7. Jackson

7

Jackson

Charlie's eyes fall closed as she starts to say the next bit. A slow fog moves through our bond, snuffing out the light of this moment, a weight that seems to pull at me. I want to make this better. I want to kill Ax, but I don't think that will solve her problems. Well, it'll solve one problem. The big one, where he thinks she's his.

"Since you got here?" I try to finish for her.

She bites her bottom lip, and the sadness sweeps through our bond. She gives a slight nod.The feeling of missing something crashes over me.

"What can I do?" I ask. Curious to know how to break through this fog.

"Distract me?" She says shyly.

"Mmm…" My lips brush down her ear, along her neck, sucking and nipping. Her head shifts, giving me better access to the soft skin. She already has so many soft marks here, but I'm a possessive man. I enjoy seeing her with my claim. The evidence of my ownership.

Her soft moan stirs my cock. "Arms above your head, Charlie. Don't move them."

She follows without a second thought, and seeing her stretched out under me does something to my wolf. My nail extends and drags slowly down her stomach, enjoying the wave of goosebumps that follow in its wake.

'She is so responsive,' my wolf says, shifting my eyes to let him take her in. Her fingers start to pick at the skin on her hand, pulling a growl from me.

"Charlie?"

Hmmm, she mewls, as my fingers begin tight circles on her clit. Then they plunge roughly into her, she’s still so wet, the slight tinge of pink staining the sheets. I growl my possession as I continue to fuck her slowly, pulling her mind from the darkness.

‘Good Mate.’

My wolf is still at the forefront, sinking down between her thighs and spreading her wider. I nip at the inside of her leg, leaving small puncture marks, licking the tiny wound before moving up towards her center. My tongue comes out to meet my wet fingers. I let my own moan slip as her soft juices fill my mouth. "You taste like cookies, little wolf," I growl out.

"Oh," she says quietly before I sink my tongue into her center, sucking her into my mouth.

Her screams vibrate through the room as my thumb assaults her clit, having her buck against me. Her tiny hands come down to grab my hair. I slap firmly on the side of her ass, pausing my assault on her center.

"Hands above your head, or your next punishment will be worse."

Her lips roll in her mouth, and a smile caresses her lips. I push her legs farther apart again, anchoring both ankles wide with my shoulders as I slowly begin my perusal of her center again. This time, dragging it out. I slowly lick from her tight hole to her clit. Her hands now gripping the sheets above her head as she tries to buck away from me.

'Not so fast, little mate. I am nowhere near done with you,' I say through our link. My fingers follow the trail of my tongue, then slide back down to her center, where I pulse them just inside, quickly finding her sweet spot that has her thrashing. My wolf watches as she begins to chant my name and fight against my assault.

"Come for me," I say softly, and she does. She breaks so beautifully on my hand and tongue, her harsh breaths filling the room. I'm about to get lost in this woman for as long as possible.

Charlie fell asleep a while ago, and I've stayed up watching her small chest rise and fall with each breath. She's soft, sweet, and safe. The truth is—she owns me, body and soul.

She could ask me to do anything, and I would make it happen. If she wanted the stars to shine brighter, I would travel to the heavens to make that happen. It's an intoxicating feeling the mate bond. It adds a strength I never knew I was missing. Charlie is the soft light to my hard, dominant wolf. She's my balance, the weight keeping me grounded.The fact that she is using sex to escape is not lost on me. But I can't deny her requests. In fact, I'll gladly seek refuge in her body anytime she needs.

I let my eyes fall shut with my arm wrapped around her and legs entangled.

'She's safe. She's home.'

I only slept for an hour before my natural wake clock clicked on. Now, I lie awake wondering how I got so fucking lucky. Charlie is warm and softly snoring. She's completely naked, and I consider my option of locking her away in my room. Keeping her safe, I try to justify.

Shaking the thought off, I texted Lola, saying: ‘Charlie was over late, and she wasn't going to be in today.'

The hardest part of this morning is untangling my body from hers. I pull a pair of gray sweats from my duffel bag and head towards the door. Checking one last time that she's still sleeping and safe.

With one more parting glance at my perfect mate, I head downstairs for coffee and food. I take each step down the staircase in a quick hustle, and as I head for the kitchen, the mate bond glowing through me brings a smile to my lips. I want to get Charlie a big spread of food and feed it to her in bed. My mind is working over how many fruits I could eat off her body when I run into my mom.

"Mom," I choke out as I grab the kitchen door frame, halting my thoughts.

She turns to me, and her eyes go wide. "Honey? There's something we need to discuss."

My arms stretch above my head as my smile shifts to a frown. The things we need to discuss are lengthy, like why she allowed Dad to do what he did thirty years ago. I take a breath through my nose as I temper my rising anger.

"Don't think so." I push past her into the kitchen, my voice brokering no room for discussion.

My mom is hot on my tail as she pinches the underside of my arm. "Fuck, that hurt." I snarl.

She doesn't back down, "Jackson White, you do not ignore your mama, and you had better spill why there is a mating mark decorating your neck." Her tone is fervent and hushed, and I suddenly realize the issue.

"I found my mate," I say, with a little more wrath than is probably necessary. Maybe I should've talked to Charlie before this. I'm not sure she will want everyone to know, and I don't blame her. I honestly don't know if I'm ready to deal with all of that, given the shit my brother is in and the state of our Pack. The hard truth is that claiming her just signed my Pack up for war.

"And…" My mom interrupts my thoughts.

"And she is mine," I growl, opening the fridge to find the fruit. I'm done with this conversation as I scan through the shelves.

My wolf says through our link, ‘ I don't like keeping our mate a secret. She's special. Everyone needs to know how important she is to us.'

I say, 'I agree, but we need to decide with her, not for her; becoming Luna is a lot.'

A small hmph is the sound I get from him.

"Jackson, talk to me. I'm your mother."

Ignoring her. I grab a large tray of fruit and set it on the counter. "Okay, Mom." My tone is a sarcastic drawl. "I found my mate. I want to keep the rest a secret until I talk to her."

'Though it will be obvious if you two go out together,’ my wolf adds.

'Helpful, asshole.’

My mom humphs, "Alright, that's fine, but honey, you need to plan a Pack dinner. Would you like me to take care of that or your mate?" Her tone is just shy of a sneer, obviously mocking my grumpy ass.

My eyes flash to her in warning, "If you can handle that, that'd be great. I may be busy for the next week or so…" I leave off the plans; I have to eat the fruit off of Charlie's body and then lick her clean.

She nods. Apparently appeased to have a project. I finish making the plate for my little wolf as I feel her stir through the bond. The way our wolves have connected is unreal. I don't just feel her in my soul; I hold a piece of her now. She holds a piece of me. The tether between us allows me to find her anywhere.

I grab the plates, a bagel, and bruschetta and head back upstairs to the woman who holds my entire heart.