The Alpha And His Mate (Silver Hills #1)

Chapter 14

The wind whipped through my hair and burnt my eyes. I clung tight to Jax's muscular body as we sped along the roads.

He hadn't been joking when he told me he had a bike. I didn't know much about motorcycles, but the vehicle that purred beneath me was as sleek and agile as a cat.

I was happy in that moment. There was no need for any of us to speak; even if we wanted to we couldn't at this speed. For one minute, I had almost been glad to be the alpha's mate.

I thought about my life before all this. It was safe. It was cozy. It was boring. I had settled into an easy routine with my mom and Angel. Now I was... free, I guessed. Free from the conventions that held me back.

Never had Harvard felt so far away.

Never had I felt so alive.

I was almost disappointed when we skidded to a stop outside my house. I held on for a few extra seconds, and when I let go and jumped off, I could see Jax was smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked, shocked to see him enjoying something. I hadn't known him long, but from what I knew he seldom smiled.

His smile dropped instantly. "I doubt you'd care," he said sulkily. "You're too busy struggling along your endless line of suitors."

I clenched my jaw: we were not having this discussion tonight.

"My last two days," I told him, "have been hell on earth." He looked almost apologetic at my strained tone, as I recalled the plethora of events that had occurred in under 48 hours.

"I'm sorry," he said to my surprise. "I should know better than to be jealous. Besides, we both know nothing can happen between us."

"Well, nothing romantic at least," I added, not thinking through the implication of my words.

His eyebrows shot up instantly. I marvelled at how carved and defined they were. "You want to be friends?"

Too proud to tell him no, I gave a slight nod. "Unless you think you can't handle that?" There. A challenge. From his behaviour so far, he wouldn't be able to turn that down.

His jaw set. "I'm not the wild beast you think I am," he said. "I won't defile your honour if you get too close to me." He paused and rubbed his hands against the handles of the bike. "It's just..."

"Just what?" I challenged further. "You don't want to be friends?"

"You don't seem to understand how the mating bond works," he snapped, suddenly agitated. "You can't just 'be friends' with your mate! The idea is almost blasphemous to how scared it is."

"Oh," I said, wrapping my arms awkwardly around me. "I didn't realise. Nobody's really explained anything to me. Other than Genevieve, but she wants to rip my head off now."

Jax softened and looked at me a moment. "To be honest, I can't blame Genevieve for reacting the way she did. I was no better when it came down to it."

"Down to what?"

The air was silent other than the rustling trees. "Jealously," he said simply after a while. "It's jealously."

I pushed down the effect of his words. "Not for Genevieve," I pointed out. "She doesn't love Richard."

"Maybe not," Richard agreed.

"I don't see why she made such a big deal of it!" I confessed, remembering the hell she unleashed. "It's not like I was forcing myself on him!"

"Perhaps it was insecurity. Or more likely, whether she wanted it or not, years of being together had forged a closeness between the two of them. Maybe not love, but just as strong," Jax suggested.

I paused at that. When I thought of it, Richard and Genevieve had always been together. They sat on the council together. Though they claimed indifference, Genevieve was almost always at the Mason's house.

I felt guilt stab me in the stomach. Whatever Genevieve's relationships with Richard, he was still her fiancée. I shouldn't have kissed him like that. Especially not when it gave him false hope that we could be together.

"I don't like him," I practically whispered. I don't know why but it was important Jax knew. "I kissed him because..."

I let my voice trail off. I wasn't ready to say the damning words out loud.

"If you wanted to make me jealous, it worked."

I stared at him in surprise for half a heartbeat before recovering. "I'm glad it wasn't for nothing." I wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but it was all I could think of.

He nodded at me before looking up at the rising moon. "I had better be off."

"Will the pack he expecting you?" I asked. "I didn't mean to keep you away from them. I don't really know how wolf packs work either," I admitted.

He grinned cockily. "It's nice you think they can't go without me, but Blaze has a better grip on them then I do half the time anyway. He's fiercer than a bloodhound. All the same, I don't want to keep you out at night. It's dangerous, especially with your track record."

I thought back to the vampire attack and shuddered. Suddenly I didn't want to be alone. Genevieve couldn't protect me anymore. My life was forfeit every second of the night.

"I really don't know much about wolves," I pitched up, afraid to be left alone. "Or the mating bond. Perhaps... I need a teacher."

He looked abashed. "Surely your not suggesting..."

"As the alpha I'm sure you know about that stuff best," I pointed out. "And I really don't want to be alone." It was a hard confession to make but once the words were out it felt as if my lungs had cleared

"Persephone," he growled. I hated the way I loved how my name sounded in his mouth. "You know we're not allowed to see each other. What I'm doing right now is a violation of the terms set, and it's only because I know Genevieve will be off her game today."

I swallowed and desperately thought of a counter-argument. I needed him to stay with me through the darkness. "I never agreed to anything. And so you even know what's so dangerous about us?" I challenged.

I saw him inhale deeply. His breath released in frosty clouds dancing in the night sky. "I don't," he said, "but I've been alive long enough to trust the councils judgement."

"Fine," I hissed, trying to hide the disappointment welling up in my chest. I began to stomp towards the door. "If I wake up dead because vampires have ripped my throat out in the night," I paused for dramatic effect, "you know who to blame."

I was nearly through the door when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Warmth flooded me at his touch. When I turned around, I could tell from the expression on his face Jax had given in.

"If anyone finds out..." he warned

"They won't I promised," before holding the door open to let my mate into my house for the first time.