To Be A Mate

Chapter TwentyTwo

My window opened as Jake slid himself into my room. I didn't need to contact him to know that he would come back.

Once Jeremy and I closed the front door I had locked it along with every other door and window in our house. Jeremy's eyes questioned me but he didn't object.

I was aware of who and what Micah was, as well as what he could do. I just hoped Jake would tell me why.

Once standing inside my room, Jake bounds over to me in minimal steps and engulfs me in a hug. He pushes my body against his and presses his nose into the crook of my neck. I feel my neck get moist as he inhales and exhales. My hair sticks to my neck as if I am  sweating.

I go to take a step back from Jake to ask him for answers when he pulls me back into him. He growls at the same time.

"Don't move away from me. Not now, not ever, I just need to hold you right now."

I am taken back by his possessiveness but don't pull back or try to fight him on it.

After a good five minutes of me being squished in his arms, he slowly lets me unravel away from him.

"So he's back?" I whisper to Jake.

He doesn't answer, but instead raises his hand to stroke my face. I shiver and I feel the blood rush to my face, just from his simple gesture. He nods in response to my question only to slam himself into me again, wrapping his ripped arms around me.

I am patient yet again, letting him release me instead of pulling away. I knew this situation stressed him out, why exactly I'm not quite sure. I still want to be able to comfort him though.

"I thought it wouldn't matter. I thought that with the mate bond..... I mean there was nothing else I could have done, you had to know." He talks almost as if to himself, as he pulls away from me.

"What wouldn't matter? Jake, what about our mate bond are you talking about?" I question him, not following where he is going with his rambling.

I've never seen him like this before. He looks stressed and scared. "Jen......" He sounds ashamed as he says my name, like he's about to confess that he cheated or something. "The promise I broke was when I told you, a human, about me. About everything."

I inhale sharply as I remember his words almost a week ago. 'Along with that, werewolves had to keep their existence, as well as the vampires existence, a secret'

"So he came back...... because of me?" I ask him, my voice barely above a whisper. He looks broken as he nods his head.

I bite my lip and try not to let my panic show. This time I'm the one who pulls Jake against me.

"I am going to protect you, Jen. I will make sure they never get you. I swear on anything. I swear on my own alpha."

I keep myself against him but I look up and give him weak smile. "Isn't it frowned upon to put something above your alpha?"

"Definitely." He declares. "But you're not just something." He pulls me over to my bed and we sit next to each other much like we had only an hour earlier. I am relieved because I wasn't sure how much longer I could lean on Jake without taking him out.

"I think you should come stay with me in the pack house, where I can watch you. Tyler can't argue this time because no alpha can ignore a mate bond, especially when one's in danger. I can't stand not knowing where you are at all times. Plus I want to make you mine. I want to finished the mating process."

"As in you marking me?" I clearly remember him telling me about the stages of mating, but he didn't explain the last step- really at all. "What is the last thing we have to do to complete it?"