Chapter 5: Jason

Jason POV:

(24 hours earlier)

            I wake up from a blissful sleep to a mind-link.  “Jason, report to Alpha’s office in 10 minutes.”

            “Huh?”

            “Dude, you can’t still be asleep.  It’s 11 am.”

            “I had a long night, Man.”

            “What’s her name?”

            “Natalie.  No, Sarah.  No, Melanie.  I don’t know, Man.”

            “Seriously?  You don’t know her name and you slept with her?”

            “Like you have never done that yourself.”

            Silence.

            “OK, fine.  You’ve never done that.  But you are boring as hell and need to get a life.”

            “Jason, I’m not talking as your best friend.  I’m talking as your future Alpha.  Get your butt up and out of bed and meet me in the Alpha’s office in 10 minutes.”

            “No.”

            “Jason.”

            “Urgh.  Fine.”

            I roll over and look at the naked woman beside me in the bed.  I nudge her gently.  “Wake up, Melanie.  It’s time to get the day started.”

            Melanie’s eyes open wide, like she’s startled.  “Melanie?  Why did you call me Melanie?”

            “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

            “Samantha, a—hole.  The name’s Samantha.”

            I shrug.  “Sorry, Samantha.  We drank a lot of alcohol last night.  I can’t be expected to remember little details.”

            “You f---d me three times last night.  I think I can expect you to remember my name.”

            Urgh.  She’s one of those high maintenance types.  I definitely have to get her out now. 

            “Yes, and it was fun.  Thank you.  But I’m needed in the Alpha’s office in 10 minutes. You need to go home.”

            “Why don’t I wait here for you to get back?”

            Oh, so she is high maintenance and desperate.  Double turn-off.  “No, Melanie.  It was fun, but it was a one-time thing.  I don’t want a serious relationship until I meet my mate.  Let’s go.”

            If looks could kill, I would be six feet under right now.  But, thankfully, Melanie quickly grabs her clothing and puts it on.  “You didn’t say that last night.”

            “No, and you didn’t tell me that your bra was padded.  We both made mistakes.  Last night was fun, but let’s go.”

            Melanie slapped me and quickly left my room, slamming my door on her way out.

            I wish I could say that was the first time I’ve gotten slapped by a female after sleeping with her, but hey – I’m a 25 year old male werewolf with high sexual needs.   The fact that I’ve only gotten slapped a few times after sex is a good thing; it means I have standards.

            At 11:30, I finally walk into the Alpha’s office.  Seated in the room are the Alpha, my dad Gavin, and my best friend/ Alpha’s son Aaron.

            “You are late.”  Aaron says curtly.

            “My apologies.”

            “Sit down,” Alpha Blake tells me.

            “What’s going on?”

            “We need you to take Josephine shopping today.”

            “Shopping?”

            “Wedding dress shopping.”

            “Um, what?  Why?”

            “The wedding is in two months.  She doesn’t have a wedding dress yet.  If she doesn’t find one soon, she is going to postpone the wedding again.”

            “How is this an issue that any of us guys needs to worry about?  Much less me?”

            Alpha Blake growled.  “That is my mate and future wife you are talking about.  It an issue of concern because I say that it is, got it?”

            I felt the force of Alpha Blake’s aura and immediately bowed my neck.  “My apologies, Alpha Blake.  I did not mean to be disrespectful.  It’s just that it seems there is more to the story; why isn’t Josephine able to go shopping with the ladies?”

            I heard another low growl from Alpha Blake.  Before he could say anything else, and before I could dig my own grave deeper, Aaron mind-linked me.  “Dude, watch what you say before my dad throws you in the dungeons for disrespect.  Please just do this.  Dad isn’t going to turn this pack over to you and I until he and Josephine are married.  And Josephine keeps coming up with excuses to postpone the wedding.  Josephine doesn’t have any female friends to go with.”

            Realizing my mistake and where this was going to lead if I continued to resist, I quickly bowed my neck again.  “I apologize, Alpha Blake.  I didn’t get much sleep last night.  Of course I am happy to take Josephine shopping today.  Is there anything that I need to know before we leave?”

            “You will need to leave in 30 minutes.  She has an appointment at a bridal store this afternoon.  It is about 2 hours away; she has already looked in all the bridal shops closer to town.  I don’t like the idea of her leaving pack territory given some of the threats that have been made to the pack lately, but I don’t have a choice if I want her to marry me in the next century.  That’s why I am sending you with her; her safety and happiness are to be your top priorities.”

            “Yes, Alpha.”

            I stood up to go get ready.

            As I left the room, Aaron followed me.

            “Thanks, Jason.”

            “Tell me why I am going and not you?”

            “Dad and I are meeting with a couple of the other alphas this afternoon.  Plus, I’ve already gone wedding dress shopping with her twice.  I would rather cut off my leg than do it again.”

            “So instead you’d rather I cut off my leg?”

            “It won’t be that bad.”

            “She’s a walking cock-blocker.   She’s always calling me ‘baby’ and ‘sweetheart’ and grabbing my arm.  It’s a guarantee I won’t get laid tonight.”

            “First of all, that’s a southern thing.  She calls everyone baby and sweetheart.  Second of all, you don’t need to get laid every night.  I’m an alpha and I don’t even have that kind of sex drive.  Third of all, even if she didn’t call you baby, I can’t imagine a bridal shop being a place you’d pick up women anyway.”

            “Aaron, your Alpha sex drive has been broken since Allison.  You aren’t a good example of what is normal.  And you clearly have no game if you can't imagine how easy it is to pick up desperate single ladies shopping for wedding dresses with their about-to-be-married friends.”

            Aaron rolled his eyes at me.  “Just think of this as taking one for the team.  We have to get my dad and Josephine married already so that we can take over leadership.”

            I signed.  “Fine, man.  But you owe me one.”

            Aaron patted me on the back and walked back into his dad’s office.

            I sighed to myself.  Wedding dresses, here I come.  Every man's favorite outing.  Not.