From the corner of Jason's right eye, the three stooges snickered while enjoying the show. Jason turned his attention back to his father. Well, I'll give them a show of my own. Jason balled his right hand into a fist and brought it down onto the left side of his father's jaw. The punch slung his father into the bookshelves. The three monkeys on the couch scattered to the wind as Jason's father rammed him into the couch.

Punch after punch found Jason's face, but he couldn't lose to his father. Gathering the strength he needed, Jason caught his father's fist and used the opening to slam his foot into his father's stomach. Again, Jason threw his father onto the broken bookshelf.

Jason staggered to his feet and wiped the blood off his face. He couldn't feel the left side of his jaw. As his father found his feet again, Jason retaliated and dealt out his own punishment. His fists found his father's weak spots, shattering bone upon bone. Slowly but surely, Jason ended up with his arm around his father's neck, gradually choking the life out of him. His brother didn't intervene. Not even the four lackeys who stared wide-eyed at the fact that their Alpha got his ass kicked.

Breathing heavily while licking the blood from his lips, Jason spoke to his father. "You see, Father. I don't need your permission to do anything. You've grown weak."

The office doors burst open, revealing the Beta standing in the doorway. Behind him were Mallory and his mother.

"By rights, you already lost, Richard. But just as I told my dear brother," Jason found his brother's eyes, "I don't care about your shitty throne, you can keep it and give it to Quinton with my blessing. But the minute I find my mate, I'm out of here."

Jason released his grip on his father's throat, causing his father to fall to the floor. He gathered his bearings and stumbled toward the office door. The fight with his father had taken its toll on his body. More than Jason would have liked. If any of the idiots attacked him, they would surely beat him with a feather.

Knowing this, Jason pulled an iron mask over his face and strutted up to the Beta, who blocked his path. "Mr. Skinner. Move." A few agonizing seconds passed until Mallory's father moved out of his way. "Thanks."

Jason walked past his mother and best friend, grinding his teeth to bits, trying not to pass out from his injuries. His head pounded painfully with the beating of his heart. Every step Jason took on his fractured left foot sent stabbing pain rippling up his body. The left side of his face and ribcage were on fire. It would take him all night to heal the injuries his father inflicted upon him, but one happy thought crossed Jason's mind. His father had it worse.

Reaching the third floor of the pack house, Jason painstakingly made his way to the door at the end of the hallway. Along the way, several pack members poked their heads out of their rooms. No doubt curious about what all the commotion upstairs was about.

Before Jason could touch the door handle of his room, a head poked from underneath his arm. It was Mallory.

"Come on. Let's get you patched up," she said while pushing open the door.

They made their way into the room. Mallory kicked her heel backward, closing the door. Limping up to his bed, Jason slowly lowered him onto the bed with Mallory's help. His ribs screamed out in protest along the way. Jason hissed when she pulled his t-shirt over his head, exposing his battered body. Mallory cursed while she walked into the bathroom and began filling the bathtub with water. Steam started pouring out. Was she going to cook him?

Jason whispered, trying not to aggravate his headache. "Any news?"

Mallory walked out of the bathroom with a scowl on her face. "What's wrong with you? You just beat the Alpha into a bloody sack of bones and you're acting as if nothing's amiss."

Jason knew it was an odd question, but he wasn't oblivious to the consequences of challenging the Alpha. He expected the enforcers to drag him out of his room and into the dungeons to be tortured to death. Or, he expected to be exiled if his father had any mercy left for him.

"I'm not trying to brush off the situation," he said as Mallory walked up to him. "I'm actually hoping that you'd have more information since you have a mind-link with the rest of the pack."

Mallory kneeled in front of him and started taking off his shoes. Luckily for him, he didn't have smelly feet.

"Well, the pack is buzzing with the news that you beat your dad. The news will piss him off, but there's nothing he can do about it. He attacked you and you defeated him in single combat. So, your father can't lay any charges against you." Mallory giggled as she removed his bloody socks. "Your brother is fuming right now. He can't believe that you beat your father."

"Me too. He nearly beat my ass."

"Well. I'm glad he didn't." Mallory got to her feet and pulled Jason to his feet. "Let's get you cleaned up."

***

Jason groaned as beams of sunlight poked him in the face, sending jolts of pain down his spine. He flinched and reached over to close the drapes. Bad Idea! A searing pain whipped across his skin, making him hiss.

"Fuck, that hurts," Jason mumbled, rubbing his side.

"Language, young man."

Jason's eyes snapped toward the door to see his mother standing there with a serving tray in her hands. He slowly sat up in his bed, afraid of moving too fast for his battered body to handle. He should have already healed, but with two major fights behind him, it made his body sluggish.

His mother made her way over to him and sat the tray down on his lap. She then bent down and kissed him on the forehead while rubbing his messy crop of hair.

"Happy birthday, my boy." She sat down beside him and gave Jason a small black box with a golden bow on top. "It's not as extravagant as the present your father gave your brother... but I hope you like it."

Jason didn't care. Any present from his mother outshined any superficial present his father showered his brother with. He opened the box and found a golden dog-tag pendant in it. One of the dog tags had a message engraved on it:

From your first breath to my last, I will always love you. Love Mom.

The second dog tag had three Viking symbols embellished on it, one for protection, the middle one for growth and the last of the trio, strength. Tears slipped down Jason's cheeks. This was the coolest present he has ever gotten.

"Thanks, Mom," Jason said, leaning forward and kissing his mother on the cheek. He took out the pendant and placed it around his neck.

"Well, I'll leave my birthday boy to finish his breakfast." His mother stood up from his bed and walked over to the bedroom door.

"Is he still mad?" Jason asked as he cut into his blueberry pancakes. Hmmm! Delicious! Mom was still the most talented cook in the world.

His mother halted at the door and turned to him. "A bit. But mostly his pride is hurt."

Jason bit down on a piece of crispy bacon. "Well, he shouldn't have attacked me."

"I know your father isn't the most pleasant man to be around with." She could say that again. "But your father isn't an evil man. He just has his priorities twisted in a way that he places the pack's needs in front of his own family's." She sighed and rubbed her hands together.

"He really makes it difficult to love him," Jason mumbled.

"I'm sorry, honey. I wished he treated you the same as he did Quinton, but he's so wrapped up in what the Elders and the rest of the pack think... he's a bit lost."

Jason's mother soon left the room, giving him the time to finish his breakfast before he had to get ready for another day of school.

"Are you excited?" Oz asked Jason while he combed his hair in front of the mirror after Jason had showered and got dressed.

Jason stopped combing and said with a nervous smile, "Yes, but a tad nervous thought, with the pack hating my guts at the moment for flooring their alphas—anything's possible. I could get rejected."

Oz shook his head. "Don't talk like that. We're the strongest alpha in the pack and our mate will love us just as much as we'll love them."

Jason finished grooming his hair and then picked up his backpack. "Let's hope you're right."

***

Walking down the stairs with a fading limp in his step, Jason carried his tray into the kitchen and placed dirty dishes into the sink. He returned the serving tray to the crockery closet before making his way out of the pack house. Jason couldn't ignore his fellow pack member's dirty glances and biting remarks as he walked out of the front door toward Mallory's car.

Jason was grateful that he didn't stumble into his father or his brother. He wasn't in the mood or ready for another fight. Most of his injuries have already healed, but the bruises littering his body still lingered. As he reached the SUV, Jason opened the door and climbed in.

"You look like shit." Were the first words that slipped from Mallory's lips. "Morning."

Jason chuckled, buckling in. "Yeah, thanks for your professional assessment." Mallory held out a cup of coffee from Starbucks. "Thanks and good morning to you too." He took a sip.

"Oh, and happy birthday, bestie!" She leaned over and hugged Jason before stuffing a present in his hands. "Open it."

Jason nodded and complied with her wishes. Seconds later, Jason held a blue bottle of expensive cologne in his hands. He didn't know what to make of the present. Did he really smell that bad?

Mallory laughed while she drove out of the parking lot. "It's not what you think. You don't smell. That's for when and if you meet your mate. Smelling great makes a great first impression."

"Won't this mask my scent?" Jason asked her while taking a whiff of the cologne. Hints of cherry, sandalwood, and citrus tickled his nose. Not bad.

Mallory scoffed and turned into the parking lot of the school. "Not if you bathed in it." She parked the car and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Let's get shaking. Your mate is hopefully waiting for you inside."

At her words, Jason's heartbeat picked up speed. This was it, the moment he'd been waiting for, for five years. He fumbled with the car door, but eventually got it open. He climbed out of the SUV and made his way to Mallory, who stood on the front steps of the school.

The usual whispers and glares followed them as they walked through the hallways of the school.

Just as Jason approached his vandalized locker with every colorful insult under the sun written on it, a luscious scent filled with lavender and wild flowers caught his nose. Jason's head whipped around and his eyes latched onto the person of his wildest fantasies.

Lexi—fucking—Summerton. His mate.