Chapter 121
AYLA'S POV
When I woke up, the first thing I felt was the searing ache on my neck.
The bond.
The bond that wasn’t supposed to happen.
I shot up in bed, my hand flying to the spot where Jake had marked me the night before. The skin was still tender, the faint impression of his teeth unmistakable. I groaned, running my fingers over it as flashes of last night flooded my mind—his lips, his growl, the way he’d claimed me with such primal certainty.
I’d always thought being marked would feel magical, like a spark lighting my soul, but this? This was chaos, heat, and hunger.
'What have you done, Jake?'
What had 'I' done?
I stumbled out of bed, pulling my hair over my shoulder to cover the mark. Maybe no one would notice. Maybe it would all go away.
But it wouldn’t, because I could feel him now.
His emotions, his turmoil—it all pressed against my consciousness, as if a part of him had rooted itself inside me. Even though he was avoiding me, I could feel his tension, his anger, and beneath it all, a heat that mirrored my own.
I shook my head and tried to focus on the day ahead. The twins needed breakfast, Sophie would need help with the chores, and I—well, I needed a long, cold shower to drown out the thoughts of Jake that kept invading my mind.
\---
The morning passed in a blur.
I busied myself with the twins, my hands steady as I braided their hair and tied their little shoes, but my mind was a whirlwind. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. Every time I tried to focus, I felt him—his lips, his hands, the way his voice dipped into a growl when he’d claimed me.
I bit my lip, shaking off the thought as I carried the twins down to breakfast.
Jake wasn’t there.
Good.
He’d been avoiding me all morning, and honestly, I didn’t know whether to be relieved or furious. The man had marked me without so much as an apology or explanation, and now he couldn’t even look at me?
Sophie greeted me warmly as I set the twins in their chairs, her smile bright and cheerful.
“You’re glowing today,” she said, her eyes lingering on me.
I froze, my hand instinctively brushing over my hair to make sure the mark was covered.
“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile. “Just tired.”
She didn’t seem convinced, but thankfully, she didn’t press.
The problem with the mark wasn’t just that it connected us—it was that it amplified everything.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Even as I stood by the sink, washing the twins’ dishes, I found myself lost in a daydream. His hands on my waist, pulling me close. His lips trailing down my neck, his growl rumbling in his chest as he whispered my name—
“Dammit,” I muttered, splashing water on my face.
This was ridiculous. I needed to get a grip.
But the bond wasn’t letting me.
\---
It wasn’t until later that I ran into him.
Literally.
I’d been walking down the hall, my head still spinning with thoughts of him, when I turned a corner and collided with his chest.
Jake.
I froze, my breath hitching as I looked up at him. His eyes were dark, stormy, and so intense that I felt my knees weaken.
“Ayla,” he said, his voice low and rough.
I swallowed hard, trying to step back, but his hand shot out, gripping my arm and pulling me closer.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” I said, my voice shakier than I intended.
His lips curled into a smirk, but there was no humor in it. “And you’ve been...distracting me.”
My heart raced as his eyes trailed down to my neck, lingering on the mark he’d left.
“You did this,” I snapped, my cheeks flushing. “You marked me, Jake. Now I—”
Before I could finish, he pushed me against the wall, his body pressing into mine.
“Now you what?” he asked, his voice a dangerous whisper.
I opened my mouth to answer, but the words died in my throat as his lips brushed against my ear.
“Tell me, Ayla,” he growled, his hand sliding to my waist. “Tell me what you feel.”
I hated him.
I hated the way he made me feel. The way his touch ignited something deep inside me that I couldn’t control.
“I feel—”
His mouth captured mine before I could finish, and I was lost.
The kiss was hungry, desperate, like he was trying to consume every part of me. His hands were everywhere—my waist, my hips, the curve of my back—and I couldn’t stop myself from clinging to him, my fingers tangling in his hair.
When he pulled back, his lips were swollen, his eyes blazing.
“You drive me insane,” he growled, his hands gripping my thighs and lifting me against the wall.
“Good,” I shot back, my breath hitching as he nipped at my neck.
His mouth traveled lower, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. My dress slipped from my shoulders, and I barely registered it falling to the floor.
“Jake,” I breathed, my fingers tightening in his hair.
He dropped to his knees, his hands gripping my thighs as he spread them apart.
“You’ve been in my head all day,” he muttered, his voice rough. “It’s time I return the favor.”
I barely had time to process his words before his mouth was on me.
The first touch sent a shockwave through my body, my head falling back against the wall as a moan escaped my lips.
His tongue moved with purpose, teasing and tormenting me until I was a trembling mess.
“Jake,” I gasped, my fingers clutching his shoulders.
He growled against me, the vibration sending shivers down my spine. His grip tightened on my thighs, holding me in place as he pushed me closer and closer to the edge.
When I finally shattered, my cries echoed through the hallway, and for a moment, I forgot everything—his coldness, his cruelty, the mess we’d made of each other.
All I felt was him.
But the moment didn’t last.
Jake pulled back, his lips glistening, his eyes darker than I’d ever seen them.
“Don’t think this changes anything,” he said, his voice cold as he stood and adjusted his shirt.
I blinked, still trying to catch my breath. “What?”
“This doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you,” he continued, his tone harsh. “You’re still nothing but a distraction.”
His words cut deeper than I expected, and I felt my chest tighten as I watched him walk away.
What had I done?
What had 'we' done?
Back in my room, I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my fingers brushing over the mark on my neck.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
When Sophie found me later, she noticed the mark immediately.
Her smile was warm, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I knew it,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “I knew you two would figure things out.”
I forced a smile, but inside, I felt like I was falling apart.
Because Sophie didn’t know.
She didn’t know about the chaos, the hunger, the unspoken war between us.
And she didn’t know how much I was starting to lose myself in him.
I stared out the window that night, the full moon casting a soft glow over the packhouse.
Jake’s mark still throbbed against my skin, a constant reminder of what we’d done.
And as much as I hated him for it, I couldn’t deny the truth.
I wanted him.
I wanted the man who had claimed me in anger, who had left me breathless and broken in the same moment.
But I didn’t know if he’d ever want me back.
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