Page 18 of Rising Luna
Wait... what?
It all came back to me. Jackson told me how his mate rejected him and sent him here because of his jealousy. He didn't enjoyhaving to share her with others, and when I found Hunter, he thought I would be the same way. Instead, Jackson grew to accept Hunter as a mate of mine, and now they were like long-lost brothers. It didn't take time for Jackson to adjust at all. It just took some understanding and patience for him to realize I wasn't going anywhere. After being rejected, I understood how it felt to not be good enough.
But this was different.
He never mentioned that his mate had been with Silas first, and it was because of him not letting go that led to his rejection. Why would he leave that out? I would have understood that. Did he know I was destined to be with Silas before I arrived here? It was the Alpha of his pack, and he could have gotten that information from them.
"I don't even know why you are so pissed off. That chick slept with half the pack!"
Jackson swung for Silas's face, but didn't land as Silas swept away. "We were friends! We grew up together, and you thought it was okay to do this to me?"
Now I was more confused. This didn't sound like what happened with his mate at all. This did sound like the reason behind Jackson’s jealousy of his mate being with others, though.
"We were drunk! I didn't even realize it was Lacey until the next morning."
"That doesn't mean shit!"
Jackson threw another punch, and this time, it went into Silas's stomach. Silas bent over, and Jackson used that moment to give him the uppercut that laid Silas out on the mat. Jackson jumped on top of Silas and started throwing blows to his face. Silas held his arms up to block the hits, but Jackson wasn't letting up. Silas moved, hitting Jackson in the side, and I heard the bone crack. With Jackson distracted, Silas managed to flip Jackson off him and scramble to his feet.
“Why does it even matter anymore? Lacey didn’t care about you at all. She approached me and claimed she thought she felt the bond!”
Jackson got to his feet and ran to Silas. When I saw Silas's leg lift to kick him away, I became concerned for Jackson. He wasn't thinking straight in this fight. All his emotions were pouring out of him, and I could feel his pain and frustration through the bond.
"Jackson, STOP!" I yelled before he reached Silas.
Jackson stopped and looked over at me. I couldn't believe his anger wasn't about me right now. I thought this was because Silas grabbed onto me. This wasn't about me at all, which only broke my heart for Jackson more. He liked to act that things did not bother him, but this definitely bothered him. It had been eating him up since it happened. Was fighting going to make this better? I didn't think so.
"Why does this still matter to you?"
Jackson's face was red from his anger, and he still wore his glowering gaze when he looked at me. I thought it would soften some, but his rage still consumed him. I reached through the bond with him and tried to calm him the best I could. This needed to end differently than the path I saw it heading down right now. Jackson would keep going until he did a lot more than knock Silas out.
"Because if he can betray me, his friend, like that, why would I think he wouldn't betray you?" Jackson snarled.
Through the bond, I could feel he told me the truth. The anger he felt about Silas linked to me, too, but not in the way I thought. I bit my lip and stepped onto the mat. Jackson needed me right now, and I didn't care if this broke any of the rules for this match. When I walked up to him, Jackson didn't move. He held my gaze, and I couldn't believe his wolf wasn't present inhis eyes. Knowing he needed my touch, I put my hands on his face and made him only look at me.
"I get it, Jackson. This experience has tainted your opinion of Silas, and that is going to be a hard thing to move on from, but you need to think about this a little more. This isn't on pack grounds where you can fight until someone stops breathing. Forget about the past." Jackson growled. "Shush. No growling at me." I kissed him on the lips, and I heard him sigh from contentment. "If he betrays me, I get tokill him. Not you."
Jackson chuckled and then kissed my nose. "Fine, but don't think for a damn second I won't throw a few punches of my own if that happens."
"Always with the jokes," I said before he covered my mouth with his.
The smoldering kiss he gave me had my toes curling in my shoes. I wished dozens of people weren't around us because I would've loved to push away the last of his anger in a different way. Jackson’s hatred about Silas made sense right now. I just didn't think that's why Silas deserved to get his ass handed to him, and with me pulling the anger away from Jackson with this distraction, I knew he would deliver that beating to Silas now.
I broke the kiss and patted Jackson's cheek. "Now, kick his ass."
When I reached Hunter, he had his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. I bumped into his shoulder, suppressing a smile.
"You gonna let this go?" he asked me.
"Hell no. I'm going to learn the full story when we get back to the room. I just wanted his head cleared, so he didn't feel embarrassed for letting this get to him and costing him the fight."
"That's our girl," he told me, putting an arm around my shoulders.
It was like Jackson was a whole new man. Teowulf called out for them to begin again after asking them if either of them were tapping out. Neither of them wanted this to end. I suspected Silas didn't want to take the simple route. Whether that was to save face or give Jackson his closure, I wasn't sure.
Jackson did a much better job this time around. He waited for Silas to make a move before he did. When he threw a punch, he landed it. Both of them still evaded some of the punches, but it still looked like a more honed in fight. When Jackson grabbed Silas and pulled him to the ground, I thought the match was over–except they both had each other in a hold with their hands around each other's throats. I couldn't tell who would tap out first, or if both of them would just lose consciousness together. Thankfully, I didn't have to find out.
Teowulf stepped onto the mat when both of them started turning blue. "Enough!" His power rolled off him, and I saw it make both men drop their holds. "It's a draw. One of the best fights I've seen in a while." He looked at the crowd. "Take notes on that. Falstoffighting with too high of emotions cost him this fight. Learn from that." He looked back at my boys.
