Ownership - Part Twelve
Stretching, Jared flexed all his muscles, eyes still closed. He felt good, really good. He slid his hand over the mattress, searching, but found nothing. Jared sat up abruptly, panic tightening his chest as he scanned his and Jensen’s den, but there was no sign of his mate anywhere.
“Jensen?” Jared called, desperation in his voice.
“Hey.” Jensen said as he strolled into the den, smiling softly at Jared, but then his mouth fell open and his eyes widened. “Oh my God,” he breathed, rushing to Jared’s side.
“What? Jared asked, alarmed by the expression on Jensen’s face.
“Your eye,” Jensen whispered, hand hovering in the air in front of Jared’s face. Jared’s hand whipped up, feeling his eye. “Here,” Jensen said, scrambling around until he came up with a small mirror, handing it to Jared.
Jared gulped as he lifted the mirror, not sure what he was going to see. Then he gasped. Where his left eye had been milky before, it was now a clear hazel, matching his other eye perfectly. The skin was still scarred, but it was like the whole thing had shrunk. The skin was no longer puckered, shrivelled up like it had been melted. All that was left, was along line striking right over his eye, shock white and slightly indented, but the rest of the skin was smooth, normal.
“How’s your vision?” Jensen asked quietly, as though he didn’t want to intrude on Jared’s shock.
Jared blinked, looking around, focusing on Jensen’s face. He closed one eye, then the other, doing that a few times before a huge smile broke over his face. “Perfect,” he said in awe. “I can see perfectly.”
“Oh my God. Jared.” Jensen threw himself at Jared, delight evident in his face and body language. “I’m so happy for you.”
Jared hugged Jensen tightly, breathing him in. Tears pooled in his eyes, and he sobbed a laugh. “At least I’m not too hideous for you to look at now,” Jared said, pushing his face into Jensen’s neck. He felt like a hundred tonne weight had been lifted from him, the relief was so intense, Jared hadn’t realised just how much he’d been worried Doc. Beaver’s salve wouldn’t work at all.
Jensen pushed Jared off him, taking Jared by surprise. His face was serious and a little perturbed. “You were never hideous to look at, Jared. You’ve always been the best looking person I’ve ever met.”
Jared opened his mouth to argue, to tell Jensen he didn’t have to say that to make Jared feel better, but Jensen just placed his pointer finger over his lips, halting him.
“I would never lie to you, Jay. Never. Even with the scar, you were breathtaking. It never mattered to me; I didn’t even see the scar.”
Jared gazed at Jensen in wonder. How did he end up so lucky? He’d thought being turned into a werewolf was the worst thing that had ever happened to him, and now it turned out it was the best. He had someone he loved, who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He had a family who accepted him, who cared for him, and who he cared for in return. He knew that they would fight for him, protect him, and that he would do the same.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” Jared breathed, his heart aching in the best possible way.
“You loved me,” Jensen said simply, smiling that beautiful smile that Jared would never get tired of.
A sudden howl had them both on alert. Jared leapt from the bed, dragging on some clothes, and he and Jensen rushed out into the camp, ready for anything. Jared’s heart was pounding. What could possibly go wrong now?
When they got out into the open, the first thing Jared saw was Chris, Chad, Tom, and Jason, all in wolf form and growling dangerously at three other wolves who were creeping into the den. The newcomers looked nervous. Their ears were down flat against their heads, their bodies slung low to the ground, trying to make themselves seem as un-intimidating as possible.
Jared recognised one of them immediately. It was one Jensen had been fighting during the last battle. A low, menacing sound rumbled in Jared’s throat, and he stepped forward, wishing he could shift at will like the others, and swore to himself that he would start practicing that as soon as possible. He didn’t think he’d seen the other two wolves before, but that didn’t matter, they were still the enemy.
Jeff and Samantha appeared beside Jensen, dressed and in human form, but the expression on Jeff’s face was severe. Jared bit his lip, deciding he was going to let the pack’s alpha deal with this.
The wolf Jared had recognised stepped forward, separating himself from the other two, still meek and looking scared. Then he shifted, transforming into a well-built man, with wavy blond hair and starling blue eyes. He moved towards Jeff, dipping his head in respect.
“Hello, my name is Steve,” the newcomer said to Jeff. He looked nervous, but held himself still, his face expressionless.
“Hello, Steve,” Jeff said in reply, not bothering to introduce himself, as it was clear Steve knew who he was. “May I ask what you’re doing in my den?”
Steve swallowed, glancing at Jared. This confused Jared, but he kept silent, taking a small step closer to Jensen and grasping his hand. Jensen glanced at him, squeezing his hand once before returning his attention to the current happenings.
“We’ve come to talk about peace between our packs,” Steve said clearly, lifting his head boldly. “You see, we’re not all like Sterling was, but he was our alpha, and his orders were impossible not to follow. There are many like myself who didn’t like the way he led us, but were unable to break free from his authority.”
Jeff nodded once, his expression sad and angry at the same time. “I expected that,” Jeff said in understanding, regarding Steve carefully. “So what do you propose? Are you wanting to join my pack?”
“No,” Steve said immediately. “Not that it wouldn’t be an honour, but we are already a pack.” Then Steve looked at Jared again. “We, um…” Steve glanced back at his fellow wolves before continuing. “We actually came to ask Jared,” he turned fully to face Jared, “if he would consider being our alpha.”
There was a hushed gasp that swept through the pack, and a few growls from the guarding wolves. Jared noticed especially that Chad did not seem to like this idea. Jared glanced at Jensen, who looked equally shocked, but when his eyes found Jeff’s, he discovered that Jeff hadn’t been rattled by this request at all, like he’d known it was coming.
“Why?” was all Jared could think to ask. It was Jeff who answered him.
“Because you’re the one who killed Sterling. You’ve already proven yourself to have the strength of an alpha and the lenience to be merciful.” Jeff nodded towards Steve, and Jared figured he was talking about his decision to not attack Steve once he was no longer a threat, but Jared didn’t really see that as lenience, it was more that he had other things to worry about, like the rest of the pack being under attack.
“We believe that you would lead us to be fair and good. To be everything Sterling never allowed us to be,” Steve continued, and Jared’s head was reeling.
“I…” He looked to Jensen seeking answers, but Jensen wasn’t looking at him. Jensen looked like he was about to break, there was terror in his face, and that gave Jared his answer, even though he knew he’d already decided anyway. “I’m flattered, really.”
“You would have a home. A family,” Steve told him, his blue eyes hopeful. “A pack that would do anything for you.”
“I already have all that,” Jared said in a strong voice, but his eyes were soft and focused completely on Jensen.
“Your mate would be welcome to come along. It would be expected,” Steve said hurriedly.
“You misunderstand,” Jared said, looking back at Steve. “This is my home. This pack is my family. And Jeff,” he looked at Jeff and nodded, “if he’ll allow it, is my alpha.”
Jensen stared at Jared, his lips parted in a gasp. Even Jeff looked surprised, and Jared took a step towards him, respectfully dipping his head. “I know you to be a good man, um, werewolf. I would be proud to call you alpha, and it would be my honour if you would accept me as part of your pack.”
Jared waited, heart pounding with nerves. What would he do if Jeff said no? It was so quiet you could hear a cub sneeze. Then Jeff smiled, wide and honest.
“Jared, I’ve thought of you as part of my pack for a long time now,” Jeff said kindly, looking to Samantha for confirmation.
“And we couldn’t think of a more perfect mate for out son,” she said, smiling that soft smile of hers.
Jared beamed, turning back to lift Jensen into his arms and spin him around. Jensen was laughing, loudly, clinging to Jared’s shoulders, and Chad was barking at their feet, displaying his own happiness at the turn of events. Then Jared remembered that other pack, carefully placing Jensen on the ground, kissing him softly and turning back to Steve, “I am sorry, but I don’t think what you really need is for me to come along and tell you how to live your lives. You obviously already know. If you want to change then that’s something you should do for yourselves.” He grinned at Steve. “You seem like a level-headed guy. Why don’t you become alpha?”
Steve’s eyes widened and for the first time since entering the den he stuttered. “I… but… I…” Then his eyes turned thoughtful, his body relaxed, and he already looked taller. “Thank you for your honesty, Jared. We respect your decision and wish you all the happiness with your new family.” Then he faced Jeff again, with time with more confidence. “I still hope that we can keep peace between us, it should be easier now.”
“I’d like that, Steve,” Jeff agreed, offering his hand, and Steve accepted it, shaking firmly.
Jared felt privileged, like he was seeing history in the making. Then he realised it was very likely he would still be around to see how it turned out. Steve was heading out, shifting as he got to the trees and letting out an authoritative howl and his pack members followed without hesitation, but Jared was already taking Jensen into his arms and kissing him deeply.
“You really are staying?” Jensen asked breathlessly, beaming at Jared.
“If you’ll have me,” Jared told him, arms around his waist.
“I’m never letting you go.”
The end.
Part Eleven | Master Post