CHAPTER 15

Jasson couldn't believe how responsive Angelina was. The whole claiming might be an act, but he knew that her body's reaction wasn't forced or exaggerated. She was like fire and he couldn't help but revel in it, in her taste, in her scent, in the feel of her skin, and in how her body seemed to conform perfectly to his. It shouldn't have been possible that a slender person could fit snugly against someone as broad and burly as he was, and yet she did. Those little moans she was making were driving him insane and he wanted nothing more than to flip up her dress and fuck her right there. Only his awareness that there was a nearby threat to their claiming kept him from thrusting into her.

Pulling his mouth from hers, Jasson moved his hand from her throat to tangle in her hair as he kissed and nibbled his way down her throat before settling in the juncture of her neck and shoulder. He scraped his teeth over the spot, letting her know what was to come. When he was sure her climax was near, he bit down hard, breaking the skin and tasting blood. Instantly she shattered, groaning and shuddering. He sucked strongly on the patch of skin he had bitten, being sure to leave a distinct mark that couldn't be considered as anything other than what it was. A claiming.

As quick as that, a rush swept through Jasson and he felt a sort of snap in his head similar to that which he'd felt with each of his pack members when they blooded. Then he sensed her through the pack link, not her thoughts, but her fiery, spicy, sensual presence. It was done, she was his to protect as his mate and part of his pack. His wolf growled his approval, urging Jasson to sweep her away to their territory away from the threat that her dad's enforcers presented. He pulled back to admire his work and swiped his tongue over the mark, liking the look of it on Angelina's skin and how she trembled in response.

Angelina knew her face was a mask of surprise and she knew everyone would mistake it for her shock at supposedly finding her mate. Her surprise, however, was genuine. She hadn't expected Jasson to be able to pull that kind of response from her body, even with the effect he seemed to have on her. She had practically melted for him and he hadn't even really touched her. And when his teeth had sunk into her skin…it was as though an electric current had travelled through her, sparking her release to hit her. Not like when Reynald had bitten her against her will; that had left her feeling violated and enraged.

Her ever-present connection with her dad as Guardian had now disappeared and was replaced with this new connection. Leon's presence in her mind had always felt invasive because of his aversion to her; he was all ice and arrogance and deviousness. But Jasson was so different; he was strength and danger and raw sexuality. His presence inside her was like an anchor to her wolf who was a little smug right now, since she was a big fan of psycho boy.

"Jasson," he said gruffly as he slid her down his body, as if introducing himself. It was pretty common that two wolves could mark each other before exchanging names, swept away by the urge to claim.

She smiled. "Angelina."

Jasson almost rolled his eyes when Daniel said, "Hey, congratulations, Guardian."

"Oh. My. God," said Joel, gazing at them wide-eyed.

And so it begins, grumbled Angelina inwardly, turning to see that many of her pack had observed the claiming and were staring. Every face was the picture of shock. Even Oscar and Prily, who looked as though they had been trying to get passed Thom and Daniel, were shock-still and gaping.

"Hand Angelina over," demanded Prily. The unsteadiness of his voice suggested he was aware of who Jasson was. "As her father's enforcers, we are responsible for her."

Jasson gripped her hip possessively and growled at him. "Not anymore you're not."

Their eyes were dancing continually from him to Angelina. They didn't look so determined to try to get to her now, she noticed. That could have had a lot to do with the scowl on Jasson's face and the death threat in his eyes. Unless they were dumb, a shifter didn't dare attempt to separate mates, and as unbelievable as it may have seemed, that was indeed what she and Jasson looked to be. Still Prily's and Oscar's dedication to her dad meant that they couldn't just let her go on her merry way, especially since they all believed she would be mating Reynald.

Oscar straightened to his full height. "Release Angelina or we will be forced to contact her Guardian."

"He's no longer her Guardian, you know that."

"There doesn't have to be any trouble. Just let her go."

Instead Jasson locked his arm around her waist and released a deep, rumbly, 'fuck off' growl that had everyone around them tensing. "She's mine."

"Angelina," said Joel in a pleasant voice, "why don't you come over here and -" Jasson's growl cut her off.

"She's not yours," stated Jase through gritted teeth before fixing his gaze on Angelina. "You know he's not your mate, Angelina. You're confused or something but you -"

Abruptly Prily reached out to grab her arm and she gasped. Before she knew what was happening she was behind Jasson whose hand was tightly wrapped around Prily's throat. Thom was restraining Oscar to prevent him from interfering while Jasson's enforcers, Smiley (he wasn't smiling now) and Burly, were on either side of her in protective stances.

"Don't. Touch. My. Mate." Jasson bit out each word.

"She's already mated," Prily somehow managed to wheeze out. "She's mated to Reynald Willyam."

"If she'd been mated, I couldn't have claimed her – you know that. And you just watched me claim her."

"Her dad won't allow it."

Jasson smiled. "It's already done. Now, here's what you're going to do. You're going to start by getting the fuck away from me and my mate. Then you're going to call your Guardian and tell him to inform Reynald Willyam that he won't be touching her ever again. If your Guardian has a problem with any of that I'll be right here. But he should know in advance that she won't be leaving here with anyone but me."

The steel in his voice had Angelina's wolf growling her approval. The dumb animal was impressed by his dominant display, liked that he was shielding and protecting her. She wasn't even adverse to the idea of him squeezing Prily's throat a little tighter despite that the guy had lowered his eyes in a sign of submission. She could understand why Prily had. Jasson had a certain intensity about him that made him always seem intimidating, but this was different. He was menacing, fierce, unyielding. Every word had been a command and rung with power and authority. It had Angelina feeling a little flushed, if she was honest.

"Reynald gets here on Sunday," warned Prily. "He'll come for you."

Jasson laughed. "Oh I certainly hope he does." With that, he flung Prily away from him and signalled for Thom to release Oscar. He then turned his back on them, communicating his lack of fear, and snaked his arm around Angelina's waist to pull her tight against him. "Time to look mesmerised by each other while we have a little chat," he whispered in her ear.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she locked her gaze with his and fixed a smile on her face. His answering smile was devilish. "My dad's going to shit a brick. He'll have felt my disconnection from the pack by now."

"I think he's already on his way here. When the enforcers first tried interfering, one of the males from your pack announced to a female that he was going to call him. Are you going to be okay watching what happens next? I don't want to battle with your father and risk the chance of an alliance, but there's a possibility that the confrontation will lead to a battle." He wasn't expecting to be granted an alliance straight away, not when Wilgoz was going to be pissed about having his daughter taken from him.

"He won't want the fight any more than you do. He'll know you're a more dominant wolf and that you'll most likely defeat him – he won't want to chance looking weak in front of his pack in case it inspired one of them to challenge his position."

"You're going to have to openly claim I'm your true mate, Angelina," he reminded her gently as he breezed his thumb over his mark. "Are you going to be able to do that?"

It took a good deal of effort not to let the smile drop from her face. "Yes. I know what has to be done."

He brushed his lips against hers. "Good girl. How's your wolf doing? Did she want you to fight me off when I marked you?"

She shook her head. "She likes you."

Jasson smiled crookedly. "You say that like it makes her stupid."

"She's impressed by your level of dominance."

That surprised him. "Not intimidated?"

"No. She thinks you're strong enough to take her on, she doesn't like weaklings. It's your scent she likes most."

His wolf really liked hers. Jasson inhaled deeply, taking that exotic scent into his lungs. "My wolf's riding me hard. He wants to complete the claiming." Grinding against her, he spoke into her ear, "And I need to be inside your hot little body."