~Connor to the side~

~Matt's POV ~

I sit it the kitchen table, hunched over a mug of coffee. For some reason I couldn't sleep. Turning my head briefly, I look at the clock which reads 7:30am. A contended sigh slips out of my mouth. Jess is sound asleep upstairs. I can hear the gentle snores. Connor and Zeke are passed out on my sofa still.

After Zeke discarded of Drake's unconscious body and the film had finished, I was the only one awake.

Carefully, I carried Jess to bed, leaving my exhausted best friends to sleep. I covered Jess up then slipped in beside her.

Now it's half seven in the morning and I'm trying to keep my eyes open. Jess has no lessons today so I've arranged for Connor and Zeke to stay with her .

I feel bad practically giving her a babysitter, but I can't leave her alone with Drake Hartman around.

The sheer thought of him near my girl makes me angry. Yes, he is her father, but he is also the cause of the most pain in her life. It's my job to protect her and I will at all costs.

Leaving the empty mug on the table, I head upstairs and quietly open the wardrobe. I retrieve a black shirt and pants with a matching black tie.

When I return from the shower in just a pair of boxers, Jess is starting to stir a little bit. I pull on my pants and start to shrug my black shirt on.

"Not so fast. " A tired voice grumbles from behind me. I turn to see Jess rubbing her eyes. "Get that sexy ass here." She says pointing to the spot next to her. I leave my shirt on the edge of the bed and crawl to lay next to her. Jess flips me on to my back and straddles me. Our lips meet and sparks fly between us. My hands wrap around her waist and she holds herself up on my shoulders.

"Good morning, baby." I whisper in her ear. She lays down on my bare chest.

"Are Zeke and Connor still here? "

"Yeah. And they're going to hand around today. Just in case. If that's okay? " I ask.

"Yeah, of course it is." Jess answers. "How come you never mentioned them. Since they're your best mates?" She asks.

"I did mention them, they were the two that ran away with me and my sister after Drake attacked. Plus I knew you'd meet them soon. They're always around. The absolute biggest pains in the ass. But the most loveable ones." I chuckle at some of our memories.

Jess straddles me again. "You're loveable." She whispers and kisses my lips. Jess places light feathery kisses down my neck and on my chest. A small groan escapes the back of my throat.

I have to push her away in the end. A bulge is starting to appear in my pants. "Sorry." I mumble slightly embarrassed and start to get up. Until a small hand grabs hold of my wrist and pushes me back down.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Jess says and kisses my nose.

"Jess, I actually want to talk to you about that. " I say gently.

"Remember when I told you that in the future you will pick up some wolf traits such as: speed, hearing, strength?" She nods and gestures for me to continue.

"Those are traits picked up after mating. Now, I know that you are not ready for that at all. I am not going to push you in to any thing until you are ready. But I just thought you should know." Jess nods along with what in saying surprisingly calmly.

"You're right, Matt. I'm not ready, but, never say never. " She winks at me then crawls off me to the shower.

I sit on my bed for a second. Thrilled that Jess didn't run away screaming, but surprised at how calmly she had taken it. Chuckling, I finish getting dressed. That girl never ceases to amaze me.

When I'm done, I look in the mirror. My black pants hang low-ish on my hips and my black shirt is tucked in. The sleeves are rolled up to just below my elbow and my top button is undone. A deep black tie hangs loosely around my neck. But it looks smart.

Now for the difficult task of waking Connor and Zeke up.

I head downstairs and start with Zeke. He's smaller than. Connor and less likely to cause serious damage. I shake his shoulder. "Piss off dick head. " He groans and rolls over.

"All right, I played nice, Zeke." I whisper mischievously.

I sneak in to the kitchen and fill up a jug with freezing water. When I return, he is snoring again. I tilt the jug and the entire jug pours on to his head. Zeke jumps up and shakes his hair out. "You dick!" He shouts and Connor wakes up, a loud yawn escaping his mouth.

"What's going on?" Growls Connor as he makes his way in to a sitting position.

"I'm leaving for work. Get your asses up and watch the house in case Drake makes an appearance. " I order.

"Who made you alpha?" Grumbles Zeke.

"Your in my house, looking after my mate. I have a little authority in this one." Both of them go to argue but can't think of something to argue with. Just then, I hear Jess start to walk down the stairs. I turn around and she smiles at me. Her beauty constantly leaves me speechless.

She is wearing a hoodie and leggings since she has no school today. "Hey, Princess. " I say to her.

"Hey, handsome. " Jess replies to me and I can hear Connor and Zeke making gagging noises behind me.

I go over to Jess and give her a hug. "I've got to go now. Sorry to leave you with these two idiots. "

"I'm sure we'll get on just fine." She reassures me.

"Right okay. Guys, make her some breakfast or something. I owe you one. " I kiss Jess's forehead and leave the house. I climb in to my black camaro and head to work.

When I arrive, I instantly pick up the scent of Drake. My whole body shakes with anger. And then fear. He knows I am her English teacher. His strong scent leads to my class room. As I push open the door, I see him sat at my desk.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I demand.

"No need to be so rude. Since I could actually snap your neck before you could take so much as a step towards me. " I growl angrily as he threatens me.

"I'm sure the head teacher would love to know that there is a teacher-student relationship going on here. " He says with an evil grin. Drake runs his hands through his brown hair and a evil glint shimmers in his dark eyes.

"You wouldn't!" I say with a desperate tone to my voice, panicked now.

"What would you do if you were separated from Caroline? " As cruel and terrifying as Drake comes across, everyone knows of his mate Caroline. Everyone also knows that he loves her more than life it's self. She is his absolute world. I presume that Caroline is Jess's mother.

"To be honest with you, Matthew. " He is the only one who calls me by my full name. "I'd die if I Caroline was taken from me."

"Would you really put Jess through the pain of being taken away from me? As well as the beatings. Oh yeah, and attempted rape?!" I spit out angrily.

For just a second, Drake looks genuinely scared. "I only beat her to make her tough! Once her Gran died, the family was weak and so was the pack. We were all distraught from the loss. There were rival packs attacking at any given moment. The only way to toughen her up was to give her a reason to be tough. Packs are still attacking, but I have managed to keep this world hidden from Jess. Until you turned up."

"She was a little girl Drake!" I shout, completely outraged.

"She was a vulnerable one!" He argues back. For a moment, I believe that he genuinely cares about Jess.

"Then why did you try and kidnap her?" I demand.

"Because I wanted to be able to watch over her. Whether or not you believe it; that is what I have tried to do for her entire life. In my own way.." Drakes voice trails off. "But I will continue to try and get her back!"

"So you can continue to beat her every day?!" I snarl.

"So I can keep her tough and protected!" He argues.

"I will protect her, Drake!" I say. I take one step closer. He doesn't care about anyone, but himself and Caroline. Drake wouldn't think twice about taking Jess away from me.

"You wish, little boy." He sneers. "What are you? Fifteen? You don't have a clue how to protect someone!" Drake stands up from my desk and brings moves closer to me. One advantage I have is that I'm taller than him. It gives me a little more confidence. I would never admit it, but Drake terrifies me. He destroyed my pack and my whole life. Someone who has that much power should be feared.

"I was fifteen when you destroyed my pack. The one I was actually in training to protect. I'm now twenty three and perfectly capable of protecting my girl." I growl at Drake as he once again, threatens to destroy my life by taking Jess away.

"Whatever, kid." He brushes past me and storms out of my room. I sit down at my desk with my head in my hands. Then I decide to text Connor.

Do not let Jess out of your site for five seconds. Drake just left my classroom. ~Matt