JACE W.

-*-

I let loose a hungry sigh, stroking the curve of her shoulder. She responds with a quiet moan, shivers rippling through her silky skin. Desire flickers in her eyes as she straddles my waist line while her hands deliciously explore every inch of my bare chest. I groan, relishing in the warmth of her skin against my own.

A rebellious hand abruptly lowers towards my waist, leaving behind a trail of fire. I start, and, registering what she was about to do, I am quick to grab her arm.

"Don't—

A chuckle widens her grin when she interrupts, " No one has to know.

- You know I can't, Selena." Her features melt into a pout, but the gesture has little affect on me. She must realize this because she sighs and pulls her hand away.

"Anything else for you, Alpha?''

I smile and grab her shoulders, flipping her body so that her delicate frame is pinned beneath me. ''Keep talking to me, baby.'' I growl, pressing against her as I allow myself a little more freedom.

She feigns a struggle and let's out a soft moan. The intoxicating perfume of her arousal fills my lungs with glee. She's a real pearl. Golden locks, pools of blue, a smoking body. And yet, this gnawing pit refuses to leave my stomach. My frustration swells.

Ignore it, Jace. Let go and enjoy. I plead with my inner voice.

A knock interrupts our session. Hinges scream as the door swings open, my father's scowling face glaring at me through the frame.

Shit.

We pull apart. Half heartedly, I allow blondie to slip her jeans over her midnight black lingerie. She winks, grabs the remainder of her clothing from the floor and skids to the door, giggling beneath her pale blouse. Passing by my father, she gives him the respective greeting bow and leaves the room. His ice cold gaze trails her movement until she disappears at the end of the hall.

His black eyes pierce a glare at me while I lay on the bed with nothing on but black boxers. "You're seriously playing with my patience, Jace." He growls, cocking a brow. "The entire pack has gathered outside for you, and yet here you are hooking up with some prostitute!? Have I not warned you already about such behavior?!

- What can't I have a little fun?'' A contemptuous smile grows onto my lips.

''Your mating ceremony is in fifteen minutes!" I roll my eyes at his comment. I brace myself for his usual scolding words and slide off the soft mattress to acquire a fresh pair of clothes.

The mating ceremony, despite its perverted name, it's much simpler than it sounds- not as big of a deal as it sounds either. Every mature female Wolf will line up for me- some may give me an offering since I'm the Alpha's son- then I'll gaze into their eyes. That's it. No mating, no touching, nothing. Just a stare in the eye and hope for some kind of bond to happen. Lucky for me, I've already done this whole process before; twice actually. This year's my third, and although a fresh new line of females are dying to meet me outside, I know it is a fool's hope to believe I will find my mate; Weston's don't have mates.

I zip my fly and grab my shirt from the floor, my father's eyes still glued to my every move. I know he's pissed. He has all the right reasons to be. But I'm tasting my last hours of freedom before the shackles of marriage get a hold of me; I hold the right to spend them as I please. "You got nothing to worry about, Pops. See?" I gesture to myself. "I'm already dressed. Would you look at that! Still got thirteen minutes." I add, smugly pointing at my watch. Why does he always have to be such a party pooper...?

He pinches the bridge of his brow, breathing out a long sigh. "Just get down there already. And please, try to take this seriously, you know you won't be able to screw around with other girls once-"

I was already gone when he finished his phrase. I don't have time for his patronizing crap. I could once again try oh so desperately to explain and try to make sense of my point of view, but Selene knows I've already tried a plethora of times. But as the saying goes; you just can't teach an old dog new tricks!

I walk down the spiral stairs and arrive at the first floor, buttoning up my black tuxedo with care. Taking the first left, I arrive into the kitchen then take a sharp turn left to gaze at myself in the large mirror by the fridge. I examine every inch of my suit with care and remove or smoothen any discrepancy I could find. Jet black hair, tan skin, black vest with a white blouse beneath and black pants. Not a lot of color but it did its job well.

"Admiring yourself?" A familiar voice snickers from behind, abrupting and pausing my grooming session. I grind my teeth, gazing above my shoulder as a tall, muscular man walks in."How's the Star boy doing this morning?" He smirks, splitting his lips into a porcelain smile.

I subdue a groan from escaping my throat. 6 '5, blond, blue eyes, a body rippled with muscles and son of the pack's Beta, Cade here has been my designated bodyguard since I was a kid. Although he took his job incredibly seriously, he was nothing more than a glorified babysitter, not to mention my father's very own lap dog... The guy wasn't bad, but he isn't exactly the kind of company I enjoy either.

He pulls me away from my reflection, locking his trunk sized arms around my neck and nearly squeezes my throat closed; if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to kill me. Nonetheless, I allow him to drag me from the kitchen to the living room, unwilling to argue at the risk of undoing my suit, although I nearly trip over the salon's rug in the process.

At last, Cade releases his iron grasp, turning his attention elsewhere. I took the opportunity to smoothen my suit's freshly made wrinkles. The sweet sound of laughter rises to my ear and pulls me out of my thoughts as I notice the presence of a red haired woman in the room.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't taken aback by her looks; this woman was drop dead gorgeous. Curly red hair, cherry red lips, pale skin and chiseled jaw highlighted by dark green glasses. Adding the skin tight silk dress she wore, her looks were enough to make any wolf go absolutely crazy. Her smile seemed even more heavenly, mirroring that of an Angel with perfectly dimpled cheeks. Her eyes sparkle lovingly, arm wrapped around Cade's as her lips passionately meet his.

I shift my weight at the sight, wondering if they'd forgotten I was there when a few seconds ticked by, their lips still tightly sealed. They finally pull apart, yet their eyes trail onto each other for many more seconds before they turn their focus to me, cheeks turning red.

Cade's smile somehow manages to grow even wider as he speaks, a hint of giddiness coloring his every word. "Jace, I'd like you to meet-

- Alexandra!" I swallow the venom that laces my tongue as I speak her name, suddenly recognizing her features from a distant memory. In fact, she and I had crossed paths quite a few times before; the daughter of the Western pack's Beta, Alexandra was a University transfer student, the first transfer our pack had accepted in decades. Apparently her grades were enough to impress the old man so he'd make an exception and allow her to study alongside our pack mates.

May I add, although she was smart, Alexandra and I never saw eye to eye. Something about her always... irked me.

"... Your father agreed it would be best if I lay off my duties for a while. Alex and I will be taking some time together to raise a family."

I blink, snapping back to reality as their words come back to me. Father? Agreement? Family? The realization dawns onto me like a brick to the head. Why wasn't I told before!? A sigh escapes the back of my throat, shoving down my thoughts and emotion to plaster a fake smile onto my lips.

My tone however told a whole other story. "That's wonderful! Sure would've loved to know amongst everyone else about your little miracle, but I suppose learning about my bodyguard's sudden hiatus isn't that important."

Joy melts from their faces, replaced by an exchange of confused and concerned looks between them. I groan. So much for taking this seriously- when did Father plan to tell me!? Turning heel, I head for the courtyard, urging to dismiss myself from the situation. "Excuse me, I have a mate to meet."

A heavy silence falls onto the room as I walk out, hiding my fists inside the pockets of my pants. I only take a few steps to reach the mansion's entrance, the tall doors suddenly seeming like a giant ready to eradicate me as I gaze up to its golden engravings and stare at the golden words engraved into the wood; honos, superbia and proposition.

Honor. Pride. Purpose. Words that had been hammered into every Weston Wolf's skull from the day they were born.

I breathe in the fresh morning breeze, relishing the distinct taste of dew and perfume coating my tongue. As the large doors crack open, I set my sights on the line of females patiently waiting to greet me. Everyone holds their breath, as do I.

Today I will prove my purpose.

-*-

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter And to the returning readers, don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts on this new take with the story. I personally feel Jace's parts are gonna need the most change but I'm satisfied with this strong beginning!Take care readers