Ch. 5 - Wife

Kiera POV

I finally made my way downstairs when I was hit with his scent. Jackson was here, but I wasn't ready to face him. I wasn't prepared to let go of the perfect life I thought we had.

I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't seeing the man I loved sitting on the couch looking wholly destroyed.

His brown hair was disheveled, a clear sign of him pulling on it. Elbows rested on his knees, and his head hung low. He wore the same suit we had left in last night, now a wrinkled mess, with his white shirt left unbuttoned.

After staring at him for a long while, I shouted, "Just reject me!" My soul felt like it was being torn apart, caught between his betrayal and the love I still held for him.

"What?" Jackson quickly lifted his head to meet my gaze. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, mirroring the same despair that clouded my own.

"I saw you and..." I swallowed hard. "I know what you did. Just reject me, Jackson. I don't want to know how sorry you are or that this wasn't what you thought would happen. Just reject me, please." I pleaded, my voice heavy with sorrow.

As I spoke, all the strength drained from my body. My knees hit the floor, and I cried into my hands, not caring for a moment how weak it made me look. I didn't want to lose him, and facing the reality that he had chosen another was too painful to admit.

"Kiera, no, you're wrong," Jackson spoke with tears in his eyes. "I fucked up. I know I did, and I know you won't forgive me easily, but the thought of losing you is unbearable." His voice was filled with such sadness that I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to lash out at him, but I also felt like I had nothing left inside me.

He rushed to my side, placing his hands on my head to make me look at him. "I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry I lost control. I swear to you, I want only you, sweetheart. You are my wife, my mate. Yell at me, hate me, but please don't ask that of me." He spoke fast, his words carrying genuine fear.

"Lost control? You disappeared all night, Jackson. You left your pack alone while we were attacked, and for what? To fuck some stranger all night while blocking out my pleas for help." I cried uncontrollably, the hate and resentment inside me building to new levels. I was so disappointed in him, but even more disappointed in myself. I still loved him, wanted him.

"No, that's not what happened. I did leave with her, and I'm sorry for that, but I didn't block you out. I would never do that, sweetheart."

"It doesn't matter, I can't share you. I don't know how to accept you with another. It's not fair!" I shook my head at him, tears continuing to flow from my eyes. I hated him, but I also loved him. He was my best friend and the only man I ever loved.

"I would never ask you to share me." His voice was so low that I was unsure if I had heard him correctly. My eyes widened, realizing what he was saying.

I quickly searched his neck in a frenzy. "You didn't mark her?" I nearly cried out the words.

"Kiera, it was just the pull. It wasn't real. I need you to understand that the fated bond is like a veil pulled over our eyes." His hands grabbed my face again, making me look at him. "The second I realized what was happening, I fought it. I pushed it deep into my soul; even my wolf agreed you were the one for us. I left her to run back to you, beg you for forgiveness, but then I was knocked out. I only woke about an hour ago."

He looked at me, waiting for a response, but I was rendered speechless. Of all the scenarios I had imagined last night, the idea of him choosing only me had never crossed my mind.

"You rejected your fated for me?" I uttered in a whisper, disbelief evident in my words.

"Of course I did. Kiera, you are my mate, my wife, and my entire life. I know I hurt you by touching another woman, and I swear I'll accept any punishment for as long as you see fit, but please don't make me reject you. Please don't leave me." My strong Alpha was on his knees, begging me to forgive him.

I gasped in disbelief, my chest rising and falling with the weight of the moment, and then a smile danced across my face. I flung myself into his arms, wrapping them securely around his neck.

"I love you, Jackson. I'm so sorry you had to give up your fated. You don't owe me anything." I spoke as I kissed his neck, my mark that he proudly wore every day since we married.

He released a deep sigh of relief and embraced me tighter. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'll be forever grateful you forgave me." Lifting my head to his, his lips stole a deep, lingering kiss.

"Take me to bed and make love to me. I want just you, Jackson. I want to make a baby and start our family. I don't want to make excuses anymore. I don't want to wait anymore." I begged him, feeling this maternal need to create a new life with this amazing man who chose me. I needed his love and comfort more than I ever knew.

"A baby!" A surprised smile lit up his face as he gazed at me. "You and Athena want to make our own little pups?"

"Yes, I want you inside me, and I want to make the perfect children. Our pack's next Alpha." I bit my lip, eyes brimming with tears. My love for this man was overflowing, bursting at the seams.

He swept me into his arms, and all day, I was cocooned around my husband, forgetting everything that happened in the last 24 hours. His body molded into mine, and he caressed my wanting skin with nothing but pure pleasure.

I had never felt more connected to him than I did as he made love to me in our bed for hours on end. He was my true strength, and now he was mine forever.