Chapter 185

Jackson stares at me for a second and then nods even as he growls, pressing a last kiss to my cheek before standing up and striding, of all places, towards his dresser.

Frantic to make the noise stop – honestly, the way Luca’s shouting my name and slamming himself against the door, I think he’s actually trying to knock it down – I roll off the bed too and scurry for the door.

“Ariel, I swear to god, if you don’t open this door and get your ass out here –“

I’m almost there, my eyes on the handle, but Jackson grabs my arm as I go.

“Jacks!” I gasp, staring up at him, not knowing why he’s stopped me.

“It’s my room, Ariel,” Jackson bites out, holding out the gigantic t-shirt and pair of pajama pants to me. I stare at them for a second before I realize what he means – that I should, obviously, put them on before answering the door topless in my underwear.

I nod eagerly and take the clothes from my mate, pulling the shirt over my head and then stumbling as I try to get the pants on. The whole time, Luca continues to shout and to pound on the door. “Jackson!” I protest, glancing anxiously towards the sound. “Open it!”

“My room,” Jackson snaps – obviously not mad at me, but at god damn Luca raising a racket at his door. “I’ll answer it when I’m ready. I never had doors to close growing up, and now that I do, I’m damn well going to enforce my right to boundaries.”

Something about that – about Jackson letting Luca wear himself out at the door because it’s his and he and I can do as we please behind it – makes me burst into a grin. Hastily, I finish pulling the pants up over my hips and pull the drawstring tight. The pants are still ridiculously large – at least double the fabric that I’d usually use – but…well. I’m covered now, aren’t I?

Jackson nods once, brushing a hand over my hair, and then strides to the door, pulling it open in a single swing.

“What the fuck do you think you’re fucking doing!?” Luca snarls, stepping immediately into Jackson’s space and glaring up at him, completely livid. I take a step back, my eyes going wide, when I realize that his canines have elongated – that he’s ready for a fight.

“You’re the one in your girlfriend’s parent’s house,” Jackson growls, stepping forward to glower down at Luca, “embarrassing yourself by making a god damn racket.”

The growl that builds in Luca’s chest is a dangerous one, and I see his hands ball into fists. My eyes go wide because after last night? I definitely know what those fists can do, even when a guy is much bigger than he is, like Jackson.

“Luca!” I shout out, desperate and livid at once.

His head whips to me and he immediately abandons his issue with Jackson, stepping towards me, angry. “Ariel, god damn it –“

But before he can get any more words out his own eye go wide and he stumbles back a step, his hand flying to his mouth, covering his nose. “Oh…oh my god,” he murmurs, falling back a few more steps like he’s been shoved. “Oh my god!”

“What is it?” I gasp, looking around frantically. I take a step towards him but he puts a hand out towards me, palm flat, begging me to stop.

My head snaps to the left, because suddenly Jesse is flying down the hall, skidding to a stop outside Jackson’s room and almost tripping over his damn feet in his hurry. “What the fuck!?” he hisses, looking frantically into the room and then to his right as Rafe comes barreling down the hall after him, his eyebrows so high they’re basically in his hairline.

“What’s wrong!? Is everyone okay!?” my brother gasps.

“We’re fine!” I shout, stepping towards them, reaching for them, desperate to pull them into the room and get the noise out of the hall.

“You’re okay!?” Jesse gasps, staring at me, tugging Rafe into the room after him and then turning to glare at Luca, who is pale and breathing hard, his hand still over the lower half of his face. “Luca! What the fuck! You cannot go screaming like that in the palace unless someone is literally dying – Uncle Dom is going to kill you –“

“Oh my God!” Rafe says, taking a step towards me, wide-eyed.

Jackson takes a step too, looking frantically between me and Rafe as I look shocked at my brother, both of us trying to figure out what’s wrong.

“What?” I gasp, starting to get scared.

Honestly, why is everyone acting so insane!?

“Ariel…” Rafe breathes, stepping towards me and reaching for me. “Did he…did Jackson mark you!?”

“What?” I gasp, swatting his hands away.

But Rafe ignores me, reaching for my shirt, tugging back the neck on either side, looking for a bite, the signal that Jackson has claimed me as his mate, officially, incontrovertibly.

“Rafe!” I growl, shoving him away from me – god, sometimes, brothers are so damn annoying and have no sense of personal space. “No, he didn’t! Why would you even think that!?”

“Um,” Jesse says, staring at me wide-eyed and starting to laugh a little now. I narrow my eyes at him, adding cousins to the critique I just made of brothers. “Ariel…because you smell like you’ve been marked.”

“What?” I gasp, my hands flying to my neck. I mean…no. But that’s ridiculous. I would have known. My eyes fly to Luca, who is slumped against the bed, his head hanging, his shoulder shaking.

“He’s right,” Rafe murmurs, leaning closer, sniffing me. “You smell…all over of Jackson. But…mixed, the way a Luna’s scent changes when she’s been marked. What…”

But then Jesse laughs again, a huge guffaw this time. I gape at him, appalled, not knowing what’s so funny. Especially as –

My eyes shift to Luca again, who is just staring at me, horrified. And as I watch, he actually gags, turning away from me and pressing his eyes shut.

“Jesse!” I shout, my gaze passing over Jackson – who stands stock still and a little freaked out – as I look back at my cousin. “What the hell is so funny!? Tell me! Now!” I stomp my foot, getting mad and very overwhelmed.

“Ariel,” Jesse says, stepping closer to me and shooting a grin at Jackson over my shoulder. “Did he…did he scent mark you?”

“Um,” I say, looking at Jesse and then at Jackson, who still stares around at us, freaked out. “Is that…bad?”

Jesse bursts out laughing, tilting his head back to the ceiling, and to my shock Rafe goes with him. Luca makes no improvement, turning his head away from me and shaking it like he’s devastated. My eyes lock with Jackson’s and I can tell we both don’t get it.

I lose my temper, striding over to Jesse and giving him a hard shove. “Jesse!” I shout. “Stop it! What’s so funny about this! You used to scent mark me all the time – every day! What’s the big deal!?”

“Ariel,” Jesse sputters, still laughing and taking my cheeks between his palms once he recovers his balance. “I marked you with my wrists over your major glands – your wrists, and your neck. And that was enough to fool everyone – to cover your scent, convince everyone that you were someone else. The way you’re smelling right now?” He sniffs the air around me, delicately, and then bursts out laughing again. “Damn, he gave you the full business, didn’t you?”

I gasp a little, looking over at Jackson, who just…shrugs.

“Why did you do that!?” Rafe asks, turning to grin at Jackson. And my shoulders start to unwind for a second because…well, Rafe’s smiling. So…I don’t think it’s anything…bad…

“I don’t know,” Jackson murmurs. “She…smelled like him,” he says, gesturing over to Luca, who still won’t look at me. “I…fixed it.”

Rafe and Jesse burst out laughing again.

“What!?” I protest, stomping my foot. “Why is it so bad!?”

“How did you know how to do it, if you didn’t know what the result would be?” Jesse asks, grinning at Jacks, clearly delighted and scandalized.

“I don’t know,” Jackson says awkwardly, covering his face with his hand, embarrassed. “I just…did what my body told me to do. I don’t know!”

“Why is it badddd,” I groan, between my teeth, glaring between my brother and my cousin now.

“It’s bad,” Luca barks out, “because you smell fucking awful.”

I gasp, staring at him, horrified by his words.

“Oh, she does not,” Jackson murmurs, dropping his hand to glare at Luca.

“Do I smell awful?” I ask, whipping my head to Jesse – because he’ll tell me. He won’t sugar coat it, either.

“No, Ari,” he says, smiling a little more gently now as he puts a hand on my shoulder. “You just smell…like Jackson now. A little bit. Like Jackson and like you – honey, cloves, and pine needles. It’s not bad.”

“Oh,” I say, my eyes going wide, and then I shoot Jacks a little smile because…I mean, that sounds kind of nice.

Luca mutters angrily, but he turns towards us now, apparently over his nausea.

“It doesn’t smell bad,” Rafe says, grinning wickedly at me now. “But…I mean, everyone’s going to know what happened here.”

“What…” I ask, my words faltering. “What do you…”

And then my mouth falls open in horror as I register what my brother is saying.