Her Forever

Rosalie

Jack led all of us to the office. The long walk was quiet and daunting as Jack held me close to him. Halfway through the walk, he picked me up quickly and welcomed me to his chest as he carried me like a bride through the double doors. I’ve started to get used to his caveman ways taking me everywhere, and I’ve really enjoyed it, so I wasn’t about to complain. His face instantly went into my neck, smelling my hair and nuzzling me. This only made me worry more since he was doing it while walking. Jack only did this when he was craving closeness during extreme emotions.

Everyone took a seat on couches and chairs, and Jack kept me on his lap as we sat down at the large mahogany desk. A large screen pulled down from the bookcase showing an electronic map with several areas circled in red on the far side of the wall.

“What’s going on?” Benjamin questioned as he walked through the door. Jack glared at him, and Benjamin sat down in the chair and bowed his head in submission. Jack wasn’t playing around; he was in his leadership Alpha mode. It was really hot too.

“Different packs have had breaches in their borders. The problem is, they don’t seem to know who is behind them, and they leave as quickly as they come. Most packs don’t notice until they have left the territory with a faint lingering scent of smoke and rot in several of the bedrooms of their pack houses.” Keith and Bruce looked at each other, probably having a mind-link conversation.

Jack took out his laser pointer and started circling certain areas on the map, spouting different packs’ names and connections with ours. I just continued to stare at the map; it looked like the upper New England area of North America, which was where we were––close to the Canadian border.

“There is a large storm coming in, it is a bit early in the season to be having a major snowstorm, but it will be coming nonetheless. The Elders have predicted it should be a shut-in; no one will be able to get in and out of the packhouse for days until the snow has been cleared away. Temps should stay well below freezing, so we can’t expect any of it to melt.”

Amanda set out a low g***n, “Aw, what about the Halloween party?” Jack looked at Amanda and gave an annoyed look. “Out of all the things we should be worrying about, you bring up that damn party?” Amanda bowed her head.

“I was just thinking of Lee; she’s never been to a big party like that; she wanted to dress up and everything!” I smiled sheepishly. Jack looked at me, and the corners of his lips upturned slightly. A grown woman wanting to dress up, he must think I am insane.

“We should still have the party; the storm will be here in 3 days. It will take only two to get rid of most of the snow. However, I’ve got to leave and come back before the storm sets in.” My head turned so fast, my own neck could have broken. “Leave?” I said.

Jack’s hold around my waist tightened. “Yes, after you told me about the missing money, I fired all the accountants. I need to drive into the city and catch the perpetrator in the act. You narrowed it down to what computer they are using, but there are no cameras in that room. I can’t just place it at random; they are smart, they would figure it out.”

My heart stopped. Jack will be gone in a few days, and I haven’t been without him since I first arrived here almost a month ago. The bond everyone keeps talking about is getting stronger, which I thought was my own insecurities whenever he would leave the room. Since we haven’t been mated yet, the feeling of loneliness and abandonment sets in when a mate is gone for too long, or so Amanda says.

“I’m coming with you then, right?” I said, hopeful to Jack. Jack smiled down at me and cupped my cheek.

“I can’t risk you coming out of the packhouse. There is more protection for you here with all the warriors. Derek is still out there, and he is an older Vampire, and he may have allies helping him.” I continued to hold my breath as Jack spoke. “Kitten breathe, you will be safe here. I don’t like it either, and it is killing me to do this, but we need to.”

For the first time in a long time, I felt anger. He was willingly leaving me here after he said he would protect me. This bond they talked about always said it was like a knife cutting through to your soul if you left your unmarked mate alone too long. Now here he was going away, willingly even. The emotions were too much, and I didn’t know where to put it all. Even though I was human, I felt a pull to him and the disappointment of hurt that he would leave me. Maybe he didn’t feel as strong of a force as the rest of the Werewolves talked about.

I grunted in reply, not saying anything.

“The security here is the best in all of North America, thanks to you. No one will get in; you are safe, try and understand,” Jack pleaded. “I’ll only be gone 2, maybe 3 days, and I will be back before the storm hits.” Jack tried to k**s me, but I denied him. I was angry at him; after telling him I loved him last night, something in itself was hard for me to do, he was going to leave. I didn’t care if it was only a few days. I still felt vulnerable and helpless though my own self-confidence in my looks even though it had increased since arriving.

I felt the eyes of everyone on me as I leaned away from Jack. I felt his heart sink, and it only made me feel worse. I wanted to turn around and hug him and k**s him, but I held firm to my stubbornness and got up from his lap to leave the room without looking back.

“Rosalie, wait, please.” I could hear Jack’s voice fading into the background. Becoming the weak person I always knew I was, I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I hated feeling this way; I used to be this independent person; I didn’t rely on anyone or trust anyone. You didn’t get hurt that way, but this stupid thing called a bond was messing me up to pieces. I relied on him too much, and now here I was, upset over a few days of him leaving me.

Maybe it wouldn’t have hurt so much if I hadn’t told him I loved him. I put my feelings on a silver platter for him to dig into, and now it felt like he snubbed his nose at it. Stomping up the stairs, I went to my old room, greeted by Macaroni and his meowing. I laid on the bed and just cried.

These feelings were just too much, and my heart continued to ache as I knew I would feel more lonely the next few days than I ever felt. These feelings I’m having overshadowed any other sense I have ever had.

The only other time I had felt remotely close to this was when I’d first gotten my period. I was so emotional––crying, thinking I was dying. I went to the free health clinic that had to hand over a pamphlet explaining the birds and the bees. Talk about embarrassing, but it did help me understand more about my body. However, what I was going through now was 10 times that, or so it felt that way.

I heard the door whine and saw that Amanda was standing at the door with a frown on her face. She closed the door behind her and joined me on the bed while wrapping her arms around me. “I must look like a spoiled toddler sitting here crying, not getting my way,” I sniffed.

“Believe it or not, it is normal. These feelings you have, you’ve never been prepped for and have they’ve come on a lot stronger than they normally would have.” I lifted my head to the side so I could see her face beside me.

“You’ve been spending the night with him, cuddling him, holding each other, loving each other; it was bound to happen. The only reason you both haven’t mated was because of that stupid scarring. It is almost over, and then you both can be at peace. The bond just makes your mind and body go haywire being so close to your soulmate, it just demands it, and you can’t have it just yet.” Amanda patted my head and gave me a slight smile.

“I feel so foolish, I used to be so independent, and now I’m completely relying on him. I’m not sure if I like it. He could crush my heart if he wanted.”

“But he won’t, and you know that. He has his reasons why he has to go, we may not know what they are, but I do know he doesn’t want to leave you.” I nodded, still feeling the ache in my bones. “Come on, let’s do a movie night with Benjamin. Tyson is head of the patrol to make sure you are protected while he is gone.”

***

Jack

“Damn it.” I pounded my fist to the desk.

Keith scoffed, “That went well.” Bruce held in a chuckle, and Amanda and Benjamin had scowls on their faces.

“Really? Do you have to fix the whole money stealing thing right now? When she is at the most vulnerable? She’s having to deal with not being fully mated with all these crazy feelings, and on top of it all, she is human! She doesn’t grasp the whole concept of a mate, and now you will leave her for a few days? What the hell?” Amanda threw her hands up in frustration.

I rubbed my hands through my messy hair and did a combination of a sigh and growl. I knew she had a point. Bruce squinted his eyes at me in an accusatory manner. “She told you she loved you, didn’t she?” Bruce had always had an intuitive nature about him. He was the strong silent type, but he could read people like an open b*******e bond or not, he could tell when people cared about each other, even with humans. I don’t know how often he played matchmaker at the hotels we stayed at between the cleaning ladies and the doormen.

Benjamin stood up and came up to the desk. “After all the s**t that went down yesterday, after her dancing and being more open with you, she also threw the love card on your deck? Now you are leaving her for a few days?” Benjamin was partially correct, I shouldn’t be leaving, but I was running out of time.

If I didn’t go now, I might not have a chance to catch whoever was stealing money, money that goes to the pack members that really need it. Our pack was vital for a reason all these years; I gave up on a lot to keep us solid and profitable. If I didn’t correct it now, what would happen if they did it to my other companies? Rosalie and I are so close to wanting to mate, but I’m waiting on the Vampire Council.

When the go-ahead is in place, I’m not going to want to let Rosalie go for a few months. It may be hard now for her, but it will only be more challenging once we are mated. Her heat will start to come in shortly after, and I was not about to leave her then either. That’s why I’m going now because the bond will only get stronger, and it will be harder to let go. Derek is still out there, and I can’t risk it while I will be out in the open.

“It has to be done. I have my reasons.” I gave my final word as everyone looked at me in disbelief. They can’t question their Alpha, I have my reasons, and I’m keeping her physically safe. She has to understand. However, I feel the pain she feels. She’s upset, and I can feel her tears dripping down my heart.

“Keith, get the SUV ready. Let’s head out now so we can get back quicker.” Keith nodded.

“Are you going to at least tell her goodbye?” Amanda asked.

“If I do, I won’t want to leave.” My eyes were stinging; I couldn’t believe I was almost crying. Damn.

“Benjamin and I will stay with her then. We will keep her busy.” With that said, Amanda walked out of the room to tend to Rosalie.