Thirty four

OLAMIDE

"Jason made no mention of it." I disclosed, looking into Satake's eyes for a split second. "It's because he doesn't trust me, right?"

"I don't think so," Satake replied. "If Jason didn't trust you, he would have marked the night the goddess made you his true mate. He still hasn't. That speaks in volumes."

"So you are saying he trusts me?"

"That is an over-reach. You have been with him. He is difficult and has serious trust issues but with you, Jason is in the middle and most of it has to do with the fact that you are his mate. You... fascinate him."

I likened Jason's fascination to a wolf when they had a first-time interaction with humans. They were wary and less aggressive. It was almost cute to think about if Jason was not a murderer with serious psychological issues. My brain did a playback on everything that has occurred this night. From suspicions of my brother's death being associated with vampires to discovering that I shared a soul with a scheming witch. There was a lot I had to keep out of Jason's head now. I needed that authority.

"How do I shut him out?" I inquired.

Satake scoffed. "I don't have a mate. So I don't have first-hand knowledge. Plus there isn't textbook knowledge on how to get it done. From the rumors I've heard, it is feeling. An itchy feeling that flows through her body and soul when your other half slowly seeps into your head. The only way to stop that itch is to reach out for the root cause and scratch it till it soothes you."

That made sense. I could do that. I was certain I could do that. But there was also a pit in my stomach as I tried to be optimistic. What if I failed, I thought. What if I ended up blurting it all out on a platter for him? I was going to ask another question to put my doubts about the process at bay when we heard a knock.

Satake turned to me. "Stay here. It will only take a minute."

I smiled in response. As Satake stood up and left to find out who was at the door, I rushed to hide the cut-out pages of Isaac's grimoire under the bed upon the insistence of that disturbing voice at the back of my mind. A tingling sensation washed through me the moment Satake opened the front door. It was Jason. I crept out of the bed and stalked towards the front door. I stopped by the first passage and peeped in.

"How did it go, Jason?" Satake asked.

"It was fine. I managed to pacify them."

Jason had mentioned something about pack meetings. We're those the same people he was referring to? I suspected it had something to do with Alpha Sofiane's attack. How could I forget he murdered every single person present excluding Axel back at the mansion? People that must have meant something to Jason–considering I saw him display a set of volatile emotions I believed he was devoid of. If they meant something to Jason, they must have meant something to his pack members too.

"But for how long?" Satake argued. "Sofiane is beginning to cross the line. I know you are sparing him only because you killed his mate but that story won't be an excuse for much longer. If Sofiane doesn't grief in another way, our people will eventually stop listening. They will be the ones to put a silver bullet into his heart before you lose your patience."

"Settle a score..." That was what Sofiane meant when he attacked the mansion. He truly intended to end my life and he might have. If Candice wasn't a part of me or if Jason had marked me, I would most likely be dead. I shuddered just thinking about it. I did not fascinate Jason but he definitely was wary of me. That was the only reason he hadn't marked me yet. It was the only thing I would be eternally grateful to him for.

"He'll stop." Jason mused. "He's only trying to get to me."

"I hope you know what you are doing."

"I do." Jason finally stepped in. In the light, I noticed his demeanor was hooded. The emotions he sent my way seemed to be blank but I wasn't blind. He was disturbed. Satake stepped out, glancing my way and flashing me a warm smile before telling Jason goodnight.

Jason locked the door and proceeded inside. I rushed to the bed and pretended to be asleep right before he stumbled into the bedroom. The room was dimly lit and the way Jason walked seemed to skyrocket my nervousness to an all-time high. What was up with him? More importantly, why did I even care? Jason lifted the duvet and lay beside me. As his weight made the bed sink, I tried my possible best to keep my mind blank. It didn't seem like Jason was interested in reading my thoughts but I could not be too careful.

"Olamide?" He called out softly, caressing my face. I kept up my act, ignoring the way his touch wet my skin on fire. All my effort was put into keeping a straight face and keeping my thoughts blank. It was difficult but I continued to try. It itched to keep it in. It was sending me to a state of near insanity. The room was beginning to hum. The wordless Melody seemed to emanate from every corner of the room and nowhere all at the same time. Then it stopped until all that remained was our mellow breathing.

"I'm sorry." He gritted. His voice sounded cracked like he would cry but he was apologizing. Fear gripped my heart for a brief second. Was Jason going to kill me? The relapse of the moment forced me to let it all go. I didn't flinch. Neither did I open my tightly shut eyes but my thoughts roamed free.

"I've hurt you," He continued. "I don't remember what I did Olamide but I feel it. My wolf knows it has wronged you and I feel I have to ask for your forgiveness." He paused for a moment, pressing closer. "Tell me you'll forgive me if you ever come to learn of my sin?"

I inhaled deeply, trying my possible best to remain composed. But how could I? What sin had Jason committed? He had kidnapped and threatened me numerous times. Was there anything that could be worse than that?

"What sin is that?" I asked, blowing my cover.

The Alpha leaned forward, placing his face close to mine and meeting my gaze full-on. “I don't remember Olamide—My wolf can only pick the fragments. I wanted to protect you. I wanted to keep you safe."

"To keep me safe?" I scoffed. "I don't think you have ever done that Jason. You are not the noble type so I suggest you stop lying to yourself."

Jason cocked his head closer, his breath hit my skin causing me to reconsider the words that came from my mouth. He was wickedly enthralling. "Why would you ever think that?"

"You wanted to kill me the second you discovered I was your mate, You intentionally refused the mate bond because you didn't want my potential death to hurt you. Should I go on?"

Jason sighed. He stared into my eyes like they were a sight to behold. As much as he repulsed me, I felt a part of me enjoying the attention.

"You are not wrong." Jason disclosed. "At first, I was hesitant to know you. I am not a saint Olamide. I have made a lot of enemies and my enemies want to hit me where it hurt. I was invincible–Almost invincible until you came into the picture. I knew my wolf would be traumatized if I lost you. If that happened, I might go mad, insane even and I might eventually have to be put down. For all those reasons, I resisted bonding with you. I was worried I wouldn't be able to survive the link being broken if you were killed. But it's different now."

"How so?" I probed.

"No matter how much I fight it, I want you in my life. It took a bad decision to realize that but I thought simply being around you from time to time would be enough. Tonight, I was faced with the truth that I don't want you out of my life. I want to mark you."

Looking into those cold grey eyes, I saw a possible future. If this was fate, I saw everything I could ever have wanted. He was telling the truth. Now that I knew the complete truth and understood his side of the story, the confusion inside me faded. I realized that he had never meant to or wanted to hurt me. Perhaps it had something to do with that accursed mate bond but at the moment, I did not mind.

He swept the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip then asked in a whisper, "Can I mark you?"

"Yes."

Satisfaction, exhilaration, and triumph rushed through him as I gave my consent. A fear of the unknown hit me. For a split second, I wasn't even sure if this was of my own volition anymore.

"I want your mouth, Ola," He growled. It was primal and soaked in sensuality that made me obey.

His tongue shot inside my mouth to find mine. He groaned as his tongue danced with mine. It wasn’t just a kiss. It was a fight. One that exploded with need, heat, and desperation.

Needing to go deeper, Jason knotted a hand in my curls and angled my head where he wanted it and each time I tried taking control of the kiss, he growled like an animal and tightened his hold on my hair. In the end, I gave into him. He growled again. This time, it was one of approval. He slid his other hand down to my ass and cupped it possessively. It felt almost like I was his property. His kisses wandered. Each suckle against my skin made it prickly. I felt waves of ecstasy wash over me as he continued to plant kisses all the way to the nape of my neck. His eyes were shut and his breath was hollow. He circled the nape of my throat with his tongue. The activity made me jerk and I dared to open my eyes. There was a heated expression on his face. But then he sank his teeth into my neck. Deep in the crook of my neck, wanting and needing to mark me in some way, just as he’d been aching to since he first laid his eyes on me. A moan escaped my mouth and I instinctively held his head close. He took the hint and bit harder, ensuring it was a distinct mark that no one could miss.