Chapter 5 Annoying

MATED TO THE TWIN ALPHAS

Chapter 5

"I could've done that myself."

Jackie's voice came out sharper than she'd intended as Kealan grabbed her hand and led her to Liam's car, tossing her bags in the trunk. Liam and the others disappeared through the forest, and instead of asking Kealan why they hadn't just come with them, Jackie pressed her lips together.

She didn't want to speak to him and his annoying ass. He had gotten them into this mess by stopping in Direwolf Territory. All she wanted was to get away from here and go somewhere she could rest with Aurelia on her chest. Somewhere without interruption, without a mate claiming her, without feeling like shit because she'd almost gotten herself killed by not shifting.

Kealan slid behind the wheel, started the car, and said, "I need to clean off."

"Can't you wait until we get to your pack house?"

"I'm covered in blood, and my property is hours away by car."

Jackie turned toward the window, hoping he wouldn't suggest running back to his pack, and stared out at the darkness that suddenly engulfed the forest, swallowing the trees, refusing to let the moonlight hit the ground. It was eerie and terrifying, just like the night before the hound attack that had killed Jeremy.

"Well, whose fault is that?" she asked.

He growled lowly and continued driving until they finally made it out of Direwolf Territory. The first dirt road he found, he drove down, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Great," Jackie said sarcastically. "Turn down a dark dirt road. What a good choice."

"You always have something to say, don't you?" he asked, jaw tight.

"Yes, I do." She pressed her lips together and glared over at him, trying to suppress the growing urge her wolf had to rip his clothes off right then and there. Moonlight flickered in through the windshield, hitting his perfectly sculpted face, his amber eyes looking hard yet utterly sensual. She swallowed and turned her head away from him, so she wouldn't stare anymore. "Especially when people make stupid decisions."

He parked the car, cut the headlights, and stepped out without saying a word. After a few moments of complete silence, he disappeared into the woods. Jackie glanced around at the darkness. They weren't in Direwolf Territory anymore, but they were close. So, she followed after him. Definitely not because she was scared at all. She just wanted to give him a piece of her mind.

"You know what else too?" she asked, following his cedar and smoke scent.

In the near distance, water splashed gently against a shore. They walked into a clearing, and moonlight glimmered against a lake. Blackwater Lake. It was the same lake where she'd met him last night, the same place where everything had changed. Kealan peeled off his shirt, throwing her a cheeky look. "What?"

Jackie gulped and tore her gaze away from his muscular back. Last night, she had seen him without his shirt, but she hadn't known it was Kealan. All she could think was how true the rumors were. Kealan looked to be sculpted by the Moon Goddess herself, muscles swollen under the light, scars decorating his back, full-body tattoos telling stories of war and death.

Don't think about it, Jackie. He's a dick. Remember that.

"You're disgusting."

He shimmied out of his jeans and underwear. Jackie forced herself to stare at anything but his back, his flexed triceps, and that ass. It all meant nothing if he was always such a dick. After giving her a hard look, he stepped into the water. "What did I do that disgusted you so much?"

"Wanting that stone."

"You don't know what people would do to have that stone, what people have to give up for it."

He submerged himself all the way in the water, and Jackie cursed herself for even being here with him. She shouldn't have left the car because her wolf wouldn't stop going crazy. While she hadn't shifted into her wolf in almost two months, she was still as loud and excited as she always had been, maybe even more so now. Since she couldn't get her energy out in the form of running, she made sure she got it out in other ways, like this.

When he came back up, he shook out his wet hair, letting it fall into his face. Beads of water rolled down his taut chest. And all Jackie could imagine were her hands gliding over his biceps and the way his fingers would dance alongside her hips if she were in the water with him.

"Not everyone is who you think they are, Jackie." He glanced over at her. "Not even me."

Her wolf purred, just watching him in that water, all alone. She wanted to get in there with him. She wanted him. Now. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't control herself around him.

She dipped her toes into the water. "Then, show me who you are, Alpha."

Waist deep in the lake, he grazed a hand down his abdomen, and her gaze followed. "Show you who I am?"

Maybe she'd gotten ahead of herself. That was a big statement for someone who was supposed to hate him at that moment, for someone who was supposed to not want anything to do with him at all. He raked his golden wolfish eyes down her body and smirked. "Take off your clothes and come to me, Kitten. I'll show you who I really am."

Jackie's heart pounded in her chest. Moon Goddess, help me.

"Don't make me say it again."

"And if I want to make you say it again?" she whispered.

He chuckled, beads of water running down that taut chest of his. All she wanted was his hand around her throat, his fingers inside her pussy, his lips devouring hers like she was his to claim.

"Try me," he said, stalking closer and closer to her, the water rippling around him.

Damn it. What the hell was wrong with her?

Jackie forced herself to turn around. If she looked at him for another second, she would jump right into that lake with him and have no regrets. She would do anything that he told her to without thinking it through. She would forget that she was an alpha, too, and alphas didn't react so rashly unless they went by the name of Kealan, the god of war.

The water stayed silent behind her, and her heart pounded against her chest.

It was too quiet. Too fucking quiet.

Suddenly, Kealan snaked his hand around her neck from behind and pulled her toward him. "Take off your clothes," he said against her ear, raking his fingers over her breast.

Jackie shivered at his touch, her nipples immediately hardening against her bra.

"Now."

Fuck acting cautiously. Turning around, she curled her fingers under the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head. Her wolf stirred inside of her, willing to do anything that her mate asked her to do, betraying her and all her deepest, darkest wishes.

"Good girl." Kealan lightly brushed his lips against her neck. He looped a finger in her bra cup, tugging on it. "Now, this."

Jackie unclipped her bra from behind her, remembering how his hands had felt on her body last night. He had made her feel better than anyone ever had. Her wolf purred, wanting that again. Goddess, she wanted him to devour her like he had promised he would earlier. Kealan tore it off of her and groped her breast firmly in his hand. He ran his palm over her nipple, and she clenched.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Claim us.

He plunged a hand into her jeans and rubbed her swollen clit through her panties. "You're always so wet for me, Kitten."

Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, Jackie brushed her fingers against his hard cock. "Let me finish what I started before," she said. She couldn't take this anymore, hadn't really stopped thinking about earlier since they left the pack house.

"Needy, are we?" He chuckled against her skin and rubbed her harder. "Take off your panties. It's my turn."

Her eyes widened, and she grasped his cock, stroking it slowly. "Your turn?"

He pressed his lips against hers and stared down at her, knowing that he had full control over her every move. It was like he had some divine aura or power to him. One way or another, this man had been fated to destroy her.

"Take them off and hand them to me."

Jackie's pussy pulsed wildly. She just wanted him inside of her, thrusting his huge cock into her tight pussy, over and over until she was begging for him to stop.

She kicked off her jeans and slowly stepped out of her underwear.

He held out his hand, and she placed them in it. After tossing her thong toward the pile of his clothes, he pushed two fingers against her clit, rubbing gently. "Tell me how bad you want it, Kitten.

Tell me how much you wish my face were between your legs, my tongue on your sensitive little clit, my fingers inside of you."

He slid them down her folds to her opening, and she suppressed a moan.

"Come on, Kitten. Don't be shy."

"Kealan," she said softly, eyes closing. She gripped his wrist. Moon Goddess—

"What do you want?" He pressed his fingers against her core, teasing her. "Tell me."

Jackie furrowed her brows together, watching his fingers rub against her folds. "You," she said under her breath. "I want you."

He growled lowly, picking her up and placing her down on the grassy patch by the lake. He spread her legs apart, and almost immediately, his breath was on her pussy. He inhaled. "Fuck." He pushed a finger inside of her. "I've been waiting for this all fucking day." He pressed his lips to her folds, his tongue massaging her swollen clit.

Jackie moaned and arched her back into the grass, thrusting a hand through his hair. Holy—

"You taste so good." He gently sucked her clit between his lips.

Her toes curled, and she tried to stop her legs from trembling. Yet all she could imagine was how the great and powerful Kealan couldn't get her off his mind all day, how he'd wanted to taste her, how she had the power. His tongue was driving her wild, sending pleasure through her body, making her crave more.

"Say my name," he murmured against her. "I want to hear my name on your lips."

Such a vicious creature, begging her to say his name.

"Kealan..." Jackie dug her nails into his shoulders, trying to displace the pressure rising in her core with each thrust. "Moon Goddess, you're so fucking good at that."

"If we were home," he flicked her clit with his tongue, "I would eat your pussy all night."

He tugged on her nipple, and her body jerked into the air. Her claws dug into his shoulders, her lips parted in pure bliss, her entire body shook with ecstasy. Jackie moaned loudly as her body tingled with delight. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled out of her. She took a deep breath and relaxed against the grass, her chest rising and falling raggedly.

He gazed up at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I'm not finished with you yet."

"I can't do what we did last night, Kealan. My pussy is so—"

Instead of going in for seconds, he picked her up off the grass, threw her over his shoulder, and walked toward the water. Jackie's eyes widened, and she struggled in his hold, arms and legs flailing everywhere.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no."

"Yes." He wrapped his arms tightly around her torso, holding her to his chest as he submerged them into the water.

"Kealan!" she shouted, her nipples hardening from the coldness of the water. "It's freezing!"

He pressed his body against hers, and his arm wrapped around her waist under the water. He pulled her in closer, lips curling into a smile, and rested his forehead against hers. "Call me Kealan, Kitten, please."

"Why?" Jackie ran her fingers over his muscles, loving how smooth and big they felt under the water. He was so close, but she wanted him closer.

"Please," he said so desperately. "Kealan."

"Kealan."

After burying his face into her neck and pushing a lock of her wet red hair behind her shoulder, he inhaled her scent. Though the water was cold, being close to him made it bearable. She relaxed under his touch and kicked her legs back and forth under the water.

She had barely known Kealan for an entire day, yet she had learned more about him than any rumor or Lunar Daily Newspaper article could tell her.

Though an asshole, he was a fun asshole, a cute asshole, and a somewhat sweet asshole. Helping that rogue when she shouldn't have been helped.

Pulling her into his chest when she hadn't wanted to be close to him, when she hadn't wanted to feel these feelings for him. It was refreshing.

She wondered how many other girls had fallen under this spell so easily.

Her wolf growled at the thought, and she soothed her by clutching him closer. "Why do you really want that stone?"

The sudden, playful Kealan was gone, and that godly look crossed his face. "Not now." Even his voice was tense.

"I just want to know," she whispered because she had half the stone inside of her body and didn't want him ripping it out because he had this insatiable thirst for power. She couldn't allow herself to fall for him and let her guard down, only to die by the hands of her mate.

When he found out that she couldn't shift or fight easily, she would become useless to him.

If her mother thought she was worthless, a god like Kealan would really have no use for a cripple like her.

Jackie's entire body tensed, and she pulled away from him. She couldn't get close. She had to put space between them.

She had to forget about whatever kind of goodness she had seen in him today. Because Alpha Kealan wasn't good; he was cruel. And when he found out she had the stone, he would tear her apart, just as he had done to so many packs before her.

After driving the rest of the way in silence, Kealan placed Jackie's sleeping body down on his bed, rested her head against the gray pillows, and draped the blankets over her shoulders. Moonlight flooded in through his window, bouncing off her perfect fucking face.

It had been less than a day, and he had lied to her already. Yet he couldn't help himself. It happened so naturally now, like a fucking protective mechanism or some shit.

The way she had said his name in the water, the way the moonlight had made her face glow like a goddess's, everything about her—and he'd had to lie. He peeled off his shirt, hurled it into the hamper, and picked up Jackie's backpack.

Little whimpers had been coming from it all day. And when he opened it, two big black eyes stared up at him. He reached in, pulled out Jackie's cat, and held back a sneeze. "Moon Goddess..." He walked with the cat and Jackie's backpack to the spare bedroom across from his and set her on the ground. "I can't believe she left you in there all day."

The cat walked to the other side of the room, her little butt swaying from side to side, just like Jackie's did, jumped onto a high dresser, and glared down at him. Kealan shut the door behind them and searched through Jackie's things, looking for her food. Laptop. Chips. Pencil. Notes. Chips. Bloody silver knife that smelled like that hound. Chips. Chips. More chips.

He stared down at the five small bags of potato chips and glanced up at the gray cat. She licked her lips, stared lovingly at the plastic bags. He picked one up, opened it, and pulled out a chip, moving it from side to side in front of her face.

Her gaze followed his fingers. After sneezing, he stuck the chip right in his mouth.

The cat leaped right off of the dresser, wrapped her arms around his neck, and swatted the chip right out of his mouth. When it fell onto the floor, she hopped down and snatched it between her teeth.

Kealan waved his hand in the air, trying to get rid of all the cat fur before he started sneezing and couldn't stop. His first lie was that he hadn't wanted the fucking cat.

He didn't care that she had it. He just couldn't take all this fucking shedding of fur. It drifted in the air and caused him to sneeze again. He took a step toward the door and cursed. Damn, he wished that this were his only lie.

After opening a couple bags of chips and setting out a box—they'd have to get litter tomorrow—he left the cat in the room and walked to his dimly lit office. It was two in the morning, and Marcus was sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk, glancing through a file.

"How is the rogue and her son?" Kealan asked.

Marcus tossed the file onto his desk and stood. "Living with one of the elders. Told him to keep an eye on her for tonight. I'll watch on her until she gives us something about the stone. She knows more than she's saying."

Kealan ran a hand over his face. Hunting for this damn thing was so tiring. He just needed the search to be over. They didn't have time to sit around and wait anymore. "Did you find any information regarding the stone at Jackie's pack?"

"No," Marcus said. "We need more time."

Kealan growled, nails lengthening into claws. "We don't fucking have time." Time was running out quicker than he wanted. They needed the stone, and they needed the stone now. He'd destroy the whole fucking world to find it. Packs. People. He didn't care who or what got in his way.

"I know," Marcus said.

Kealan snatched his throat, shoved him against the wall, and growled. "No, you don't." He pressed his lips together. Think of Jackie. Jackie. Jackie. His grip loosened on Marcus's neck, and he released him, turning his back. "You know how hopeless this all is without that stone."

Marcus rubbed his neck slightly and snarled. "Don't think I don't know the consequences of not getting that stone. Her life will turn to shit without it. She'll just get worse." Marcus looked away and into the moonlight out the window.

What most people outside his pack didn't know was that Kealan didn't want that stone for power or strength. He didn't even want that stone to rule the lands. He wanted that stone for her, for Charlize. The one woman that he cared for the most, the one woman who had gotten him through every hardship, the one woman who he'd sworn to protect from anything—even his mate, if it came to it.

Telling Jackie that he wanted power—that was Kealan lying to her.

"I know," he said under his breath. He glared around his office, looking at the leather couches, at the oak desk, and even at the moonflower in a bright yellow flowerpot Charlize had brought over this morning for him.

Everything he'd worked so hard to achieve for this pack would all be for nothing without a miracle. He needed to clear his mind. Every day that Charlize was sick only stressed him out more. He loved her with everything he had, and he needed her with him. After his mother... he couldn't let anyone else close to him die.

"I need to run."

Before he could leave the room, Marcus caught his shoulder and tugged him back. "We have other problems."

"What?" Kealan asked, shrugging him off.

"Your mate."

Kealan clenched his jaw, narrowed his eyes, and snarled. "What about Jackie?"

"One, everyone is too excited to meet her tomorrow. Especially Marcus."

His wolf growled at the mention of Marcus. That asshole was the best warrior he had but also notorious for flirting with mated women. He didn't give a shit who he got with or what he said to anyone.

"I'll handle Marcus," Kealan said through clenched teeth. "What else?"

"Two, I believe the hounds are tracking Jackie down. The rogue woman said that there was a bounty on Jackie's head and that the hounds want her dead. Nobody knows why."

His wolf growled again, this time aching for blood. "Then, we'll kill them. One by one." He wouldn't let anyone even think about hurting his mate. He'd rip them limb by limb before they had the chance to touch her.

"Three"—Marcus smiled—"I can't wait for her to get on your nerves." He walked to the door and pulled it open. "Finally, someone able to test you, Kealan. I don't think you're ready for it."

Oh, he was ready. He was ready for anything she could throw at him, for any lie she could tell, for any fight she tried to start with him. Healan and he wanted it all from their alpha mate.

They already loved when she back-talked, when she got all up in their face, thinking that she was the toughest wolf they'd ever come across.

Their mate was the one thing they could agree upon, the one thing they didn't fight about—but Kealan knew this calmness between them wouldn't last for long.

Healan probably thought that if she spent enough time with him, she'd start to hate him too.

It wasn't always this way with Healan and him. They hadn't always been two different people trapped in the same body, but after what had happened with his mother, Kealan needed to protect Healan.

The world might've been fucked up back then—hell, it still was now—but if it hadn't happened, Kealan never would have met Jackie, only Healan would've.

No matter who they were to her, neither of them could wait to see her wolf, to run with her up to Fenrir Peak and decide which group of rogues they would hunt that day.

Kealan bet her fur was soft, just like her hair, her scent even more tantalizing than her human, her strength nearly matching his.

He had waited for this moment for twenty-seven years, and he'd almost screwed it up already.