Greykin Valley

| 43 | Waiting on Fate

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| Jackson |

Could Damon be Jackson's demon mate? The question stuck with him since they left the hut, and all he could think about was asking Sebastien about demon imprints. He wanted to know how to do it, and then maybe he'd stop feeling like a part of him was missing.

But his conversation with Wilson clung to him, too. He thought about all the guys he dated before he found Damon, and although some were decent, most of them were assholes—he was even surer of that now that he knew they were energy vampires or weird spider people. They just wanted to use him, and he finally found someone who loved him for who he was rather than what he could give them.

He looked at the white wolf while he led the pack and smiled a little. He loved Damon so much; he had to be the answer to Jackson's current dismay the same way he was to everything that came before. Damon saved his life and introduced him to a world he would have never known existed. He was kind, gentle, and understanding. He was everything Jackson could need and want in a man.

Jackson looked behind him and located Sebastien, who was trailing behind. The winged hound still looked like he was panicking, and when Jackson focused, he could hear Sebastien's racing heart.

But then his eyes shifted to Wilson. Talking about his exes helped him remember a few things, and he wanted to talk more...but he also wanted to stay with Damon.

He looked at the Alpha while he pondered, and then he asked, "Did you...have any exes?"

Damon glanced at him and frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious."

"I went on a few dates with a few different women, but I never found what I was looking for, and I didn't know what it was until I found you."

Jackson smiled again. "I felt that way for a long time; I was kinda searching, I guess, for the right one. For you."

"Did you ever think that your right one would be thousands of miles away from home?" the Alpha asked curiously, but there was also a smirk on his face.

He thought about it for a moment. "It crossed my mind a few times. One time, I even considered taking a vacation somewhere just so I could see if I could find someone who wasn't a snooty or selfish city boy."

"Why didn't you take the vacation?"

"Work," he said with a sigh. "Wilson and I were close to having all the evidence we needed to expose an illegal gambling operation. I had to use my savings to play the game and record their conversations about laundering and smuggling."

Damon laughed quietly and shook his head. "You make me wonder more and more each day why you didn't just become a detective."

"I don't know," he mumbled as Damon led the pack towards a river. "Maybe after all this stuff is over. I'm sure there's a lot of room for people willing to try and solve mysteries out here, huh? Although now that I remember everything, things would probably be so much simpler in Dawnward."

The Alpha's amused expression faded. "You're going back to Nefastus after this?" he asked, glaring ahead.

Jackson could see the sadness on Damon's face, and it made him feel guilty. "Well, I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I haven't decided. But one thing I know for sure is that I wanna be where you are."

"I won't be leaving Ascela," the Alpha said firmly. "This is my birthplace and home, and that of my family, too."

"Would you not even consider it if it was safe?" Jackson asked with a frown.