Three days.

Three long-ass days passed and Jason's mate hadn't woken up yet. It worried him. After the doctors did a full medical examination of Killian, they declared he would make a full recovery. But why hasn't Killian woken up yet? All the waiting around did nothing for Jason's sunny disposition. Most of his friends and the rest of the denizens of the keep stayed away from his claws' reach. They were afraid that he might rip their souls out of their bodies if they upset him even further than he already was. Only Mallory seemed to have balls of steel. She visited him frequently.

Killing time, Jason explores every inch of the suite, ogling the ornate wood carvings decorating the room. Call him a snoop if you wanted, but Jason yearned to know everything about his mate. Much to his surprise, Jason learned it was Killian who sculpted the woodcarvings. The man surely knew how to work with his hands. Wink, wink. Jason's hand glided over the smooth, varnished surface of the wolf statue. Jason came to learn that his mate wore boxers after opening a few drawers. (Jason wore briefs himself.) Most of the clothes hanging in Killian's closet were expensive suits. (Burn, bitches. Burn!) Jason would rather die a cruel death than let people see him wearing one of those torture devices. Throwing a last glare toward the suits, Jason made his way over to the entertainment center. Killian was also into gaming. There was a gaming console hooked up to the flat screen TV. Not that Jason minded, though. He, too, loved to play games.

As Jason explored further, he stared at all the paintings on the wall. One stood out from the rest. A huge painting hung over the hearth. A beautiful woman with hair as black as the void smiled back at him. Her brown eyes radiated a kindness that could light up the night sky. It must have been Killian's mother. Jason's heart sunk to his stomach. It's been a while since he has seen his own mother. It took everything in him not to pick up the phone and call her, but he couldn't. Even though his mother wasn't responsible for killing Oz, she allowed that bitch of a witch to kill his wolf.

Cyron called out from the depths of Jason's mind. Since the confrontation from days earlier, Cyron has retreated into a dormant state to recuperate his demonic powers. Entering the shadow realm was no small feat.

Jason huffed and replied, "Yet she chose the pack."

"Just drop it."

Jason turned away from the beautiful painting and walked up to the open window. Subtle notes of lavender wafted into the room, soothing his anger somewhat. He gripped the emerald-colored curtains and yanked them aside. Rows of lavender bushes lined the garden's perimeter. At the center of the quaint garden, stood a magnificent water feature. A wolf chiseled from white granite with its head raised toward the night sky. A steady trickle of water flowed out of the wolf's maw and dripped into the pond below.

Instead of calming Jason down, the sound of the cascading water fueled his anger. He could never forgive his family for the chaos they created. All of his suffering he laid at their feet. But with every dark cloud, there was a silver lining. If they didn't fuck him over, Jason would never have met his incredible friends or his second-chance mate. He, at first, was angry at Alaric for turning him into a hellhound, but after getting used to Cyron, Jason couldn't have been happier. The hellhound was growing on him. However, he would never forget Oz. He missed his wolf every day.

Cyron said, with hope laced in his words.

Jason nodded and said, "Eventually... relationships grow. But yeah, we will."

Cyron chuckled,

"You wish I would."

A quick knock on the door interrupted their playful banter. Jason turned to the bedroom's door to see Mallory walk in with a serving tray in her hands. She walked over to the coffee table and placed the tray on it. She then glanced over at Killian. A hopeful glimmer quickly vanished when she realized he wasn't awake.

Mallory sighed and walked up to Jason, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't worry. He'll wake up, eventually." She gave him another reassuring squeeze before she pulled away. She then scrunched her nose. "When was the last time you took a shower?"

Jason shrugged while staring at his sleeping mate, hoping her words would come to pass sooner rather than later. All that waiting was slowly killing him.

"Well, hop to it." She walked over to the tray and lifted the steel cover from the plate. The aroma of the huge, juicy steak and creamy mashed potatoes made his mouth water. "Why don't you sit down and eat? Afterward, you can take a quick shower before you kill your mate with your body odor. We didn't go through all that trouble only for him to die because of your lack of hygiene."

Jason huffed out as he sat down in front of his meal. "Bitch."

Mallory's laughter pierced the room, adding to Jason's humiliation. It wasn't that he didn't want to shower, but he was so afraid of leaving his mate alone. What if Killian woke up all alone and found that no one was at his side? It reminded him of the time when he woke up in the hospital with no one at his side. It was a terrible memory he never wanted to relive again. Shaking the heartache away, Jason dug into his meal while Mallory sat opposite him, picking at the stitching of the brown leather couch.

"So?" Jason said, cutting up his steak. "Are you really planning on watching me eat?"

A smirk appeared on Mallory's face. "Yip. Otherwise, you'll just nibble at your food."

"Don't you have better things to do? Like sexting your mate before he starts humping a fire hydrant?"

"Douche," Mallory replied with a smile.

Jason couldn't resist moaning as the juicy piece of steak hit his tongue. He forgot how hungry he actually was. After another drawn-out moan from Jason, his mate shifted around in his bed and groaned as well. Jason and Mallory's heads snapped toward Killian. Jason choked on a forkful of delicious mashed potatoes when his eyes landed on the tent Killian sported underneath the bedcovers. Mallory shrieked as she doubled over, laughing, while Jason's cheeks burst into flames.

"Damn!" Mallory giggled while wiping the tears from her eyes. "Be careful, Jason. You may wake up the beast if you keep moaning like that."

Jason still couldn't keep his eyes off the erection his mate was proudly displaying for the world to see. Jason swallowed heavily, trying to fight back the filthy thoughts that filled his sexually frustrated mind. He shot up from his seat and rushed over to Mallory and yanked her over his shoulder. She shrieked out, laughing while he hauled her to the door. Jason yanked open the door and planted her outside the room.

"Stop eye-raping my mate and go shag yours. Isn't he supposed to be here already?" Jason said with a huff.

Mallory tried to steal another glance at Killian, but Jason stepped in front of her. "Ahh! You're no fun." She giggled while punching him on the shoulder.

"Yeah... I don't think your mate will find it funny once he learns that you're drooling over another guy's prick."

Mallory's smirk turned into a pout faster than Jason could blink. "You wouldn't."

"Not if you don't get out of here and leave my mate alone so that he can have his wet dream in peace."

Mallory raised her arms in surrender and walked backward down the corridor to her room. "Well, enjoy your dinner and sex show." She winked at Jason before she strutted down the corridor.

Another bout of laughter burst from her lips as she disappeared around the corner. Jason sighed before closing the bedroom door. She really needed a proper fucking. He then returned to his meal, while trying not to make lewd sounds that would fire up his mate, which was difficult. The steak melted in his mouth while the spicy sauce nibbled at his lips. Just the way he loved his steak.

With his plate licked clean. (Not really.) Jason walked into the spacious bathroom. He needed to wash the grime off his body. He walked up to the glass door separating the shower from the rest of the spacious bathroom and opened it. Jason glanced at the touch pad which controlled the showerhead and decided to take a hot shower. Hot enough to boil your nuts. He quickly peeled off the rancid-smelling clothes he had worn for more than a week and threw them in the wicker basket beside the white-marbled countertops. Whoever did the cleaning had better use a hazmat suit.

Once butt-naked, Jason stepped into the shower and let the piping-hot water flow over his tired back. He reached out toward the shelf next to him and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. Jason began washing his hair, massaging his scalp before rinsing out the suds. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he continued washing the grime off his body. Just as Jason was about to push the off button, a pair of muscular arms wrapped around his body. Jason nearly jumped out of his skin. A deep growl ran down his spine as a chiseled chest pressed up against his back. Jason's knees buckled when a pair of lips kissed him on the nape of his neck.

Fighting through his foggy mind, Jason moaned out, "Killian."

Another growl filled the shower. Killian nipped at Jason's neck. "Well hello, mate. I'm glad to finally meet you."

Killian's deep, sultry voice made Jason's heart beat faster. His breath quickened as Killian's calloused, yet gentle, hands explored his heaving chest. A quick pinch of his nipple made Jason's manhood jump with joy. Goddess, what was this man doing to him?

"Me too..." Jason stuttered out. He suddenly froze when his mate's massive monster downstairs rubbed against his butt-cheeks. Goddess, have mercy!

Killian chuckled as he whispered in Jason's ear. "Don't be frightened, my adorable spitfire. I won't fuck you into the underworld just yet." Killian nibbled him on the ear. "I'd like to spend time with you, to get to know you first. But before that, let's get cleaned up."