Chapter 11

HAYLEY

After our perfect date, Jax guides me back to our bedroom. He plans to sleep on the chair tucked away in the corner, but I timidly reach out and take his hand.

With my free hand, I gesture toward the bed.

“You want me to sleep with you?” he questions.

“Yes, please,” I whisper, nodding.

“Alright, mate,” he responds, a grin spreading across his face. We both head to the wardrobe to pick out our sleepwear.

Jax selects a pair of gray joggers and decides to go shirtless. “I’ll change in the bathroom,” he says, stifling a yawn.

I nod in response, quickly changing into my own joggers and an oversized T-shirt. I’m eager to get back to Jax.

When I return, I find Jax pulling back the duvet. He turns at the sound of my approach, greeting me with a warm smile.

I make my way to the bed and climb in. Jax follows suit, but he stays on his side, careful not to touch me.

The room fills with an awkward silence. Should I reach out to him?

Making a snap decision, I roll over and snuggle into Jax’s chest.

His arm instinctively wraps around my waist and I can hear a soft purr rumble in his chest. We both drift off to sleep, finding comfort in each other’s warmth.

***

I wake up to find the bed empty. I sit up, scanning the room for Jax, but he’s nowhere to be found.

A wave of anxiety washes over me. I hate being alone. It feels like the walls are closing in, threatening to suffocate me.

Desperate to find Jax, I jump out of bed and rush to the door. I swing it open and peer down the hallway, hoping to spot him.

When I don’t see him, I head downstairs to check the kitchen. But before I can reach it, something else catches my eye. I freeze, unsure of what to do.

A small girl is sitting on the sofa, tears streaming down her face. Her hair reminds me of a story I used to read when I was younger. Goldilocks, wasn’t it?

Carefully, I approach her and ask, “Hi… are you okay?” This only seems to upset her more.

She starts to sob and my heart aches at the sight. I sit down next to her and pull her into a comforting hug. We stay like this for a few minutes until she pulls away.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, looking down at her hands.

“What’s… wrong?” I ask gently.

“I don’t have any friends. The other kids tease me because I don’t have a mom or dad. They both died in a rogue attack when I was a baby.

“No one wants to adopt me, and they always leave me out. Everyone hates me,” she confesses, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I don’t…hate you. I don’t have…a mom or dad…either,” I tell her.

“Really?” she asks. I nod. “Maybe… we could be friends?” she suggests.

A smile spreads across my face and I nod enthusiastically. “Yes! I would… love that,” I respond, filled with joy.

She jumps into my lap and wraps her tiny arms around my neck. I hold her close, gently swaying back and forth.

“Thank you!” she exclaims, out of breath. “My name is Lily. I’m four years old,” she adds.

“Pretty name! I’m Hayley. I’m nineteen,” I reply.

“Do you want to come see my room?” she asks.

“Okay.”

She takes my hand and leads me to her room. It’s located on the floor below Jax’s and mine, at the very end of the hallway.

She throws open the door and bounds in, releasing my hand to skip over to her dresser.

She presses a button on a small device and music fills the room, sung in a language I don’t recognize.

“This song is called ~Make It Right~ by BTS. I love them! They’re from South Korea, so the songs aren’t in English,” she explains excitedly.

My head starts bobbing to the beat and Lily giggles at my reaction. She takes my hands and we dance to the music.

Suddenly, Lily stops and looks at me. “Can I braid your hair?” she asks eagerly. I nod and sit down at the foot of her bed.

She climbs behind me and begins her task. The music continues to play as Lily braids my hair.

“Your hair is so long!” she exclaims, “You should get a haircut, so it looks like mine.”

Before I can respond, Jax walks into the room. “That’s a good idea, Lily, but why are you in the house? You were supposed to be out at nine this morning. It’s already half past ten,” Jax says, his tone stern.

Her head drops and she mumbles, “I woke up and everyone was gone. They left me behind and I didn’t know where to go, so I just stayed here.”

“Lily, you should have used your senses and followed the noise…” Jax begins.

Before he can continue scolding Lily, I interject, “It’s... okay, Lily. It was... a mistake.” I then turn to Jax and give him a pointed look. He sighs and nods.

“Alright, Lily. You’re off the hook this time, but next time, use your senses. Now, Lily, Hayley needs to come with me. You can play with her later if you want,” Jax says, offering a small smile.

“Yes please!” she exclaims.

I stand and walk over to Jax. He inhales deeply, his eyes flickering to black—a sign his wolf is surfacing.

After a moment, his eyes return to normal. He takes my hand and leads me out of Lily’s room. I quickly say goodbye to Lily.

He guides me up to a higher level, above our bedroom, and opens the only door in sight. We step inside and the scent of Jax hits me so hard, I stumble backward.

The scent is so potent, so inviting, it instantly puts me at ease. Jax’s arm wraps around my waist, guiding me deeper into the room.

I figure this must be Jax’s office. As I scan the room, my eyes land on a man standing in the corner. He’s a bit intimidating, but there’s something oddly approachable about him.

“Hayley, meet Axton. He’s the pack’s top fighter and he’s been assigned as your guard. Axton, this is Hayley, my mate,” Jax introduces, emphasizing the word ‘mate’. I glance at Jax, curiosity lighting up my eyes.

“Since you’ll be the luna of this pack one day, you’ll need a guard when I’m not around. He’ll also help you with your speech,” Jax explains.

Seeing the uncertainty in my eyes, he quickly adds, “It’s okay. You can trust him.”

I turn to Axton and offer a small wave. He returns the gesture with a warm smile. I whisper a soft hello, which he echoes.

“Axton, you’re dismissed for now. I’ll be with Hayley for the rest of the day,” Jax commands with authority.

“Yes, Alpha. See you tomorrow, Luna,” Axton responds, bowing his head. He exits the room, closing the door gently behind him.

I pivot towards Jax and start to ask, “Where were you…?” Realizing my sentence structure is off, I try again, “Where…were you?” A small smile tugs at my lips as the words come out right.

Jax playfully ruffles my hair, saying, “I had a meeting to inform the pack that I’ve found my luna, but that you’ll need some time to adjust and complete the luna ceremony.

“They completely understood and respect your needs.”

I nod, processing this new information. I’m going to be their luna. I’m going to have to protect a pack. Jax’s pack.

The only way I can do this is with Jax by my side, every step of the way.

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, I say, “Lily…my friend, but she’s sad…her parents died…from rogues.”

“Yes, they did, unfortunately. A few years back, this pack was hit hard by a rogue attack. They just started encroaching on my territory without any apparent reason, and we never figured out why.

“There were more than a hundred of them, and most of my warriors were off helping another pack train, leaving us short on fighters to protect the pack.

“We managed to fend off most of them, but their numbers were overwhelming, and they inflicted a lot of damage. Eighteen pack members died that day, including Lily’s parents and my sister’s mate.

“Both of my parents were injured but thankfully recovered soon after.

“Since then, I’ve made sure the entire pack trains at least three times a week so they can defend themselves if need be, though I hope it never comes to that.” Jax’s eyes are filled with sorrow as he recounts the story.

I wrap him in a tight hug, hating to see my mate so heartbroken.

“That’s why I despise rogues. I never trusted them…until I met you,” he whispers in my ear. I look up at him, resting my chin on his chest, and smile.

Jax seems to suddenly remember something as he checks his watch.

“Let’s grab some food. Tom will be here soon for your check-up, and you need to take one of your tablets,” Jax suggests, pulling me closer and nuzzling his nose against mine…