Saving Jacob (Fated Mates #3)

by Tessa Stone

I’m tired of just existing.

I’ve been locked in my wolf form for a thousand years.

How does a man go from being obsessed with his family to cutting them off without a second thought?

Vampires like to keep witches close—not out of kindness, but for personal gain.

Nia is a miserable Luna, and a miserable Luna makes for a miserable pack.

Seems like witches have a habit of screwing themselves over with curses.

I used to hate witches, but not anymore. Hazel changed that. Fate has been preparing me for this exact moment. For her.

It doesn’t matter that she’s had children. It doesn’t matter that she’s a witch. Nothing matters but the fact that she’s mine.

“If that lunatic tries anything else,” I snap, “I swear I’ll turn him into a frog.”

“You are my mate. I don’t care that you’re a witch. I don’t care that you have children,” he says, his tone calm, certain. “I care that you’re mine. And I’m keeping you.”

I can’t put it into words, but being around him feels different—safe. Like maybe, just maybe, he can wipe away the years of darkness I’ve been buried in.

Pieces falling into place at the right time, even when it felt too late.

Fate doesn’t make mistakes, no matter how much it screws with you when you’re struggling.

And even though I don’t fully trust any man these days, Jacob is different. It’s not his words—it’s his actions that make me pause. Every choice he’s made so far proves just how serious he is about this.

It feels impossible that we’ve only just met, but I know her already—her scent, her energy, her strength. I’ve bonded to her for centuries without realizing it, and now I finally have her in front of me, solid and real. My mate.

“You make my dick stiff when you sleep on me,” he says flatly, his tone so serious it catches me off guard. “I wanted to burst last night.”

A man who abandons his family doesn’t deserve to live. A wolf shifter would be killed on principle for pulling that kind of shit.

“Everything I did—facing the curse, fighting with Hazel—none of that mattered without the promise of you. You’re the reason I did it all.”

“You don’t have to be strong all the time, Mom. That’s what’s killing you—trying to keep it all in, staying strong even when you want to fall apart. That’s part of why we need to go.”

“I want this. I want you. More than you’ll ever understand.”

“I know you want me, Angie,” he says, his voice a low growl as his gaze pins me in place. “I can smell it. I can smell your arousal.”

“With you, I can start over. I can build something... someone. A family. You, Aaron, Tiana, Kiara, Samara, and the babies we’ll make together. You’re the only one who can ease the ache, Angie. Please don’t reject me.”

I tilt my head, exposing my neck, the invitation clear. “Take me,” I pant between ragged breaths, my voice hitching on the words. “Jacob, I’m yours.”

I want to fuck you like an animal, like the wolf I am.”

I’ve fallen for him. Fully. No point in trying to act like I haven’t anymore. It’s the way he takes care of me, the way he’s honest—almost brutally honest—but with good intentions. The way he makes me feel safe, how he cares for my kids like they’re his. And let’s not even talk about the way he fucks me.

What makes it even better is he doesn’t try to change me. He never asks me to do less or dim myself, never says I’m doing too much. He loves me, all of me, from the ground up.

“Your line has the power to kill a Bailey witch.”

I’m not just here for my family. I’m here to protect Wintermoon. And I’ll be damned... I actually have the power to do it.

I love everything about him—his certainty, his intensity, the way he makes me feel seen, loved, and protected.

“Out with the old, dark magic’s reign, Ancient witch, we break your chain. With this light, we cast away, A new dawn rises, bright as day. By moon and stars, the past will fade, In shadows deep, your power laid. With whispered winds and flames that soar, We summon change, forevermore. So mote it be, our will is strong, In this circle, we right the wrong. Old witch, your time has come to cease, In this new dawn, we find our peace.”

I’ve spent a lifetime trying to find where I belong, but here, now? I know I was always meant to be on Wintermoon—the most magical place on earth.

That’s what real leadership demands sometimes—making the hardest choices.