My Forbidden Barbarian Mate

The Damn Rules

Maddox

The night sure is promising. My eyes are glued to Jade the entire time, and I can't help but grind my teeth. Her electric blue eyes land on mine, and I stuff my mouth with popcorn. I don't want her to see that I am pissed and jealous because she chose to sit with Seb instead of me.

"So, are we going to reject her, mate?" My wolf, Adom asks. He asks the question that has been on my mind the entire time.

"Rules are rules, you know what happened the last time we marked a mate." The memory still haunts me up to now.

My mind is lost even though the game continues. I honestly don't know, "But are you really sure she is our mate?" I ask him just to be sure.

The bond isn't strong, but I feel it will ignite anytime soon. The same way everywhere her eyes touch ignites my skin. Why does she have to be so sexy and beautiful? How can I reject someone like that? Is this a test from the moon goddess or a blessing?

It's my turn to pick a card, and when I reach out, my hand bumps into Jade's, and the spark that ignites has me flinching away. I can't help but stare into Jade's eyes once more. The whole time, I ask myself how I will survive not wanting and chasing after her.

"Rules are rules," I chant to myself. It's a strict rule that my pack stands on. No mates, and because of that, you won't find pups around. The new members are from the prisoners we get. Others, after finishing their sentence, choose to stay in the pack.

I clear my throat and hold my card. She does the same and leans away, close to Seb, and I throw daggers his way. If looks could kill, he would be dead right now.

"Okay, I will read my card first," I voice out. "It's a truth, and honestly, I can't guess who wrote this, but I won't lose my one chance. The question reads, 'Are you crushing on anyone in this pack?'"

It should have been anything but this question. And I can't lie, damn.

I avoid looking at Jade; she is my mate, after all. Everything inside of me is telling me to f**k her right at this game. "It happens to be that I am," I answer softly, cracking a small smile when I think of all the things I can do to her, just to have her screaming my name.

My member begins to harden when I think of her, and I make the mistake of looking at her lips, which she bites.

Seb is busy answering his question, and the whole time, I worry about what I might do.

Seb's card asks him to reveal a truth, and he shifts.

"Don't kill me," Seb sounds worried.

"Talk, and then maybe, just maybe, we won't kill you," I reply casually as I grab a drink and pour some into my plastic cup.

They all give me wide eyes; I shrug, "What? I am thirsty." More like my d**k is rock-hard.

I take a shot and cough profoundly.

"Damn, this s**t is strong."

The game continues, and Jade steals glances my way; I can feel it. I fight hard not to look at her. I am still pissed she chose to sit next to Seb and not me. I am a very petty man where my mate is concerned.

Truth and dares are done at this never have I ever game, and the whole time, I enjoy my popcorn while I watch the show in front of me.

It's Jade's turn to read her dare, and I pay particular attention to that.

"So my dare is to hug one of the males in this room."

She looks around to scan us, but her eyes completely avoid mine.

She wants trouble; I can see it. The tension in the room rises, and it makes me shift in my seat. I am just glad my d**k isn't as hard anymore.

Her eyes settle on Seb, and I know that's the trouble she has been looking for. I grind my teeth and crush the popcorn in my hands.

"So who do you choose?" Ella asks her. I turn to glare at Ella, but I am met with Malik's challenging gaze.

He is surely protective of his mate; he won't even let an alpha glare at her.

"I choose Seb," those are the f*****g words I was hoping not to hear from her lips.

She just has to piss me off even more. That makes me growl rather loudly, and all four look at me questioningly.

My mind is in a crazy haze. I don't want to show that I am so f*****g jealous, yet every action of mine proves that.

"Won't I end up dead by the end of tonight?" Seb asks as he looks at me with worry in his eyes.

I give him an evil smirk that makes me smile weirdly.

"I will protect you with my magic," Ella tells him, and I avoid glaring at her, even though everything in me is screaming to do so.

They just want to set me off tonight; I can feel it. It is the sexy vixen of a troublemaker with her devious plans that's setting me off. I am like a ticking time bomb ready to explode any second.

They stand up and hug each other. I swallow hard and look elsewhere before I do something I might regret, like wringing Seb's neck or f*****g Jade in front of everyone to show them who she belongs to.

"Just do that," my wolf tells me, and I smirk at the idea. It wouldn't be bad, except I can't mark her. She will end up dead the moment I do.

"Rules are rules," I chant to myself.

And these very rules I have stood by are driving me nuts every second. I want her so bad yet I can't have her.

"I think I need some popcorn too." Ella smiles. She is great at taunting others; I will give her that.

"Real funny, Ella, real funny,"

Seb and Jade have pulled away and are back in their seats next to each other.

It's my turn to read a never have I ever.

"Never have I ever had sex."

The fuckery is this; it's very ridiculous. I am sure we have all f****d someone. f**k, it's been so long since I f****d anyone. Ever since... My first mate. And now that I have met Jade, the urge is giving me chills. It's even more dangerous that she is a sexy, vixen, troublemaker, and walking temptation.

"I will sit this one out."

I am stunned, to think...

"Like really?" Ella asks, and Seb nods.

Jade's electric blue eyes finally fall on me. She glares hard, and I instantly have a feeling she will say something foul. The day I will put my d**k in that mouth...

"It's because of the rules of this pack, isn't it?" She accuses, interfering with my line of thought. For that, I will wipe her with my d**k.

Look at me planning when I ain't allowed to have a mate.

"Our rules ain't bad. They keep everyone safe." I defend, except the rules are back to bite me in the ass.

"Suppose you are given a mate. Are you going to reject that mate, Alpha?" The way she says my title is as though she is mocking me. She knows, too, doesn't she? That she is my second-chance mate. That tension once more, it rises; you could cut through it with a knife. If it doesn't lower, someone will suffocate here, and I doubt it's me.

"I can't answer that right now; it's not part of the questions." I avoid it completely. But deep down, I know what to answer. I want this woman more than anything. She is like a wild ocean wave that I want to surf through until I tame it. She is a new breath of life, and for once, it doesn't seem boring anymore. I thought that if I fought for a position and became a council member, I would find joy, but that thought doesn't seem promising anymore. I might not want to accept it now, but it's clear that it's a mate I longed for and that mate is seated in this very room, yet is forbidden.

Fuck the damn rules.

The storm in my mind continues to rage on, and so does the game. The rest continue to pick cards and read the truths. They all answer, and none of us lose their one chance yet.

Ella picks a card that asks her the dumbest thing she has ever done, and when she tells us how she believed her ex and got dumped by him, Jade is pissed.

"I never knew you to do dumb things. When did that change?" she asks. I love how straightforward she is. She has Luna qualities, and she doesn't even see them. The kind of qualities I have always wanted my Luna to have.

"I guess I was just desperate," Ella responds, looking sad. I can only imagine what's going through her mind.

"You shouldn't have even talked to him in the first place. You may not have told me everything, but I saw how sad you looked when you showed up at the office for the first time. And that is what made me decide to be friends with you. Next time he tries anything, tell me, and he won't have any balls left.”

Jade sounds murderous, but damn, what a turnaround. I shift around to put my d**k, which is beginning to strain my pants, in a better position. Damn, does she feel this heat too?

The lucky bastard Malik picks a card that dares him to kiss anyone in the room, and of course, he kisses his mate Ella.

Next is Jade, who dared to kiss anyone in the room, and my mind freezes. She looks around once more and looks at Seb. Seb shifts uncomfortably when he sees the glare I give him. He isn't going to kiss my mate when I am around. He won't even see tomorrow if that happens.

"So who have you decided to kiss this evening? Make sure you choose wisely; this might be your only night kissing someone from this pack. Not with the rules they have. They don't even allow touching the men." What a cunning statement. Ella is right about one thing though—Jade better choose wisely or someone will die tonight.

“So I can choose anyone, even Malik is on the list of men you know,” she replies just as cunningly. Oh, what a troublemaker.

She looks at Seb once more, and he looks at me. He is trembling in his seat. The death stare he receives makes him tremble even more.

“I don't want to be killed tonight.” His voice shakes, and it makes me smirk.

“Come on, Seb, the rules of the game will protect you. Besides, none of us wants to kill you tonight, isn't that right, Maddox?” Malik taunts me further.

He knows I want to pulverize Seb.

That only makes me groan. “If you don't kiss me, Jade, someone will definitely die tonight,” I say as calmly as possible.

The room cheers for us, but I am dead serious.

“Come here and kiss me.”