Alpha Hole

Ch. 35

"I need to know—if Aiden had been your mate, would you have waited to mark him?" His question— his accusation still swirled in my mind.

As I sat there, the silence of the room only amplified the chaos storming in my chest. The hurt in Jaxson's eyes haunted me, and I knew I had to make him understand. But right now, I was exhausted, physically and emotionally drained.

Jaxson stumbled back in at some point after I had gone to sleep. The reek of alcohol hit me immediately. Confusion flooded me, and I reached for the lamp.

"Jaxson?" My eyes adjusted to the light as he looked at me, his expression a mix of frustration and sadness.

"You're going to go into heat soon. We need to move into the house tomorrow," he said, his words slurred together but I got the picture. 

"Okay," I replied, feeling a wave of discomfort. I didn't know how he might act since he'd been drinking. The tension between us was palpable, and I felt an uneasy knot forming in my stomach.

I hadn't realized I would go into heat so soon. My mind raced back to the one conversation we'd had in the Luna lecture. The concept had been so abstract then, but now it was staring me in the face.

Jaxson flicked my nose playfully, but his words that followed were anything but lighthearted. "You know, I think Chris was right. And that's crazy because he's never right. But I think I should just knock you up. That would solve all of this Aiden shit."

"What?!" I nearly panicked at the thought. "I— I'm not ready for that."

He shrugged, a strange, almost manic glint in his eyes. "Yeah, I mean, it will be great. Eric and Jenna's kid will only be a few months older and—"

"Jaxson, you can't be serious," I interrupted, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and disbelief.

His eyes hardened as he looked at me.

"Stop— you're being ridiculous. This isn't you." I shook my head, trying to make sense of the situation. "You're drunk and talking nonsense. We need to discuss this when you're sober."

He shrugged again, his demeanor shifting to something colder. "Apparently, you don't like nice guys. I've tried to be nice. I've tried to give you time, and all this time I've just been screwing myself."

"I do not like Aiden," I insisted, my voice growing more desperate.

He laughed at me, a harsh sound that echoed in the room. "Maybe if you had marked me, you'd have realized by now that I can read your emotions."

His words caught me off guard, and I felt a lump rise in my throat.  I hadn't even been able to comprehend the idea before he stalked towards me—anger and something else simmering in his dark eyes. "I'm done being nice."

In the next moment, he was hovering over me on the bed, his presence overwhelming and intoxicating. His arms encircled me, one hand threading through my hair to cradle my head while the other snaked its way up my shirt. His pelvis pressed firmly against my core, and his mouth raked over the sensitive spot where his mark was.

I shuddered beneath him, my body responding to the intensity of his touch despite the whirlwind of emotions raging inside me. My wolf surfaced appreciatively.

"Jaxson," I breathed, my voice a mix of fear and longing.

"Shh," he whispered against my skin, his lips brushing my ear. "I need you to understand how serious this is. How serious I am about us."

His hand tightened in my hair, and I gasped, feeling a mix of pain and pleasure. His other hand explored my skin, sending electric jolts through my body. I was caught between wanting to push him away and wanting to pull him closer.

"I need to know if you're with me, Layla," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. "All the way."

I looked up at him, my heart pounding. "I am with you," I whispered, my voice trembling.

"Then prove it," he demanded, his eyes boring into mine. "Mark me."

I hesitated, the weight of his demand crashing down on me. "Jaxson, I—" I couldn't do it like this. It wasn't right.  He'd hate me in the morning if I did it now.

"Prove it," he repeated, his grip tightening. "Show me that you're not just stringing me along."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I struggled to find the right words. "I want to, but not like this. Not when you're angry."

He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine before he jerked back as if I had struck him. He stood, hand rubbing down his face in anguish. "Fuck— Layla." His voice cracked and eyes filled with remorse and something like fear before he turned and walked out of the room.