Too Many Secrets To Hide | ✔| #Wattys2017

Chapter Twenty-Three

Word Count: 3781

   By the time my tour was coming to an end, the effects of the painkiller were wearing off. I only know that because my whole body was starting to hurt. It wasn't too bad though, I could handle it.

   Suddenly, I saw someone coming towards us. "Alpha," he bowed his head respectively to Malachi and cast an uncomfortable glance at me as if he didn't know what to do. "There is a... Visitor... To see you," he told him. "And the girl, too." I looked at Malachi. He seemed confused, and at first I was too. Then I smirked and motioned for our little messenger to take me to the visitor. He obeyed without further command from his alpha.

   I practically skipped to the foyer. It was a shame I didn't have a super keen sense of smell even in my human form like full bred werewolves. That way, I would have known even before I saw him that it was Jasper who came. With him was Bel, Maddox, Christopher, Mark and the doctor.
Jasper spread his arms out wide for me to run into, but Bel attacked me before I could make it there. If I were any less strong, we would have gone right to the ground from the force of her hug. I wrapped my arms around her too, even tighter than she gripped me. Then I felt Jasper cover us both in a warm embrace. That earned a low growl from Malachi. Jasper turned his head back up to glare at him as he pulled both Bel and I back towards Mark, Christopher and Maddox. It wasn't long before he was shoving us behind him for his stare off with Malachi.

   "What do you think you're doing here?" Malachi snarled. "Taking my mate home," Jasper said through gritted teeth. "My mate," Malachi returned, "is not going anywhere." Then he gave a low growl. "What makes you think she's your's?" Jasper spat. "Probably the mate bond," Malachi sneered. Neither one of them made a move towards each other. "You don't feel one," Jasper said maliciously.

   "You're vastly outnumbered in another man's territory. You may want to reconsider your businesses here," Malachi stated with a vicious grin. Jasper met that with a smirk of his own. "Oh yes, that's true," he said like what Malachi had just pointed out was the least concerning thing in the world to him. Jasper new something I nor Malachi knew. I wondered what it could be. All I knew was that whatever it was, it was only good for Jasper's side of the fight.
Malachi gave Jasper a questioning look as the latter stalked casually towards the former. They stood toe-to-toe, nose-to-nose. They were exactly the same height, standing both at six foot five. They were also very similarly built.
  
   "I'll take her by force if I have to," Jasper said in a cool tone that was so cruel it would have sent shivers shooting right up your spine. "I will fight for what's mine and you won't stand in my way." A tension now hung in the air with the sound of Jasper's last words. It was clear to everyone, especially Malachi that there was an unspoken threat about to rear it's ugly head.

   "And I will fight for what is mine," Malachi snarled in response, not the least bit intimidated by my mate. Jasper smiled and nearly chuckled. He was about to say something when I gasped. Both boys snapped their heads to look at me, as if to make sure I wasn't hurt. I wasn't, of course, but I had just realized something that might change things.
"You're both my mate," I breathed horrified with a hand raising barley to touch my lips. Had I really just said that? "One for each half of me," I went on. I knew it was possible for humans to be mated to werewolves. I also knew that it was extremely rare. It made sense that human/wolf hybrids would be just as rare, making me an anomaly. It was just as fair that as such, I could have two mates.
"My human is mated to Malachi and my wolf is mated to Jasper," I explained, as much to myself as to the others in the room since my mind wasn't quite functioning as fast as I could talk at the moment. "That would explain why I feel the mate bond for Jasper so much stronger when my wolf is in control, yet I feel so attracted to Malachi in my human." Both my mates exchanged a glance. Neither one of them were very happy about that.