'Mate, what are you doing here?' The sweet voice asked. He turned to face it.
The wolf in front of him made his mouth water. Jerome froze, and his canines elongated again. He groaned.
'Not again,' he thought to himself.
'I just heard you howl and my feet brought me before I could stop myself,' he told her. He was glad he sounded calmer than he felt.
She looked gorgeous. Pride in her majestic wolf filled him. He sat on the ground and held open his arms. She slowly walked up to him and nuzzled his face.
His eyes closed and she licked his face.
Automatically, his arms closed around her body as his fingers sunk into her fur. A rumble sounded and it took him a moment to realize he was making the sound. The contentment he felt was unparalleled.
After what felt like seconds, she wiggled out of his grasp and circled him rubbing her body against his several times. At first, he was bewildered as to why she was pushing against him. As their scents mingled he became calmer and calmer.
'It is time for you to go, Alpha.'
Jerome sighed and stood. "You can sleep in my room whenever you like. You can wear anything of mine that you like, at any time. You can shift in my rooms. Take care of yourself for me. When you need me, call me."
'Alpha, I cannot accept that privilege.' She whined and it tore at his heart.
"It is the only thing I ask you for." Goddess knew that he wanted so much more.
'Very well, Alpha. We will do as you ask.'
"Thank you, Luna."
'It is not yet our title.'
"A few more years, Little One. Come greet me when I return. Duty calls, I am not certain when I will return."
'Farewell Alpha.' She turned and sat on the ground. She covered her eyes with a paw.
He walked over to her, knelt beside her, and kissed the top of her head. She whined and he caressed her fur once more before heading home in the same direction he'd come from.
This time his mother waited for him in wolf form as he sailed over the fence. She didn't speak. He hugged her and she sniffed about.
'Am I too late?'
He shook his head. He grinned when he realized exactly what happened. His mate had rubbed her scent all over him.
She was as possessive as he was. That made him glad. His mother's laughter rang through his mind when she figured it out.
'Well, then, Alpha, I am sure you know what to do. Now that you've improved her fighting skills don't make her use them to defend what is hers.'
Jerome smirked. 'I intend to be as True as possible, Luna.' He hadn't had to defend her yet but he would at the drop of a hat.
It would take a lot to make him lose his chill. He had a lot at stake. His heart still thundered at the risk he'd taken and how much he had succumbed to his whim.
He'd wanted so badly to do more than just hold her. He'd wanted to do so much more, he sighed. There was no point in thinking about it.
One day he'd have the right to be completely in True Nature and relish every moment. For now, he had to do what was right for her and their people.
'It's pretty hard, isn't it?' His mother asked softly.
He didn't have to ask what she meant. It was very true. He had every right and yet it wasn't the right thing to do.
'It's way harder than I thought.' He ran his hand over his hair. He looked up into the sky which was beginning to change color as the sun set.
Minutes later he was in a car headed to the special assignment. Normally he would have been going to camp. This time, he was helping the Council of Councils.
Jerome wasn't sure why exactly he had been chosen but he knew it was an honor and that his help was needed. He schooled his mind to be wary of acting like an Alpha. This was bigger than having rank in his pack.
As the scenery flew by he prayed to God that his girl would be okay. A warm feeling went over him. He realized that was the first time he had admitted to himself that she was his and his alone.
"Whoa, dude! You are in love!" Pieter blurted out.
The other guys from their pack looked at their Alpha in interest. No one had ever heard of the nerd being involved with anyone. The Beta's sister had already claimed the Alpha as hers.
Jerome stared at Pieter and frowned. "She's my mate. How am I not supposed to be in love?"
Pieter grinned. At least everyone in this group now knew the Alpha was taken. It would make it easier to prise lusty girls off of Jerome if everyone knew where their Alpha stood.
"What's her name?" A curious enforcer asked.
"No fucking way am I putting a target on her head while I'm away. She's mine. That's all anyone needs to know right now."
"Oh, you haven't marked her yet?"
"Oh, I've marked her. Anyone who dares to hurt her will regret it. Anyone who tries to defile her will learn that it isn't to be done." Jerome smiled in a way that gave everyone chills.
"Who are you and what have you done to our nerdy Alpha?" One of the guys who'd been training with him asked.
Jerome's eyes stared through him. "Ya don' wantta know how far I'll go to protect what's mine." His voice was the only indicator of how close to True Nature he was.
The guy smiled. He was starting to realize that a lot of the rumors about the future Alpha being weak were straight-up horse manure. "Sir, whatever help you need from me, I am there."
"Of course, we all are. You're our Alpha." Pieter seconded. He knew better than to touch Jerome right now. He held out something even better.
Jerome smiled. It was one of Gaby's hair ties. He searched Pieter's memory.
He found the right memory as it was right at the forefront of Pieter's thoughts. Gaby had approached Pieter shyly, she asked him to take care of Jerome and had given him a shoebox of things to give to Jerome. Jerome grinned as the scent of her hair calmed him down.
Pieter smiled. "Take it easy, Big Guy. You have your future to come back to. Your pack and your Luna. She's going to be amazing."
"She knew." Jerome mused. She couldn't hide it when he returned. She now knew that he knew she knew.
It would make his possessive tendency easier to deal with. He could hold her when he needed to. He could shower her with affection.
Jerome felt such relief at the thoughts. Coming back home was now a greater pleasure to consider. He knew he'd trained her well. She'd be here when he got back.
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
"Ugh, just look at her. She walks around like she owns the world." The Beta's daughter remarked with disdain.
Gaby walked seemingly oblivious to the chatter behind her back. She greeted some classmates before dropping her nose in a book. She skillfully dodged a foot placed in front of her path and continued to class.
Jerome and the others had been gone for almost two years now. No one knew when their mission would end. She knew he was okay and that was what mattered most.
He texted her at least once a day which she was grateful for. She was starting to develop a total crush on him and she wasn't sure what to do about it. She looked forward to his text every night.
Sometimes she didn't wait for him to text. She would tell him about her day and ask him if he was eating well and sleeping well. She didn't dare tell him that sometimes she knew when he was injured though she'd often text Pieter to make sure he got taken care of properly.
Pieter was very nice and always assured her that Jerome would text or call. Sometimes, it was really hard to go to sleep and if he wasn't on patrol he'd call her until she fell asleep.
Once she'd woken up only to discover that she'd forgotten to hang up and he'd not hung up.
It was so embarrassing to think he'd listened to her snores. She'd sworn out loud and called his name. He'd answered straight away.
His voice had sent shivers down her spine in the most delicious way. It had been a little more rough than usual and with a hint of Island. She thought he sounded super hot when he spoke with an Island accent.
It was a sign of strong emotion among their kind. The Alpha and his wife were Island people. Alpha Jacob had dreadlocks and Gaby admired his hair.
Jerome's older brothers all had dreadlocks. Word in the pack was that only their mates touched their hair. Gaby longed to touch Jerome's hair but he got angry when she offered to do his hair in exchange for his training her.
It had hurt when he told her that only his mate could touch his hair. She'd nearly cried. He sat her down, took a brush, and began brushing her hair.
To her embarrassment, she'd melted into him and had fallen asleep. It had felt so good having his fingers on her scalp. She had relaxed instantly.
When she woke up her hair had been braided into six neat rows until the base of her neck where her hair was secured at the base of each braid and left to hang loose. She'd woken up in Jerome's room and to a curious Alpha. She'd bolted up mortified.
"I'm so sorry Alpha! I don't know what came over me! Mama must be livid." She looked everywhere except at her amused Alpha who had, unbeknownst to her, walked in on his son with the sleeping girl between his legs.
Her mother had stormed in ready to kill his son but had stopped when she found the girl asleep but fully dressed.