Chapter 11

**Jaxson**

I could smell him on my territory before Cole even spoke. I knew he was there, but couldn’t figure out where. My blood boiled at the thought of him being near my mate. He wouldn’t touch her again, and that was final. He’d already crossed a line, and he knew it. He was toying with me.
“He’s back? Why?” Cole frowned at me, sniffing the air.
He was just as angry as I was by now. He’s fighting his wolf on whether or not to go to Natalia. I didn’t like the fact they were mates, but there was nothing I could do about it. They were fated to be together. If I even dared forbid them from seeing each other, then I would only be hurting my sister. I still didn’t like it though.
“Yes. Duke is back, and I think he’s the one who was behind Lana being spelled.”
My brother was back, and he was once again playing his sick games with me. He was starting a war with me that I would make sure I won. Duke won't win this time.
He was shamed after what he did to the pack. My brother was sleeping with the enemy, and giving the dirty bitch information on our pack. Then, he tried to steal Tara from me. Now he’s back to steal my mate, and my throne.
You won’t get it, brother.
Not this time.
They say the path a man chooses to take defines who they are. The path he chose was the wrong one. It made him into what he is today. A cold, heartless bastard. He doesn’t care who gets hurt in his path as long as Duke gets what he wants. It doesn’t even matter if they’re human, or not. He’s slaughtered numerous times without even blinking an eye.
I’m waiting for you.
Make your move, brother.
This time I’ll be ready for you.
“What are you going to do about him?” I massage my temples, trying to calm myself down.
“I’m going to kill him! He snuck in the house, and was touching my mate.” I growled out in anger. My beta and I shared a look, and I knew he was feeling the same thing I was. Rage coursed through our veins just at the thought of him.
I could hear my mate's thoughts, and her heartbeat thumping so hard. She was in danger.
“I have to go, but you need to fix things with your mate. As much as I hate to say it, make her see you two are destined to be together.”
I rush into the house, and see her breathing hard, and her face pales when she sees me.
“What happened, Lana?” I ask her, softly brushing her hair away from her face.
She looks down to the floor, and I take two fingers placing them under her chin. Tilting her face upward to face me, I narrow my eyes. “What happened?”
My wolf was getting angrier by the second, and Lana was not helping. She was trying to avoid looking at me, and I wanted to know why. I guess I’ll have to play dirty to find out what made her worry. Bringing my finger up to my mark, I bring my lips close to her ear and whisper, “Tell me.”
She moaned under my touch making me smirk at her. She was responding so well, and I’ve barely touched her.
“I-I…Jaxson.”
I trailed my finger down her neck to the swell of her breast.
“Are you going to tell me, little mate?” I teased her smirking again.
“I-I don’t know who it was. It was too dark to see, and he said he would be back for me.” My body began to shake, and she seems to notice this.
She brings her hand up to the mark she left on me, and rubs it. I groan as I pull her on top of me.
“You’re teasing me.” I muse.
“You teased me first, Alpha.” She purrs in my ear, making me flip us over.
My body loomed over her small figure and her breath hitched. “I’ve told you what you calling me that does to me.”
Lowering my finger down to the waistband of her shorts, I kissed her neck and sucked on her skin. Her body squirmed making her brush against me and making it even harder to not take her right now. “I’ll see you in a bit. Make sure you lock the windows, and door.”
She pouted. “You can’t leave me like this.”
She was begging me to take her, but I couldn’t right now. I had to deal with my brother and to do that I had to find him. He was still here and waiting for me to commence in his game. He wanted me to come and find him. His sick and twisted version of hide and go seek.
“That’s what you get for teasing my wolf, darling.” Smirking against her lips before leaving her breathless on the bed. Next time, don’t tease me baby. Then, I won’t have to tease you. I smiled knowing what I would be doing tonight. I would have her ready, and willing in my bed.
My brother’s scent vanished at the territory line making me start to wonder. What game was he playing?
“Maybe he left,” Cole stated.
No, he’s still here. If he was behind Lana being spelled, he might have had a witch hide his scent so it would be even harder to find him. Everything was fine before he showed his face.
“No, he’s still here. I know he is.”
“You've lost your touch, brother. The old Jaxson would've been able to find me.” Duke smirks, leaning on the tree next to me. “She's making you weak. Maybe I should take care of her for you.”
He licks his lips as his canines start to elongate. I bare my teeth and shove him, knocking him to the ground. “You're not touching her! What game are you playing at? Why are you back?”
My claws come out as I wrap them around his throat as he stands up. He's taunting me trying to get a reaction from me. He wants me to react so he can catch me off guard just like he tried to with Tara.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want what rightfully belongs to me. Your mate… your son… your title.” He says cocking his head to the side, and sniffs the air.
“Mmm. Does she taste as good she smells?” He inhaled the scent on me, taking in my mate's aroma. I've had enough. I can't hold back anymore. I'll kill him, but not until I get some answers out of him.
My body shakes, and all I see is red as I shift into my wolf. I circled him like a predator stalking his prey. I bit into his ankle, swiping my claws deep in his flesh. I'm so far gone I don't even realize my father has shown up. Cole must have called him. “Duke! I told you never to come back. You’re not my son anymore.”
“I've got a better idea.” My father smirks as Cole jabs a needle in his neck, and he falls to the ground.
“Take him to the cell, and lock the rabid dog up.” My father tells him as I shift back, and slip my shorts back on.
When Cole and my father talked, they had a plan. They were going to let us fight for a bit, then my father would show up surprising him. Then that's where Cole comes in, he injects him, knocking him out.
“Jaxson, why didn't you tell me he was stirring up trouble again?” I shrug my shoulders, and drag my brother to the house and lock him up.

He starts to come to when I lock the chains around his wrists and ankles. “You think this is going to stop him from finding her? He won’t stop until he has her power, and she’s dead. Natalia should have left her to die in that ditch!”
I grab his head, and bang it on the wall, knocking him out for now.
Everything is spiraling out of control, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. My brother’s words run over and over in my head. He said Natalia should have left her in the ditch to die, and that someone won't stop until he has her power, and she's dead. He had to have been talking about Lorenzo. It had to be him.
I've heard about when a wolf loses their mate. It's the worst kind of pain you can go through. You feel the mate bond ripping right from your insides. It's a little different for an Alpha, and his mate though. The entire pack feels it as well. They feel how it claws its way to the surface, making your wolf feel weak and defeated. I don't ever want to endure that pain. I don't want to lose her.
My men stand in front of me waiting for their orders. “I want everyone guarding every entry into the pack. Nobody gets in that isn't a member. You're dismissed.”
Everyone but Cole leaves. I need him to go and fix whatever he messed up with my sister. I can't stand a cranky Natalia. Nobody can. I feel sorry for him when she has a child. She's going to keep him on his toes, that's for sure. I scrunch my nose up at the thought of my sister, and best friend. The image of that would be horrifying.
“Go Cole, and fix it. I can't take any more of her attitude.”
Natalia storms in, and pounds her fists on my desk. “You tell Cole to back the hell off! I'm not his mate.”
Cole rushes to her and growls. He's angry because she ran from him. She turns to face him with her golden eyes. “I’m going to go out with Lucas, and that's final. You don't own me, Cole!”
She tries to run past him, but he grabs her arm. “The hell I don’t.”
“You can't stop me!”
“Sweetheart, you are mine and no mate of mine going to let another male put his hands on her!” His hand wraps around her hair, yanking her head back and baring her neck to him. I'm not stepping in until he gets almost out of control.
He pressed his face in her neck inhaling and his eyes turned gold. “You do belong to me, and I say you are not to be alone with Lucas!”
He presses his lips to her neck.
That's when I see it.
His teeth begin to elongate, scraping her skin but not breaking the skin. He's starting to lose control, and my sister's eyes widen in shock when she feels his teeth.
“Alright, that's enough!” I command him, and my sister knees him in the crotch.
“I'm not yours, and I am going out with him!” she argues.
What am I going to do about that?
“She's driving me crazy!” Cole says.
He's frustrated with my sister, and has a good reason. She's denying him, and it's making him lose control. I know how he feels. I tried to control my wolf with Lana and in the end, he won. She didn't want to believe me just like Natalia doesn't want to believe it either.
“Just take it easy. This is my sister we're talking about. You know how defiant she can be when someone tries to control her.” I try to tell him, earning me a nod.
Oh, sister, you're going to wish you hadn't even provoked his wolf by going out with Lucas.
It's going to be bad when she gets back, and I'm not even going to break them up when they get into a fight over her. Lucas may be a good fighter, but Cole is stronger. He's going to annihilate him, and I'm just going to sit back and watch.
Hell, I might even make some popcorn and enjoy the show.