Chapter 47: The Different Rut

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: The Different Rut

The scent of sweat that clung to the empty locker room was a stark contrast to the volatile emotions swirling within Jason.

His usually immaculate blonde hair now a dishevelled mess from countless frustrated rakes of his fingers, he turned away, staring at the scarred locker, then let his forehead fall against the cool metal locker. A different one from the one he initially dented with his fist minutes ago exhaling a ragged breath. The cool surface did little to soothe the inferno raging beneath his skin.

Shawn stepped forward, his voice carefully neutral, yet with an underlying current of bewilderment.

"Then why, in the name of all that’s sacred, did you mark her Jason?" Shawn’s voice, usually a smooth baritone, was laced with an edge of exasperation that could strip paint.

He now stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his formidable chest, his gaze dissecting Jason.

"That’s the part I still can’t reconcile because it’s the crux of this whole damned mess, isn’t it? What Vanessa is now using as her shield, her leverage. You just....you just had to lose your mind and mark her the first time you slept with her. And now, you’re bound. Whether you like it or not, whether she’s your true mate or not."

Jason pushed off the locker, turning slowly, his jaw tight. A muscle twitched in his cheek. "I didn’t plan it, Shawn. Not a single second of it. Even now, looking back, I still can’t reconcile it with anything I thought I understood about myself, about my wolf.

Three months ago, I... I went into a rut, a particularly savage one. My wolf became an untamed beast, raw and demanding. I tried, goddess know I tried, to be with Iris, to find some solace, some release with her.

But she... I don’t know if she sensed the intensity, the sheer desperation emanating from me, or if it was just bad timing, but she instinctively kept her distance, made sure she was never truly alone with me during that time. And then... Vanessa was there. Conveniently there."

He dragged a hand through his hair again, leaving it in further disarray. His eyes, were shadowed with a fatigue that went beyond mere lack of sleep. Then he paused, a strange, dawning realization flickering across his handsome face.

Finn, ever the observer, leaned back against a bench, arms crossed, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. His eyes, usually dancing with mischief, were narrowed in contemplation.

"There’s something about all of this that still feels... off," Finn mused, a contemplative frown creasing his brow.

"How did Vanessa even know about us, Jason? About our kind? She’s human, She shouldn’t have known. The supernatural community in Seattle has always been so meticulously hidden. It’s like a silent, secret agreement that’s generations old. Our existence is a carefully guarded secret from the wider human world. Did she find out that night, when you... when you marked her? Or did she know before?"

Shawn nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on Jason. "Exactly. That’s a crucial piece of the puzzle. Did she find out when you had sex with her that night, when you were lost in the rut, or was she already aware before you ever touched her?"

Jason’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly, a slow dawning of realization spreading across his features. His posture straightened, a sudden alertness replacing his earlier slouched weariness.

"I... I don’t know... Wait. I think she knew." He looked up at Shawn. " Yes, that has to be it. Otherwise, none of it makes any sense, the way she was... just available. And that particular rut... it was different. Profoundly different.... it wasn’t like the others."

Finn straightened slightly, leaning forward now, his contemplative look deepening into one of genuine curiosity. "Different? What’s the difference, Jay? You’ve had plenty of ruts, we all have." Finn probed, his interest piqued.

"I mean..." Jason’s voice was low, almost a growl, as if the memory itself was a physical pain. He started pacing again, a restless energy coiling in his broad frame. "we’ve all had ruts since we turned at sixteen, right? The intensity, the overwhelming nature of it. It’s always primal, but.... manageable. We don’t lose ourselves totally to it.

But that one... three months ago, it was different. My wolf was... completely unhinged ... it felt utterly out of control. More so than usual, like a beast unleashed with no leash. It felt almost... manipulated. Like something had pushed it beyond its natural boundaries.

Which, in turn, led to the marking. I still can’t quite comprehend it, why my wolf would bind itself to someone who isn’t... our fated mate." Jason’s voice trailed off, the confusion and frustration palpable.

"So, that’s why you suspected she might have drugged you?" Shawn asked, his expression grim.

Jason nodded, a slow, deliberate movement. "Otherwise, it truly doesn’t add up. Vanessa is not my true mate. Why would my wolf, in the throes of such a powerful, instinctual period, suddenly go so completely out of control that it felt compelled to mark her? It defies everything we know about how the bond works."

A heavy silence descended upon the three men, each lost in the unsettling implications of Jason’s words. The distant sounds of the university outside seemed to amplify the quiet in the locker room.

"Well," Finn finally broke the silence, his voice a low drawl, "if you ask me, the only person who can truly shed light on that question, on any of this, is Vanessa herself.

But you can’t exactly confront her directly now, can you? Not without completely shattering the accord, and certainly not if you want to avoid a full-blown council hearing, anyway.

And as an Alpha heir with the weight of your pack, your family’s legacy on your shoulders, you simply cannot afford to cross that line." He shook his head, a hint of disdain in his tone. "That girl is sly, I’ll give her that." He scoffed, a cynical twist to his lips.

Shawn ran a hand over his face, exasperation etched into his features. "Sly doesn’t even begin to cover it. The moment you marked her, and she demanded you break it off with Iris – which you refused to do – she went straight to your father.

Made a public spectacle of it within the werewolf committee, a committee I still can’t fathom how she even knew existed, let alone how to approach. And now, you’re caught, Jason. You have no choice but to accept her as your mate. The mark on her neck... it’s undeniable.The council will not, and cannot, give you any leeway on this."

"And you can’t simply reject her," Finn added, picking up the thread, "because of the Accord. The one established between the human elite who are aware of our existence and the council. You are bound to honor that bond now. It’s a political nightmare, and you’re right in the thick of it."

"But I don’t want her!" Jason’s voice was a raw cry, eyes blazing. "I want Iris! She’s the one I actually care about!"

Finn let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Dude, the real question you should be asking yourself right now, with all this mess, is not what you want. It’s whether Iris even wants you anymore with what I’ve heard."

A guttural growl ripped from Jason’s throat, deep and primal, his eyes flashing brilliant gold, pupils dilating into slits. Fangs elongated, glinting in the fluorescent light, and claws scraped against his palms. Finn, never one to back down, instantly responding to the challenge, mirrored him, his own eyes shifting to molten gold, a low snarl rumbling in his chest as his feet subtly braced, a predatory stance.

"Woah... woah, hold on! Both of you, calm down, right now!" Shawn lunged between them, arms outstretched, acting as a human barrier, though he knew the futility of it if they truly decided to clash.

"This achieves absolutely nothing! You’ll just tear each other apart, and for what?"

Finn was the first to retreat, his golden eyes slowly fading back to their natural color, fangs and claws retracting with a soft click. Jason, still vibrating with suppressed rage, fought for control, his breathing ragged, before his own transformation receded, leaving him trembling.

"Look," Finn said, his voice now devoid of sarcasm, "the semester’s just resumed. And Iris, if she’s anything like we remember, won’t miss classes for anything. I heard that the final year Business Administration students are starting their core courses tomorrow. Apparently, there was a last-minute professor change, and tomorrow’s the new professor’s first day. Everyone will be there. Including Iris."

Jason’s head snapped up, a spark of desperate hope igniting in his eyes. "Really? You’re sure?"

"Yes, I’m absolutely certain of it," Finn confirmed, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Shawn’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait a minute. How on earth do you know what’s happening in the Business Administration department? Aren’t you a Sociology major?"

Finn merely smirked, a flash of his usual roguish charm momentarily breaking through the tension, his handsome features highlighted by the subtle curve of his lips.

"A man has his sources, Shawn. And occasionally, those sources are rather... well-informed, when one knows how to ask the right questions."

"How the fuck did you find out dude? Quit the cryptic phycology talk." Shawn asked with a deadpanned look.

Finn’s smirk widened, highlighting the sharp angles of his handsome face. "I, ah, recently hooked up with a rather charming new girl from that department. She relayed the information after it was announced in their group chat."