Chapter 11

Dylan

T he tugging inside of Dylan's chest spread warmth into the depths of her very being. The recognition in her soul as Jackson's soul began to stitch together with hers made Dylan's wolf rumble with glee. Jackson leaned in to put his nose in the crook of her neck and took a deep breath. Dylan nuzzled into his to do the same. Jackson's scent smelled of coffee and whiskey, something she never thought would go together but somehow did. She continued to feel him against her neck when she heard someone clear their throat. Jackson turned toward the noise, kept his body covering hers, and snarled. Dylan leaned her head around his shoulder to find Professor Teowulf smiling at them, but it quickly faded. Then, he folded his arms and crossed them to give them a stern look.

"I am not here to stake a claim on your mate, Mr. Fastolf. You are in the presence of the entire class. If you wish to mark your new mate, that must be done privately after you speak with Lupe to complete the ceremony."

That snapped Dylan out of her coffee, whiskey, and Jackson scent haze and pushed him off her. While rolling to the side, Jackson growled and stepped in front of her to keep her out of sight from Teowulf. Dylan growled at him and smacked his shoulder.

"Stop being a neanderthal. He is the teacher, Jackson!"

Jackson turned to look at her, and she realized what was happening. His eyes glowed from his wolf being in charge. Dylan sucked in a breath and stepped closer to him. Jackson rumbled at her closeness, and Dylan took that as her cue to touch him. It would have been better for her to touch his actual skin to settle his wolf, but just putting her hand on his back made Jackson's shoulders sag, and he let out a breath of relief.

Everyone's eyes were on them, which made Dylan want to command them all to go away. Dylan did her best not to fidget under all their gazes. Her wolf was still very present, and now that she had proof that Jackson was her mate, she wondered if her eyes were glowing. Teowulf waited until Jackson's eyes stopped glowing before he spoke again.

"Mr. Fastolf and Miss Pierce, at this time, I must ask if you plan on moving forward with your new mate bond. If you choose not to do so, we ask you to complete the ritual privately to save either party from watching eyes. If you choose to complete the bond, we must pull Lupe out of her meetings so you can complete the ceremony."

Dylan felt her body still at the thought of making this decision immediately. Her eyes went to Jackson's to see what he planned. He looked down at her, smiled, and leaned more into her touch.

"I'm in. What about you?" he asked her.

Dylan sighed in relief. She still wanted to get to know him a little before completing the ceremony and bonding but did not want to reject him. After experiencing it for herself, that was the last thing she wanted to do to someone else, especially since they'd both already been rejected once before.

Well. I wouldn't mind rejecting Silas and forcing him to go through all these bullshit classes.

Dylan smirked. "I guess I'm in then."

"You guess?" He playfully growled at her. "Just guess?"

"I would like to spend some time with you first so that we don't immediately jump into bed and bite each other's necks."

He laughed along with the rest of the class. Now that Dylan had made completing the bond a condition, Teowulf kept his eyes on Jackson. Jackson shook his head at her but chortled.

"If you think I'm going to say no, sorry to disappoint."

Teowulf clapped his hands. "Well, it looks like we have reached an agreement! Mr. Fastolf and Miss Pierce, congratulations are in order! You are excused from class today. When you wish to have some dinner, just call the kitchen, and it will be brought to you so you can spend time together. When you wish to complete the bond, call Lupe, and she will complete the ceremony. Off you two go so we can get back to combat."

"It's not like they won't be hitting the mats later!" a male called out to them, causing the class to laugh.

It didn't faze Dylan that someone made a joke. If anything, she expected one to be made. Instead, she kept her eyes on Jackson. After being rejected once, she honestly expected to be rejected by all of her mates now. Sure, it was something that could happen, but when it happens once, something inside says it'll happen again. If one person can reject someone that was created for them to be a perfect match, who is to say the others wouldn't agree with the first person that they aren't enough? It was unheard of for every mate to be rejected by every mate they met, but Dylan had the kind of luck that would make her the first person it happened to.

But that didn't happen, so maybe my luck is turning around, she thought to herself before Jackson put his arm around her shoulder.

How easily she leaned into him and took comfort in being at his side made her heart skip a beat. She shook it off to tell herself that, at any moment, he could still reject her. Silas didn't reject her right away, either. As Jackson started to lead them away from class, Dylan looked over her shoulder at Serafine. Her friend beamed with happiness as she bounced and waved goodbye to her. Dylan smiled and waved back. Serafine mouthed, "I want all the details!" making Dylan grin as she turned her head back around and gave Jackson her attention.

"Well, since we are dismissed, where should we go?" Jackson asked her with a wicked grin.

Dylan shook her head. "Before we think about that, can I get out of this suffocating uniform first?"

He looked down at her, and then, with another wicked grin on his face, he said, "I think it looks great on you."

Dylan smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "Stop! I don't care how good I look. I want to feel comfortable. And don't you dare tell me I can't wear sweatpants and a big T-shirt because it isn't sexy. I will put your ass in the ground."

Jackson threw his head back and laughed. They were walking around the building, but a few students were still around to hear him. She felt their eyes on them and chose to watch Jackson instead. She didn't need their judgment right now.

"I don't care what you wear, baby. As long as I'm the one who gets to take it off."

She smiled but then decided to play with him a little more. "What about when I have another mate? Females usually have multiple. I'm already up to two."

The low growl he admitted and his stopping in the middle of the walkway made her laugh. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She noticed he must have counted to ten before he answered because that was at least the amount of time that passed before he spoke.

"I know there aren't as many females as males, and our goddess decided to help us out by allowing females to have multiple mates. After being rejected and sent here, I am a little on edge about sharing right now. I lost one mate already." He sighed again, and his shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry. I'll work on it."

Dylan leaned her head to the side. "Why are you apologizing?"

Jackson pulled her against him and hugged her close to his chest. She could hear his heart beating rapidly, and, through the bond, she could feel he was nervous. Dylan laid her head on his chest and nuzzled into him. Her wolf felt calmer than she had been since Silas rejected them as Jackson held her. She heard him swallow hard before he laid his head on top of hers.

"My mate didn't like how possessive I was of her when the bond showed up. She had three others she was already mated to. Somehow, she ended up with laid-back males, and they didn't act like I did. What she doesn't understand, I outranked them. They were submissives. So was she, honestly. But I guess because she had mates that understood how to give her space because they weren't dominant, she didn't like the idea of me being added to her harem." Dylan growled, knowing his ex-mate had rejected him for that reason. He heard her growl, tightened his hold, and laughed. "I've been here for months, Dylan. All year, actually. I met her on New Year's Eve while the ball dropped at a party. The next day, she rejected me. I went through these classes, and she denied me going home because I was still possessive."

Dylan wiggled out of his hold and glared at him as she felt his hesitancy through the bond. She could hear his thoughts on how he shouldn't have told her that because she would reject him for the same reasons. That wasn't who she was, and she sure as hell wouldn't start being that kind of person now. If she loved Serafine for her bubbly self, she could also love Jackson for being his possessive self. "That's not something you can fix, Jackson. That is part of who you are. You are a dominant male. That's part of your damn nature. That's why I didn't want a mate in the first place, and I've been mated to a damn Alpha's son and now a Beta! Though I find it annoying, I am destined to have possessive men in my life. I didn't reject my last one, he rejected me. I'm not going to reject you for being you."

"Here, I thought you were a hardass and would just push me away."

Dylan gently pushed him and growled at him. "Stop making jokes. This is serious."

"You're right. It is. I just can't take too much seriousness before I need to throw in a joke. It's how I don't lose my damn mind since my wolf just wants to slaughter everyone who is annoying me."

Dylan stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his chest. "If we are going to do this, I need to know you will lean on me for help. I don't want this to be more on one side than the other. Relationships are not fifty-fifty. It's whatever I have and whatever you have. If you are only at a ten, I need you to know I'll pick up that other ninety. I need to know you won't be trying to take over when you think I can't handle something, either. I've seen my dad do that."

He put his hands on Dylan's waist. Her nose filled with his scent, making it a little harder to think as he leaned his forehead on hers.

"How about this? I promise to put in the same effort you make. We will work things out and talk when needed so we don't lose it on each other. Will we always do this? Probably not. But as long as you try, so will I."

Dylan smiled. It was easy to trust his words as she felt his sincerity through their bond. "Good luck with that. I can be stubborn."

He laughed and lowered his voice. "I can reward you when you play nice."

She felt the heat of his words through her body. Dylan bit her lip and looked into his green eyes. She felt his shudder, and then his eyes landed on her lips.

"Don't do that. My hold on my wolf is tapering as we speak. He wants you just as much as I do."

"What if I don't want you to hold back?" she whispered.

His grip on her waist tightened, and his eyes glowed green at her. Then his power slowly enveloped them, and she felt his wolf all around her. It didn't scare her, like some told her could happen. Seeing a mate like this could feel overbearing and scarily possessive. Jackson's wolf was basically telling her, and anyone else around, that she was his to protect and claim as his power filled the space around them. She dared not break their gaze, telling his wolf that she agreed. She leaned a little back so she could soak him in. He was gorgeous and far more accepting than Silas.

Wait. Is he?

"Jackson. What about me being a Shadowborn? Do you care? Will your family care?"

His eyes flickered back to normal, and the glow of his wolf came and went for a minute. Dylan's breathing became rapid as she waited. This was not how she wanted him to react. She didn't need to sit here while he fought with his wolf over her being a Shadowborn. When his eyes settled without the glow, he broke out in a smile.

"Don't be alarmed. My wolf was a little angry at hearing the slight fear in your voice. He didn't like that you were afraid to ask that. No, Dylan, I don't care if you are a Shadowborn, and I don't really care what my family thinks, but I'm pretty sure they won't care either. From what I know, my pack doesn't have hatred toward your kind." He leaned forward and buried his nose in her neck. Feeling his breath on her skin made her wiggle away as it tickled her and aroused her at the same time. "Hmm, that did something."

"We are still outside, Jackson. I'm still in this stupid uniform, too." He kissed her neck, and Dylan moaned. She felt him chuckle as he moved further up her neck and kissed her again. "Jackson, I refuse to allow you to mark me while standing this close to the damn building where everyone can see."

"Are you suggesting we go mark each other elsewhere, baby?"

Was she? The bond grew stronger by the second as they stood out in the open before school. They still needed to get to the dorm and call Lupe if they wanted to complete the ceremony and then bond. Jackson had no intention of rejecting her, and she didn't want to reject him. Completing the bond would help them both while at school. If she allowed herself to remain unmated, Jackson's wolf would go insane while other males were around her. With her being dominant herself, she could lose control of her wolf when he was around other females. Their wolves didn't care that they were telling each other they wanted to complete the bond and not accept others unless they were fated to them. Their wolves were all instinct and emotion. It was the human half that kept them in check with rationale. The whole school was filled with unmated people. Their wolves would lose their minds believing all of them would take their mate from them.

She still wanted to get to know Jackson. It would be different if he was from their pack and had known him for a while. Many wolves enjoy finding mates within their pack for that very reason. There was no need to hesitate because they already knew them.

The feeling in her soul made her feel like she had known Jackson for a lifetime. He fit perfectly with her and made her feel safe. Knowing he didn't care about her being a Shadowborn helped, too. That was her fear even with Silas, and it came true. Jackson was the opposite and didn't consider it a reason to reject her.

He is not Silas.

No, he is not.

Then, there is no reason to fear.

Her wolf was right. There was no reason to fear this.

"Let me change first. Then we can call Lupe."

The happiness on his face made her decision that much more final. Jackson grabbed her hand and tugged her in the direction of the dorms. She laughed as she tried to keep up with his pace but also gave a little resistance, playing with him. Jackson stopped and moved so fast she didn't realize he did it until she was over his shoulder, and he was sprinting toward the dorms. Dylan smacked his back playfully as she continued to laugh at him. He was on her floor in under a minute and then pulled her off him to set her down. A wicked grin was on his face before he moved his body to press her against her door. His hands grabbed her wrists and threw them over her head, pinning them against the door. The heat from his body against hers made Dylan crave more. Jackson leaned into her, putting his lips so close to hers that she could feel his breath. She held his gaze, showing him that she was unafraid and dared him to do more.

He moved his face to her ear. "Be right back, baby."

Jackson dropped his hands from her wrists and briskly walked down the hall to the stairs to get to his dorm. Dylan growled in frustration and yelled at him.

"If that's how you are going to play Jackson Fastolf, you are starting a dangerous game you won't win!"

She heard him laughing on the staircase, and Dylan kicked her own door open.

He wants to fight with fire? I have something to fight right back.

On some occasions, Dylan put more effort into her looks than others. She knew to pack one of her more elegant but also slutty dresses into her closet. It was black with thick straps, but it hugged her body to show off all her curves. The fabric cut into an upside-down V that the tip came down to about two inches above her crotch, and the neckline lunged into her breasts. Around her waist, the fabric ruffled to draw eyes to her hips. When it came to Werewolf ceremonies, the female would always wear something so her neck would be on display. Many dressed up because it was basically a wedding since there were vows, and they became a united pair in the eyes of their people.

If Jackson wants to turn me on and then walk away, I'm just going to tease the shit out of him during this ceremony.

Makeup was also not something she did often, but Dylan chose to add some flare to her face. First, she added eyeliner to bring more attention to her eyes. She knew to add more passed her eyes and almost to her eyebrow to make it dramatic. Then lipstick was added to her lips. She looked in the mirror and loved what she saw. If she liked it, she knew Jackson would love it.

The phone went off, and Dylan looked around to find it. On the left-hand dresser, a landline phone rang loud enough to make Dylan growl. She stomped over to it and put the receiver to her ear.

"Dylan Pierce," she answered.

"I called Lupe, beautiful. She said to meet her behind the dorm. I'll be waiting."

"Okay. See you there," she said in her best seductive voice.

Lust went through their bond, and she felt his need to see her. She chuckled before she put the receiver back.

She took some time to get down there so he would get there before her. When she walked out the building door, she looked around for him. She knew he was behind the building when she didn't see him. Dylan cursed herself for wearing heels and immediately threw them back into the building's door and walked barefoot to the back. When she rounded the corner, Jackson was standing in front of Lupe. He, too, was barefoot and wearing black slacks and a deep blue button-down shirt, but the buttons were not done, and the sleeves rolled up. Somehow, he looked more gorgeous in this get-up.

He cleans up well.

As she walked up to him, she didn't notice Lupe standing there wearing a white dress that fell to her feet. When she realized she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings again, Dylan looked around and noticed the branches of the trees formed into a half circle above them. It was a naturally occurring archway.

I wonder if the Fae knows this is here... it's almost like one of their fairy circles.

Jackson's eyes didn't leave her. He scanned her body up and down until she was beside him. Through their bond, she felt his lust, love, protectiveness, and need to complete the bond in a wave that flooded through her. She sent the same back to him as it dawned on her that this would happen, and he would be hers forever.

"Welcome, Jackson Fastolf and Dylan Pierce. Today, you will unite your wolves under the eyes of the Goddess in the Moon. She chose your souls to be perfect for one another and for you to stand beside each other until you take your final breaths. After this day, you will bind your souls as one. If you wish to decline this bond, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Dylan looked over at Jackson, and he smiled at her. He threaded his fingers in hers, sending jolts of electricity across her skin at his touch.

"I choose this bonding." They said in unison.

"You may say your vows," Lupe told them.

Jackson turned to face her and took her other hand in his. "Under the watchful eye of the moon, I take you as my eternal mate. In the presence of our Goddess and the spirits of the forest, I vow to stand by your side through every hunt and howl. As the moon waxes and wanes, so shall our lives grow and change, but my commitment to you will remain the same."

The stitching of their bond grew stronger. Dylan felt Jackson's presence surrounding her as his soul melded into hers. Her skin broke out in goosebumps as the magic settled and waited for her to say her vow.

"Under the watchful eye of the moon, I take you as my eternal mate. In the presence of our Goddess and the spirits of the forest, I vow to stand by your side through every hunt and howl. Whether the moon is full of light or shrouded in darkness, our lives will experience good times and bad; my commitment to you will remain the same."

Jackson sucked in a breath, and she knew he felt his soul meld with hers. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She felt the hunger for his touch and leaned into the kiss. They became lost in each other as they deepened the kiss. Lupe cleared her throat, and Jackson broke the kiss. She could feel his possessiveness as he leaned his forehead on hers, doing everything he could to touch her still.

"You may now go to the top floor of the dorm. There will be a suite that you will move into now that you are a mated couple. Also, you may complete your bonding at that time, and you are excused from classes tomorrow so your bond may settle. I don't need either of you attempting to slaughter your classmates because your bond is too new, and you are swarmed with them."

Lupe bowed to them before she turned around and faced herself toward the moon. "Under the Moon and throughout the forest, let it be known that Dylan Pierce and Jackson Fastolf have accepted each other as their fated mates and bonded themselves to one another!" Lupe raised her hands to the moon, bowed her upper body down, held it for a few seconds, and righted herself. She walked away and gave them a smile.

"Oh, congratulations to you both. Jackson, I will send a letter to your mate and tell her that you are no longer for her to claim. The Goddess has chosen another for you when she had not accepted you."

Mixed feelings went through the bond, and Dylan looked at her mate. Jackson's face turned to stone, and then he shook his head. In the bond, she could tell it hurt him that it came down to the Goddess giving him another mate to release him from the bond with his ex. Then, it was filled with his happiness and love for her, and she could see that amazing smile on his face again.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lupe. I'd do it myself, but I no longer want to waste time on someone who doesn't want me."

Lupe nodded. "I agree. Spend time with your new mate, and celebrate what the Goddess has given you."

Jackson grinned at her with mischief in his eyes. Dylan bit her lip as images of her in ecstasy filled her mind from his perspective. Their bond had grown, and he was using it to his advantage.

"I plan to."

Heat pooled down to her toes under his gaze, and Dylan beamed at him, pushing her thoughts of how she saw him through their bond.

Oh, hell yeah. Let's get this bond tied up.