6: Jayce

Damion sat in the chair across from him, his eyes transfixed on his notes as he went over the weekly report with Jayce. The dark-haired Wolf was rambling on, however the Werewolf King had his mind set on something else. Someone else, to be exact. A few nights ago, during his work, he heard a soft piano playing down the hall from him. When he went to investigate, Lily was playing a gentle melody that resembled close to what he believed was a lullaby. Her eyes shut, but she had the softest smile displayed on her lips. Since she had been staying there, she only showed fear and sadness as her primary emotions. So when he noticed her smile for the first time, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

"Jayce?" Damion brought him back with a snap of his fingers. "You good?" He asked. Jayce rubbed his face.

"Yeah. You were saying?" He asked him until a soft knock came to the door, followed by her scent. He shifted in his seat, "Come in, Lily." He called to the door. It cautiously opened and Lily poked her head through shyly. Her eyes landed on Damion immediately.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were in a meeting." She said as she was about to shut the door, but Damion had jumped to his feet and opened the door the rest of the way. Lily nearly stumbled in, her eyes wide as he leaned over her curiously, his nose flaring. She wore a black hoodie that was zipped all the way up, the sleeves pulled all the way down, and jeans. Her hair was up in a messy bun.

Fucking Christ, she looks beautiful.

He was used to women going in the whole nine yards to look good for him, but she didn't even have to try.

"A Human? So Chelsea was right." He smiled charmingly at her, extending out a hand, "Damion." Lily took his hand and shook it, but her eyes were on Jayce. His Wolf growled possessively at the interaction, but he didn't dare move. He had yet to tell Damion that she was his Mate. She didn't even know yet, but he couldn't tell her while she was still healing.

"Did you need something?" Jayce asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm heading to my appointment now. Penelope called a car for me." She informed him, her eyes downcast.

"Appointment?" Damion asked curiously, his fingers taking a lock of her blonde hair and twirled it around his finger. Her eyes lifted and met his and for a moment he thought he noticed Damion's body tense up in response.

Hell fucking no.

Jayce was beside him before he realized what he was doing and removed his hand from her. Damion stared up at him, taken aback by his actions. He snarled before grabbing Lily's arm and escorted her away.

"Jayce?" Lily asked him as he lead her away from his office and down the stairs to the foyer. He stopped at the bottom, turning to face her and watched as she shrunk back slightly. "Is everything okay? I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting." She said to him. He let out a sigh as he let her go.

"No, it's fine. I just..." He paused, his eyes flying up the stairs, but he didn't sense Damion approaching. "Do you need a lift home?" He asked her, returning his attention back to her. She hesitated before shaking her head.

"I want to get through this." She said with a bit of determination, holding her hands up in front of her and clenched them into fists. He smiled lightly down at her.

"You'll do great. Just take your time." He took out his phone and sent out a quick text. Luckily for him, he got her number from the lease agreement his mother had set up for her. Her pocket buzzed, making her jump as she pulled out her phone. "You have my number now. If you need anything, just let me know." He told her. She kept her eyes on her phone for a long moment before looking up at him and smiling. His heart skipped at the sight as she went out the door.

"If you already had a claim over her, you could've just said so." Damion called down from the banister, his arms resting on it as he leaned against it. Jayce climbed the steps while listening to her car drive away. "I'm not one to complain about taking your left overs after all." He smirked at him. Jayce narrowed his eyes at him.

"No one is going to claim her." He said in a dangerous tone, making Damion raise a brow.

"Alright, she's all yours." He put his hands up in defeat and thumbed back toward his office. "We still have a lot to go over." He told him as Jayce rubbed his neck.

"Let's go on patrol. I feel caged up in here." He suggested as he tugged on his collar and made his way back downstairs before Damion could change his mind.

"Sure, we'll discuss things on the way." He told him as they went out to the garden. Jayce didn't hesitate to shred off his clothes and shift. His bones cracked loudly as fur erupted along his skin until it covered him and landed on all fours. Damion shifted next, shaking his brown fur and stretched. He was relatively smaller compared to his enormous self, but he was a capable Wolf. A capable Beta.

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They made their way into the forest that gave them freedom as Wolves and started their circle around the city, keeping their eyes and ears open while communicating through their mind link. While Damion did most of the talking again, Jayce's mind wandered off to Lily and her therapy session. Is she doing alright? Should he had gone along?

Alright, what is it?

Damion's voice intercepted his rummaging thoughts, and he nudged his side gently.

You're out of it. What's with you?

I'm fine.

He lied, but Damion huffed at him.

Don't give me that shit. We've been friends for ages. It's extremely rare for you to get this way.

Jayce side eyed him for a moment, contemplating his next words carefully. Damion was his most trusted friend after all.

She's my Mate.

Damion stopped walking, letting Jayce take a few steps ahead of him before turning back and witnessing the pure shock on his face. The shock slowly changed into excitement as he jumped beside him.

Shit man, why didn't you say so? There I was planning on banging the chick and she was your Mate this whole time.

Jayce snarled at him and Damion stepped away.

Right, sorry, but still congrats. That actually explains a couple of things.

What do you mean?

Jayce glanced around the sunlit forest, taking in the cool breeze that ruffled his fur.

Chelsea has been fuming over this girl of yours for like a week now, and that you haven't called her back.

I don't want her.

He sounded cold when he said that, but it was true. He didn't crave for Chelsea like he did a week ago. Now he had an insatiable craving for Lily and he can't do a thing about it. He swiped at the ground angrily.

Alright, so what's the other problem?

Jayce was sure his frustration was steaming off of him. He sat down in a clearing, inclining his head as his crimson eyes settled on Damion as he sat beside him.

If I tell you, you can tell no one. If I find out that you told people, especially Chelsea...

You'll fucking kill me. I'm not stupid.

He barked in response, but his ears twitched as he waited to listen intently to his next words. Jayce took in a deep breath and laid it out for him.

Oh.

Damion went quiet for sometime, his eyes out in the forest.

It's not like you to wait, but I guess it's improvement.

Damion spoke honestly to him. He wasn't wrong about that. He's dreamt of fucking Lily since he discovered she was his Mate, but the furthest they have gone is an embrace that wasn't even intimate. Her past tortured her and it killed him inside.

I'll figure out the rest of the festival. There is something I want you to do for me.

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Upon their return to the garden, Lily was sitting in the chair as they walked up. She jumped in surprise to see two Wolves approach her, but her eyes settled on his and she appeared to relax. She had the same hoodie on from earlier, even with the sun beating down on her.

How can she be comfortable with that?

Damion was the first to shift back, his cock in full swing and she immediately turned her gaze away. He picked up his clothes and got dressed as if nothing was off.

"So, Lily, how long are you chillin' for?" Damion asked her. She peeked through her fingers, her shoulders relaxing as she uncovered her face.

"A year." She replied. Jayce sat down by his clothes. He wasn't ready to shift back yet.

"I'll update you later." Damion called over to him, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Lily." He smiled with a wink before heading inside. Lily got to her feet, slowly approaching him. He met her curious gaze, inclining his head as she stopped a few feet away from him. Her fingers played at her sleeves and her feet shifted against the grass shyly.

"Uh, can I... Can I touch you?" She asked in a rush. Jayce stared at her in a shocked silence before giving her a stiff nod. She was probably just curious about his nature. After all, it wasn't too common for Humans to live amongst Werewolves.

She stepped closer, but stopped. Her brows came together as she was took deep breaths. Perhaps this was a way to overcome her fears of him? Once she closed the distance between them, her hand extended out, but stopped again. Her fingers trembled as she hesitated to meet him the rest of the way. He brought his snout up, brushing against the tips of her fingers. She retreated her hand for a second, then pushed herself and ran her fingers along his nose slowly. He shut his eyes.

This is rather... soothing.

Her fingers moved over his head and down his neck.

"You're so soft." She whispered in his ear. He wanted to feel more. He pressed into her hands more, her fingers scratching against his chest gently. Jayce whined sweetly at the feeling. He heard a light giggle from her direction and the soft thudding of his tail against the ground.

"Are you enjoying this?" She asked him and he nuzzled her in response. Fuck, he loved it. He wanted to feel more of her touch. She moved her fingers along his side and back until he was laying down. Her fingers massaged his spine, making him growl pleasantly. Her fingers were like magic.

She knelt down beside him, her fingers combing through his fur tenderly. He rested there, not daring to move from this blissful position. Her fingers stopped suddenly, and she pulled away, causing him to open his eyes. She looked reserved, but it appeared she wanted to say something to him. He nudged her with his nose encouragingly.

"I made it through the session." She finally said, and he looked at her. Her eyes had a darkness shading over them, but she still looked relieved. "Dr. Marshall thinks I should go on medication." She crossed her legs, "For Depression and Anxiety." She looked troubled, though. He shifted into a sitting position, eyeing his clothes. He rested his enormous paw on her face, making her panic as he shifted back, his paw changing back into a hand.

"I didn't think you'd want to see me naked." He told her, and she stopped panicking. Jayce felt her face get hot. "I'm going to remove my hand now. Give me a minute." He told her, and she nodded. He let go of her face as he rose to his feet and got ready when he thought for a fact that he felt eyes on him. Jayce glanced down at her and noticed her stealing a glance at him.

Well, what do we have here?

He finished getting dressed and sat back down in front of her. Her hand came down slowly, a look of disappointment in her eyes as her face deepened with scarlet. He felt his cock bulge against his jeans, but he forcefully restrained himself.

"You don't want to take medication?" He asked her and she shook her head, "Is there an alternative route you'd prefer?"

"I want to get over this as naturally as possible. I don't want to be medicated." She played with her hair. "I'm sure it works wonders for others, but it just won't cut it for me."

"So, what do you want to do, then?" He asked her, but she only frowned. She pulled at the grass around her legs.

"I don't know. I can usually throw myself at my work, but my mind is just so fucked up, I can't even concentrate on that." She groaned, throwing the grass above her head. As the grass swayed back down to the ground, he stared at her. This was the first time she was opening up to him about her situation without panicking and running away. Should he press her further about what all happened? Or would it just backfire?