Chapter 3

CLAIR

"We are almost here. Get yourself ready." 

"What do you mean?" I looked at the view in front of us as we approached. Confusion was written all over my face. I turned to Aaron with a raised eyebrow. "This is not home as I remember. This is the packhouse, right? You and Dad live here now?" 

Aaron shook his head as he put the car to a full halt and unbuckled his seatbelt. "No. I stay here, but Dad lives alone in our house. But I will stay at home with you and Dad for a few days until you turn 18. I assumed I needed to teach you the basics of pack life first. But for now, hop off — we’re meeting Alpha Jake. He is expecting us." He said it nonchalantly as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

He walked out of the car even before I could berate him for not telling me about this stopover. I sighed and slumped my back onto the seat before unbuckling my belt. Although there was nothing wrong with meeting the Alpha, I suddenly developed a sickening feeling in my stomach. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to meet Jake.

But I guess I have no choice now.

I let out another sigh and let my gaze wander up at the entrance of the packhouse, and there he was.

Alpha Jake in all his god-like glory.

My heart started beating erratically at the sight of him. He didn’t look like this when I left. I felt my mouth water at the sight of him. I slapped my thoughts and tried to compose myself.

Cut it out, Clair! He’s like your brother, so why are you drooling at the sight of him? I reminded myself.

I snickered at my own thoughts. Who was I kidding? I was already starting to have a crush on him before I left, so this justifies why I was still a little attracted to him.

Yeah, just a little.

But then I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. He had surely grown muscles in all the right places.

Oh, Goddess! Those biceps! I wondered how it felt to be wrapped around them.

"Shit!" My throat started to dry up, so I looked for my bottled water only to remember that this was not my car. I shifted around, looking for something to help me out.

Facing Jake with bad breath was not really sexy. Not that I care. He was used to seeing me with all the mess and dirt from playing, so it shouldn’t matter. I tried to convince myself, but then I knew it mattered. It matters now!

I sent a silent thank you to the Goddess upon seeing the bubble gum on Aaron’s dashboard. As much as I hated the idea of chewing gum, I grabbed it and popped it in my mouth, and started chewing. Anything to help with the dryness and nervousness.

I let out a big sigh before I slipped out of my seat and stepped out of Aaron’s car. I fixed my gaze directly at the Alpha as I made my way in front of him and tried my best to act anything but nervous.

I discreetly roamed my eyes over his body again, soaking in all of his assets.

He surely looked different from the skinny 17-year-old Alpha that I remembered.

He kept his black hair longer than necessary, and the little stubble of hair on his face just added to his intimidating look. His perfectly sculpted nose and lips made me bite my lower lip.

He had a light blue shirt on that perfectly fitted his toned body, accentuating his biceps and chest. Aaron and Beta Gavin were both muscled up and stunning, but nothing compared to the god-like aura this man exuded. 

I didn’t notice that I raised a brow and bit my lower lip again when my eyes then darted down to his perfectly fitted black pants. Naughty thoughts were running through my mind as I wondered what was hiding in his pants and if his ass was as perfect as the bulge I saw in his front.

Oh Goddess, could I jump on him now?

My cheeks were already burning from my own thoughts. I had to stop myself from thinking further than I already had or I might end up making myself look like a hormonal teenager eyeing her crush.

¤¤¤¤¤

JAKE

They were about to approach the packhouse when Aaron, my Gamma, sent a mindlink. I rose swiftly from my seat and left my office. As expected, Beta Gavin was already standing and waiting for their arrival.

I saw Aaron’s car was already pulling up a few meters away from the steps, and I watched as he descended from it. I gave him a curt nod as I acknowledged his greeting before my gaze turned to the passenger side of his car, my eyes squinting, wanting to get a view of her.

The sun shredded shadows on the car so that it was impossible to see if someone was inside, but I expected her to get out any moment, skipping and running for a hug like she always does.

But the moment she stepped out of the car, my whole body froze. I wasn’t expecting a full-grown woman to come out of the passenger seat.

'What the fuck?!' I exclaimed to my wolf, Echo, while he was running around like he had gone mad in my mind. Did she really grow up in just a few years?

She’s 17 and turning into a full woman soon. Why was I expecting a 12-year-old girl to get out of the car?

Her long, slightly wavy hair bounced perfectly as she made her way toward us. I assumed she was around 5’3 inches, but it didn’t come as a surprise since she was short even way back then, but I couldn’t deny the fact that she turned out perfect with her curves in all the right places.

I stopped myself from swallowing when my gaze left her face to wander over her body — a perfectly sized breast that I believed my hand could handle. I was fucking sure I wouldn’t get enough of it. And those hips that swayed seductively. I was almost certain she was not doing it on purpose. It was just the way her body moved and just by looking at her, something twitched inside my pants.

I snapped my thoughts away from it and masked my emotions. If her look mesmerized me, I didn’t let it show. But I was in constant battle with my wolf, trying to tame him down. An annoyed look took over my expression, and before I realized it, Clair was already standing in front of me.

"Alpha Jake." Her sweet voice brought me back to the present.

Was she chewing gum? Seriously? I stayed away from women chewing gum. They reminded me of the ladies who tried to get into my pants whenever we drove around. She might have noticed the scowl on my face because she started talking sarcastically.

"Are we just going to stand here for eternity or can I go home now? If you have no idea, Jake, I drove through three states to get here." She huffed before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"It’s Alpha Jake, Clair!" Aaron scolded her before turning his face on me. "My apologies, Alpha. Clair is just tired, and if it suits you, we can come back tomorrow when she is fully rested and in her right mind."

I saw her roll her eyes at her brother before crossing her arms over her chest. She’s wearing a nicely fitted white shirt, and her action just emphasized her breasts more.

"You don’t need to jump up and defend me, Aaron. I’m not twelve anymore." She sighed before she continued. "My apologies, Alpha. I’m just tired and have no idea why I’m here right now and you’re not saying anything. I just want to lie down and rest. " Her eyes avoided mine as she spoke, but I could still sense her annoyance.

I turned my head to my Gamma, frowning. "You didn’t tell her why she needed to see me?"

Aaron scratched his head, looking at me apologetically. "It slipped my mind, Alpha. I was busy catching up with her, and before I knew it, we were in front of the packhouse."

Aaron then tilted his head to the left in submission. 

I nodded in acknowledgment before turning my back on them. "Very well then, follow me to my office, Clair."

I walked away without looking back to see if she was following. I heard Aaron tell her that he would wait for her outside before I heard tiny, steady footsteps behind me. I walked up to the end of the hallway and opened the door, leaving it open as I sat on my chair and waited for her to step in.

She closed the door behind her as I pointed to the seat in front of my desk. She sat down, but nobody said a word. We stayed in silence for a while before she broke it.

"So... why am I here?" She asked with a raised brow.

Clair was the same old Clair. She couldn’t keep silent to save her life.