Submission Is Not My Style - Chapter 67: Chapter 67

It takes another three goddamn hours to reach the pack, and of course, my wolf never stops clawing at the inside of my chest—dragging us forward by the throat the entire time. He grows more restless and agitated with every passing minute, increasingly impatient and pissed off, though he still refuses to tell me why.
I’ve asked him over and over again, what the hell is wrong with you? But all I get is growls and the sharp snap of teeth like a rabid beast.
I try to reason with myself. It’s probably the frustration of being away from Kali for too long. He’s furious we wasted time dealing with the Alpha King’s bullshit when we should’ve been home, wrapped around our mate.
The second I cross the territory line, I don’t slow down. I shut off every mind-link trying to reach me—Fury, pack warriors, even the damn omegas. I don’t care who it is. I block them all. There’s only one person I want right now.
Kali.
I rush through the pack grounds, ignoring the bowed heads and startled glances as I head straight to the house. My boots hit the porch hard, and I shove the door open, calling out instinctively, “Kali?”
Silence.
I inhale deeply, searching for her scent—but it’s faint. Stale. Like she hasn’t been here in hours. That alone nearly sends me into a panic. She was supposed to be here. Safe. Waiting. Home.
So why the hell isn’t her scent fresh?
I told Fury to make sure she got back safely. My growl rumbles low in my throat as my eyes scan the living room.
But then another scent hits me—jasmine—and it’s everywhere. Lingering heavily in the air, like she’s been pacing, crying… something. I round the corner, and there she is—curled in the corner of the living room like a child, her arms wrapped around her legs.
“Jasmine?” I breathe, confused. What the hell is she doing here? Not in her secret treehouse, not in her mate’s home, but my house?
She slowly lifts her head to look at me like she’s trying to convince herself I’m not some ghost or monster. Her eyes are red and glassy, like she’s been crying for hours. Her lips tremble.
“Jack?" she whispers. Barely a sound. Her voice is shaky—unsure, broken.
I step inside slowly, my brows knit together. “Are you okay? What happened?”
She lets out a small whimper and hides her face again. Her body is visibly shaking.
That’s when I see it—the mark.
A mate mark. Fresh. Right on the side of her neck.
Khoas’ mark.
I blink in surprise, my first instinct relief.
“You’re finally marked,” I say, trying to smile—though it doesn’t quite reach my eyes. Deep down, I silently wish it were Kali wearing my mark. “It’s about time... huh. Congratulations, Jas.”
I chuckle awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Where the hell is that idiot mate of yours anyway? You two should be glued together by now.”
Still no answer. Another small sound escapes her throat—almost like a sob—and she curls in tighter, burying her face into her hands, her shoulders trembling.
“Hey… are you crying?” I ask softly. “Is this… tears of joy or…?”
Again, no answer.
I take a slow step forward, heart clenching at the sight of her. Maybe it’s just overwhelming. Beautiful, even. I make a mental note not to leave Kali’s side once I mark her—if this is how it hits women, I’ll stay with her. Always.
I’m about to crouch beside Jasmine to offer her comfort when the front door slams open behind me.
“Kali?” I ask, standing straight and spinning around with a grin that drops the moment I realise it’s not her.
It’s Fury.
And he looks like he’s seen a ghost—or worse, like death breathing down his neck. His eyes wild. Chest heaving like he ran the whole way here. His face is pale—pale—which makes no damn sense for someone who didn’t even flinch when I once threatened to snap his neck.
“Alpha…” he breathes, stumbling in.
A chill crawls down my spine. “Where’s Kali?” I demand.
“About that, Alpha…” he starts, but his voice cracks.
My blood begins to boil.
He gulps hard. “The Luna—she arrived before us. When I reached the house, I couldn’t find her.”
I take a slow step toward him, frowning deeply, staring at him like he’s grown two heads. “What the fuck are you saying right now? That doesn’t even make sense. How the hell did she arrive before you? You were supposed to escort her and her mother back safely. That was a direct order.”
“Her mother stayed behind at Red Night. Said she had unfinished business. But Kali… we left together. All of us shifted into wolf form. But…”
“But what, Fury?” I snarl. “Start making sense.”
He swallows. “She… outran us.”
I freeze.
“You’re telling me an untrained female outran my warriors in wolf form?”
He hesitates, glancing toward Jasmine before looking back at me. “Alpha... she’s not ordinary.” He shakes his head slowly. “Her wolf—fuck, I’ve never seen anything like it. Massive. Like something out of a legend. Before we could even process what we were seeing, she vanished. Just disappeared into the trees. Like... like she stepped through space. I swear to the Moon Goddess, Alpha, she was faster than anything we could track.”
Silence.
Then I let out a laugh. Loud. Harsh. Disbelieving. It echoes off the walls, bordering on hysterical, as if something inside me has finally snapped.
“Do you hear yourself?” I growl between bitter laughter, bending slightly with one hand on my knee, my eyes burning with fury.
“You actually expect me to believe that a weak, untrained she-wolf outran an elite team of warriors? What are you high on—wolfsbane?”
I straighten up, my voice turning low and dangerously cold. “You—the same wolf who once ran fifty miles through enemy territory without so much as breaking a sweat—you’re telling me she outran you?Did you hit your head on a fucking tree?”
His face flushes red as he bows his head, the scent of shame and fear rolling off him in waves.
I take a long, slow breath—just enough to stop myself from punching him square in the jaw.
“So where’s my mate now, Fury?”
He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I don’t know. I’ve searched everywhere—the borders, the woods, the training fields, even the riverbank. There’s no sign of her.”
The silence that follows is colder than death. A vicious, gut-twisting dread starts to take over me.
Then my sister’s voice breaks through the tension—soft, shaky. “Jack… I think you should believe him—”
I whip around, fury flaring in my chest as she stands from the floor. “Not now,” I snap, glaring at her sharply. “We’ll talk later. Go find Khoas and tell him to get his ass to me immediately. He’s got some explaining to do, because I swear to the Moon Goddess, if he doesn’t—”
Jasmine flinches but nods quickly, wiping her cheeks before hurrying out the door.
I turn back to Fury, eyes cold and hard. “You. With me. Now.”
He follows silently, his gaze fixed on the floor.
“Where are we going, Alpha?” he asks quietly.
“To the pack doctor,” I growl. “Because clearly, your damn head needs to be checked.”
And with that, we storm out of the house—me, furious and confused, and Fury, walking beside me like a man on death row.