"Add 'clean up kitchen' to that list," I laughed to Wes hours later. We went to make food at the pack house and it turned out that we made a mess instead.

"I am not making that list longer," Wes said, hanging his head as he trudged over to me. He was right; it was already a pretty long list that was filled with chores rather than whatever desk work he thought he'd have. I had to help him on what I could manage. He placed his hands on either side of me as I sat on the counter—still not yet his height. He leaned down to me though. "You going to help me with it?"

"I'll think about it," I giggled as there was flour in his hair. I ran my hands through it to shake it off. He searched my face and leaned in towards my face. I thought he would kiss me, but he stopped, inches away and started to laugh. I laughed nervously because I didn't know what he was thinking.

Suddenly the kitchen's back door opened and closed and Dane walked in. He sniffed the air, walked over, and then grabbed a cookie—one of various made foods. When he walked back past us, he stopped by me. He smirked and turned to face me. Suddenly, he leaned in like Wes had, but quickly licked my cheek like food was on it.

"Sweet," he commented with a smirk as I wiped off my cheek from his saliva. He turned to Wes before looking between us. He smirked as if wanting to suggest something between us, but kept his mouth shut. He left to jog up the stairs, but then came back down with a backpack and missing cookie and then headed out the door.

For some reason, Dane's appearance humbled Wes and caused him to acknowledge the magnitude of the mess we really made. He stopped playing around and minutes later there was a sink full of bubbles and water for us to start washing dishes. I only wanted to wash my face though.

"Does a werewolf's spit on your skin do anything?" I asked. Dane's minimal saliva had transformed from an itch to a full on stinging on my cheek and it was as painful as annoying.

"Considering you and I have swapped spit quite a few times, I'm going to have to say no," he laughed.

"You sure? Because it's like Dane's spit is entering my skin and burning me!" I exaggerated. Wes turned to me and raised a hand to the cheek that Dane licked. With the soap on his hand, he started scrubbing on my face and a flinched away, but he struggled to keep cleaning me with an amused expression on his face.

"Wes," I laughed.

"Be still. I'm cleaning you," he reasoned. I suddenly reached my hand into the water and splashed him. He paused and gave me a doubtful look. I didn't know why I did it other than simply because I could...plus I wasn't a fan of all the worry Dane had somehow caused to his face. In an instant, an all out water fight began.

"Wait. Ow, ow, ow," I stopped. I wiped my left hand on Wes' shirt and then rubbed my eye. He stopped immediately and dropped the dish rag he was about to douse me with. "I think you got soap in my eye."

"Let me see," he said. I opened my eye in a squint and he peered in it. Suddenly, I dipped my hands in the water and wiped it in his face. "Oh no you didn't!"

"Yes I did!" I laughed as our fight continued. He started to tickle me and I surrendered for the duration of the reaction, but he only cradled my hands between our chests and hugged me into him by my waist. We laughed to each other and noticed the back door open and close and that's when the distance was becoming painful to me for some reason.

"What. The. Hell."

We turned to see Chase and Kayla looking at our mess like we were crazy. Wes and I parted, but Wes was the only one laughing. I immediately felt my stomach drop as if I had disappointed Chase by having fun with someone else even though I didn't owe him that.

"Blame Dane," Wes said first.

"I leave you a few things to do, and I'm pretty sure destroying the kitchen wasn't one of those things," Chase scolded.

"We were getting around to it," Wes laughed and nudged me. I noticed that Chase never once looked over at me directly. I felt like a child being scolded, which wasn't supposed to be the case at all. I snapped myself out of it as fast as I could.

"Your job wasn't to have fun—it was to get the work done," Chase admonished.

"Well we had fun in the process," Wes shrugged.

"You made a mess in the process," Chase corrected. "Get this cleaned up."

"We were cleaning it up, but then your brother decided to lick her face and...I helped her clean it," Wes explained, trying to keep a straight face, but he was like a rebellious teen trying to showcase and hide his outlandish accomplishments. Chase's composure changed, but he tried to prevent it and then took another look. Either way, his eyes were darkened.

"Get it cleaned up and go into the office when you're done," Chase ordered to one of us before walking off with Kayla.

Wes still laughed.

"What?" I asked. His laugh was contagious as he turned to the sink and grabbed the towel to start cleaning the counter.

"I just think it's hilarious," he answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He's mad," Wes informed in a smile. "He's mad at the fact that you're here with me and that Dane licked you. And more than that he's jealous, which I think is even funnier now that he's not really allowed to be."

"Jealous?" Wes was right. Whenever Chase acted out of jealousy when I was actually with Wes, it made sense because (as much as he wanted to admit it) he liked me and I was giving my attention to someone else. But now? We all knew Wes and I wouldn't cross a romantic boundary because of April. And it took one decision for him to claim me and extinguish whatever envious feelings he had towards my friendship and comfort to have drama-less fun with Wes.

"Mostly because Dane's scent is on you, not because of me for once," Wes notified. Like when a dog pees on a fire hydrant? Great. "It's a mate thing. Since technically you're his, not anyone else's for the taking...or licking—"

"I'm not anyone's," I said firstly

"Well you're his mate, so technically—"

"Technically, if I was his mate, we'd be together and wouldn't be having this conversation," I sang. Wes paused. "What?"

"Do you think about you and him being together?" Wes asked. Yes.

"No," I lied and began cleaning so he would drop it. We continued to clean the kitchen in silence until he turned on music, but there weren't very many words shared between us. Seemingly an hour later, I was on my way to the office on behalf of a plotting Wes who knew Chase probably wouldn't yell at me for the mess we made. However, when I got upstairs there was moaning and kissing noises originating from Chase's room. I noted his door was open and didn't really want to pass by and see what was happening so I lined against the wall.

"Babe," Chase told Kayla, but I heard their lips smack into another kiss. They were breathing heavily and I didn't want to imagine what they were doing in there. The memory of him and my own sister took weeks to burn out of my brain, but knowing my internal and justified claim on him now would probably kill me if I saw him and Kayla now. "Kayla."

As soon as he said it, I knew my assumption of physically seeing them together would hurt me beyond my control. Hearing him moan her name was enough for my ears to ring.

"Stop," I suddenly heard Chase's voice say in a breath as if he was listening in on my true self wanting them to suspend everything they were doing. "Kayla, stop. I said stop!"

"Why?" Kayla breathed as I heard their lips connect again.

"Because I said so," Chase reasoned. There was a pause. "Kayla—"

"What's one more time?" Kayla asked.

"Stop," Chase commanded.

"No," she finally said.

"I said I don't want to," Chase finally raised his voice and I felt myself sighing of relief. Maybe because I was still angry and thought he didn't deserve pleasures from anyone...maybe because I was his mate who knew I only wanted him to get pleasure from me—no one else. Even though I hated it, I still liked Chase and something triggered inside of me when he was with someone else because of the stupid imprint...maybe I had listened to Wes tell me to give in to the bond one too many times.

"Why not?" Kayla asked out of breath.

"You know why," Chase said quietly. Kayla let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You're seriously not deciding to hook up with me for her?" she laughed. "This is just ridiculous."

"You know how this works," he whispered.

"Oh yeah? Then why'd you get back with me then?" she asked. There was silence because it was a question that literally everyone was wondering. "This can work out if you want it to, Chase."

"It's never gonna work out—"

"Then how the hell is Wes still in love with her even though he's with April?!"

"You think that's working out?" Chase raised his voice and a slight pathetic laugh. "Wes and Alicia aren't together anymore. He fell for her because he thought April was gone and he wouldn't have to share his heart. As soon as April got back, they didn't do anything because we all know Wes was always in love with her and Alicia didn't make him choose even though his feelings were real. It's different. I'm sorry, but I'm never gonna have those feelings for you like he did for her. I'm an idiot for acting like every touch I have with you isn't burning me because it isn't her."

With that, I heard her climb off his bed and I began taking steps to hide away further down the hall to not completely let them believe I was eavesdropping.

"Well when you're drunk and just want to f*ck her and her virgin ass denies you, you'll be begging to be with me again," she shouted. "Do yourself a favor and don't call me."

"I won't," Chase assured. "If me and her are ever together, there's no way in hell that I'd even attempt to go back with you for that. My sister's hatred towards us isn't worth it. Alicia's hatred toward me isn't worth it. You're not worth it."

"Well first of all, you need to get your priorities straight for that to happen," she said, sniffing with her tears. The fragility in her tone made me want to feel bad for her, but considering that this was my enemy and he was my mate...I absolutely loved that they were breaking up right now. "You either want to be with her or you don't. You don't get both."

"We'll see."

I heard shuffling like maybe she was gathering her things or waiting for Chase to get an epiphany and apologize. "You're serious," she noticed.

"Yes, I'm serious," Chase stated. Kayla scoffed and I didn't have enough time to move further down the hall before Kayla stormed out. I was about five feet away from the door with my back to them as I heard her heels click down the hall and stairs. My distance or hiding really didn't matter because her sights were only set on the exit.

"I know you were listening," a voice whispered to me as I was down the hall. It echoed through the hall so much that I thought it was Wes and started laughing at the fall of the bitch I never actually wanted to deal with, but when I emerged from the corner, I found out it was not Wes at all. Chase stood towering over me without a broken expression anywhere on his face.

"I would say 'sorry' about you getting dumped, but I—" I really didn't care and you definitely deserved it.

"I wouldn't call it 'dumping'—"

"Dude. You got dumped," I laughed even though I fraction of me wanted to pat his arm and give him a hug for the slice of wasted time and whatever emotions he had actually spent with Kayla in his life. I was just acting cold because I didn't want him to know I heard what he said. I wanted to question why his eyes were so light (maybe he actually was happy to get rid of her), but the moment fell tacit between us and I didn't really want to have a conversation with him. I began to walk away from him, but he quickly shifted positions and his arm created a bar with the wall in my path.

"I'm sorry for yelling earlier," he apologized. "I was just mad that it's been so easy for you..." To what? Move on from him? In all honesty, there was nothing to move on from considering he never let me in with enough consistency for us to ever be solid. "I mean," he restarted, "I was mad because of the whole Dane thing and because I was seeing you were having a good time with Wes."

"Chase—" I wanted to tell him how stupid he was to be jealous over a situation he had the power to change.

"No," he interrupted. "You don't have to say anything. I know I'm being hypocritical for it. I should just be glad you're still able to have fun," he revealed and I saw a new shade in his forest eyes. I still saw darkness in their background though. "I want you to be happy no matter what, even if it includes someone else making it happen...even if it pains me to see it being Wes. Whether it's you two destroying the house or making out, I should be happy that you're happy."

I took a deep breath in as I just turned to walk around him after making my decision on a response. He held me there though.

"What'd I do now?" he whispered because he expected a verbal response.

"I've decided that I don't believe you," I stated. He gave me a confused look. "I believe you being mad and jealous because unfortunately that's just who you are as a person, but it's the mates thing that I'm not too sure about."

"Why not?" Now his eyes were black with the belief I was going to officially reject him or something. I wasn't really doing that, but now I was realizing how he was operating. He was very self aware when it came to what he told Kayla, but this was me he was talking to and he liked to easily pass his behavior off as some comparison between him and Wes. But maybe I should've chosen my words more carefully considering how deranged he started to look.

"Because I don't want my mate acknowledging that other people are making me happy and you should just be okay with it," I revealed. "Wes and I are happy with whatever we do because he knows how to express himself to me and not only people and even though he's so blunt that he gets himself slapped or food thrown at him, at least he's being straight forward with me." I took a step near Chase and my aggression had scared him into lowering his arm from the confinement he created. "If you were my mate, you should want to make me happy yourself instead of finding every reason for us to fight in your spare time of trying to otherwise push me away."

I knew that most mundane girls would love to hear the great Chase Cane telling them what he told me as his own personal way of evading commitment, but I wasn't one of them. All the cards were on the table now and they were up to him. But to carry on his previous behavior of telling everyone about his feelings but me, his response danced behind his lips and he found nothing to say. He was only intimidated into lowering his arm and allowing me to return downstairs.

But as I should've felt proud of myself foreffectively communicating what I wanted from him, I felt worse and worseputting distance between us. I found myself disappointed in not only him butalso myself at the realization that even though I hated the situation, he wasstill my mate and I had developed an even bigger crush on him that surpassedthe feelings I once had for Wes.