My mate, My exception novel Chapter 16

I snort.

"Really? In what way? By telling me you're a werewolf? By making me sleep deprived because I am trying to talk myself out of that possibility? Or was it the way that after you tell me all of this, I end up seeing two werewolves in the woods..... One who tried to protect me?" I pause to breath. Jake is staring at me intensely. "I can't say you're trying to hurt me, because I'm not you and I don't know what you're mind is telling you, but it sure as hell seems like you are."

He doesn't respond and I cross my arms over my chest. He opens his mouth to say something but misses his chance. He hasn't spoken a word before Justin stops in the hallway by the entrance way.

"Jen, who is this?" Justin asks curiously.

"It's my friend, Jake. Jake, this is my second oldest brother, Justin." Jake sticks his hand out and Justin shakes it firmly.

"Wow, I like him already Jen, he's got a nice hand shake." I blush and look at the floor. Again, it gets quiet and with Justin there it feels much more awkward.

"So what brings you here?" Justin asks in a cheery voice.

"Just to see your younger sister." He replies smoothly.

"Okay, but why?" Justin pries.

Jake opens his mouth to respond, but doesn't. Justin raises his eyebrows and turns to me.

"You still dating Dylan?" He asks, letting the irony seep into his voice. I blush as Jake's fists clench at his sides. I'd seen too much of that in the past day.

When I still don't respond after two minutes, Jake starts for me.

"I am a werewolf. I live in Rockton with my pack. I'm the beta. When I said my parents were weird because they picked my adopted brother over me for something, I was talking about the alpha position. Tyler, he's my brother. My parents chose him to be an Alpha over me, even though he was a rogue when they adopted him. I gave both of them the cold shoulder because of that for the longest time. I still don't truly forgive them nor understand their decision. The house you slept in two days ago was my house, more specifically, mine and Tyler's house. My parents live in my pack house. Sometimes I stay there too, but the house that the party was at is a home away from home. You and me, we're mates. Soulmates, imprints, whatever you want to call it. It means my wolf saw you and ever since then can't think of any one else." He hesitates seeing if I follow. I am staring ahead slowly trying to process what I am hearing. "Jen?" He prompts worriedly.

"Continue." I respond. He sighs and then does.

"We are mates. There are four main steps to the mating process. First is eye contact. When I first laid eyes on you in that sporting goods store, that was when my wolf claimed you. Our wolves are mostly quiet in our brains. In fact, the only time we ever hear them in our heads is when they first speak to us about our mates. After that we only hear them when we are in our wolf forms. It's more of instinctual decision than anything else.

"The second stage is skin contact. The reason I didn't shake your hand when I first met you was because once the second stage of the mating process is done, it becomes so much harder. When I saw you at the party, I couldn't resist. You probably were in pain in the first week after we met. Now that we've touched, it will only get so much worse when we aren't together.