Chapter 2

We sat down side by side near the shallow waters of the lake.I took off my sandals and folded the bottom part of my jeans, so that I could dip my feet in the water.

"You are a very beautiful girl, you know that?" Jace told me, as he caressed my cheek and moved a few strands of hair that had fallen over my face.

"Thank you," I replied, feeling a light blush falling over my face.

"I hardly see any rogues who are girls, much less have them traveling alone."

I wasn't looking at him. So far, he hadn't tried anything, but my best shot of taking him on, was running. 

Yes, it had been a very bad idea to come alone with him.

"Yeah?" I simply asked.

"Dylan, The Alpha, is not a very forgiving or generous person. But, he is my best friend. I'm sure if you ask permission to be part of the pack, and with my influence, you could stay here permanently."

I turned to look at Jace. He was being serious.

"What would the price for that be?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't like his answer.

"I really like you. We could give us a try and see if it works out," Jace replied, shrugging.

"Thank you, but I'm not interested." I smiled and tried to look friendly. I didn't want to rile him up, or get him angry.

"You might become interested later. Maybe you could stay a few more days, and give the town a chance?" I searched his face trying to find answers to my questions. 

He was being nice about it and giving me an option.

"I'm not looking for a relationship at the moment. Besides, didn't you say your Alpha had to approve if I stayed any longer?"

"All we have to do is ask for permission to let you stay. For sure he'll say yes," Jace told me.

"That's a rule breaker for me. I don't want to meet your Alpha."

I put my hands on the ground behind me and rested my weight on them- trying to absorb the sun that fell over the lake.

"We could hold it off until you're ready then. As long as you keep out of the forest and out of sight from the pack, we should be safe."

I looked at Jace, trying to think of the possibility of staying.

Yes, I was three states away from home. It still felt like at any moment, they could come after me and take me back. 

I have considered the pack wanting my death for treason. I ran away like a coward. I'm sure that made no one happy.

"I'll stay, for right now," I said while Jace grinned and nodded.

When Jace noticed that I got hungry, he left to get us food. Not thirty minutes later, he was back with a brown bag and a few drinks.

I wanted to go for a swim, but didn't have any clothes. 

After a lot of convincing from Jace, I got in with my bra and panties, but wearing his shirt over them. He didn't mind scampering around in his boxers.

I didn't want to trust Jace at first, but after spending the day with him, it was hard to resist his charm.

I learnt that Jace has been the Beta for the Midnight Moon Pack for four years now. 

His best friend is the Alpha, he enjoys pack life, and he lives on his own. His family is part of the pack, but he wanted to enjoy the "bachelor life".

Jace tried to ask me questions. Every time he did, I placed the attention on something else. Either he let it go, or my distractions had been really good.

We stayed at the lake until late that afternoon. The sun was setting and a chilly air was settling around us. My hair was still damp so the air felt really cold.

"We should probably run back already," Jace told me, looking worried as I felt shivers run through my body.

I nodded my head and went to remove my clothes behind a tree.

It wasn't long before we made it back to the car. I told Jace where I was staying and he drove me to the hotel, claiming he was good friends with Marie.

"Long time, no see, Marie," Jace excitedly told the lady behind the desk.

"I know, Jace. You need to make time to visit us more often," Marie replied, walking from behind the counter and embracing Jace in a hug.

"Sure will, now take care of my friend here. She's new in town and hopefully, she'll stay with us for a while." Jace wrapped his arm around my shoulder and smiled down at me.

Marie looked surprised, but brightly offered us a grin.

"I see you got to meet Leila," Marie said to Jace.

"Sure, did," Jace replied, without taking his gaze off me.

"I'll see you tomorrow Marie. Thank you for everything," I told the lady, before walking away.

"Sure thing hun! Just call me if you need anything." I was off to my room, with Jace still by my side.

"Will you be okay on your own?" Jace asked me after we reached my room. I was hesitant to let him in, fearing he would assume it was an invitation for a sleepover.

"I was alone last night. This one shouldn't be any different."

"Do you have a pen?" I wasn't carrying my purse, so I was forced to go inside my room to get one.

I handed him the pen and he wrote down his number in a pad that was on my bedside table. He asked for my number, but I wasn't carrying a phone. 

I had left my cell phone at home, only writing down in a book important numbers and addresses I might need later.

"I'll come by tomorrow, okay?" Jace told me as he stood outside my opened door. I nodded my head.

His hand softly caressed my check and down my neck. Being about 6'1 in height, compared to my 5'4, he had to lean down to reach me. 

As he did, I feared he would kiss me but didn't dare move away.

He softly brushed his lips on mine, pressing longer than usual.

"Have a good night," he waved and walked away from me.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I closed the door and rested my back on it.

I didn't know what to do. It would be better to be part of a pack. Jace was nice enough and of a high enough rank to protect me, would anyone from my pack come after me.

But no matter how much Jace was attracted to me right now, if he ever found his mate, he would leave me.

I would never put myself in a position as defenseless as that.

That night, I slept thinking about possible scenarios for the next few days.

I woke up to loud knocking on my door. I tried to fix my hair and look decent enough before opening the door. 

I found a grinning Jace standing there, looking wide awake.

He looked me up and down slowly, his grin morphing into something else. 

I looked down to what I was wearing and tried to walk away into the restroom. I had on some short shorts with a singlet.

Jace had looked at me that same way he did yesterday while we were getting in the lake.

I came out after changing into a pair of clean jeans, leaving the singlet on.

"How are you doing?" Jace was lying down on his back in my bed, with his hands under his head.

"I need to buy some clothes," I told him as I looked inside my back pack for my toiletries.

"I'll take you to the mall today. The closest one is about half hour, so we should leave soon." I looked at him, weirdly, but nodded my head.

The mall was packed with people. I didn't expect any less, it was the mall after all. 

I went through several stores and settled with five pairs of jeans and eight blouses.

I bought two pairs of new sandals and a suitcase to carry everything in once I moved again. It would be easier to carry more now that I wasn't running away.

I was tempted to buy more, but Jace insisted on paying everything. I felt embarrassed because he didn't have to do that, but he wouldn't allow me to pay.

After we were done shopping, it was almost two in the afternoon. We had been in the mall a couple of hours.

"Where to now?" Jace asked me, while he carried the bags and suit case.

"I'm done, so we can leave," I responded, shrugging.

"Let's go to the food court," Jace suggested. I agreed and he led us to an empty table in the food court.

"I'll go drop these off in the car. Then we can order," Jace told me, pointing at the things he was carrying."Sure," I replied.

"I hope that you buying more clothes, means you might stay in town longer," Jace said, looking hopeful.

"I'm not sure, but I'm glad you didn't turn out to be a bad guy," I replied, offering a smile.

Jace leaned down and pressed his lips on mine. I didn't move him away because it felt nice to kiss him. 

Alpha Nicolas' kisses were always so intense, but Jace gave off happiness and stability.

He walked away right after kissing me. I thought about what had just happened. 

My heart and mind were telling me it was wrong. For some reason, my wolf was going crazy inside of me.

I thought that she possibly liked kissing Jace, but with her, it was always more complicated.

 I got up from the chair quickly, and made my way out of the food court section.

I was walking too fast, not paying attention to my surroundings, until I crashed with something hard.

I was about fall to the ground but someone steadied me by the waist and set me straight. 

My wolf was yelling to be set free and electricity was running all over my body.

I looked up into a beautiful set of blue eyes. The guy who had straightened me was still holding my waist and looking directly into my eyes.

He was breathtaking. In my eighteen years, I had seen plenty of handsome guys, but the one in front of me was by far the best.

He had black hair, which was all over the place in a stylish way. His eyes were deep blue, with green specs. His skin was lightly tanned and I could feel his muscular body pressed against mine.

My wolf called to him. After ignoring her- while I admired the gorgeous guy holding me- I understood what she was telling me.

'Mate.'

I thought it was impossible, but there was no denying it. I could feel the bond without my wolf telling me.

"Mine," I heard the guy holding me say, with a husky voice.

I had to leave, but my wolf wanted to take over and stay with him. Her thoughts were driving me crazy. 

She wanted him, right now, without caring that we were in the middle of the mall. I fought against her, and pushed away from his hold.

He frowned at me when I removed his hands from my waist.

"I need to leave," I said more to myself, and tried to get past him. He grabbed my hand and kept me in place.

"You're mine. My mate," he said, in a demanding tone. 

My wolf was howling with joy, while I frowned at the stranger in front of me, who apparently was my mate.

"Right," I said to him, outstretching the 'I' in a sarcastic way.

"Do not speak to me like that," he said to me with an imposing tone.In that moment I came to a dreaded realization.

'He's an Alpha.' My wolf told me, enjoying the power surging from his wolf to hers.

It was in moments like these that I found my wolf extremely annoying.

I saw Jace approaching us with a smile on his face when he saw me. 

As soon as he took notice of the guy in front of me, his facial expression changed. He turned serious and clenched his jaw.

People passed by and gave us a look as we stood in the middle of the hallway, but they didn't say anything. 

Jace approached us slowly and stood next to me.