Inevitably Yours

excited. A couple of weeks before prom and graduation, they were getting married. It was a big deal, too.

I had also managed to finally get my driver’s license. My parents were very excited because it meant that I could be responsible for driving me, my brother, and my cousins all home after the dinner portion of the reception.

To my disappointment, Jaxx couldn’t go with me. His mom had decided to move out of their house and was staying with her fated mate. He wasn’t very forthcoming with all the details about what was going on at home, so I had learned to judge by his mood when it wasn’t going well. On the day of the wedding, he was supposed to be going out with his mom and sister all day.

I snapped a picture in the mirror when I was finished getting ready and sent it to Jaxx, but he didn’t reply. I went downstairs where my mom was tieing my little brother’s tie. “At least one of you can get dressed without help,” she said in relief as she saw me. “We need to get going.”

My dad came out of his bedroom ready at last with a suit to match my mom’s dress. “Calm down, Amelia. It’s not our wedding. We are late for being early.”

“Your mother asked us to come early, so we are going,” my mom replied, giving him a pointed look.

–

The ceremony was about an hour long, and then we headed to a fancy event place for the reception. There was almost a whole hour between when we arrived and when dinner would begin. My mom ran off to help my grandmother while I walked around with my dad, saying hello to family and friends we didn’t see often. There were lots of questions about school and the things I was involved in. I politely answered all the questions asked until Jaxx called, giving me a reason to escape.

“Hey!”I said as I headed back to our table. “How was spending time with your mom and sister?”

“Awful,” he answered. “I should have just come with you. How is the wedding?”

“The ceremony was nice. Did you get my message?”

“Yea. You look great as always. That dress looks nice with your hair,” he complimented. “When do you think you’ll be leaving?”

“Maybe another hour or two,” I told him. “Dinner should be starting any minute now. My dad said I can take us all home after that.”

“That’s right; you have to take your cousins home,” he sighed.

“You could come over after,” I suggested. “My parents won’t be home until late, but I don’t think they will mind.”

“I would love to see you. Today has been awful. “

“I’m sorry. Just come over tonight. I’ll text you when I drop off my cousins.”

“ I love you, Quinn,” he said.

“Love you too, Jaxx. I’ll see you in a bit,” I said before hanging up. My dad joined me at the table with my mom right behind him.

“Is it safe to assume you will be seeing Jaxx this evening?” my dad asked as he took his seat.

“Yea, if that is okay,” I answered.

“Just be good, and we don’t mind. I don’t know when we will be home, but we trust you to come home at a respectable time,” my mom cut in. My dad frowned at her but didn’t argue or contradict her.

Finally, everyone was asked to be seated. My uncle and his mate were introduced, and some toasts were made. I was starving by the time dinner was served. The food was delicious; my parents had steak while we had some chicken with a creamy sauce and steamed greens. I wanted to know how to make the sauce because it was mouthwatering.

Soon my uncle and his mate took the floor for their first dance. It was really sweet and soon followed by the father-daughter dance. I hadn’t gotten to meet her family yet, but I was sure it would happen eventually. Halfway through the dance, the other fathers and daughters were invited onto the dance floor. My dad and I joined the few other pairs, and he spun me around gracefully.

“The last time we did this, you stood on my feet,” he laughed.

“I could do it again, for old time’s sake,” I giggled back. My grandma stepped up next to us and took our picture.

“She’ll frame it next to the last one. You were so little the last time we danced together, Quinny,” he said.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Well, I’m almost of age now, Dad,” I reminded him.

“I know,” he sighed. “No matter how old you get, you’ll always be my quirky girl. Your mom and I are very proud of you. Your counselor called about your grades. You’re tied for valedictorian right now.”

“I didn’t realize,” I said.

“She’s confident you can apply for early admissions next year if you keep it up,” he smiled. “We always knew you were meant for bigger things than our little pack.”

“We’ll see,” I shrugged. I had no clue what I wanted to do or even where I would like to go to college. The school required us to take aptitude tests a few weeks ago to identify the job areas that we would be most suited for and flag potential candidates for pack warriors. My results said I was suited for anything other than being a warrior; my options were wide open.

After the dancing, the bride and groom said a few words, and then the party began. My uncle brought my cousins over, and my dad gave me his car keys. After promising to drive slower than the speed limit and make no detours, we headed to the car.

When I pulled into my uncle’s driveway, my brother started to get out of the car. “Woah, where are you going?” I asked.

“I’m staying here. I told Mom,” he said as he stepped out of the car.

“I’m not taking the blame if you’re lying,” I called after him. He slammed the door, and I watched as they all ran into the house. I texted Jaxx that I was headed home before pulling out of the driveway. At least my brother wouldn’t bug us now.

When I got home, Jaxx was already waiting in the driveway. I tried parking the car in the garage but couldn’t get it straight. Jaxx waved me down and offered to do it for me. When my dad’s car was safely put away, we headed inside.

“Where are your brother and cousins?” he asked.

“They all decided to stay at my uncle’s tonight. It’s just me here,” I told him, setting my little purse on the kitchen counter.

“Oh,” Jaxx smiled. He grabbed me by the waist and kissed me hard, taking my breath away for a second. “You look outstanding in this.” He spun me around by my h**s, making me blush. “You should wear it to graduation in a couple of weeks.”

“You sure?” I asked, looking down at myself. “It’s not too dressy?”

“No, it’s perfect,” he smiled. His eyes were darker than usual. He kissed me again, his tongue slipping into my mouth this time. His arms wrapped around my center, pulling me closer to him. The k**s was intense, and my insides began to squirm.

When he let me go, I was out of breath. “I really want to change. Then we can do whatever,” I told him. He nodded, loosening his grip. I turned to go upstairs, and he followed.

“Goddess, isn’t he going to wait downstairs?” I thought anxiously. Sapphire was silent in my head; I hoped she hadn’t disappeared again. When we got to my room, I realized Jaxx had never been in it before. It was mostly clean, but it still somehow felt awkward.

“This is cute,” he said, taking a seat at the end of the bed.

“Thanks,” I said, feeling shy. I looked at my closet; thank Goddess there was room to change in there. I grabbed some sweatpants from my drawer and told him I would be right back. I closed the closet door and changed quickly. I pulled on some cotton shorts under the baggy wrestling sweatpants that were a full size too big for me. When I got them, they were two sizes too big, but my h**s had gotten a little wider since then. Before stepping out, I slipped into a tank top and hung my dress up. Jaxx smiled devilishly at me.

“Come here,” he said, motioning for me to join him. He pulled me into my lap and immediately began kissing me. His hands started to roam over my clothes, coming to my chest.

“Um,” I said, pulling back and biting my l*p.

“I can’t believe we’re alone,” he said. “I’ve been dying to see you for days.” He attacked my mouth again. I tried to pull his hands away, but they just moved, one sliding up to hold my face.

Without warning, he turned, rolling us over, so I was underneath him on the bed. His h**s rubbed into me, and I could feel his e******n. “Jaxx,” I gasped. My hands came up to his chest, pushing lightly. He grabbed them, pining one to my side and rubbing the other over his pants.

“I’ve waited so long for this,” he said in a low voice. He didn’t sound like himself.

“Jaxx, I don’t-” I started.

“Shhhh,” he said, covering my mouth with his again. “We’ve been together too long.”

“Please, I just-”

He bit my l*p, cutting me off. He pushed both my arms under me, so they were behind my back. He slipped his hand into the waistband of my shorts. “See,” he smirked. “It’s warm and wet. Your body knows what it wants.”

I tried to shake my head be he just stopped me with his mouth again. His hand worked to slip my sweatpants and shorts down my legs before he undid his own. “Please. I-I’m not…. I d-don’t….” I stuttered, and tears started to roll.

“I promise you’ll like it. Just hold still,” he said, positioning himself over me. He pulled my thighs apart. I tried to squeeze my legs together, but his knee came in between them, forcing me to open for him. He kept kissing me, not letting me refuse. I pulled at my wrists locked in his grip; why was he doing this?

His claw slipped out and pierced my outer thigh. I yelled from the pain. “I said hold still,” he growled. His tone was threatening, and his eyes were pitch black. I stopped moving altogether, terrified of what he would do.

“Sapph, please, help me,” I cried. My wolf didn’t say a word. Jaxx gripped my waist, holding me still to the bed. Then he did it. His hands let go of my wrists, and he covered my mouth as I screamed out, fat hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

–

“it’s late; my dad is expecting me back,” he said, lightly panting as he stood from the bed. He tossed my sweatpants, shorts, and panties onto the bed next to me.

Without anything else, he dressed and left. I sat there frozen until I heard the front door close. I couldn’t move; I was paralyzed. That wasn’t Jaxx; that wasn’t my boyfriend. He never acted like that. What had I done? What was I going to do?

My skin crawled. Everything felt wrong. I sat up slowly, my mind spinning wildly. I rubbed at my legs, feeling like there was something on me that wouldn’t come off. I felt disgusting.

More tears sprang up in my eyes. I had to wash it away; I had to be clean. I moved slowly from the bed, my lower half tender. I didn’t bother to put my clothes back on; I went straight across the hall to the bathroom. I stepped into the shower with my tank top still on and blasted the water, turning the temperature up as high as it would go.

Soap. I needed soap. I turned around, looking for my body wash. I fumbled with the lid, my hands shaking as steam began to permeate the air. Soap on skin, I needed soap on my skin. I wanted to be clean. I got the bottle open and squirted way too much in my hands. I threw the bottle away and started rubbing it all over me, shirt and all. When I realized I still had it on, I pulled off my tank top. I lathered every inch of myself and rinsed, repeating the process at least five times. Only when the soap bottle was empty did I fall to the shower floor, curling up into a ball as the water rained down over me.

I still felt gross. Why did he do that? Why didn’t he just give me a minute to think about it?

I wanted the feeling to go away, but the water began to run cold. I sat still until it was icy and my whole body shook. I reached up, shutting the water off. I sat there for an eternity, willing myself to get up, dry off, do anything.

Slowly, I uncurled, my limbs aching now. With a lot of effort, I pulled myself to my feet. I wrapped a towel around my body, not bothering with my sopping hair. Water dripped down me as I stumbled back to my room. I stood in the doorway, looking at my bed.

I couldn’t do it. I went to my closet, finding some dark leggings and a baggy t-shirt. I hastily dressed, letting my hair drip down on my shoulders. I rushed out of my room; I couldn’t be in there.

I went to the kitchen, my fingers barely able to get my tiny purse open. There was a message.

JAXX

| i didn’t mean to do it like that

| im so sorry quinn

No. No. No. No. I shook my head, letting my phone fall to the counter.

I needed someone, anyone. My mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. I couldn’t just tell anyone. What would they think?

I needed someone. Someone to calm me down, to get my mind straight again.

I grabbed my phone again, quickly dialing the number I needed.

“Hey, Blue,” his sleepy voice said.

“Hi,” I gasped. I closed my eyes, relishing the sound of his voice. I needed him to talk.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yea,” I rasped quickly. “Yea.” I couldn’t tell him. I just needed him to talk. I would feel better once he talked.

“You sound funny,” he said.

“I, um, I’m just tired,” I said, trying to force my voice to be level. “Please talk, M,” I silently pleaded.

“Can’t sleep again?” he asked.

“You got me,” I laughed shallowly. “I didn’t wake you, right?”

“I don’t mind. I missed your voice,” he said.

“Yea,” I said. I moved out of the kitchen, not sure what to do. I couldn’t go back to my room.

Michael was quiet for a second. “So, I got promoted at work,” he finally said.

“That’s amazing, M,” I said. “Please keep talking.”