Chapter 26

Hayley

I’m perched in Jax’s office, watching my mate carry out his Alpha duties.

I’m particularly captivated by the way his arms flex each time he moves to jot something down, and how his frown deepens when he’s engrossed in reading. I’m incredibly fortunate to have a mate like him.

Last night, after the whole Samantha debacle, Jax and I had another dinner with his mom. She wanted to test out a new recipe and get our feedback.

I absolutely loved it and managed to devour more than half of the meal, which is quite an accomplishment.

We then retreated home and snuggled in bed, binge-watching movies until we fell asleep. Jax was shirtless, which meant I got to cuddle up to his warmth.

After years of living in what felt like a refrigerator, I crave warmth these days.

“I like it when you watch me, baby, it’s cute,” my mate teases with a smirk, catching me in the act. He always knows what I’m up to, without even looking my way.

I quickly lower my gaze, and a blush spreads across my face.

People say when you start to develop feelings for your mate, you get butterflies in your stomach. So why do I feel like I have fat pigeons flapping around instead?

Whenever I’m around him, I get so nervous, and this overwhelming giddy feeling, but in a good way.

Knowing that he loves me makes me feel special. I’ve never felt this way before. It’s comforting to know that he’s aware of my past, and yet still chose me to be his mate and his Luna.

I haven’t told Jax this yet, but I feel like I’m starting to fall for him. Why wouldn’t I? He knows everything I’ve endured yet he’s still here with me.

He doesn’t see me as some broken, monstrous human. But what if... what if he’s waiting to hurt me, catch me when I’m off guard, or even send me back to my dad. No, Hayley, don’t think like that.

Jax would never do that to me...would he?

No.

He loves you. Stop with these ridiculous thoughts. Don’t be silly and just go with the flow. The pained expression he had when he saw glimpses of my past will forever be etched in my memory.

It was heartbreaking to witness. I didn’t want Jax to hear about my past, let alone see it, as I didn’t want to get hurt again, and yet him knowing has brought us closer.

Jax continues his work while I continue to admire him.

Not long after, Jax looks up at me and says, “I’m taking you out on a date if you will allow me.” Our first date was incredible, I have no doubt this one will be the same.

Dancing with Jax in the field is still one of my favorite memories of us.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“It’s a surprise, baby,” he says with a flirty wink.

Jax begins to put away his work stuff when a knock at the door distracts him. “Come in,” Jax says with a voice full of authority.

Dimitri peeks in and says, “Sorry to disturb you, Alpha, but I thought you would like to see this straight away.” He pauses before continuing. “The council sent a letter regarding finding your mate.”

“They catch on fast. What do they want to know about Hayley?” Jax asks. I sit and wonder how they found out so quickly. I didn’t realize it was so important to know about me being the soon-to-be Luna.

“Well... they want to know when...”

“Just spit it out, Dimitri.”

“They want to know when you will have pups. They are very... persistent in their letter.

“Especially as you are six years late in finding your mate, they want them as soon as possible so they know the pack is stable and has an heir.

“I am sorry to have to talk about your... intimacy Alpha, especially in front of your mate,”

“Right. Thanks, Dimitri, I will handle this. First my mom now the council,” he sighs.

Jax glances towards me and sees the panic in my eyes, and reassures me, Don’t worry about them, baby, we will go at the pace we are comfortable with. I can deal with them, so don’t panic.

Nothing has changed.” He walks over to me with confidence and rests a comforting hand on my knee, reassuring me.

Jax’s eyes glaze over, mindlinking someone, and when I look towards Dimitri, his eyes are glazed over as well.

I sit back in my seat, allowing them their private discussion, but get slightly cautious. What are they talking about? Me? The council? My dad? No, Jax promised he wouldn’t tell anyone.

Maybe it’s just pack related. Yeah, that’s it. Pack related.

After a few more moments, both their eyes return to normal and act as if nothing happened. Suspicious much?

“You may leave, Dimitri. And also, I am taking the afternoon off, would you mind being in charge until I come back, but of course mindlink me if necessary.”

“Of course, Alpha,” he says as he bows his head at us both and walks out the door. When Dimitri leaves, I bite my fingernails, gearing myself up to ask the question that I’m itching to ask.

“What were you and Dimitri... talking about?”

“Oh, just something that we have to do later, nothing to worry about, baby,” he says innocently.

Didn’t seem like nothing to me. But if I needed to know anything, I trust Jax that he would tell me. Jax continues to tidy his desk up when another knock at the door echoes through the room.

Jax breathes in deeply, smelling the person, before saying, “Enter.” The door slowly opens, and a head pops through. Rose.

“Hello, Rose, come in. How can I help you today?” he asks in full Alpha mode.

When Rose fully enters the room, her eyes glance at me, and panic flashes through them before it disappears just as quickly as it came.

“I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

“Of course, anything,” he says, expecting her to continue.

Rose pauses, then says, “Can we talk about this privately?” I glance at Jax and see a frown creasing his forehead.

He’s clearly not thrilled that Rose doesn’t want to discuss this in front of me. Even though we haven’t had the Luna ceremony yet, he treats me as his Luna. I’m not officially the Luna of the Midnight Rose Pack, but for an Alpha, it’s crucial that his pack trusts his Luna. It strengthens the pack.

“Sure. Come to my office tomorrow at the same time. We’ll talk about your issue then.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” she says, bowing her head to Jax. Then, to my surprise, she turns and bows to me. Is she being nice because Jax is here?

When she lifts her head, she looks at me for a moment longer, her gaze filled with sympathy. Then she leaves, closing the door quietly behind her.

Jax must have noticed our exchange because he asks, “What was that about, honey?”

“I’m not sure... she kind of scares me. She was asking about my past. It was strange.”

“I take it you didn’t tell Rose about what happened with the Bloodnight Pack,” he says. I shake my head in response.

“Hmm. That’s odd. I’ll look into it. Maybe she’ll talk to me about it tomorrow.

“I’ll tell Axton to keep her away from you. But if anything else happens, let me know right away, honey. I want to help.”

“Thank you.” I feel a little relieved. At least I won’t have to worry about her frightening me anymore.

“I’m going to change. I’ll be right back,” he says after he finishes packing up. He leans down and gives me a sweet kiss before heading out the door.

Jax

As I approach the bedroom I share with Hayley, I sense something’s off. I use my senses to figure out who’s nearby and roll my eyes in annoyance.

I storm into the room to find Samantha sprawled across my bed. My bed. The one I share with my mate.

“What are you doing here, Samantha?” I growl. My wolf is seething at the sight of the she-wolf.

“I came to see you, baby,” she purrs. I guess she thinks she sounds seductive, but to me, it’s like nails on a chalkboard.

“Get out, Samantha.”

“Oh, come on, baby. Let’s have some fun,” she says, stepping closer and placing her hands on my chest.

I growl menacingly and grab her wrists, pulling them away. “I’m your Alpha, and you will obey me. I want nothing to do with you. I’ve found my Luna, and it’s not you.

“Get out. You’re not welcome here.”

Before she can react, I push her out of the room and slam the door in her face. Only my mate gets to touch me.

I’m glad Hayley doesn’t have werewolf senses. If she did, she’d know Samantha had been in our room, and it would hurt her.

We’ve come so far together. We don’t need any setbacks, especially not from someone like Samantha...