Alpha-mates: Chapter-27/?
Chapter-27
Jared was warm and sated when he woke up snuggled against Jensen the next morning. He couldn’t stop his smile as he watched his mate’s smooth features relaxed in sleep. Jensen shifted slightly, as though aware of the scrutiny and the dark hickey Jared had sucked into his collar-bone became visible at the movement. A part of him couldn’t believe he had been that feral- he’d always prided himself on his control before- but the rest of him was just preening at having put such a visible sign of claim on the older Were.
“Mm... can feel you staring,” Jensen mumbled, face still smooshed against his pillow.
“Well, you do make excellent eye candy,” Jared teased.
One green eye reluctantly opened to glare at him before slipping closed again.
Jared laughed, sitting up to leave the bed but unable to go without pressing a quick kiss against the partially bared freckled butt-cheek peeking out from beneath the rumpled sheets. Jensen grumbled sleepily and Jared chuckled as he left the room. He put on a pot of coffee and scourged the refrigerator for something that he could prepare for breakfast, eventually settling for bacon and eggs. He set the skillet to heat and smiled in satisfaction as the fat popped on the bacon. The toaster pinged to announce the toast was ready and Jared glanced towards the bedroom in surprise because usually the sizzle of bacon was a sure-fire way to summon Jensen. Guess he’d exhausted the alpha last night, he mused in smug satisfaction before plating up for two and setting it on the tray next to the two steaming mugs of coffee.
“Breakfast!” He announced as he stepped back in, watching the alpha jerk awake- obviously he had dosed off again after Jared’s departure.
“You...” The alpha trailed off as he spotted the tray, “You cooked?”
Jared shrugged, mildly offended- sure, he didn’t cook everyday but that was no reason for Jensen to look so surprised!
“You know you don’t have to- that I don’t expect you to- act like a traditional beta, don’t you?”
“Oh,” Jared waved his concerns away, “I made breakfast because I was hungry. Not acting like a beta or anything.”
Jensen relaxed slightly, “How’re you feeling?”
“Good, you?”
A smile ghosted over the alpha’s lips, “Same.”
They shared the meal companionably and then got dressed for the day. Jared was shrugging on the coat of his midnight-blue suit when Jensen spoke up, “Fair warning, Tom’s set up an interview for you this morning before the session begins.”
Jared raised an eyebrow as he leaned over to grab the aftershave just as Jensen reached for it. He did a victory fist-pump as his fingers closed over the bottle first and the alpha rolled his eyes at his juvenile antics, “Whatever for?”
Jensen shrugged, “You might treat it like it was nothing, but what you did is truly rare. And heroic. People want to talk to you, get your side of the story.”
“It’s a one-on-one?”
Jensen nodded, “Yeah, an exclusive. Although I’m sure you’ll find plenty of others trying to grab sound-bites as well.”
“Shit, Jen. You know I’m no good at those.” Jared sighed wearily, “Put me in a room of twenty of them and I can take care of it just fine. Make sure they all leave happy. ... But one-on-one? I’d rather swim with sharks.”
“You’re good at those too,” Jensen laughed, smacking his butt playfully with his tie before winding it ‘round his neck and knotting it expertly.“I’ve got no freaking clue why you think you’re not.”
Jared shook his head, “I can’t read people the way you can, Jen. What if I end up offending them? I don’t want the Bill to suffer just because I’ve pissed off someone-”
“You’ll do fine,” Jensen interrupted, halting his tirade, “And Tom’s assured me that this one’s a complete professional. Apparently wrote a couple of articles about what we’re hoping to establish with this bill as well... and they were written well enough to impress him. So if it makes you feel better, you can focus on the bill. I mean, that’s already been established as a point of interest for this person, so...”
Jared bit his lip uncertainly, “You’ll be there?”
“I’ve got to finalize some things with Tom and the rest,” Jensen shook his head before catching his expression, “but I’ll try to drop in for a bit.”
Jared nodded as he followed Jensen to the car, “Thanks.”
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
Jared felt his throat dry as he watched the statuesque beta journalist saunter in, familiar in a way that she should never have been. It was only when she stepped closer that recognition sparked. “You ...”
“It’s alright, Jared-” she soothed, biting her lip as she realised her error and enquired, “May I still call you Jared?”
“Yes, I mean... of course!” He stammered, “How did you...?”
“It's not their fault,” she hastily told him, “they did not know-”
“But I cannot let them off the hook so easily, beta Cohan-” Jensen spoke as he stepped in, coming to stand text to Jared protectively.
“Please, Alpha...umm Elder Ackles...call me Lauren-”
“Lauren,” Jensen nodded, amending. “I shall be discussing this with Tom...”
“I am sorry,” she repeated, “it was not my intention to get anyone in trouble... nor did I intend to make Jar-err Beta Ackles uncomfortable.”
Jensen nodded acceptance of her apology but made no move to halt her when she hastily gathered the pen and paper she had set on the table a few minutes prior and awkwardly rose to take her leave.
“Wait!” Jared spoke up finally, “were you really here to conduct this interview?”
She hesitated briefly, glancing nervously towards the Elder. “Yes, I was. I have been covering the Beta Bill since the day Lord Ackles presented it.”
“Alpha, please.” Jensen corrected reflexively, “I’m no Lord.”
The beta’s cheeks pinkened at the mild rebuke but before she could apologise, Jared spoke up.
“Then please-” Jared waved at the seat opposite.
She hesitated briefly, glancing nervously at the Alpha flanking Jared. The pack beta sighed as he understood her hesitation and nudged his mate, “You’re making her nervous, Jen.”
“What?! Really?” The alpha’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline in surprise, but then he looked more carefully at the beta and smothered a smile, “I-I’m sorry, I-eh... I guess I’ll just leave you to it, then.” He bent to press his lips chastely against Jared’s temple, “Call me if you need anything?”
Jared nodded; tilting his head up to demand the kiss he knew would not be denied: He was not disappointed. His eyes trailed after his mate as he left the chamber and it was only the soft clearing of a throat that reminded him of his company.
“You two look good together,” she confessed. “Like- Like you belong.”
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
Check out Lauren Cohan’s Interview of Beta Ackles
on her monthly column
‘Tea for Two’
Here
*Read Now*
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
∞∞.∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞.∞∞It had been a fortnight since the Beta Bill was tabled and though he had found it interesting initially to experience the passage of a bill firsthand, it had gotten boring quickly. Each Elder had appointed their own ten-member teams to work on the Bill so that the possibility of loop-holes was minimised. The teams were comprised of people from different walks of life: lawyers, historians, teachers, academicians, youth, theologists, beta representatives and even a mythologist (Alpha Richings’ team) who was tasked with drawing up mythological references for Beta power and rights. The discussions were detailed, every team successfully pulling up a possible problem or two that could occur after the implementation of the bill and then everybody (irrespective of whose team they were from) worked at devising a solution for the same. He was thrilled to discover the amount of work that went into designing a bill, but after ten days, it had lost its charm.
At the moment he just wanted to sleep, it was exhausting to attend the Alpha meet just like Jensen had warned him when he’d first told him about it and a part of him wished that it has not been necessary for him to come to office today. Jensen had assured him that he didn't need Jared at the meet today- that they would be hammering out and negotiating the finer points of the Beta Bill (the way they had for the past fortnight) which-Jensen assured him- was more boring than watching the wind carve the rocks of Monuments Valley, Grand Canyon. After the fortnight he’d spent watching the shaping of the Beta Bill, Jared was not arguing Jensen’s assessment and so he found himself at his office after his month (and half) long hiatus. Finding out that Chad would also be unable to come in that day on account of high fever did not help improve his mood. Nevertheless, he was here now and he walked in as confidently as he could.
The meeting progressed as per his expectations, with everyone questioning their absence initially. He provided them their agreed-upon cover and quickly shifted the topic of conversation to business... Despite the narrowed gaze of some of Ackles’ share-holders, no one questioned his story and Jared was relieved when everyone focused on work. He spent hours getting updated on everything he and Jensen had missed and then discussing the nitty-gritties of their stocks and upcoming projects and expansion plans with them and was wrapping up for the day- looking forward to a swim in their pool and to hear what had gone down at the Meet and fill Jensen in on the business, when Malcolm approached him with a file.
“Is this your signature?” The older alpha with distinguished silver streaks at his temples (too uniform to not have been styled that way) asked softly.
Jared glanced at him in surprise before perusing the scrawl at the bottom of the document and nodding his agreement. His eyes swept up the paper, trying to understand the unfamiliar text, “What is that paper?”
Malcolm did not bother to answer, twisting his face towards the door and announcing ‘got him!’
Jared watched in bewilderment as about ten policemen marched in and surrounded him, “Alpha Padalecki, you are under arrest on charges of embezzlement of funds from your company to your private account.”
Jared opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out.
“You have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be used against you-” The cop continued, reading him his Miranda rights.
Jared barely registered the words, only opening and shutting his mouth in shock as he tried to formulate a response to this insanity. He rubbed viciously at his stinging eyes and when that didn’t work, pinched his forearm, hoping he would wake up from this nightmare. Unfortunately, it turned out to be real and he found himself in handcuffs.
The handcuffs were cold against his skin, warming quickly and everything in him wanted to beg for their removal. The cold steel was hard and unforgiving where it bit into his skin and Jared frantically scanned the faces of the people he’d known back at Padalecki Pvt. Ltd for support but found none, most of them looking betrayed and disappointed in him. The only thing to offer him any sort of support or hope was the tiny, sad smile on the face of his old assistant Adrienne, and Jared knew he needed to maintain his composure. Suddenly though, he missed his mate, having no doubt that Jensen would have supported him unflinchingly; or even Chad- the beta wouldn’t have been able to provide much support (although, hopefully the implementation of the Beta Bill would change that), but at least Chad would’ve been on his side.
At the police station, he utilised his one phone-call to contact Jensen.
“I heard,” the Alpha greeted as soon as the call connected. “Don't worry, I'll get you out-”
“Don't!” Jared protested. He spoke quickly, aware that the call was being listened in on and knowing that he had to convince the Alpha to keep him from acting rashly in an effort to shield Jared the way his instincts demanded. “You and I both know that I am innocent, Jen... but that signature was not a fake even if document was- and I know my handwriting, okay? That was NOT a forgery, brilliant or otherwise... So don't do anything rash. Figure it out. I don't want this to malign -or affect the passage of- the Bill in any way...”
“You don't understand!” Jensen hissed. “It's Friday and the hour is late enough that you cannot be processed today. With tomorrow being the weekend, no intervention will be possible until Monday unless I do this-"
“Don't,” Jared repeated, insistent despite the butterflies in his stomach at the revelation of the amount of trouble he was in. There was a beep and Jared glanced at the cop to see him gesturing ‘ten’. He blinked in confusion, and the count went down to ‘nine’. Realization dawned and Jared hurried to get his point across- “Its two days... I-I- I can handle two days. Take care, Jen. B-”
The line went silent.
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Jared was warm and sated when he woke up snuggled against Jensen the next morning. He couldn’t stop his smile as he watched his mate’s smooth features relaxed in sleep. Jensen shifted slightly, as though aware of the scrutiny and the dark hickey Jared had sucked into his collar-bone became visible at the movement. A part of him couldn’t believe he had been that feral- he’d always prided himself on his control before- but the rest of him was just preening at having put such a visible sign of claim on the older Were.
“Mm... can feel you staring,” Jensen mumbled, face still smooshed against his pillow.
“Well, you do make excellent eye candy,” Jared teased.
One green eye reluctantly opened to glare at him before slipping closed again.
Jared laughed, sitting up to leave the bed but unable to go without pressing a quick kiss against the partially bared freckled butt-cheek peeking out from beneath the rumpled sheets. Jensen grumbled sleepily and Jared chuckled as he left the room. He put on a pot of coffee and scourged the refrigerator for something that he could prepare for breakfast, eventually settling for bacon and eggs. He set the skillet to heat and smiled in satisfaction as the fat popped on the bacon. The toaster pinged to announce the toast was ready and Jared glanced towards the bedroom in surprise because usually the sizzle of bacon was a sure-fire way to summon Jensen. Guess he’d exhausted the alpha last night, he mused in smug satisfaction before plating up for two and setting it on the tray next to the two steaming mugs of coffee.
“Breakfast!” He announced as he stepped back in, watching the alpha jerk awake- obviously he had dosed off again after Jared’s departure.
“You...” The alpha trailed off as he spotted the tray, “You cooked?”
Jared shrugged, mildly offended- sure, he didn’t cook everyday but that was no reason for Jensen to look so surprised!
“You know you don’t have to- that I don’t expect you to- act like a traditional beta, don’t you?”
“Oh,” Jared waved his concerns away, “I made breakfast because I was hungry. Not acting like a beta or anything.”
Jensen relaxed slightly, “How’re you feeling?”
“Good, you?”
A smile ghosted over the alpha’s lips, “Same.”
They shared the meal companionably and then got dressed for the day. Jared was shrugging on the coat of his midnight-blue suit when Jensen spoke up, “Fair warning, Tom’s set up an interview for you this morning before the session begins.”
Jared raised an eyebrow as he leaned over to grab the aftershave just as Jensen reached for it. He did a victory fist-pump as his fingers closed over the bottle first and the alpha rolled his eyes at his juvenile antics, “Whatever for?”
Jensen shrugged, “You might treat it like it was nothing, but what you did is truly rare. And heroic. People want to talk to you, get your side of the story.”
“It’s a one-on-one?”
Jensen nodded, “Yeah, an exclusive. Although I’m sure you’ll find plenty of others trying to grab sound-bites as well.”
“Shit, Jen. You know I’m no good at those.” Jared sighed wearily, “Put me in a room of twenty of them and I can take care of it just fine. Make sure they all leave happy. ... But one-on-one? I’d rather swim with sharks.”
“You’re good at those too,” Jensen laughed, smacking his butt playfully with his tie before winding it ‘round his neck and knotting it expertly.“I’ve got no freaking clue why you think you’re not.”
Jared shook his head, “I can’t read people the way you can, Jen. What if I end up offending them? I don’t want the Bill to suffer just because I’ve pissed off someone-”
“You’ll do fine,” Jensen interrupted, halting his tirade, “And Tom’s assured me that this one’s a complete professional. Apparently wrote a couple of articles about what we’re hoping to establish with this bill as well... and they were written well enough to impress him. So if it makes you feel better, you can focus on the bill. I mean, that’s already been established as a point of interest for this person, so...”
Jared bit his lip uncertainly, “You’ll be there?”
“I’ve got to finalize some things with Tom and the rest,” Jensen shook his head before catching his expression, “but I’ll try to drop in for a bit.”
Jared nodded as he followed Jensen to the car, “Thanks.”
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
Jared felt his throat dry as he watched the statuesque beta journalist saunter in, familiar in a way that she should never have been. It was only when she stepped closer that recognition sparked. “You ...”
“It’s alright, Jared-” she soothed, biting her lip as she realised her error and enquired, “May I still call you Jared?”
“Yes, I mean... of course!” He stammered, “How did you...?”
“It's not their fault,” she hastily told him, “they did not know-”
“But I cannot let them off the hook so easily, beta Cohan-” Jensen spoke as he stepped in, coming to stand text to Jared protectively.
“Please, Alpha...umm Elder Ackles...call me Lauren-”
“Lauren,” Jensen nodded, amending. “I shall be discussing this with Tom...”
“I am sorry,” she repeated, “it was not my intention to get anyone in trouble... nor did I intend to make Jar-err Beta Ackles uncomfortable.”
Jensen nodded acceptance of her apology but made no move to halt her when she hastily gathered the pen and paper she had set on the table a few minutes prior and awkwardly rose to take her leave.
“Wait!” Jared spoke up finally, “were you really here to conduct this interview?”
She hesitated briefly, glancing nervously towards the Elder. “Yes, I was. I have been covering the Beta Bill since the day Lord Ackles presented it.”
“Alpha, please.” Jensen corrected reflexively, “I’m no Lord.”
The beta’s cheeks pinkened at the mild rebuke but before she could apologise, Jared spoke up.
“Then please-” Jared waved at the seat opposite.
She hesitated briefly, glancing nervously at the Alpha flanking Jared. The pack beta sighed as he understood her hesitation and nudged his mate, “You’re making her nervous, Jen.”
“What?! Really?” The alpha’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline in surprise, but then he looked more carefully at the beta and smothered a smile, “I-I’m sorry, I-eh... I guess I’ll just leave you to it, then.” He bent to press his lips chastely against Jared’s temple, “Call me if you need anything?”
Jared nodded; tilting his head up to demand the kiss he knew would not be denied: He was not disappointed. His eyes trailed after his mate as he left the chamber and it was only the soft clearing of a throat that reminded him of his company.
“You two look good together,” she confessed. “Like- Like you belong.”
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
Check out Lauren Cohan’s Interview of Beta Ackles
on her monthly column
‘Tea for Two’
Here
*Read Now*
∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞
∞∞.∞∞\∞‡∞/∞∞.∞∞It had been a fortnight since the Beta Bill was tabled and though he had found it interesting initially to experience the passage of a bill firsthand, it had gotten boring quickly. Each Elder had appointed their own ten-member teams to work on the Bill so that the possibility of loop-holes was minimised. The teams were comprised of people from different walks of life: lawyers, historians, teachers, academicians, youth, theologists, beta representatives and even a mythologist (Alpha Richings’ team) who was tasked with drawing up mythological references for Beta power and rights. The discussions were detailed, every team successfully pulling up a possible problem or two that could occur after the implementation of the bill and then everybody (irrespective of whose team they were from) worked at devising a solution for the same. He was thrilled to discover the amount of work that went into designing a bill, but after ten days, it had lost its charm.
At the moment he just wanted to sleep, it was exhausting to attend the Alpha meet just like Jensen had warned him when he’d first told him about it and a part of him wished that it has not been necessary for him to come to office today. Jensen had assured him that he didn't need Jared at the meet today- that they would be hammering out and negotiating the finer points of the Beta Bill (the way they had for the past fortnight) which-Jensen assured him- was more boring than watching the wind carve the rocks of Monuments Valley, Grand Canyon. After the fortnight he’d spent watching the shaping of the Beta Bill, Jared was not arguing Jensen’s assessment and so he found himself at his office after his month (and half) long hiatus. Finding out that Chad would also be unable to come in that day on account of high fever did not help improve his mood. Nevertheless, he was here now and he walked in as confidently as he could.
The meeting progressed as per his expectations, with everyone questioning their absence initially. He provided them their agreed-upon cover and quickly shifted the topic of conversation to business... Despite the narrowed gaze of some of Ackles’ share-holders, no one questioned his story and Jared was relieved when everyone focused on work. He spent hours getting updated on everything he and Jensen had missed and then discussing the nitty-gritties of their stocks and upcoming projects and expansion plans with them and was wrapping up for the day- looking forward to a swim in their pool and to hear what had gone down at the Meet and fill Jensen in on the business, when Malcolm approached him with a file.
“Is this your signature?” The older alpha with distinguished silver streaks at his temples (too uniform to not have been styled that way) asked softly.
Jared glanced at him in surprise before perusing the scrawl at the bottom of the document and nodding his agreement. His eyes swept up the paper, trying to understand the unfamiliar text, “What is that paper?”
Malcolm did not bother to answer, twisting his face towards the door and announcing ‘got him!’
Jared watched in bewilderment as about ten policemen marched in and surrounded him, “Alpha Padalecki, you are under arrest on charges of embezzlement of funds from your company to your private account.”
Jared opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out.
“You have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be used against you-” The cop continued, reading him his Miranda rights.
Jared barely registered the words, only opening and shutting his mouth in shock as he tried to formulate a response to this insanity. He rubbed viciously at his stinging eyes and when that didn’t work, pinched his forearm, hoping he would wake up from this nightmare. Unfortunately, it turned out to be real and he found himself in handcuffs.
The handcuffs were cold against his skin, warming quickly and everything in him wanted to beg for their removal. The cold steel was hard and unforgiving where it bit into his skin and Jared frantically scanned the faces of the people he’d known back at Padalecki Pvt. Ltd for support but found none, most of them looking betrayed and disappointed in him. The only thing to offer him any sort of support or hope was the tiny, sad smile on the face of his old assistant Adrienne, and Jared knew he needed to maintain his composure. Suddenly though, he missed his mate, having no doubt that Jensen would have supported him unflinchingly; or even Chad- the beta wouldn’t have been able to provide much support (although, hopefully the implementation of the Beta Bill would change that), but at least Chad would’ve been on his side.
At the police station, he utilised his one phone-call to contact Jensen.
“I heard,” the Alpha greeted as soon as the call connected. “Don't worry, I'll get you out-”
“Don't!” Jared protested. He spoke quickly, aware that the call was being listened in on and knowing that he had to convince the Alpha to keep him from acting rashly in an effort to shield Jared the way his instincts demanded. “You and I both know that I am innocent, Jen... but that signature was not a fake even if document was- and I know my handwriting, okay? That was NOT a forgery, brilliant or otherwise... So don't do anything rash. Figure it out. I don't want this to malign -or affect the passage of- the Bill in any way...”
“You don't understand!” Jensen hissed. “It's Friday and the hour is late enough that you cannot be processed today. With tomorrow being the weekend, no intervention will be possible until Monday unless I do this-"
“Don't,” Jared repeated, insistent despite the butterflies in his stomach at the revelation of the amount of trouble he was in. There was a beep and Jared glanced at the cop to see him gesturing ‘ten’. He blinked in confusion, and the count went down to ‘nine’. Realization dawned and Jared hurried to get his point across- “Its two days... I-I- I can handle two days. Take care, Jen. B-”
The line went silent.
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