Chapter 39

Hayley

The night sky is a blanket of darkness, and the chill in the air is biting. Jax is perched on his office chair, and I’m standing behind him, leaning into the cushioned backrest. My fingers trace a path on his skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. I lean in to plant a soft kiss behind his ear, and a low growl rumbles from his throat.

Jax turns to me, his lips finding mine. His kiss is soft and inviting, quieting the chaos in my mind and making me focus solely on him. His presence has been my anchor for the past few hours, but I know I’ll crumble the moment he leaves my side.

I’m trying to push away the events of the day, but I know I’ll have to confront them soon. Mateo is on his way. Jax told Dimitri and me that Mateo has crossed into our territory and is being escorted to his office.

Only Jax, Dimitri, and I will be present for the meeting. I’ve asked Axton to find Rose and stay with her. She must have felt Luke’s death. Even if she didn’t love him, they were bonded. Without support, she could succumb to the pain of losing her mate.

She might be in such a fragile state that she could do something unthinkable. So, I’ve asked Axton to keep her safe until I can see her.

I remember Jax and Axton having a private conversation before Axton left. Thanks to my enhanced hearing, I overheard it.

Jax said he wouldn’t kill Axton, but only because I was safe and because he had killed Luke. Then something about Jax not ripping Axton a new one today. I didn’t quite understand what he meant, so I stopped listening.

Breaking away from Jax’s kiss, I look down at his body. His wounds, like mine, have already healed. It’s strange to think that I can recover from such severe injuries after not being able to heal for over a decade.

In my mind, I see Aurora puffing out her chest proudly at my unintentional compliment. I roll my eyes at her antics, but I can’t help but feel a sense of joy that she’s back. I feel whole when she’s here.

A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. A pack member, who I recognize from the fight earlier, opens the door and bows his head. “Alpha, Luna, Mateo from the council is here to see you.”

“Send him in, Isaac,” Jax says, rising from his chair and moving around his desk. Isaac opens the door wider, and a man I assume is Mateo walks in.

He’s taller than Jax, which I didn’t think was possible. His tan skin glows, and his dark hair complements his hazel eyes. He’s dressed in exotic clothes and greets Jax with a warm hug. “Mateo,” Jax says, “Good to see you.”

“You too,” Mateo replies. He pulls away from Jax and teases, “I see you’re still a shorty.” Jax rolls his eyes at Mateo’s comment, clearly used to it.

Mateo turns to me and says, “You must be the beautiful Hayley that Jax has told me about.” I walk over to shake his hand, but he pulls me into a tight hug.

If Jax trusts him, then I can too. He seems friendly enough. Not everyone is like my father. It’s time to let go of the past and embrace the future.

Mateo takes a seat next to Dimitri as Jax presents the evidence against the Bloodnight Pack. He starts with the photos of Mason meeting with the assumed Alpha rogue. Jax also mentions that he killed the rogue during the attack that happened just a day ago—the same attack when Lily got hurt.

It feels like a lifetime ago. I’ll have to visit Lily after checking on Rose to make sure they’re both coping.

Next, Jax shows us the CCTV footage covering the entire pack grounds. The video starts with Aaron and Aurora running with the pack close behind, then the rogues jumping out from the bushes and trees to attack us.

I close my eyes, not wanting to relive the horror. I’ve already lived through it once; I don’t need to see it again.

Mateo stays silent throughout the video, jotting down notes in a notebook. I can’t see what he’s writing, but I notice Dimitri subtly reading from the side. I try to read his reaction, but his face gives nothing away.

The last video is from just a few hours ago. It shows me charging into the open area, confronting Mason. When it gets to the part where I kill my father, I turn away, not wanting to see the savage me tear him apart. Jax reaches over and takes my hand, rubbing soothing circles into my skin.

When all the evidence has been presented, Jax stands and turns off the monitor. “That’s all of it. I know the main problem is dead,” Jax says, referring to Mason, “but will the council come for me and Hayley?”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. If the council doesn’t see our actions as self-defense, we could face serious consequences. We could be imprisoned, or even worse, executed.

I’ve been so focused on proving Mason guilty, I hadn’t considered that I might be putting myself and Jax in danger with the council. Holding my breath, I wait for Mateo’s response.

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “From what you’ve shown me, it’s clear that Alpha Mason attacked first. So, whatever happened next is on him—he challenged you and faced the consequences. They would have been charged for attacking your pack, which is against the law. But since they’re already dead, there’s nothing we can do.”

“What about the Bloodnight Pack abusing Hayley? Can they be charged for assaulting a member of their own pack?” Jax asks. I can tell he’s worn out, not just from the dark circles under his eyes, but also from the way his voice sounds—so tired.

Mateo takes a moment, looking down at his notes. “I can’t charge any members of the Bloodnight Pack. If I’m not mistaken, the ones who physically hurt you are already dead. Is that right, Hayley?” He looks at me as he asks.

The only ones who hurt me were Mason, Luke, and Billy. Everyone else just stood by and watched. I shake my head and say, “What about Billy? He hurt me just like Mason and Luke did. Can’t he be charged?”

“Billy?” Mateo asks, frowning.

“He’s the Beta of the Bloodnight Pack,” I answer quickly. He can’t just go on living like what he did to me doesn’t matter.

“Do you have any evidence that Billy abused you?” Mateo asks. Throughout all this, I haven’t felt any judgment from him, and I appreciate his professionalism. The last thing I need is someone’s pity because of my past. It’s so belittling. It goes against everything they’re trying to do.

I look at Jax, already knowing the answer. We don’t have any evidence. Nothing proves they abused me except for my word, which wouldn’t mean anything in court. I look down and whisper, “No.” Jax comes over and wraps his arms around me, holding me together.

“I’m really sorry, but if you can’t back up your claim, there’s nothing I can do,” Mateo says, sounding regretful. I know he’s just trying to help, and I can’t blame him for not being able to charge Billy and my old pack. But it’s frustrating when the guilty get to walk free.

“So this evidence is useless then? It doesn’t prove anything. The Bloodnight Pack gets away with everything they did like it never happened,” Dimitri says, sounding frustrated.

“No, actually, this evidence,” Mateo gestures to the photos of Mason and the computer, “proves your innocence—that you didn’t attack first. You won’t face any backlash because of this evidence,” he assures us.

“As for the rogues, I don’t think you’ll have any more problems with them. The only reason they were attacking your pack was because Mason was paying them to. Now that he’s dead, they have no reason to.” Well, at least that’s one less enemy to worry about.

I look up at Jax and find him already looking at me. I give him a small smile to reassure him I’m okay, then I block the matebond so he can’t feel how upset I am.

What if Billy comes back for me? What if he wants revenge because I killed his Alpha and Gamma? What if he hurts the people I care about? It feels like I’m back at square one.

“Now that we’ve addressed that, there’s another issue that needs to be discussed,” Mateo says. I look at Jax, confused about what else there could be to talk about. “Since you killed the Alpha of the Bloodnight Pack, you’re now the Alpha of that pack. And Hayley, you’re now the Luna of the Bloodnight Pack.”

Me? The Luna of the Bloodnight Pack? How could I ever go back to that awful place with all those terrible memories? Nothing good has ever happened to me there, and now I’m supposed to lead the people who stood by and did nothing while I was being abused for something that wasn’t my fault.

I look at Jax and see that he’s just as shocked as I am. He must not have realized that he would become the Alpha after he killed my father. I didn’t think of it either.

Mateo must sense our uncertainty. “It’s entirely up to you what you want to do with the Bloodnight Pack. You both own the land, but if you want, you can find someone else to take your places.

“They would have to be of high status, of course. Otherwise, they might not be able to run a pack. And I have to give you a strict deadline of one week to make sure the pack is kept in order. But other than that, it’s completely up to you."

I look at Jax, trying to figure out what he’s thinking. His eyes are wide, and he’s staring straight ahead. He blocks the matebond, too, so I can’t feel what he’s thinking. I nod at Mateo to let him know I understand.

"Hayley, I want to formally apologize for not knowing about all the terrible things you’ve had to endure all these years. I can assure you that if I had known, I would have helped you right away.”

Tears start to roll down my face at his kind words. Once again, someone is telling me that what I went through wasn’t my fault. Jax starts to stroke my back with his big hand, comforting me in the way he knows I like.

“Thank you, Mateo.” A sad smile finds its way onto my face as I blink back my tears. I was on the verge of crying anyway. The smallest thing would have set me off.

“I should get going,” Mateo says, clapping his hands on his knees and standing up.

“We’ll walk you out,” Jax says. He takes my hand in his and lifts it to his lips, giving it a small kiss before leading us out of his office. It’s the little things like that I appreciate. Nothing big, just small, affectionate gestures that make me fall deeper and deeper in love with him.

We walk Mateo outside, with Dimitri right behind us, to where just a few hours ago a terrible battle took place. The grass is stained with blood, a grim reminder of lives lost. Jax quickly steps in front of me, blocking my view of where my father once lay in a pool of his own blood.

The bodies that were once scattered on the ground are now gone—Jax must have had some of his crew move them. “Mateo, we can’t thank you enough for your help,” Jay says, and I nod along in agreement.

“Really, it’s no big deal. If you stumble upon any new clues or run into more trouble, give me a call...just don’t make it a habit,” Mateo teases. Jax gives him a friendly shove, and Mateo returns the gesture.

Once their laughter dies down, Mateo turns to us. “Take care, Jax. And Hayley, it was a pleasure meeting you.” He plants a soft kiss on my cheek before he heads off into the woods, likely to shift and make a run for the airport.

“See you,” I call after him, waving my hand. The main issue is taken care of, but one question still lingers: what am I going to do about Billy?...