to do first. I sneak through the backdoor of the packhouse and find Mom in the room that used as a nursery for Moon and me. She’s