*Jo's POV*I opened my eyes in defeat as the bedroom started to lighten. The sun wasn't up yet, but it would be soon.I had spent all night tossing and turning, and hardly getting any sleep. Nikko hadn't texted me back at all, and it had me concerned that I had done something wrong again. But I had held up hope that he would possibly sneak into my bed in the middle of the night again.That wasn't the case.I didn't want to be that girl, constantly overthinking things and creating problems that didn't truly exist, but at this point I was certain I wasn't crazy. However, that didn't mean I wasn't confused. I felt like Nikko's words and Nikko's actions weren't always matching up, and I needed to know the truth.I still hadn't heard or seen from him. My phone was sitting on the charger, so I grabbed it and checked it again. Still no message. So, I climbed out of bed and threw my shoes and a light jacket on. There was no point trying to get more sleep.I tiptoed through the house, try
*Jo's POV*Kissing. They were kissing.I couldn't get it out of my head as I sprinted through the trees, thankful for the path I could follow back to the cabin. The rage that was boiling through my veins kept the tears at bay, but I wasn't sure for how long.The cabin came into view and I let out a tearless sob. Then I saw Byron standing outside looking all around, and realized he must be looking for me. As soon as I cleared the trees his eyes found me, and relief turned to concern as he saw my face."Jo? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked as I got near, but I just ran past him into the cabin.I forgot how fast they had told me wolves could be though, and he caught up with me and grabbed my arm to hold me back at the base of the stairs."Hey, talk to me," Byron pleaded. "What happened? What can I do?"I stared at him coldly, my rage still hadn't subsided. Or maybe it was Cressa's rage. At this point, I didn't even know."You can get me a car. I'm leaving.""I can't just get a
*Jo's POV*The sound of splintering wood echoed through the bedroom as Nikko shoved the door open with his shoulder. He had only broken the frame around the door lock instead of the whole door itself. He still had the knob in his hand when he looked and locked eyes with me.Seeing Nikko in front of me made me see spots. I was worried I would get emotional if I talked to him, but that wasn't the case. At least not yet.Despite being so angry at him, I noticed that the clothes he was wearing almost seemed too short for him. I realized he must have shifted to get to the cabin as fast as he did, and then he must have had to borrow some of Byron's clothes since I had the door locked. Nikko saw me staring at him, and looked around.His eyes seemed to take in the scene before him, with me standing in front of my half full bags, and I saw them switch to worry. For the first time I think he realized that I was really planning on leaving."Are you f*cking kidding me?" I yelled at him. "What
*Nikko's POV*My mate has a wolf?Byron kept me calm as we tried to help her.It took us a few minutes after Jo passed out to bring her back to consciousness, and make sure she was alright. She still looked weak, but at least she was alert.I stared down at her shivering body pressed up against my chest, and couldn't help but feel worried. I glanced up at Byron, but he looked just as shocked as me. But now that I was focusing on it, I could smell her wolf barely on her."What do you mean she's not strong enough to shift, Jo?" I asked. "Is she talking to you?"Jo nodded, and opened her eyes to look at me. They were still glowing a brilliant gold color.While we had been talking I had seen her eyes flash a few times, but I had chalked it up to the rising sunlight streaming into the bedroom. But when she had started to growl, Byron and I both became cautious and concerned. I had never heard of any human doing that before.It became obvious that it was wolf-related though when I he
*Jo's POV*I took a deep breath as I walked into my room and closed the door. Hugging my mom had made me more emotional than I was expecting, and I was trying to calm down before heading back down.After only a couple of breaths, I heard a knock on the door. I turned and opened the door to find Nikko standing on the other side. He looked at me in surprise."You actually opened it this time."I stepped aside and let him walk in without a word. Then, I walked over to the window and looked out over the backyard, mostly so I wouldn't have to look at him. I heard the door shut quietly behind me."I just wanted to come and check on you," Nikko said slowly. "But if you want me to leave, then I can."I still didn't say anything. I didn't want him to leave, but I didn't want to admit that to him either. It was quiet in the room, so I got worried that he might have actually left and looked around. But he was still standing by the door, staring at me."Please, just talk to me, Jo."He loo
*Jo's POV*My body was buzzing in pleasure as it was pressed up against Nikko's, and I couldn't tear my lips away from his. He let go of my hands to press his own against my lower back, pulling me even closer, if possible.I brought my free hands up into his hair and gripped it hard, pulling his face closer to mine as I slipped my tongue into his mouth. He opened his mouth happily in response and let me deepen the kiss.Being so close with him felt amazing after the last 24 hours in my head. And the relief of talking about everything I had been overthinking was making the pleasure of the moment even sweeter. I felt both of Nikko's hands trail down my jeans, and then gasped in surprise as he cupped just under my a*s and pulled my legs around him.I pulled away from him for a second to catch my breath, and he took this as an opportunity to trail kisses down my jaw and onto my neck. His teeth scraped against part of my neck and I felt my body tense as I let out a gasp."Sorry," he wh
*Nikko's POV*I tried to calm myself down as I followed Jo down the stairs. Watching her walk wasn't helping though, so I dropped down to the same step she was on. She reached out and grabbed my hand, and I couldn't help but smile.She was all mine.I wished I had made a decision days ago, because the happiness I felt was nothing like ever before. There was a lightness in my chest that hadn't been there since I had been Alpha, and it was all thanks to her.We walked into the living room to see Byron sitting in a chair by the window, and Jo's mom sitting on the couch. Jo let go of my hand to go and took a seat by her mom. The concerned look faded slightly off of her mom's face when she saw Jo with a smile, and she looked at me gratefully.I walked over and took a seat in the chair next to Byron. I wanted to stay by Jo, but I was still trying to calm down. I put my hands over my lap, just for good measure."Did you guys need me to get you anything? A glass of water or something?" J
*Jo's POV*After a short goodbye, and a long hug from my mom, I was getting into the car with Nikko and Byron. This time I chose to sit in the back with Nikko, which he seemed very happy about. As soon as I shut the door, he pulled me onto his lap and nuzzled into me.I looked at Byron's eyes in the mirror, embarrassed, but he seemed to think nothing of it, so I relaxed into Nikko's arms. The drive would be much better next to him. I curled up against him and breathed in the lavender evergreen I loved so much.Next thing I knew, I heard a car door shut and felt somebody moving me around. I grabbed Nikko's shirt tighter and hid my eyes. I felt as he stood up and began walking, but I didn't want to wake up the rest of the way and make it real.He had told my mother that we needed to leave because he had been away from the pack all day, so I was just waiting for the moment he would tell me he needed to leave. And I didn't want to hear it.After such a draining day, I just wanted him