The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate (6 page)

desired. Going against Soren’s wishes would be interfering with pack

law, and that was punishable in several unpleasant ways. Jace hoped

he wouldn’t have to brave those consequences, but alas, his father’s

expression darkened.

“Jace, you know as well as I do that this is not a game. I

understand Paris’s desire to help, but you shouldn’t indulge him.”

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Jace felt his mate’s temper bristling. Paris had always been

dismissed as unimportant before, and Jace’s parents were doing the

same thing now. While their intentions were good and

understandable, Paris would clearly no longer stand for it.

“Yes, Father,” he said quickly. “We’ll go inside to talk a bit now.”

Soren narrowed his eyes at Jace, but stepped out of the way,

gesturing them forward. Jace and Paris passed several pack members

as they entered the house, some quite hostile. While he was aware of

all the eyes on them, Jace ignored everything that wasn’t Paris.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,”
he sent to Paris.
“Just hold my hand

and don’t look at them.”

“They don’t like me,”
Paris replied.
“They wish me and my

mother would never have come to this pack. They blame my father for

what happened.”

Sadly, it was true that many people had shown a negative attitude

toward Paris, especially after Reed’s departure. Reed was well liked

and considered a pack member, even if he was a swan. His injury

might not have been at Paris’s or Anson’s hand, but few saw it that

way. Even if Anson had been among the ones who’d most suffered,

he was still viewed as having taken advantage of Reed. And now that

Anson had left, all the discontent fell onto Paris.

Reed’s parents had tried their best to convince everyone that no,

neither Paris nor Anson were to blame for the actions of Paris’s

mother. But in many cases, it had been futile. While Jace was still

apprehensive about leaving pack lands and leading his mate into

danger, the truth was that staying here represented a permanent strain

on Paris’s state of mind and self-respect.

Soren hadn’t explicitly forbidden them to go anywhere. For the

moment, both Jace and Paris would most likely be watched, but Jace

knew everyone here very well. He’d grown within these lands, and he

understood exactly what he needed to do to slip out. It wouldn’t be

easy, but it was possible.

The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate

37

Holding hands, they headed toward Jace’s room. As soon as they

were behind closed doors, Paris plopped on the bed and buried his

face in his palms. “I hate this,” Paris said. “It’s so unfair. I feel like a

prisoner.”

It
was
unfair. Paris shouldn’t have to pay for the mistakes of

others, and Soren should know better than to force Paris to stay here.

Not that Jace didn’t understand where his father was coming from. He

did, and he knew that Soren always tried to do what was best for

everyone in the pack. But in these particular circumstances, Jace

couldn’t rely on anything or anyone but himself.

Of course, they could just retreat somewhere else, perhaps with

the Cunninghams. Jace had no doubt that his friends would receive

them with open arms. But that would hardly solve the problem, would

it? Everything inside Jace ached to protect Paris, but Paris required

support and trust more. He had been discarded as useless for far too

long, and even if Jace feared dragging Paris into danger, he needed to

respect his mate’s desires.

Obviously sensing his thoughts, Paris looked up toward him. “I’m

sorry, Jace. I shouldn’t drag you into this. It’s not your fault for any of

this.”

“It’s not yours, either,” Jace replied. He went to the bed and sat

next to Paris, pulling his mate close. “Look, there’s no reason why

this trip even has to be dangerous. I’m sure the vampire coven has

plenty of soldiers. The hardest thing now is actually finding Aria and

her warlock friends. We can help with that.”

“Your father doesn’t think the same,” Paris replied, bitterness and

misery irradiating from his tone. As they lay together on the mattress,

he cuddled close to Jace, burying his face in Jace’s chest. Slowly, he

started to calm down, and Jace actually felt their bond soothing Paris,

flooding the smaller wolf with warmth. The fact that Jace still hadn’t

put clothes on had a lot of potential, but they couldn’t exactly stop to

have sex now. They had too many problems to deal with.

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Scarlet Hyacinth

“We should be happy and celebrating now,” Paris said at last, “not

complaining over the behavior of others. By rights, I should just let it

go.”

Only, Paris couldn’t let it go, and they both knew it. Even if he did

make the attempt, those around them would never let him forget. It

infuriated Jace that people he’d known since his young years could be

so absurd and judgmental.

They fell into silence, and Jace strained his hearing, trying to

figure out what was going on outside. He knew better than to believe

his father was done with him. Soren would undoubtedly come to see

him soon and make sure Jace wasn’t up to no good. Jace and Paris

needed to get out before that happened.

Jace was torn between the loyalty he felt for his father and his

affection toward his mate. In his heart, he didn’t want to abandon his

pack without a good-bye, and he didn’t think Paris wanted that, either.

In many ways, Jace considered himself blessed. His family had

been through a lot. His mother lost her life while protecting him and

his siblings, and while he wished he’d known her, he’d never felt

abandoned or lacking in affection. It was for that reason that he’d

come back to the mansion in the first place.

And then, a knock sounded at the door. Already realizing who it

was, Jace left the bed, found a pair of pants, and pulled them on. As

quickly as he could, he let his family in.

Soren looked a little less stern than before. He hugged Jace

tightly, his eyes shining with affection and pride. “I believe I didn’t

congratulate you appropriately. I really am happy for you. A mate is a

wonderful thing.”

Jace breathed in his father’s love, relief coursing through him. He

was so very thrilled at mating Paris, and he’d yearned for his family

to share in his joy. Werewolves were, in general, tactile people, and

while Soren could be harsh when he wanted to, he was Jace’s father

first, then his Alpha.

The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate

39

Behind Soren came Daniel, and Jace’s sister, Mel. As Soren

released Jace, Mel pounced on him, kissing his cheeks in clear

excitement. “I could tell from the very beginning that you two were

meant for each other,” she said. “I don’t even know why you waited

for so long.”

For a few moments, she lavished her attention on him, but then,

she must have realized what he’d been aware of the whole time. Paris

was still curled up in the bed, watching the scene and clearly

uncertain if he should approach. She abandoned Jace and climbed into

his bed next to Paris. Paris looked shocked as she hugged him tightly.

“I love it that I have a new brother,” she said. “Thank you for being

here, for being with him.”

As Jace watched them, his dad came up to him and took his hand,

squeezing it tightly. Even if Daniel wasn’t his blood, Jace had never

loved him any less for it. “I’m happy for you, too,” the squirrel-shifter

said. “Your mother would be so proud.”

In that moment, Jace realized he’d made the right choice in

waiting. He loved his family for being so supportive. There just had to

be a way to convince his father that they really did need to leave.

As if guessing his thoughts, Soren sighed. “I’ve been unfair, and

I’ve placed you both in a bad position. As you know, diplomatic

relationships between different species are tenuous at best, and we

don’t want to abuse the hospitality and goodwill of the vampires. But

it is true that Paris has personal insight in the matter.”

Daniel nodded. “We will allow you to go and contact Yamamoto-

sama on your behalf. So far, he has helped us a lot. Should he agree,

we will let you go.”

Jace smiled as he felt Paris’s enthusiasm soar. “Thank you,” he

said.

“No.” Soren shook his head and, in an unexpected gesture, kissed

Paris’s forehead. “Thank you.”

40

Scarlet Hyacinth

“This will be your room for the duration of your stay,” the Asian

servant told Paris. “Should you need anything, you only have to call

upon us. Feel free to look around this wing of the coven.”

“
Arigatou
gozaimasu
,” Paris said, still in a daze. “I appreciate all

your help.”

The vampire coven in Tokyo was even more intimidating than

Paris had expected. It didn’t help that his father had been angry upon

finding Paris there. Worse still, vampire elder, Kaname Yamamoto,

had been offended by Paris’s supposed presumptuousness. It was only

by sheer luck, or better said, Kaname’s generosity, that Paris had been

allowed to stay here.

It was all very strange. Daniel and Soren had said they would

contact Kaname, but as far as Paris realized, that hadn’t happened.

The vampire elder had acted as if they’d never heard of them coming

here at all. Paris had wanted to say something, but he hadn’t really

gotten the chance.

Thankfully, Kaname had accepted their aid regardless of this

glitch in communication. They had been assigned personal quarters

within the coven and were supposed to comply with the instructions

of the other shifters present. Personally, Paris didn’t have a problem

with obeying his father’s advice. It just bothered him that, in spite of

Jace’s precautions, they’d still been treated like disobedient children.

Paris might have deserved that, but Jace didn’t.

The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate

41

As the servant gestured him inside, Paris looked around the

luxurious room, gaping. The Alpha mansion in Soren Wade’s pack

was amazing, but this…This went beyond anything Paris had ever

imagined. When he’d first entered the coven, he’d caught sight of

several hints of the vampires’ ostentatious wealth, but he hadn’t really

been able to focus on them. Now, however, he spared a few moments

to admire the sheer lavishness of the guest quarters.

Behind him, he heard the door close as Jace joined him in the

room. “Quite a place the vamps have here,” the other wolf

commented.

Paris nodded just as his gaze fell on the antique four-poster bed.

He felt his face flame at the implication that he and Jace would share

living chambers. The two of them had not explicitly told the vampires

they would need one single room, as they were a couple. However,

Kaname seemed to have guessed. Perhaps Paris was being very

obvious, since he simply couldn’t stand being away from Jace. Half

the time, he wanted to touch the other wolf, to make sure Jace was

really his and their mating hadn’t been a dream.

“It’s not a dream, sweetheart.” Jace wrapped his arms around

Paris’s waist and kissed his nape. “I assure you that if it were, we’d be

somewhere on a cruise, just the two of us.”

That sounded amazing to Paris, but alas, he knew they couldn’t

afford to have time to themselves, not yet, at least. They’d come here

to solve the dilemma of Paris’s mother’s disappearance. Now that he

was here, Paris had no clue where to even start. He realized he hadn’t

truly thought ahead at what suggestions he could provide. Hell, he’d

never even left the United States until now. If not for Jace, he

wouldn’t have known how to come to the vampire coven in the first

place. How could he possibly guess her location and that of her

warlock ally?

“You’re thinking so hard again.” Jace turned him around and

forced him to meet his gaze. “Stop berating yourself for things

beyond your control. You’re right about one thing. You’re the one

42

Scarlet Hyacinth

who knows your mother best. You can offer valuable input on her

character.”

“If I’d known her so well, I wouldn’t have allowed her to hurt

Reed,” Paris replied morosely. He shook himself, knowing now was