Page 69 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos (The Rossi Legacies #7)

Jayce

“ H e’s messing around with Sienna!”

“What?” Dad asks. “Is that true?”

I shake my head at Ares. What a fucking liar.

Theo scoffs. “Na, that shit wasn’t it, and I don’t fucking like when you butt into my shit,” he says, looking at me.

Renji pinches the bridge of his nose as Dad watches me. “Jayce, want to answer that? Is that true?”

“It is, and I was going to tell you, but Ares here is a fucking wanker.” I clench my jaw. Dad’s brows furrow.

“Right, I’ll talk to Jayce after. Now what was really going on here?” he asks.

Ares scoffs. “Yeah, Daddy’s favourite gets away with everything!” he snaps.

“I don’t have a favourite.” Dad narrows his eyes.

Theo shakes his head. “We’re old enough to deal with our own problems, Dad. This isn’t over.” The last part of his sentence is directed at Ares, his milky white eyes holding the faintest hue of blue to them. I frown. I’ve never noticed that before…

But he looks away and walks over to Ares. I think he’s about to push past him, but it’s Ares who slams his shoulder into Theo’s.

“Ares, man!” Renji growls in frustration. Theo’s aura surges before he spins around and kicks Ares in the side of his head. His neck snaps to the side before he’s thrown to the ground. Ares breaks his fall as Theo towers over him.

“Even if Jayce stepped down, I wouldn’t let you win that title, you pussy.”

“You don’t even want to be Alpha,” Ares snarls, now getting to his feet.

Theo smirks. “No, but just so you don’t get it, I would do it, willingly.”

I frown, looking at my brothers. Since when did the title of alpha matter so much to them?

Dad’s quiet. He’s clicked on what they were fighting over. He might not get things when it comes to emotional connections or romance, but stuff like this doesn’t escape him.

“Why is this conversation even happening?” he now asks. “You’re not walking off, Theo.”

“What do you want to say?” Theo asks. “Because I’m going to knock his fucking teeth out if I hear one more piece of shit from him!”

“Theo, bro, calm the fuck down,” I say.

“I’m fucking done with this shithead.” Theo turns and smashes the bench before he walks off, ignoring Dad’s command.

Ares shakes his head. “Fuck you all!” He storms off, leaving the three of us with Dad.

“Anyone want to tell me what the hell just happened?” Dad growls.

I shake my head. “I don’t even know.”

Renji shakes his head. “Same. I only came halfway.”

Carter sighs. “Theo said Ares needs to fix up, considering what’s to come, and Ares told Theo he doesn’t need to step into Jayce’s shoes. Does Ares think he’ll be the next Blood Moon Alpha? Theo told him to shut the hell up,” Carter begins explaining as Renji nods.

“And that’s when I showed up. They started arguing, and well, then Jayce and you turned up, and that’s about it. Just too many hormones and nowhere to release them.” Renji grins now, glancing at me. I simply arch an eyebrow, shoving my hands into my pockets. Dad nods.

“Right, you two, go get some rest. You have to return to the Academy tomorrow. Jayce, a word?”

I knew this was coming.

Carter glances between us before he walks off, and Renji follows, whistling. Just another day with the fucking Westwood Quints. But I don’t know, it seems like the fighting is becoming far more frequent.

“Sienna?” Dad asks, looking at me.

“Yeah,” I say quietly.

“Jayce, is this-”

“I really hope you’re not about to ask me if I’m playing or if I’m serious because I’ll take it as an insult. You know me better than that.”

Dad sighs. “Ok, I won’t ask you that. I will trust that you’ll make the right decision, but what if you find your mate?”

My decision would have been the same, even if I didn’t already know that she was my mate.

“If I had to choose between a fated mate and Sienna, I’d choose Sienna every single time, no matter what.

Only her, and I’ll forsake everything for her.

” A soft wind blows through our hair as Dad watches me, a slight frown creasing his brow, his scar drawing my attention.

“Well said.”

Dad and I both turn to see Grandad walking towards us. He’s shirtless. He must have been asleep until he was disturbed. But despite that, there’s a twinkle in his eyes and a warm smile on his face.

“You would say that,” Dad says with a smile.

“Walk with me, both of you,” Grandad says as we both fall in step with him. He runs his fingers through his hair as we head towards the trees.

“Did the boys disturb you?” Dad asks.

“They did wake me, yeah, but it wasn’t an issue – reminded me of them when they were younger.”

“I don’t think we fought as much when we were younger,” I say.

“You will be 20 soon. You boys are at that age where you all want to find your place. It’s normal.

Of course, I didn’t have brothers, but Aaron and Liam – they were like my brothers, and we fought at times.

We’d usually settle it in the boxing ring, though.

Ares has a temper, but he doesn’t mean harm. ”

I don’t agree; something is off with him.

“And if a sparring match didn’t work, we’d try to push through the other’s walls. Find out the problem and work on fixing it. Often it’s something deeper. There is nothing on this planet that can’t be fixed.”

“Words of wisdom,” Dad says.

Grandad cocks a brow. “That goes for you, too, Liam.”

Dad shoves his hands into his pockets. “Got it.”

“So, Sienna Rossi?” Grandad looks at me, and I nod in confirmation, looking ahead.

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t see that coming, but I’m all for it. The Rossis have taken my daughters. It’s only fair that my grandson takes one of theirs.”

Dad chuckles. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

Grandad nods. “She’s Rafael’s granddaughter. If he were alive, he’d have been happy. What does she say if she finds her mate? Have you two discussed that? I know you sound confident in your emotions.”

I smile. “I’m pretty confident in her feelings, too.”

And we are mates.

I look at the sky that peeks through the treetops. A few stars are visible, but it’s mostly cloudy. It’s kinda peaceful out tonight…

We walk around the tree line before circling back towards the house. “You’re the Deimos King now, make us proud,” Grandad says, patting my shoulder.

I give him a small smile. “I’ll try to.”

“Now hurry along. I think someone’s waiting for you,” Grandad says. Both Dad and I turn, but I can’t sense anyone.

Grandad chuckles. “I’m sure I saw her by that tree near the house. She knows how to hide well.”

“Well then, goodnight to the both of you,” I say before I walk towards the tree, picking up her undeniable scent. Dark cherries laced with temptation. Sweet, yet dangerous.

I lean against the rough bark of the tree she’s hiding behind. One foot lifted, heel pressed just so. My eyes peer around the trunk, and there she is.

Long, dark red curls spill down her shoulders like fire made of silk. Her pouty lips part just a little, and those huge red eyes flick up to meet mine before darting away again. She’s blushing.

I smirk. “Miss me?”

She tries to hide the smile tugging at her lips, but fails adorably. Her eyes drop, lashes fluttering, and she gives the smallest nod.

God, she’s dangerous when she’s shy.

“Tired?” I whisper softly, playing with a strand of her hair. She shakes her head.

“I heard shouting…”

I nod. “Yeah, welcome to the Westwood home.”

She smiles. “So, you told them?”

“Yup, so we don’t need to hide anymore,” I say, pulling her close. The worry I feel about what’s going on with her returns, but I want to show her something. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” I take her hand, lacing my fingers with hers, and lead her into the woods.

Don’t be out too late, Dad says through the mind-link.

We won’t, I promise, before I look at the woman beside me, trying to think about what is troubling her. I might need to talk to Heaven, if there’s a way to look into her mind, to get some answers…

She’s looking around, taking in everything as we reach the lake, and I lead her over to the edges.

“Oh, you’re so lucky to have a lake in your pack!” she says. “I remember when one of your birthday parties was held here, not sure if it’s the same spot…”

I smile faintly. “It wasn’t, but yeah, we have had a party or two down here,” I reply, sitting down on the rough stones and guiding her into my lap, not wanting the stone to scratch her bare legs.

She smiles. “Thanks, and I remember it. You wore a blue shirt on that birthday.”

“I’m surprised you remember.”

Blushing, she curls into me, kicking off her sandals and stretching her leg to let her foot touch the water.

“Of course I do.” The cool breeze is refreshing, and the sound of the rippling water is soothing. Her eyes search mine, soft but curious. “Jayce… you’ve been so quiet since we got here. I heard the shouting earlier. What’s going on?”

I don’t turn to face her for a moment. The tension with Ares makes my insides twist. Why? I wish I could understand what I fucking did.

“It’s Ares,” I finally say, sighing softly. “I don’t understand what’s going on with him. It’s like… he hates me. Over the last year, it’s just gotten worse. We’ve always had our disputes, all five of us, but this I don’t get.”

She nods slowly. The warmth of her body pressing against my chest is comforting.

“Sometimes it could be something else. Ares has been one of the most reserved of you five, and maybe he just struggles to really admit to what’s bothering him.

I have no idea, but maybe whatever it is that is troubling him, he doesn’t know how to address it or even face it. ”

I glance at her, conflicted. “But it shouldn’t be this way. We’re supposed to be family. We’ve always shared everything with one another and been there for one another.”