Page 95 of Awakening His Mate

I lean against the windowsill, the cold glass against my back, as my fingers dig into the wood beneath me. “She feels responsible, like the weight of all of this sits on her shoulders.”

Cade doesn’t agree or disagree. He blows out a breath. “Sitting around in our perfect little sanctuary was nothing more than an illusion. It was always going to shatter. And Hester… She had her own motivations for what she was doing all along. I guess my instincts about her were on point.”

I lower my head, nodding. “I don’t know about you, Cade, but I feel like there are parts moving on this chessboard that we are not aware of. It makes me nervous. I don’t like not knowing what the threat is.”

“I thought long and deep about what the Order may be building this army for, and I just can’t see it. At first, I suspected they were going to use them to kill more tau, but that just doesn’t make sense. They were killing tau for years without any super soldiers at hand. Whatever is coming, it’s enough to make him use something he finds abhorrent for his own gain, and that fucking scares me, Jacks.”

I grip the edge of the ledge tighter until I’m sure my knuckles must be white and stretched across the bones. The unease that ripples through me leaves my stomach feeling hollow. “Callum and his group have as much to lose as we do, which is the only thing that makes me think they can be trusted. The girls are hated by the Order, but the males are despised so much more. I don’t think they would double-cross us and risk losing the alliance we’re building.”

Cade’s mouth twists into an angry grimace.

“Until we deal with the Order, the girls will never be free.”

This we both agree on. The Order has to be taken care of, but he is wrong when he says this only affects the girls. “They aren’t the only ones in danger, Cade. They want the strongest of our kind as well, which puts all the vargr at risk too.”

Cade is watching me intently. “I know you’re pissed at us, and you have every right to be, but I’m going to ask you to put aside any bad feelings you still have. We can’t afford to be arguing amongst ourselves.”

“I don’t have bad feelings, Cade. Yeah, I was pissed, but there’s way bigger stuff happening. I’m not going to do anything that risks our lives,” I assure him.

Cade takes this in, a flicker of gratitude rippling across his face. “I am sorry,” he says after a moment. “We didn’t listen when you told us Dove was yours, but it’s clear to anyone with eyes that you both love each other. Fated mates are soul mates on steroids, but you have that with Dove without any bond.”

“I love her,” I admit.

“I can tell. I hope you’ll be able to forgive us. I won’t excuse what the girls did, but I think you do know that it came from a place of caring. They didn’t do it with the intention of hurting Dove. We love you both, but Jacks, you’re my brother. We may not share blood, but you’re no different to me than Sawyer. I’ll always try to protect you.”

My throat feels tight as his words shroud me. Everything felt so black and white in the Sanctuary, but here, where things feel dangerous and unknown, nothing seems set in stone. Having my brothers at my back again eases some of my growing tension and anxiety. Cade understands my position and Dove is right when she says I need to let go of the past.

I can’t deny that the nightmares of pulling my woman out of freezing cold water to give her CPR will haunt me for a long time. Dove died in my arms, and she only did that because of what had been done to her.

But for now, my only focus is on the present and the future we are going to build.

Chapter 25

Dove

Idon’t know what time it is when Jackson crawls into bed with me, but when I wake up in the morning, I’m twisted around him like a pretzel. I breathe in his soft scent, my hands skimming over his bare chest.

I sense the moment he wakes, and I watch as his eyes flutter and open. As soon as they lock onto mine, the smile that spreads across his face makes my stomach dip and heat pool between my legs.

“Morning, beautiful.”

I flush at his words. “Morning,” I say back, pressing my mouth to his.

Our kiss is deep, sensual, and it makes every inch of my body feel alive. If that isn’t a connection, then I don’t know what is. Who needs a mating bond anyway?

“What are you thinking about?”

“How much I love you.”

He pulls me on top of him, my pussy scraping over his cock, making us both groan. “Look what you do to me, little tau.”

“You do the same to me, Jackson. You’re not blameless in this situation.”

His hands skim up my back, brushing my hair off my spine so he can touch every inch of me. We kiss until we’re breathless, and then I pull back so I can lean my head against his chest. Our bodies are plastered together, and I know it can’t be comfortable for him to bear my weight, but he makes no move to lift me off, so I remain in place, just drinking him in.

“Was there any trouble last night?”

He shakes his head. “All quiet. We didn’t see anything outside either, though we didn’t leave the building.”

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