Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 70

Fury ran through Jonathan’s bones. He knew Rock was planning on taking his daughter and he was willing to do anything he could to stop him.

He raced through the forest in his wolf form; he only stopped once to feed and then continued his way. He wasn’t even sure what he was planning on doing once he arrived at Rock’s house. But he knew he had to do something. I had to put an end to this once and for all.

Now that Jessica was back, she would be able to hang out with Arina until Jonathan got back. They definitely had a lot to talk about and catch up on. Especially since she mated with Greggory. Jonathan knew Greggory long enough to recognize his scent and his scent was all over Jessica. It was weird though because Greggory was married, but throughout the years Jonathan knew Greggory, he never seemed super happy in his marriage.

At one point, Jonathan even doubted if Greggory’s wife was actually his mate. I guess now he had his answer. He just hoped that he wasn’t playing Jessica for a fool because knew also knew that Greggory was a flirt and enjoyed having s*x. He hoped Jessica wasn’t just another s*x doll to him.

Pushing the thought out of his mind he thought about all the secrets his mother has been holding from him. The newest one, which Arina had just told him about, was that he was actually related to Nikini. She’s part of the Davis bloodline and there’s a huge possibility that she could be working with Rock.

He wanted to be angry at holding that information from us, but Arina told me that Jess completely forgot about that fact. Jess was young when she found met Nikini and she didn’t find out about being related to Benjamin Davis until later in life, which means she also didn’t find out about Nikini until later in life. It probably didn’t even cross her mind. But still. It was a huge secret to keep from them.

He could see the faint streetlights of Ironclaw in the distance as he continued charging towards it. He could almost smell the crackling fire from Rock’s fireplace and hear the soft cries from Melissa as Rock beat her. He was thankful he was able to get Arina out of that situation and glad that Ronnie got herself out of that situation.

It wasn’t easy leaving a family behind; especially when it’s the only family you’ve ever known.

“Jonathan?”

He slowed down his running as his mother’s voice came through the link.

“Can’t talk right now,” he told her; his tone was a bit harsher than he intended but he had some business to take care of.

“We need to talk,” she insisted; she sounded strained.

“I’m in the middle of something,” he told her; aggravation rising in his chest.

He hasn’t confronted Jess about Nikini yet, so he was still conflicted and unsure of how to feel.

“I understand that,” Jess told him. “But if you are going to do something stupid, you should know everything and have the cufflink to help you see things.”

He stopped running entirely.

It’s been a couple of weeks since the cufflink from Graham; since then, he’s been avoiding it. If he acknowledges the cufflink, that would mean he would have to acknowledge what he is. The Overseer.

He wasn’t ready to become the Overseer and he wasn’t even sure if it was something he wanted at all. It was a huge responsibility, and he could hardly take care of his own pack, let alone all the other packs in the world. Plus, it would also mean putting a target on his back. If a target was on his back, a target would also be on Arina’s back and Emee’s back.

He growled at the thought of a target being on Emee’s back. That’s exactly how Rock was treating her already. Her own grandfather.

He could hardly imagine how the world would treat her.

“If you want to defeat Rock, you need to see the whole picture,” Jess insisted.

She had a point. It would be more useful in this situation if he could see into Rock’s full plan and figure out a game plan from there. According to Arina, she was being watched while she was at the riverbed in the Sabrebite woodlands. If whoever was watching her truly was working for Rock, he knew that Emee was born. This also meant that whatever he was planning, in the beginning, was spoiled by Arina giving birth early. Rock was going to need to come up with a new plan if he hasn’t already and he was going to need to move fast.

Jonathan was going to need to move faster, and it would be easier to do so if Jonathan was one step ahead. There was only one way to do that.

…

Jess was waiting for Jonathan at her home in Sabrebite. She had the cufflink placed on her kitchen table and she was sitting there staring at it when Jonathan arrived. She looked defeated and exhausted.

She glanced up at him with her tired eyes and gave him a faint, relieved, smile as he sat in front of her. He wanted to be angry with her for keeping more secrets, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel ill toward her. She’s been through so much in her life and everything she did was to protect Jonathan. She didn’t want what happened to Regan, to happen to Jonathan.

Growing up, she only saw destruction. Those she trusted, including Nikini, betrayed her and showed her that the only one she can truly trust is herself. Jonathan couldn’t blame her for not wanting the same things to happen to him.

But he just wished he could be better prepared for what was about to happen.

“I know it’s a lot,” she said softly as he sat down. “I never wanted any of this for you. With this cufflink, comes a huge responsibility. It’ll put you in the danger zone and it’ll feel as if you can’t ever stop running. But it could also save your life and keep Arina and Emee safe.”

Jonathan nodded; that was the only reason he was there in the first place.

“Mom?” Jonathan asked, hesitantly. “Do you think Nikini is working with Rock?”

She frowned; she was silent for a moment, allowing that question to weigh on her as she thought about an answer.

“I think there’s a good chance she’s working with Rock,” she answered sadly. “When I met Nikini, she was nice, and I thought we could be friends. But as we were leaving her town, guards were on our tails. My mother was too quick for them, but any slower and we both would have been dead. It was Nikini who sent them. She was the one who told them.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Jonathan said to her; and he was sorry.

“Once you put this cufflink on, you’ll be able to see everything for yourself. You’ll be able to know if Nikini truly is working with Rock or not and what his plans are,” she informed him.

He stared at the cufflink with uncertainty clear on his face. It frightened him; Jonathan was one to frighten easily. But the thought of the cufflink and having all this power terrified him.

“I’m scared…” Jonathan whispered.

Jess sighed. She could see it on his face how distraught he was. She wished there was something she could do to help ease his worries, but truth be told, she was worried too.

Jonathan saw the small picture frame on the table, holding a picture of his father. He picked up the picture frame and traced his fingers along the sides of the picture. His father’s features reminded Jonathan of himself. Regan was smiling in the photo and the thought of his father smiling down on him made Jonathan smile in return.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought about his father. It’s been a long time since he’s actually sat and thought about Regan. He always tried hard to keep his emotions locked away; he didn’t want to appear weak to those around him. Especially because he had a pack to care for and protect. His father was the strongest wolf he knew, and he always had an answer for everything.

Regan was also one of the kindest wolves he knew; he wore his heart on his sleeve. Regan was Jess’s whole world. Even at a young age, Jonathan always looked up to and envied the love his parents had for one another. It was something that surreal and written out of a fairytale.

When Regan died, Jess’s world fell apart and all she had left of him was Jonathan. It was no wonder she spent so long trying to protect Jonathan.

Jonathan’s heart broke just thinking about it.

Jess’s soft hand touched Jonathan’s arm gently and he was brought back to the present moment. She gave him a compassionate smile, which met her eyes.

“Your father would be so proud of you. Regardless of what you do, Jonathan,” Jess assured him.

He knew she was right. Regan wouldn’t care one way or another if Jonathan became the next overseer. But he knew he had to do whatever it took to protect his little family. His pack. All the packs.

He wiped the tears from his eyes and gave her a single head nod. Clearing his throat, he picked up the cufflink. Right off the bat, he could already feel his sensing enlightening. His vision was becoming sharper, and his hearing was crisper. He could hear the smallest of bugs buzzing from miles away. He even began feeling stronger.

The amount of power the cufflink held by just touching it astonished him.

He placed the cufflink on his sleeve and sealed it into place.

Soon, visions and images danced across his foresight. He was seeing wolves that he never even met before; hearing conversations that meant nothing to him, but they sounded as though they were in distress. He was smelling what others smelled and felt what they were feeling. In some instances, he was standing right next to him.

As he thought of a wolf, he was standing right next to them. They, of course, couldn’t see him. But for Jonathan, it was as if he was right with them. He thought of Arina, and he was back standing in his living room. Arina was gossiping and chuckling with Jess and as Jonathan figured, Jess admitted that she mated with Greggory.

He thought of Greggory, and he was in Greggory’s bedroom, watching him have s*x with his wife. Jonathan g*****d because they didn’t look like a couple whose marriage was ending. He would have to address this on a different day.

“Open your eyes,” Jess said; he hadn’t realized his eyes were closed until she spoke.

He opened them and he was back in his mother’s kitchen. He looked around in wonder. It felt like he was teleporting all over the place, but he was actually just seeing them in visions.

What an incredible and exhilarating feeling.

“Woah…” he breathed.

“What did you see?” Jess asked.

“Everything.”