“Come on, let’s go get a drink before all the speeches and announcements start,” Jenner said. He took Jane’s hand and led her to the bar. She looked up just in time to find the twins watching them as they stood at the bar. “They’re at the bar, Jenner.” Jane’s whisper was harsh.“Perfect time to introduce you then.” He seemed much too relaxed for Jane’s comfort as he tugged her forward.Jenner pulled her in closer and she could see Ryan’s fists clench by his sides. Jenner seemed undeterred and stopped right in front of them with a huge smile on his face. “Hey guys, meet Jane. This is Reid and Ryan Heiden, they’re the future Alphas of Blood Pack.”Reid’s eyes were darkening and Ryan was visibly quaking, like he’d shift right in that moment. Jane looked them in the eye, no longer afraid and feeling like she had to look down. She wasn’t that girl anymore.“What the hell are you playing at, Jenner?”Jenner squared his shoulders and glared at Reid. “Well, if you two had treated her with th
The drive back to Jenner’s pack seemed to take forever. Jane rested her head against the window and at one point Jenner’s hand squeezed her knee. She turned to look at him and gave him a smile. She’d heard him on the phone and she knew that Connor and Billy were following behind them.“I’m sorry, Jenner.”He shook his head lightly. “No, it’s my fault. I should’ve known how hard it would be for you to see them. I shouldn’t have let you go through this.”“It wasn’t me seeing them again. Reid was angry but he was right too. I promised I’d give them a chance but I never really did. In my heart I kept telling myself that it was all a prank and that they’d reject me after a while but nothing they’ve done points to that.”Jenner sighed audibly as he parked his truck in front of the Beta House. “I know the twins. I’ve known them for a few years and I still maintain that they’re good guys. I don’t know what happened to make them treat you like that but I know for a fact that they’d never rejec
Jane woke up with a smile on her face. Ryan’s scent was calling out to her. She showered and dressed before heading downstairs for breakfast. She had an inkling that Mae was burning with curiosity as to the previous night’s events.“Morning,” Jane said as she entered the kitchen.Mae turned around with a cup of coffee in her hands and a huge smile on her face. “Morning.”Jane kissed Grant on the top of his head as his sticky hands found her finger and he squeezed, babbling as if they were having a very serious conversation. Jane laughed as she sat down next to him and Mae handed her a cup of coffee.“Is Dad up yet?”“Oh … he and Ryan went to do a perimeter check. It was quite an eventful night.”“Uh huh,” Jane said, surprised that Ryan was getting involved like that.“So … Josh tells me your mate was quite forceful last night.”Jane frowned as she looked up. “What do you mean?”“He told your dad that he was staying right here, claiming an old ancient Alpha law of not being separated f
It was nearing dusk when Jane and Ryan returned to the Beta House. They settled down in the living room in front of the television, sitting side by side, Ryan’s arm around her shoulders. Grant came crawling into the room, sat down on the carpet and started babbling to them.Ryan chuckled as Grant crawled towards them again and pulled himself up using Ryan’s leg as a brace. Ryan removed his arm from her shoulder and picked Grant up. He settled the baby on his lap and Grant seemed to settle down.Jane flicked between the channels and they finally settled on an animation when Grant started clapping his little hands together. “I guess he wants to watch this one.”Jane smiled at Ryan’s words, impressed that he was so good with her little brother. An hour went by when Jane noticed Mae in the doorway. She had a sweet smile on her face and Jane sat upright. Grant was now on his stomach, sleeping on Ryan’s chest.Both of Ryan’s arms were around Grant protectively even in his sleep. Jane couldn
Ryan left Jane to get ready on her own and she welcomed the few moments alone. Her whole body seemed alive and she could still feel the tingles of Ryan’s touch. The water cascaded over her back and she closed her eyes while leaning her head against the tiles. She had accepted the bond with Ryan. She smiled as the spot where her shoulder and neck met tingled with anticipation. It was the spot where she’d be marked, well she’d be marked on both sides. Feeling the bond flow between them was something nobody could have prepared her for. No matter what people had told her, living through that moment of acceptance was amazing. She still felt torn though. She wanted to spend time with her father but she knew that at some point she’d have to go back home and face everyone there. She didn’t look forward to it, people would point and laugh and people would whisper about her. Clarissa and Roxanne had already made sure of that part. Now that everyone knew they were mates, people were bound to w
Jane and Freya’s reunion were filled with shrieks, tears and a lot of screaming on Freya’s part. Her father had watched Freya with wide eyes and then retreated from the kitchen as Mae laughed so loudly she snorted.Reid and Ryan disappeared from the kitchen not long after that and Jane knew they were in her father’s office. Reid had given her a hug, but that was all and the hug had felt like a friendship hug. It had stung a little but she smiled and knew they’d talk later.Freya kept talking, right through dinner, through dessert and all the way up the stairs and into Jane’s bedroom. Reid and Ryan would sleep in the guest room and Freya would bunk with Jane. She’d give her father this small win.“Maybe I’ll meet a hot Mexican boy to fall in love with,” Freya mused and yawned.“We should get some sleep, we need to get up in four hours,” Jane said.They said their goodnights and were asleep within minutes. Jane stifled a groan a few hours later when her alarm on her phone went off. Frey
Jane and Reid descended the stairs amidst laughter and friendly bantering. They were in the kitchen unpacking groceries, even though the villa was fully stocked. Ryan had somehow procured enough alcohol to shame a frat party. The open plan first floor had large floor to ceiling windows with foldable glass doors that opened up to a wooden deck. The infinity pool looked out over the ocean and with a few steps down to the sand there were sun loungers. A few feet from the loungers was another deck with six four-poster beach beds on a terrace. The rocky beach below had the waves breaking against it and it was the most beautiful sight Jane had ever seen. Everything was just breathtaking. Ryan came up behind her as she stood near the edge of the pool and wrapped his arms around her. “Did you and Reid talk?” Jane could feel her face heat up as Ryan chuckled in her ear. “Sort of.” “That’s good. Tonight will be a first for all three of us.” Jane half turned in his arms. “What do you mean?”
Chichen Itza was everything Jane had dreamed it would be. Flea market stalls lined the pathways and everywhere she looked wooden carved masks and other Mayan relics were for sale. It felt like hundreds of people were milling about as they walked through the crowds towards the temple.El Castillo as it was named was built more than a thousand years ago and the masonry consisted of limestone. Jane could hear a tour guide tell people that it was a new wonder of the world and she looked up at the magnificent temple.It consisted of a series of square terraces with stairways up each of the four sides that led to the temple on top. Sculptures of serpents ran down the sides on the northern side and Missy whispered at how beautiful it was.All four sides of the temple had about ninety-one steps and if counted with the final step onto the temple platform it made up a total of three hundred and sixty five steps. The steps on the southern side were eroded but the tour guide definitely had their