CHAPTER 10 : JEALOUSY

Jace's classes had ended, and he was sitting at his usual spot, waiting for Keith, because he just wanted to vent his rage on someone, and Keith was the perfect candidate in his mind.

The loud noise irritated him, but his best friend Keith's selection of his volleyball team for a friendly match irritated him even more. Jace was the libero on the volleyball squad, which meant he had to play, unlike basketball matches, where he normally skipped.

“Hey there, dude.” Keith smiled and chuckled, gently smacking Jace's head, who groaned and smacked his head back.

“How come you agreed to this 'friendly match'? “I don't want to participate,” Jace said as he stared at Keith as he saw Crystal sprint towards them, only to hop and embrace Keith, who pecked her lips.

“Stop with this lovey-dovey stuff and hurry up and help me,” Jace said, separating Keith and Crystal, who both chuckled at him.

“How can I assist you?” Keith grinned innocently, as though he had no idea what Jace was on about.

“Cancel the match,” Jace spoke in a bored tone as they walked away from their usual place towards the cafeteria.

“No, you are in the sports department, and this is normal,” Keith said as Crystal hummed and nodded her head as they walked together.

“I don't like it when you make all of my life decisions on your own. Our parents may be close, and you may be older than me, but you have no right to rule my life,” Jace lectured Keith, who shrugged not caring.

"You are naughty and irresponsible, so someone has to take care of your ignorance," Keith smirked as he ruffled Jace's hair, which he smacked away with his fingertips.

“Wait, what the fuck? I am not stu-.” Jace couldn't finish his sentence as his brow furrowed when Keith looked in the direction Jace was looking when Alexander unexpectedly embraced Keith, forcing him to take a few steps back to avoid falling.

“Woah, lil buddy,” Keith exclaimed as he was interrupted by a sniff.

Jace was enraged, and he despised the fact that the boy whose name was etched on his collarbone was embracing and weeping with another guy.

“Are you all right, babe?” Crystal inquired, rubbing Alexander's back as he shook his head.

“S...Sta...Sta...Sta...” Alexander hiccupped because he couldn't say and was afraid, causing Jace to sigh.

“Come here, cub,” Jace huffed as he grabbed Alexander's arm, dragging him towards himself and tossing him over his shoulder.

Jace repositioned Alexander by keeping one arm behind his knee and the other on his butt, making Alexander's face blush red.

As Jace shook his head, Alexander whispered, "P... Put me d-down."

“I will be taking him and I am fine with the match, so just send me the due date, time, and location.” Jace talked as he turned around and began walking towards his favorite hiding spot after skipping classes.

"Hey, bring Alexander back," Crystal yelled, as Keith pulled his mate back.

Keith chuckled as he walked Crystal towards the canteen, wrapping his arms around her shoulder and saying, "Let them go because I can see the Alexander presence calms our grumpy wolf down."

Crystal exclaimed, "No babes, I want to spend time with Alex," which made Keith laugh as he picked her up bridal style and pecked her lips.

Keith grinned as he began walking out of the university, saying, "Stop being the third wheel and just let them be."

“I'm concerned about Alex because Jace has the potential to harm him,” Crystal said, her arms around Keith's neck and her head on his shoulder.

“Alexander isn't a weakling, baby. Right now, he's making the grumpy wolf envious. As a result, let them be.” As he placed Crystal on the ground and handed her the helmet, Keith asked, "Why don't we go home and I cook for my girl?" What do you think? “How does that sound?” making Crystal giggle.

“Sure, but if Jace makes Alex sad...” Crystal began, glaring at Keith, who smirked, as she added, "I will kill him."

Keith hummed as he sat on his bike, wearing his helmet and assisting Crystal to take a seat. He got on his bike and rode over to their place, hoping that Jace wouldn't bully Alexander.

*******

On the other side, Jace was still carrying Alexander on his shoulder as he walked to his hiding spot. He hummed as he sat Alexander down and glanced around to see if someone was nearby, but thankfully no one was.

“Can you tell me why you hugged Keith?” Jace exclaimed angrily as he spun Alexander around, who looked at him puzzled.

“What's the matter with you? Alexander huffed as he crossed his arms across his chest and said, "I can hug anyone I want."

“No, he has a mate, and you are not allowed to hug him.” “Crystal would be extremely jealous,” Jace said, attempting to make an excuse for not revealing his jealousy to Alexander.

“Crystal is unconcerned. She is well aware that I have no feelings for Keith.” Alexander grinned innocently, causing Jace to groan, "Feelings or no feelings...you are just not allowed to hug him," which enraged Alexander because he needed an explanation, and this was not it.

“Who are you to tell me who I should hug and who I should avoid?” Alexander challenged angrily, but Jace looked away as he screamed, "I AM YOUR MATE GODDAMMIT!"

“You are my rejected mate,” Alexander said as tears streamed down his cheeks, causing Jace to sigh, knowing he had made a mistake.

“Argh, please stop crying first,” Jace said quietly as he drew Alexander into a hug. “No, I want to go so let me go,” Alexander whispered, tears still streaming down his face as Jace wrapped his arm around Alexander's waist and caressed his cheek with his other hand.

“Look, baby, just chill out. “Please tell me what's wrong.” Jace whispered as he kissed Alexander's eyes as Alexander yelled "NO, DON'T...DON'T TOUCH ME," Alexander pushed Jace away who held onto Alexander's waist.

“Shh, my darling, I'm here, and I'll always be here, so tell me what's wrong?” Jace whispered as Alexander laid his head on Jace's chest and stuttered out "I...I... Don’t..."

Jace was perplexed by what Alexander was trying to mean and asked, “Don't?” Alexander nodded and continued in a low voice, “Don't treat me like this, or else I will misinterpret and tell you everything.” Please allow me to visit Keith.”

“Misunderstand...Misunderstand...Misunderstand...and tell me everything" Jace sat on the floor and forced Alexander to sit on his lap, hugging his tiny body.

“M...My” Alexander stammered, but he was terrified... Since they weren't close, Alexander was afraid of what Jace would say.

“Yours?” Jace gently asked Alexander, bringing him back from his thoughts as he opened his mouth to speak, but all he managed to say was “S...Sta...Sta.”

Jace sighed, knowing what Alexander was trying to say but being too afraid to say it aloud. Jace rubbed Alexander's back as he questioned "Stalker?" Alexander hummed quickly nodding his head, causing Jace to sigh.

“Y... Yes,” Alexander stuttered as he closed his eyes as Jace screamed angrily, startling Alexander, “I KNEW THAT ASSHOLE WOULD DO SOMETHING WHEN I AM NOT AROUND.”

“Wait...H-How…What made you aware of my stalker?” Alexander stuttered out scared as Jace sighed and rubbed his neck while answering in hushed tones, looking away from Alexander, "I saw a suspicious man sitting under the tree in the morning and I found your face pale even though you were okay with me being with you." You simply became terrified and panicked, and as a result, you said hurtful things. At the time, I thought you were a fool, but when I saw that man trailing you, I realized you were being stalked.”

Alexander smiled as he hugged Jace and whispered, "Jace, I'm afraid." Alexander felt more at ease now that Jace knew.

“I am here, so you have nothing to be afraid of,” Jace said, pulling Alexander back a little and giving him a toothy grin.

Alexander shook his head and placed his hand on top of Jace's, whispering, "He knows I rejected you," causing Jace to yell once more. “WTF!? “How did he figure that out?”

Alexander muttered, "T... that day when we k-kissed," as he let go of Jace's hand and leaned his head on Jace's shoulder.

"Did you tell him?" Jace asked bitterly through gritted teeth, as Alexander quickly defended himself, "What? No...” he sighed, continuing, “T... My head felt dizzy when we k-kissed that day. I began to worry and stress more. M-My fever rose, so I told Crystal I needed to go home.”

Jace groaned, knowing it was related to his idiot friends, and guessed, "And let me guess...she said no."

“Y-Yeah, so I persuaded her a-and she said one of them would drop me off at home. Rei and Daisy drove me home. I told Daisy I wanted to get off so I could go for a walk and clear my mind. I eventually persuaded her and got off the car, beginning my walk home, when Crystal called and we began chatting...she inquired about you... I spoke up and told you rejected me and I rejected you, so you are not the cause of anything-” Alexander was explaining when Jace cut him off and screamed, "ARE YOU AN IDIOT?" DON'T SAVE ME AND TURN ME INTO A GOOD PERSON.”

Jace huffed, turning away from Alexander, who forced Jace to face himself by cupping his cheeks with his tiny hands.

“What exactly do you mean?” Alexander asked Jace who kept his hand on top of Alexander's hand. “Why didn't you tell Crystal what I did?” Alexander laughed at what Jace said and responded. “Because it wasn't your fault. It was your ex-girlfriend Richa's fault.”

Jace chuckled, shaking his head, and asked, "Why are you so cute?" as he played with Alexander's hair, Alexander was now at a loss for words and only stammered "I-I...Y-You," making Jace laugh even more.

“What did the stalker tell you to make your beautiful eyes cry so much?” Jace asked seriously as he looked directly into Alexander's purple orbs.

“F-First and foremost, I received a message in the morning asking, ‘Who is there with you in your house?' and it was from an unknown number, but I was puzzled until I heard a man's voice in my head say, 'Alexander, you are mine, and no one else is allowed in your house except me,' and it scared me because he knows who I am," Alexander spoke as tears welled up in his eyes, causing Jace to sigh once more.

“What did that jerk do to make you cry?” Jace wondered if he was prepared to beat the stalker. Jace never considered Alexander to be his mate, but he despised stalkers, perverts, bullies, and people who looked down on omegas because his mother was an omega.

“H-He…He grabbed my hand and tried to k-kiss me and I saw his face. I-I know him…” Alexander stuttered out as Jace noticed his trembling and asked, "Kiss you? “Who exactly is he?”

Alexander raised his head to reply when he saw Jace's poker face with his fangs and ears protruding, indicating that Jace was now in his half-wolf shape, attempting to calm himself down.

“A-Andrew is his name. H-He is the son of a friend of my father, and he has always been extremely touchy, toxic, and pervert when it comes to me. M-My father never... Just forget it,” Alexander replied as he stood up, shaking his head and backing away, realizing that Jace wasn't his mate and that he shouldn't be asking him about his personal matters.

“Do you need my help and support? I will help you in dealing with your stalker. All you have to do is say, 'I need you, Jace,' and I'll put anything aside.” Jace spoke frankly as he stood up and took a step towards Alexander, who took a step back, perplexing Jace.

“Please do not take any action. You rejected me, and these little actions will make me fall in love with you,” Alexander whispered as Jace came to a halt, knowing Alexander was correct as he shook his head trying to control his wolf ‘I LOVE RICHA' Jace thought angrily as his wolf cooled down.

“All right, can I at least take you home?” Jace questioned since worried and wanted Alexander to be safe because his mother had always told him to treasure omegas.

“I have classes to attend and then work again, so thank you for listening to me,” Alexander said as he took another step back, terrified of Jace.

“You're not asking for my help because I'm not Keith, right?” Jace wondered how much more Alexander trusted Keith than he trusted him.

Alexander's eyes opened in surprise as he looked up and began "N-No, that's n-" but Jace cut him off and screamed "JUST FORGET IT" as Jace glared at the floor.

“No, that's not it. Staying with you would make me fall even more in love with you.” Alexander stated the fact as he saw Jace looking at him.

The bell rang as Alexander walked away from his lesson, unaware that Jace stood in the corner, envious. Jace grinned as he walked away from Alexander, seeing him almost fall.

Jace took a deep breath and closed his eyes, attempting to calm his enraged wolf. He dashed towards his bike, sat on it, and zoomed towards his home. After reaching his home, he parked the bike and got off. He ran towards his apartment, which he shared with Keith and Crystal.

He didn't care whether he was tired or not because the elevator was taking too long, so he took the stairs and raced up to the fifth floor. He quickly unlocked the door to find Crystal and Keith kissing on the sofa thus he ignored them and went to his room.

“WHERE IS ALEX, JACE?” Crystal screamed, concerned, as Jace groaned, rolling his eyes and yelled back. “HE HAD CLASSES, SO HE TOLD ME TO COME AND PICK HIM UP LATER. HE WAS CRYING BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN INJURED WHEN HE FELL”

It was a blatant lie that he didn't want anyone to get involved because he wanted to choose between his new or old mate so this was a test for him to see how much he cares.

Jace quickly locked the door and sat on the bed, opening the journal and turning the pages as he looked for the word 'Andrew' in the diary. He didn't read anything and simply looked in the middle and beginning of the name 'Andrew' before he found one.

“Dear lover of mine”

Did I ever tell you how handsome I think you are even though I don't know how you look? What exactly am I saying? Remember when I wrote about Andrew? Yeah, he's a jerk who bullied me in front of my whole family once again. He referred to me as a whore. Do you think I'm a whore? I never even had my first kiss. Argh, I despise him so much, and I'm sure you won't like him either...right? This was what he did this time. We'll let him off the hook this time, but if you're around and he shows up...beat him up and if you're not good at it, tell me... We'll go up against him as a team. I should go to bed now because it's 3 a.m. and my body hurts from all the violence. I'm going to relax...

Good night,

Love you,

Find me soon

Your Alex

Jace's blood boiled as he was about to throw the dairy away in anger, but he took deep breaths to calm himself down and flipped through the pages, hoping to find the first letter Alexander wrote for him that was connected to Andrew.

“Dear amazing mate:

Good morning

My day has been a shamble since the moment I opened my eyes this morning. First and foremost, my siblings kicked me off the bed, causing me to sprain my wrist. It hurts a lot, so could you please kiss my wrist and make me feel better? That would be both exciting and embarrassing. My father's friend is coming back home. Andrew is his son's name, and I despise him. He's a pervert. I once awoke to find him on my bed in my room. I was asleep once when I awoke to find myself shirtless and looking at him. I never sleep without a shirt on. So, I'm hoping to see you soon so you can kiss me in front of him. What am I even writing about? It's so frustrating. I have to hurry because I hear footsteps.

Love you so much

Your babe”

Jace grinned as he caressed the paper, checking the time to see if he still had time to read Alexander's message. Jace furrowed his brows as he read the next one Alexander wrote late at night.

“Dear lovely mate of mine:

I despise Andrew so much. He's a jerk. He's so disgusting. I just want to end it all for myself. I wanted to experience it for the first time with you, but Andrew ruined it. He kissed my neck, and I now have a kiss mark on it. I rubbed it and washed his mark, leaving a bruise where Andrew kissed. It's bleeding, and I despise it. I sincerely apologize. It was my fault that I was born. I just want to end my life every time, but every time I look in the mirror, I see your name, which gives me the strength to keep going. My parents lectured me a lot after Andrew and his family left, among other things I don't want to write about. I'm sure writing about it would ruin your mood, so let's just say I'm black and blue, which is why I've chosen to just wear oversized sweatshirts now. My body is in a lot of pain, so I'm going to bed.

Good night

Your Alie”

Jace stood up and looked at the dairy, as he hid the dairy in his cupboard once more. Jace dashed out of the building, sprinting for his bike. He sat on his bike and rode towards the university.

After some time, he parked his bike, got off, and checked the time to see that the second lecture was over, so he dialed Alexander's number.

“Hi” Alexander answered the phone, assuming it was Jace's number because he had previously called him.

“Hey, cub, where are you right now?” Jace inquired as he looked around.

“Why? I am at the canteen" Alexander spoke when Jace heard Daisy's voice in the background,

“Nothing just wanted to apologize for shouting at you in the morning,” Jace said, feeling bad for making Alexander sad.

“It's fine. “I'm used to it,” Alexander said quietly, making Jace even sadder.

“Well, don't cry okay,” Jace said, hoping Alexander would agree.

“I won't ever weep in front of you, so don't worry, and bye,” Alexander said, causing Jace to groan out “Bye,” even though that was not what Jace meant.

Jace sighed, knowing Alexander was upset and afraid to express his emotions because they had been rejected as mates. As Jace entered the canteen, the sound of chatting and the scent of food filled the air, and he saw Alexander sitting with Daisy, who was debating something.

Jace sat in the empty seat in the corner as he waited for Alexander to get up. Jace saw Alexander hug Daisy, and walk away. Jace took a deep breath and followed Alexander quickly and quietly.

Alexander didn't notice Jace trailing him as he walked to his second lesson, while Jace sat outside the classroom and waited for him. Jace had spent the whole time watching Alexander, whose classes had now eventually ended.

Jace secretly followed Alexander, who had gone back to work. Jace yawned as the clock struck seven o'clock in the evening. He waited outside once more, his stomach grumbling. He was starving, and the only time he ate was about 1 p.m.

Jace shivered when he checked the time and saw it was 7:30 a.m. He sighed and rubbed his neck as he turned back to see the man in the alleyway wearing a black mask and a cap.

Jace walked forward, standing in the corner, making sure the stalker didn't notice him while keeping an eye on him. Hours passed, and it was now ten o'clock, which made Jace sleepy because he was tired but for Alexander...Jace was able to do anything.

Jace saw Alexander walk out of the café, waving to his friends as he walked away. Jace saw the man in the alley walking behind Alexander, so he followed him.

Alexander was terrified; he wanted to run away from Andrew, but he was also terrified of Andrew's sexual assault. When Jace noticed his mate shaking, Alexander's breathing became slower as he came to a halt.

Jace closed his eyes and let out his wolf while attempting to mind link Alexander so he could calm him down.

‘Cub’ Jace mind linked hoping Alexander replies while Alexander suddenly questioned back ‘Jace?’ since Alexander knew only Jace called him cub.

‘Yeah, it’s me, baby. Calm down and just keep on walking. I am behind Andrew’ Jace spoke through the mind link.

‘What? Ho-’ Alexander questioned but he couldn’t complete his sentence as he was about to turn around when Jace spoke ‘Don’t look back. Just walk straight’

‘Jace’ Alexander spoke as Jace replied ‘Hmm?’ making Alexander sigh.

‘I am scared so can you please keep on talking with me?’ Alexander questioned while he played with his hand hoping Jace agrees.

‘Hey, I am here so why be scared? I promise I will protect you so take a left’ Jace spoke as Alexander stopped walking.

‘Left? But my house is on right’ Alexander spoke since he always took the shortcut.

‘Trust me and take left’ Jace spoke as Alexander hummed nodding his head while he took a left as he heard a ‘huff’ sound in his head.

‘Are you running?’ Alexander questioned confused when he heard Jace laugh.

‘All right, now take a right.' Jace spoke when Alexander saw Jace's back.

'I'm going to cross the street now.' 'Do you see me?' Jace inquired, hoping Alexander would react positively.

‘Yes, I can’ Alexander responded as Jace stood in front of him, calming him down.

‘Cross the lane,' Jace said as Alexander hummed and crossed the street.

‘And now what?' Alexander inquired as Jace hid in a corner, hoping no one would notice him.

‘Now, believe me, my love, and go to your house,' Jace said, warming Alexander's cheeks with the nickname.

Alexander's mind went blank; he had no idea why Jace had made him take the long route, but he knew Jace was up to something. Alexander was walking up to his building when Andrew grabbed his waist and turned him around.

“Hey babe,” Andrew smirked as Alexander struggled to break free from Andrew's grasp. Alexander was much smaller than Andrew.

Jace saw Alexander struggling to break free, so he dashed up to Andrew and twisted his wrist while Alexander just stared, stunned.

“WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” Andrew yelled angrily as Jace spoke angrily through gritted teeth, "I will say who I am just in a moment," while Alexander's breathing became uneven.

“LET ME GO,” Andrew yelled again as Jace clicked his tongue and asked Alexander, “Cub, can we use your house?” Alexander nodded and replied, “Yes.”

While they walked inside the home, Alexander led the way while Jace pushed Andrew while still holding his wrist and twisting it whenever Andrew tried to flee. Jace pushed Andrew as he drew Alexander towards himself, completely shielding him from Andrew's filthy gaze.