A month had passed without retaliation from Alaric, which surprised Jason. He would have thought that the loss of two of Alaric's most loyal henchmen would have spurned the wrath of the deranged, former Vampire Lord. But no sirens yelled out, announcing Alaric's attack. No blasting down the walls of the city or rampaging monstrosities, killing those in their sight. Alaric seemed full of surprises. However, Jason didn't trust the peace one bit. Sooner or later, Alaric would make his move, and Jason hoped they were all ready for whatever the walking corpse had up his sleeve.

Alaric's disappearance, along with his army, wasn't Jason's only concern. He had another pressing matter which chiseled down his horns. Over the last month, Jason had hardly any time alone to catch his breath. Much to his aggravation, Ishmael had suggested that he needed to train alongside Killian's soldiers. This was to gain control over his demonic powers and to learn how to defend himself. Which in simple terms sounded easy, but it turned out not to be.

As much as Jason tried to build a rapport with his fellow inhabitants, he only found resistance. It would seem that there were a lot of idiots who thought that Jason would devour their souls if they talked or even spent a minute in his presence. At first, it was funny to see hardened soldiers run for the kennels when he approached them, but the novelty soon wore thin. After a while, it began affecting him negatively. Why wouldn't they fear him? He had horns and a tail. No matter how many times Killian and Jason's friends tried to cheer him up, it only lasted as long as the warmth of the cup of coffee he held in his hands.

Jason sat on a windowsill overlooking the courtyard. He watched solemnly as Mallory, her mate, and Darren sparred with the royal guards. Taking another sip of coffee, he grumbled under his breath. They would never accept him.

"Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself?" Cyron said with a huff. "So what? As long as your mate and friends accept you, you have nothing to worry about."

"It's easy for you to say... You don't have to deal with those morons' snide remarks all day long," Jason replied, while he gobbled down the last of his coffee.

Cyron growled. "Fine. Cry me a river... Humans are such a bunch of pussies." He then retreated into the bowels of Jason's mind.

Just as Jason was about to place the empty cup on the mahogany table in front of him, the door of the drawing room creaked open, revealing his mate. Jason couldn't stop a smile from forming on his face as his handsome mate stalked over to him. He barely planted the cup on the table before Killian pounced on him. Killian nuzzled Jason's neck as they laid down on one of the leather sofas littering the drawing room, earning a snicker from Jason.

"Will you stop that? You're tickling me," Jason cried out, trying to avoid his mate's stubbled chin.

Killian chuckled and then planted butterfly kisses all along Jason's neck, reducing the hellhound to a stuttering mess.

"Is this your way of telling me to shave?" Killian asked, nibbling on Jason's ear.

Jason had a hard time concentrating on Killian's words. His lust-filled mind threatened to run wild. It took all of his willpower not to buckle his hips, trying to chase after the incredible friction that sparked when they rubbed their hard-ons against each other. Jason knew he played with fire, which would burn him and his ass. He had seen his mate's monstrous ass cleaver in the shower before. At first, Jason nearly choked to death when he first laid his eyes on Killian's deadly weapon. However, soon his fear for his ass's well-being was replaced with fantasies of being annihilated by it.

With a last moan, Jason pulled away and whispered, "No. I love your scruffy beard." His fingers traced Killian's chiseled jaw line, while he wrapped his tail around his mate's muscled thigh.

Killian chuckled and then kissed Jason. But just as their make-out session turned saucy, the doors of the drawing room burst open. Jason grumbled out, glaring at Ms. Bell. The witch, it seemed, had a nasty habit of always interrupting them. He dropped his head onto a cushion and sighed. Couldn't he just get a bit of alone time with his mate before another idiot dragged Killian away from him? Was it too much to ask for?

Killian reluctantly clambered off Jason. Not before kissing him for a last time. "Sorry, my love. But there are urgent matters I have to attend to."

Jason choked down a growl before unwrapping his tale from his mate's leg. When wasn't there?

His frustration must have shone out like a beacon as he rose to his feet. Because the next second, Jason found himself wrapped in his mate's arms.

"I know it's frustrating." Killian kissed Jason on the forehead. "But there's no other choice. Once we've dealt with Alaric, we'll have all the time in the world to spend time with one another. I promise you." Killian gave him a tight squeeze, trying to soothe Jason's anger about the whole situation.

Jason had no other choice but to nod, as much as he didn't want to. Most other mates would have fucked each other into oblivion at first meeting each other, but for him, he had the most terrible luck in the whole frickin' world. All that Jason wanted to do was to find Alaric himself and kill him as quickly as he could. But that too, didn't seem possible.

A whimper escaped Jason as his mate strode out of the room with his witch at his heels. Before Ms. Bell closed the doors, Jason could have sworn he saw a smirk on the bitch's face. The door closed silently, but for him it sounded as if a shot rang out. Maybe Killian's advisors intentionally kept them apart. It wouldn't have surprised Jason in the least. At the last meeting he attended, it became quickly clear that they didn't approve of their union.

Jason crumbled onto the couch. Finally, the lid on his emotions blew off, and a howl broke loose from his lips. The windows shuddered at the force of his anguish. Luckily for him, the drawing room's walls were soundproof. Jason didn't have the strength to deal with the rest of the inhabitants of the keep. Not that they actually cared about him; they only put up with him because of his mate.

"Fuck them," Cyron growled out. "As long as our mate wants us, I couldn't give a shit if they approve of us or not."

"For how long until even Killian realizes it's a mistake being our mate?" Jason asked.

"It won't happen. He loves us."

Jason sighed and said, "I hope you're right."

He sat on the couch staring at the door for hours until the orange light of the setting sun finally flicked out, shrouding the room in darkness. Was he overreacting? Maybe... But it felt to Jason as if he had a mate by name only. Even if they defeated Alaric and the world returned to normal, he still had the Laios Pack to deal with. He wasn't a werewolf anymore, and to make it more complicated, he wasn't female. As much as the supernatural community prided themselves on inclusivity, they still drew their shitty lines at same-sex pairings. Especially with higher ranked supernaturals.

Jason huffed and rose from his seat. He made his way towards the door. However, just as his fingers graced the door handle, the door opened, nearly missing his shoes. Mallory's eyes shot up to him and widened.

"Here you are!" Mallory said. "I thought you disappeared on us." She peered into the darkened room. "Why were you in here all alone?"

Jason huffed and walked out of the room. He strode down the hallway towards his mate's bedroom. "Because every time I show my face, people run and shriek their lungs out."

Mallory caught up with him and said," Oh, come on! Not this again. It will take some time for the pack to get used to you."

"For how long?" Jason shook his head in derision.

"Until they're over their old wives' tales," Mallory replied. "You can't expect these people to throw years of prejudice out of the window so easily."

Jason stopped in his tracks and hissed, "It's easy for you to say. You're not the one being labeled as a monster."

Mallory sighed and patted Jason on the shoulder. "Yes, you're right. I don't know how it feels, and I'm sorry for the way they're treating you. But you have your mate at your side who loves you."

"At my side?" Jason mockingly glanced around the vacant hallway. "I don't see him anywhere. Over the past month, I haven't seen him much. Every time we have alone-time, his fuckin' advisors find a way to piss on my parade!"

His voice thundered down the corridor, earning a squeak from a servant who entered the hallway carrying a batch of fresh linen. The poor soul's face paled as Jason laid his eyes on them. The young man began trembling before he scurried off in the opposite direction. Fucking great...

"Jason, be patient. Killian isn't ignoring you on purpose." Mallory stepped in front of him. "He's trying to trace Alaric's whereabouts. Once we've--"

"I KNOW!" The floor shook, and the chandeliers rattled while the lights flickered.

Mallory, bless her soul, didn't flinch at his outburst. It would have killed Jason if she had begun to fear him, too.

Mallory began stroking his biceps. "Calm down, Jason. Getting angry won't solve anything. Trust us, we won't leave you and Killian wouldn't either. You're stuck with us." A smirk appeared on her face. She slowly enveloped Jason in a hug, tippy-toeing on the spot.

The tension in my shoulder slowly unraveled while my tail slowly lowered to the ground, grazing the plush carpet. They stood there for a few seconds before moving apart.

Mallory slapped Jason on the shoulder before saying, "Why do you have to be so tall?"

Jason chuckled and said, "Don't blame me, short stack."

Jason whipped past Mallory before his words penetrated her brains. While running down the corridor, a battle cry erupted behind him, accompanied by a pair of feet.

"Run you, jackass!" Cyron growled out. "I'm not repairing your balls again."

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