Free Web NovelChapter 44: Green Eyed Monster
The back deck overlooks a valley so beautiful it’s hard to accept it as real.
Mountains rise in every direction, their peaks dusted with lingering snow despite the warmth of the afternoon sun, while dense pine forests spill down the slopes like dark green rivers. Below, snaking down through lush green, water rushes over rocks loud enough to hear even from here.
Years of choking back city smog have my lungs sighing in relief as I suck in another chestful of clean air, packed full of pine sap and damp earth.
Valentine’s wrapped me in a blanket, she decided I’m both emotionally fragile and incapable of regulating my own body temperature. Every few minutes, another curious wolf attempts to wander onto the deck and immediately gets shooed away by her like an aggressive sheepdog.
We’re curled up on a huge outdoor sofa while she scrolls through videos on her phone. A tiny orange kitten is fighting a vacuum cleaner in the latest one, she’s laughing so hard it’s devolved into snorting. Cat videos are my bag, but I can only muster the smallest chuckle, there are too many questions, too much information to take in.
If Valentine is my cousin, then who exactly is Vaela to me? Why did she save me all those years ago? Am I an Omega? An Alpha? Something else like Val said? Why are bonds actually a thing if all they do is make me violently ill and obsessively horny? And what exactly did she mean when she casually informed me I would be staying here?
Every answer generates three more questions. The deeper I get into this world, the less I understand about my own life.
Low in my stomach, a jolt spreads into my chest and down my spine, interrupting my spiral. My head lifts searching for a direction to focus on, the blanket slides from one shoulder as I sit a little straighter, my attention locking on the distant tree line beyond the compound.
Nothing’s there. No sound or movement. And my gut knows something’s coming.
Valentine’s eyes flick toward me as a knowing grin spreads across her face. She lowers her phone.
"Those bonds really are strong." She chuckles.
"What?" I frown.
"Looks like Vaela hasn’t killed your Alpha’s just yet."
My stomach flips. I’m already standing before she finishes speaking. Organs are humming now, the sickness that’s dogged me all day is restless.
"Come on then." Val unfolds herself from the sofa with a soft sigh. "This way’s quicker." She gestures around the side of the house.
The moment we round the corner, I hear a truck, far down the mountain road. Relief gives way to just being pissed off. My body’s ridiculous, the nausea eases, the fever is mist beneath sunlight, the ache in my chest loosens.
I can practically feel colour returning to my face, the relief so intense it borders on embarrassing.
She watches all of it happen with open fascination. By the time we emerge into the large communal space at the front of the compound, she’s wiping tears from her eyes and clutching her stomach, in pain from laughing so hard.
"This," she announces dramatically, pointing at me, "is exactly why I’m happy not to be an Omega."
I barely hear her because their truck is already pulling into view. The vehicle hasn’t even fully entered the clearing before the passenger door flies open and Leo’s moving before the truck stops.
Actually, charging is probably more accurate. His eyes are tracking every heartbeat, never straying. Nothing else exists for him but me. Not the compound, people watching, the fact he’s exiting a moving vehicle.
I can only stare at him, my heart kicking hard against my ribs as the reality of what I’m seeing struggles to catch up with my brain. One enormous hand wraps around my waist, my feet leave the ground, a startled laugh escapes me as he’s hoisting me against him, holds me like he’s been deprived of oxygen for days, and I’m the cure. freewebnøvel.com
Has it only been hours since I left?
His mouth crashes against mine before I can say a word. The kiss is fierce, desperate, entirely unapologetic, beneath all that I can feel the relief vibrating through him. Feel the way his hands tighten against me. Feel the fear he’s carried since I left.
Somewhere behind me, Valentine mutters to absolutely no one, "Yep. Definitely sticking with being a Beta."
Leo finally puts me down, and the others descend as a pack. Affectionate, emotionally unstable, nuzzling wolves who know nothing of personal space. They pass me between them like some bizarre family heirloom. Corrian pulls me into a hug, checking all my bones are still where he left them. Ezra cups the back of my neck and presses a kiss into my hair that lasts half a second too long for somebody who normally communicates through intimidating silence. River’s hand slides briefly down my spine, grounding me in that calm, steady way only he’s capable of.
Jax, however, bypasses all reasonable human greetings.
He scoops me up, throws me over his shoulder, changes his mind halfway through, then swings me onto his back like a backpack before taking off across the courtyard. I cling to him laughing so hard my stomach hurts.
"Would you look at this place," he announces dramatically, spreading his arms so wide I nearly fall off. "Wow wee. They have mountains, cabins, suspiciously attractive mountain people. This is either a cult or the best holiday resort I’ve ever seen."
The sound of giggling makes all of us turn.
Val is standing a few feet away with her hands shoved into her pockets, openly watching the chaos unfold.
I grin so hard my face hurts. "Guys, this is Valentine. She’s my cousin."
The word still feels unreal every time I say it. Family. My family.
She lifts a hand in greeting. "Yeah, maybe puking for an hour straight is worth it if the reward package includes these five."
She gives a low whistle. "I mean, damn."
Jax beams.
Then Valentine casually adds, "Honestly, I’d probably suffer through bond sickness too for a chance at getting knotted by—"
"That’s real?" I snap.
The entire courtyard falls silent. Valentine’s eyes widen, cheeks puffing out as she holds in another laugh.
"Oh my God." She points directly at the five men surrounding me."You haven’t told her?"
Jax swerves the subject for all of them expertly with his effortless charm.
"Hey, pup, lovely to meet you."
Before Val can recover enough to elaborate, he bounds over and wraps her in a giant hug.
She disappears completely beneath over six and a half feet of enthusiastic werewolf.
The strange thing is, the second his arms encircle her, white-hot rage is injected into all the important parts. It isn’t logical. It isn’t rational. Valentine is my cousin. Jax hugs literally everyone. Somewhere in the world there are probably lamp posts he’s hugged. I am the least jealous person, ever, in the history of the world. None of that stops a low growl from vibrating out of my chest. Didn’t even know I could make a noise like that.
Jax slowly releases Valentine.
They take a slow step away from each other.
Everybody stares at me.
"What?" I ask.
Leo walks forward too, bends at the waist so he can give Valentine a brief hug too. This time’s worse. As soon as his hand touches her shoulder, the exact same reaction tears out of me. A sharp warning rumble that sounds entirely unlike me. Valentine’s eyebrows disappear into her hairline.
"Oh."
Valentine points at me. "Oh, that’s funny."
"It’s not funny." I pout.
"It’s extremely funny." Delight dances in her eyes.
I’m not laughing. I’ve just found family after being alone for so long. Why would I, standing in the middle of this beautiful compound, growl at my own cousin?
River reaches over and lightly brushes my shoulder, the rumbles disappear in that breath.
She studies me with new interest. "Well," she says slowly, "that’s fascinating."
I really don’t like the way she says fascinating.
