Chapter 35

Jasper Hartford’s POV
My father brought me some spare clothes from one of the stashes in the forest then insisted on walking me back home. He gave me a whole speech about how reckless I was being which occupied most of the walk back. I have to admit that I didn’t hear most of his rant. I had worked out long ago that it was best to zone him out when he got like this.
He growled and punched a nearby tree as if to prove his annoyance. I would have hoped that ranting at me for the last half an hour would have cooled his temper a bit but apparently not. His actions made me flinch and I was filled with the urge to run and hide. It was a powerful urge and it took me a few seconds to calm myself enough to suppress it.
“This is all because of your stubbornness but that ends now. As your alpha I command you to mark your mate.” My father said using his alpha tone. I felt the effects of the compulsion immediately. Granet pushed his way forward in my head, urging me to hunt Lizzy down and mark her.
My father watched as I fought with my wolf for control with a smile on his face. He knew it was only a matter of time until I lost the fight and went on the hunt. My father’s face was one of contentment but I could see the guilt in his eyes. I know he was only doing what he thought was for the good of the pack but that didn’t make this feel any less barbaric.
Lizzy was only just starting to open up to me, this would ruin every bit of trust she had for me. She would get over her pain in a few days and fall madly in love with me but it wasn’t right to use our bond against her like this. The thought of making her fall for me like this made me feel sick.
I pushed Garnet back, falling to my knees with the exertion. Garnet was snarling in my head. The need to mark his mate had brought out his more primitive side as well as increasing his determination massively. I could feel his desire for Lizzy and his need to mark her growing stronger by the second.
‘You can’t fight me forever,’ Garnet growled. My strength was failing as Garnet continued to push me to take control. I felt tired and the pain in my head from trying to fight an alpha command was almost overwhelming. Part of me wanted to give in just to stop the pain.
“Stop fighting, it will only make things worse.” My father urged. I was losing the fight, and even he knew it. Garnet pushed forward once more but this time my consciousness faded to the back as he took over my body completely.
Garnet stayed on his knees, taking a few seconds to stretch out our muscles and get acclimated to our body. I hadn’t let him out much and I had never let him have control over my human body. A smile crept over our face as he pulled himself to his feet and started moving towards the house.
Following her scent was easy, Garnet’s senses were sharper than mine and he was highly attuned to Lizzy’s scent. He followed her trail into the house and towards the back where the kitchen was situated.
Lizzy was standing with her back towards us as she prepared herself a hot chocolate. She looked amazing as she hummed some tune to herself. She was still dressed up ready for our date and she was completely unaware of the danger that lurked behind her. Garnet licked our lips as our canines elongated ready to claim her as his.
We moved silently across the room but our heavy breathing alerted Lizzy to our presence. Startled, she spun around quickly to face us. Her heartbeat quickened and I could smell the adrenaline coursing through her system. When her eyes landed on me her pulse rate decreased again and she smiled at me warmly.
“I didn’t know how long you would be, I was starting to get hungry.” She complained. I hadn’t been gone long but her metabolism had been increasing along with her strength over the last few weeks and she wasn’t used to it yet. She was still eating like an omega, of course she was hungry.
“Stay calm, this will all be over soon.” Garnet purred. He was trying to sound comforting and seductive but with his canines sticking out the way they were Lizzy was probably terrified. My wolf is a fricking idiot.
“What is going on?” She asked, taking a couple of steps away from me until her back bumped into the counter behind her. Garnet let out a soft purring noise and he wrapped his arms around her, softly running his fingers along her sides.
“I’m just going to mark you. That’s all, nothing to worry about.” He replied, tightening his grip around her and leaning in closer. His canines were only a couple of inches away from her neck now. One quick movement and it would all be over and she would be mine forever.
“I thought you were going to mark me after our date. Why are you acting like this and why is Garnet in charge?” She was trying to push me away as she spoke. She was strong but she didn’t have her wolf yet and I was stronger. There was no way that Garnet was going to let her go. He kissed her cheek and jaw, purring softly as he did.
“Stop. You are not going to mark me without my consent.” She commanded. Garnet stopped instantly and retreated into the back of my mind with a whimper. Even though she wasn’t the alpha of the pack yet, her command as the future alpha and as my mate was enough to counteract my father’s command. I retracted my canines and pulled her into my chest for a hug.
“I’m so sorry. My father commanded me to mark you, I had no control over my actions.” I whispered as I stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. She relaxed into my arms but I could feel her confusion through our bond.
“Why didn’t you tell me that my wolf was going to be an alpha?” She asked, her confusion giving way to anger. Just knowing that she was annoyed with me was enough to make my skin tingle in anticipation. I hated making her feel that way and I would do anything to make her feel better.
She pushed against my chest. I wanted to keep her in my arms but she was angry and upset, she was my priority and I had to think of what she needed. I kept hold of her arms and led her to my room which I now considered our room. I waited for her to sit comfortably before telling her everything.
When I say everything I really do mean everything, I even told her all about Frankie and his plan to blackmail me to change his rank. I told her all the things I had been trying to shelter her from over the last few weeks while she quietly listened to me speak. Only stopping me a couple of times to ask for clarification.
“I can’t stay here.” She said once I had finished. Panic flooded my system, I couldn’t lose her over something my father did. I got down on my knees in front of her and pleaded with her to stay with me, tears forming in my eyes.
“I didn’t mean I would go without you but I don’t feel safe here anymore. Not when he can command you to do things so easily.” She replied. She pulled onto my hands to pull me to my feet. Pretending to be overpowered by her I pushed her back onto the bed laying on top of her. Lizzy giggled as I kissed her all over her beautiful face.
“What do you suggest?” I asked between kisses.
“Maybe we could stay with one of your friends for a few days. If what you said is right I will be able to mark you in a few days and he won’t be able to command you anymore. We can come back after that.” She replied.
I quickly agreed and mindlinked Adam. He agreed to let us stay eagerly. I had a suspicion that this had something to do with us being close by to help him make Patti fall in love with him. It was a small price to pay to keep Lizzy happy.
We packed enough clothes and possessions for a week and were on our way over to Adam’s parents house within the hour. The next time we came back here we would be marked and mated.