Chapter Ten
True to Clarissa's word, she left the next day. Logan asked where she was going, but was satisfied with the simple answers he got. Unlike his parents, he didn't need any prompting to happily fall into the new dynamics that the three of them had. They stayed out in the bush for a week, just getting to know each other better, until their food ran out. Logan would have gladly stayed and forged, but Amanda was concerned with the amount of school he had missed already, and they packed up and headed home.
She had a dozen missed calls from Betty, who eagerly told her every scrap of gossip related to Clarissa's supposed infidelity. The media storm lasted for several months, but just as Clarissa had hoped, the pack and humans who lived in town had an instantly improved view of Amanda and Jace's relationship. Instead of people stopping her in the grocery store to accuse her of trying to destroy the pack, they were now asking when the mating ceremony would be, or if she was pregnant, or assuring her that Logan would be perfect as the next Alpha.
During this time, Jace built the house he promised for Amanda, and the three of them quietly moved in together (much to Betty's dismay; when Amanda was packing the last of her boxes, the human tearfully declared she would never again have a housemate as good as Amanda). By the time the papers started publishing that Jace and Amanda were living together, they had been doing so for so long that the pack didn't so much as bat an eye.
The official ceremony where the Alpha leadership of the pack was passed from Jace's father to Jace happened without much global attention. The town was in a happy frenzy for days, but soon enough everything settled into a new normal. And it was good.
***
Amanda sat in bed, a book on her knees as Jace entered the room, scrubbing his hair dry after a shower. She didn't bother pretending to read the book as she admired the contours of his body. His physique was amazing, everything from the sculpted pecs to his six-pack. She loved him just as much as the gangly, pimply teen as she did now looking at him as a heartthrob, but the improved view didn't hurt anything, either.
Jace grinned at her, moving the book off her knees. Amanda's heart rate spiked. There was something that she needed to tell him, but it looked like he had an idea that she wasn't going to say no to… His lips brushed hers gently as he crawled onto the bed, caging her with his body, leaning her back against the headboard.
"God, I missed you," he whispered, nipping at her lower lip.
"We've been together all day."
"No, I mean the past six years." Jace's gaze warmed with love as he cupped her face with a hand and kissed her again. "If I could go back and change things, I would never have left you behind."
"You've said that." Amanda smiled at him. "All is forgiven, my love."
Jace buried his face into her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Amanda hummed in satisfaction, digging her fingers into his scalp, pulling him closer. It took a few months of getting to know one another again before they first allowed themselves to abandon themselves into passion again, but now it was a regular occurrence–making up for lost time.
"I love you," Jace said, for probably the hundredth time that day. He was definitely making up for lost time. "I've always loved you."
"I love you, too." Amanda ran her hands down his back. "I love you more today than I did yesterday."
"Why?" Jace pulled back, looking worried. "What did I do yesterday?"
"Nothing." Amanda shook her head. "I was just trying to be romantic."
"Oh." Jace laughed softly, returning to her neck. His hands worked their way under her nightgown, tugging it up over her head, leaving her bare to his gaze. His hands roamed her body, igniting a fire deep inside of her, and Amanda returned the favor, loving the way his smooth skin felt so warm under her fingers. She didn't think she would ever get used to how right she felt when she was with him.
The fires grew hotter as Jace kissed her collar and moved lower, stroking her thighs with a soft touch until Amanda let her legs fall open. She grasped him as his fingers slipped over her skin to her pleasure center, answering stroke for stroke until they were both undulating towards each other, gasping and writhing while their lips pressed together and parted.
"Always so good," Jace sighed.
"Always," Amanda agreed, rolling her hips towards him, indicating she was ready.
Jace chuckled at her impatience, kissing her breasts and continuing to use his fingers for several moments until she was trembling on the edge, almost ready to beg.
He slid inside her easily; they found their rhythm without effort, the fires in their blood mixing together, making both of their bodies hot. Everything felt tight. Pleasure blinded Amanda until it was too much and she bowed her body towards her mate, dragging her fingers over his back and locking her ankles over his hips as she pulled him deeper inside her. Jace made a choking, growling noise, kissed her hard, and they plunged together, bodies snapping back and forth, cries mingling as their rhythm grew haphazard.
Eventually, they stilled and shared a tender, chaste kiss while their bodies were still twined together.
"I love you," Jace groaned. "I wish I could stay inside you forever."
"I do, too. But then who would take care of Logan and the pack?"
Jace flicked his tongue over her collarbone. "Speaking of which… I'm certain that you're my mate."
"Me, too."
"So?" Jace leaned back on his elbows, raising a brow at Amanda. "How about it, Mandy?"
"How about what?"
"We do a mating ceremony for the pack. Maybe a wedding, too, for the media to report on so that we don't have paparazzi trying to break into the mating ceremony. I officially name Logan as my successor, and then we all live happily ever after."
Amanda considered for a moment. Jace was the Alpha, so after the official ceremony, his mate would be recognized as the Alpha female by the pack. He had already been easing her into her new responsibilities. She wanted to continue working, but with everything she was going to have to do for the pack, it meant she had to cut back her hours at the office. On the other hand, she had taken up a position as a receptionist for Jace, which meant she wasn't just going to be a housewife or arm candy at important ceremonies.
"Mandy?" Jace looked a little worried. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. I was just lost in my thoughts. I never thought that the whole ceremony thing was going to be necessary for me, but with your position… I'll adjust to being in the public eye. So, for our mating ceremony… I would like it to take place out in the bush."
Jace grinned and kissed her. "Sounds wonderful. And for the—"
"Before we start talking more shop talk, I have something to tell you," Amanda grinned at him, running her fingers through his hair. "I'm pregnant."
Jace's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Amanda nodded.
A fiery kiss answered her. Amanda laughed into Jace's mouth as he held her tighter, kissing her as though he was never going to let her go. Which he wasn't. Never again would they be separated from each other. Amanda pulled him closer, closing her eyes.
My mate, my love, she thought. My forever.
*****
THE END