Jacob’s POV
I escorted Roscoe down the mountain and mind-linked Lucianna that we will meet her at the Prime’s guesthouse. At first, I entertained the thought that our conversation could take place at the mountain, wait for Lucianna and have the decent privacy. Not when Aiden’s guards noticed Roscoe’s presence in the pack lands. I earned a bit scolding from Aiden for trespassing his territory but he has a lot in his hands right now to come down and personally meet with us. Thankfully, he let this one go.
Soft knocks from the door ended the silent eye-contact Roscoe and I have been doing. I stood up lazily and gave him one last warning look which earned a sigh from him then I headed to the door.
Despite the guesthouse rooms being wolf-proof, I could feel that Lucianna was the one behind the door.
‘Please tell me you are decently clothed.’ I teased our portal.
A loud bang came from the door when Lucianna responded with a loud knock. I’m not even sure if it was a knock.
Chuckling, I opened the door and saw Lucianna’s frowning face. Her cheeks are red, her lips more plump from pouting and her doll-like eyes twinkling with annoyance.
Cute.
“That’s some temper, babe.” I smiled.
“Shut it, Jacob. I’m having anxiety attack here.” she rolled her eyes and strode inside the room.
Oh, you should, Lucianna. Keeping something from your mate, from me, that’s heartless.
“You’ll be fine soon.” I mumbled, watching her back as I follow her. She just sighed.
Lucianna sat on one of the chair by the two-seater dining table, Roscoe remained seated at the small couch and I settled onto the bed where I can see them both.
My mate is throwing daggers at Roscoe and my brother gave her a side-look. Are they talking in their mind? Roscoe is still a part of my pack, they could communicate.
The thought made me feel unease. And utterly annoyed.
“Lucianna.” I called and she turned to me with wide eyes. I frowned by how surprised she looked. Did she forgot I’m here and watching? I almost tremble but instead, I smirked. “Baby, you can start now.” I couldn’t stop my jaw from clenching. Not when I can still see my brother looking at my mate like she’s a fucking dessert.
**
Lucianna’s POV
‘Are you sure to tell him? You know how dangerous that would be, Luce.’
The moment I sat down, Roscoe reached my head. And me being panicky, does not need those words coming from him. I gave him the side-eye bitch stare.
‘I’m not the idiot who let himself get tailed.’ his jaw clenches and his lips formed a flat line, I ignored it and continued. ‘We’ll tell him now. Period.’
‘Tss. This is not what we’ve talked about.’
‘You think Jacob will stop prying for answers if we keep our mouth shut? I suggest you to rewire your head.’
‘We don’t want him dead. I don’t want him dead.’
My teeth gritted. ‘And I do? Come on, you’re too unfamiliar with the mate bond. You won’t understand how I feel. And the least feeling I’d like to experience is losing him.’
He scoffed. ‘Yeah? Well, sorry for not experiencing the adventure of the bond. Come on, Lucianna, he won’t take it easy. What if the darkness feed from his fear? Eat him inside? I do wonder if the bond you’re so proud about can save him from it.’
Okay, that’s a low-blow. The thought that the connection between Jacob and I will not change fate or change him is a hurt feeling. Roscoe has to mention it, huh? Oh for fuck’s sake, the man has no clue of what he is spouting about! He was born and die deprived of the feeling of having a mate.
That’s sad.
“Lucianna.” Jacob’s stern and hard voice snatched me off my thoughts. I looked at him fast, and my eyes widened upon seeing his expression. He looked like he stopped breathing and in pain! What the heck?! “Baby, you can start now.”
Even the way his endearment sounded is cringe-y.
I gulped.
Suddenly, Roscoe’s words echoed my mind. The one possibility that Jacob may be eaten by the darkness, the darkness that is already inside him. The darkness I never believed he possess.
This, right now, is jealousy. And its clear in my eyes and senses, not to mention the radiating emotions he purposelessly sent through our bond.
‘He looks at me like he will slit my throat. Any idea why?’ Roscoe asked that made me groan but I decided not to look at him. If I do, my gut tells me his assumption will come true.
I cleared my throat and closed my eyes, thinking of where I should begin.
“Don’t turn back on me now.” Jacob says, his voice sour and rough that I opened my eyes in surprise. He think I will back out with telling him the truth?
“I’m not, Jacob. I was just thinking how I’d start.”
“Definitely not by letting my brother speak first.”
My jaw clenches. “Which I believe otherwise. He knows more than I do.”
“Unnecessary.” he rejected. “I only believe you.”
A long and trembling sigh came out of my lips. I shook my head slowly, then blink twice. Ignoring his words, I started to tell the things I knew.
“Roscoe went to me during my fight at Trivian. He wanted to talk, and I didn’t entertain the invitation. Not until he mentioned what it was about -- your life in danger.”
“You believe him.” he stated when I inhale for breath.
I nod. “Yes.” I blink and looked down. “Yes, I did. And I’m not regretting my decision… well, not yet.”
Because I have no evidence for it, only goddamn doubt and guts.
Jacob looked at me, puzzled but headed on to the main concern of the conversation.
“How is my life in danger?” Jacob asked then looked at Roscoe. “What did this guy told you?”
I shook my head, fast. “No, he didn’t tell me about it. Fhoxia did. She explained the details to me--”
“This Fhoxia has stayed in my curiosity far too long. Who is she?” Jacob cuts.
“She’s a messenger from above. A dark messenger of the Moon.” Roscoe answered this time.
Jacob gave his brother a narrowed look, his irritation from Roscoe’s interruption was evident. I sighed from the thickening tension rounding them both.
“I advise you refrain from talking, brother.” Jacob said with gritted teeth and clenched jaws. I can feel his patience slowly draining and so I agree that Roscoe should shut up for now.
Roscoe looked at Jacob, mirroring the same irritation, even their face muscles moves the same. I thought he will argue about being silenced, but he looked away and sighed.
Thank God. It will be troublesome to be a middleman if this two huge wolves starts fighting.
Turning my head at Jacob but keeping my eyes at Roscoe for two seconds, I continued talking.
“Something is wrong with the shadow eye you have, Jacob. Currently, you won’t feel it but in the future, you might and it scares me. I never intend to stay away, I even considered giving us a chance before I heard all of these. What I planned to have is some time, one month to find out more about what Fhoxia said.”
Jacob scoffed that cut my words. He tilted his head, hissed and looked at me with sharp eyes. “How veracious is this messenger? Why is it so easy to believe a stranger, Lucianna?”
I bit my lip to stop it from trembling. The question was hard to give a proper response to but I can’t feel in my heart that it was a wrong choice. Every words Fhoxia said are far from unreal. It was strengthen by Mual’s story about her sister and backed by Roscoe’s personal happenings.
And I believed her, I yearn to be prepared. I’m usually risky but if we are talking about my mate’s life and death then this is the one above all risks I had that I will never regret.
My eyes met his with utmost braveness.
“If you doubt this, believe in your mate instead. Believe in me, Jacob because I won’t be fooled easily.” I sighed. “Fhoxia has no presence, she’s not one of the living--”
“I concealed myself and followed him.” he pointed at Roscoe without breaking eye contact with me. “If the absence of presence is impossibly done then should we call my brother an idiot for not noticing I’m just behind him?”
I swear I heard a low growl coming from Roscoe. Jacob just peaked at him but ignored him.
My decision was to ignore his antics.
“She has no heartbeat, no scent--”
“Like I did.”
“Jacob, she come and go like dust forming in thin air! Her speed is of an Alpha, much faster even! The body she has now was Mual’s sister which she borrowed after death. This is not normal and nothing is normal about Fhoxia!”
“Then why should I believe her?!” he bursts, taking two huge steps closer to me. “You describe her as if she’s an evil being, Lucianna. Whatever she said to you are lies if she’s nothing but a demon manipulating your entire brain system!”
My teeth gritted. This is harder than I thought. Being honest does not mean it will be easy to be heard, and Jacob is clearly making it hard to listen!
“Stop with this nonsense and come home with me. I’m done listening to this shit.”
My body vibrated as if a command from an Alpha has been uttered. It was a light attack in power but enough to be felt.
“Jacob, we came here to talk.” Roscoe said gently.
I stood up from where I was seated. My mind wanted to touch him, calm him, because I can feel how his pulse rises fast.
Jacob glanced at his brother then his jaw clenches before looking back at me.
“Enough with this, Lucianna. We.are.going.home.”
Now, this is not a light command but a full blast. My knees turned to jelly, I trembled and almost fell. I bumped into Jacob’s hard chest before my face meet the floor.
Goddammit!
“Did you just used your alpha on me?!” I yelled and pushed myself away from him. Standing up, I gathered all my strength and straighten my fuzzy head. “You used your alpha on me!” I stated this time.
Jacob frowned. “What? No!”
“You did! I felt it, Jacob! Don’t you dare deny it!”
His jaw dropped and now he started to pale.
“I did not, Lucianna!” he shouted back. Jacob took a step closer and was about to touch my hand but I shove his hand away. He gasped. “Stop resisting and come with me to the pack!”
Again, I felt the cringed and pain altogether from another alpha command. I didn’t tremble this time but I flinched.
“Stop using your alpha on me, Jacob!”
“I’m not-”
“I’m your Luna! Your alpha won’t affect me but stop using it because its fucking irritating me!”
His jaw dropped again and this time, his eyes travelled my body. He studied the after effects of the command, feel it through the bond, and I know he confirmed it.
“B-But…I didn’t…”
“He’s losing control, Lucianna. Fhoxia is right, we shouldn’t have told him.”
I hissed and turned to Roscoe. “If you haven’t notice it, we told him nothing yet!” then I looked at Jacob who looked confused. “Are you sure you didn’t use your alpha? Because I felt it, you fucker!”
Jacob blinked multiple times before closing his eyes tight and cursed in the air.
“I fucking didn’t. Fuck!”
Roscoe take it as his cue to say something. He stood up and Jacob unconsciously moved my body behind him, as if for protection. I rolled my eyes.
“Jacob.” Ros breathed. “Since you’re acting this way then I believe you should know everything. The confusion might do more damage and we don’t want that. You are denying the possibility that we are right which makes you lose control. If you don’t believe us, then should I call you an incompetent leader for unconsciously using the alpha power?”
I groaned. “Roscoe, this is not the time for rebuttal.”
Roscoe chuckled. “That’s called getting even.” then he grinned at me before raising a brow at his brother. “Hear us. Afterwards, you can think of it and decide.”
Jacob never took his eyes of me. The disbelief in it was there, still there and I know its not about what I said, but because of what he did.
An Alpha using his power without his permission must’ve been a shock. I would be shock if I’m in his shoes.
I gave him a small smile and nodded my head, urging him to agree.
Jacob sighed. “Fine.” then he groaned. “I’ll fucking listen.”
“You can ask after we explained things, brother.”
“Ugh. Can’t wait.” he rolled his eyes, looked at me before slowly going back to the bed to sit.