Mates: Jax's Story

Chapter 14

~Jax~

“Well?” I turn to find Melanie behind me, tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. I look at her, raising an eyebrow. I’d imagine that Kehlani filled her in on everything, which would make sense but can also be annoying. It’s bad enough that I’m going through everything I am, but to have everyone know means I can’t escape it. “Are you really going to make me beg?” I sigh, knowing that I won’t be able to escape this interrogation no matter how much I may try.

“Nothing really happened. She ran away when her sister appeared.” Melanie sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Her sister is going to be a problem.” I shrug my shoulders.

“There’s nothing I can do about that. She hasn’t committed any crimes.” Melanie nods and pats me on the back as she walks past me. I planned to go to my office, but now, I need some air, and Corneilus is begging to be let free.

I turn back around and make my way outside. I strip down and shift into my wolf when I get to the tree line. My wolf is the standard size of a Beta wolf, with dark brown fur, black socks, and ears. I stretch out, shaking my fur before I give Cornelius complete control. I watch the forest fly by me as we jump over logs and bound through the forest. Cornelius comes to a complete stop when he hears singing in the distance. There is an open field on our territory that I like to visit sometimes. I always dreamed of bringing my children here to play and maybe build a fort or treehouse.

I notice Cornelius reeling in his scent and aura. It’s something we’ve been able to do from time to time, and it can come in handy. I usually don’t do any undercover work, so it tends not to get much use. Cornelius crawls closer to the singing sound, and I check our surroundings through his eyes. I’m floored by what’s in front of me.

Our beautiful mate is standing in the clearing, singing her heart out. Cornelius stops and lies on his stomach to listen. Her voice is so heavenly; I could listen to it for the rest of my life. Shanice drops to the ground and screams out. We inch closer, and a twig snaps, making her turn toward us. “I thought I was alone.” Cornelius makes no sound, just watching her.

We seem to be in a staring match; neither of us wants to look away. She looks so sad and heartbroken. I wish I could take her pain away and give her nothing but happiness. “I thought I would be starting a new life here.” Cornelius perks up at her words. “I was so happy to feel the mate bond. Then my sister had to go and run it all. I can’t believe she came here for him; he chose her. Why did my mate have to choose another before he met me?” Shanice cries out and drops her head, sobbing. So that’s what’s going on….she thinks that I chose someone else. She thinks I chose her sister, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I want my mate and no one else.

We need to leave.

But mate’s sad!

I know, buddy, but now I know what’s going on. I know how we can get her.

Promise?

We will have our mate.

~Shanice~

I can’t believe I poured my heart out to some random wolf. I must be crazy since I have no idea who that could have been. Granted, I didn’t mention my mate by name, but if he has discussed finding his mate, that wolf will be able to put two and two together.

I hear rustling, so I dry my eyes and look up. Great, even the wolf doesn’t want anything to do with me. This is just great….really wonderful. I guess I know my worth when not only my mate but some random wolf doesn’t even want to be around me.

My stomach growls, breaking me out of my self-pity. I guess it’s past time to eat. I was heading to the packhouse forever ago to grab some missing spices so I could feed myself. My day definitely got derailed. I slowly stand and head toward the packhouse.

As soon as I walk out of the forest, an arm wraps around me. I was terrified for half a second until I recognized the sparks. I can feel his warm breath on my ear. “We never finished our conversation. We were…..interrupted…..” A shiver runs through me, and my core heats up. “Now, if I remember correctly, you were saying something about me having to choose…….” Well, how the hell do I answer that? I feel like a fish out of water with how much my mouth is opening and closing with no sound being produced.

My stomach makes an appearance again, which causes Jax to laugh loudly. “Now, that’s cute. You need food, and I just so happen to be able to cook.” Jax stops me and stands in front of me. I look down at the ground, determined to avoid his gaze. He gently lifts my chin, so I have to look at him. “Let’s make a deal. I will feed you as long as you promise to not run away for a while and keep me company.” Damn! If I stay in his presence, I will forget all about my sister and her plans. I will forget he has chosen someone else. I will forget that I’m supposed to let him go. If I agree to this, I will be entirely at his mercy. The logical thing is to say no at this point.

“O….okay.” The smile on his face is contagious. Jax grabs my hand and leads me to the packhouse. We enter through the back door and breeze through the kitchen. “A….aren’t we going in the wrong direction?” Jax chuckles as he leads me into the hallway and toward the stairs.

“I happen to have a kitchen on my floor and all of my good stuff is in my kitchen. You said I can feed you so let’s do this.” I may have bitten off way more than I can chew.