The Alpha And His Mysterious Mate

Poison

Zane POV

Jax was going ballistic inside of me. I had to distance myself from Sage momentarily.

"She's going to reject us; you can't allow that," he growled.

"She is scared. She acts tough because that is the only way she can survive," I told my wolf as I stood against the door.

"Zane, I got the bottle of whiskey she wanted. You sure it's a good idea to allow her to drink?" Alex asked.

"No, but if it helps earn some trust, so be it," I responded.

"Should I bring it to her, or do you want to?" Alex asked.

"I'll take it to her in a moment," I responded.

"Are you sure you can control Jax?" Alex asked, slightly concerned.

"They marked her; she has a f*****g slave mark," I hissed.

"Then we remove it," Alex said simply as he handed the whiskey to me.

Allowing several minutes to pass, I finally calmed Jax enough to open the door. Sage was sound asleep on the foot of the bed as I walked over to her silently, and Jax instantly went wild again at the smell of fresh blood.

As I approached, I could see the blood on the bedsheets from the stab wound in her abdomen. I quickly pulled her shirt to expose the fresh bandage to find it soaked, and the skin around the wound was now inflamed. Sage was probably unconscious because of blood loss. She healed fast the last time I saw her, but not this time.

"Fix her now, then we shift so I can tend to her," Jax snarled as I removed the gauze from her wound and shifted into my wolf.

Jax sniffed Sage as he nuzzled his head against her, feeling his mate since she was unconscious, and then he focused on her wound, first sniffing it.

"Poison, the dagger used to stab her was laced with it," he growled and then started licking the wound.

"Done," he announced as he pulled away and allowed me to shift back.

I inspected Sage's wound and noticed it was already looking better. I picked up my torn clothing and went to the closet to change.

"Mmmm," Sage moaned from the bed. I came out to find her sitting on the bed.

"You should rest, not sit up," I said as I went into my bathroom to grab a fresh bandage for her.

The moment I came out from the bathroom, Sage was standing by the bed with her hand on it for balance. "I'm feeling much better now. I should be on my way," she muttered, which caused me to walk over to her quickly and grab her arm.

"Off," she whispered, still clearly weak. This time, I refused, unlike other times, and pulled her closer so her body rested against mine.

"You have poison in your system, and you are still weak, or you would have fought out of my arms by now. You need rest, and I must put a new bandage on you," I said.

"I'm fine; I have survived far worse," she mumbled.

Jax hated how she kept pushing us away, but Sage was not a werewolf; she could not feel the bond as we did, and she did not know how crazy she was driving my wolf by not allowing us to be close.

"Stay the night, and in the morning, you may leave if that is really what you want, but allow me to help you secure safe accommodations," I pleaded.

"Fine, but release me. If you touch me again, I am leaving. I understand you are trying to help me, but I don't take well to anyone getting this close to me. I appreciate what you have done for me, Alpha Zane. No one has ever tried to help me, and I will pay off my debt to you," she responded.

"You don't owe me a debt, Sage," I sighed as I released her from my arms.

"Can I use your shower?" She asked, looking towards the bathroom.

At first, I hesitated to agree since she was still healing and had poison in her system, but now that her wound had closed, it wouldn’t cause much harm.

"Yes, but I'm staying in the bathroom with you to ensure you don't fall or pass out," I responded.

"Never mind then," she muttered.

"I won't watch you shower; I'll keep my back to you unless something happens and you require help," I offered.

"Ugh, fine," she mumbled as I led her to the bathroom and handed her a fresh towel. I then turned my back and sat on the bathroom floor for her privacy.

“You're strange, Alpha Zane, '' Sage whispered as she turned on the shower, and I heard her remove her clothing before stepping in.

"I'll take strange any day over cruel," I responded, causing her to laugh.

"Umph," Sage moaned, causing me concern.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm used to pain," she muttered.

"If we hold her, she may feel better," Jax mumbled in my head.

"She won't let us," I responded to him.

"The potion you used; tell me where you got it, and I'll get you more," I offered.

"It's difficult to come by; I will find a way around Ezra's men and grab my stash from my apartment tomorrow," she replied.

“Why do you mask your scent? I can tell you are not fully human. Is that why?” I asked.

"I'm human, just different, that's all. I don't know why I'm even answering you, but since you have been kind, I will. The Vampire Lords and Alphas in this city are all power-hungry. I am sure you have already noticed that. I've already made an enemy out of them, but if they were to learn I was special, they might focus even more on hunting me so they can use me," Sage explained.

"I understand; I'll have my Beta fetch your belongings tonight, so you have it," I responded.

"Thanks, but you don't have to go through the trouble," Sage stated.

"You may not want to accept that you are my mate, but that does not change my wanting to keep you safe," I informed her.

"Why? I'm a human. It is unheard of around here for a werewolf, let alone an Alpha, to take on a human as a mate," Sage questioned.

"I'm not from around here, Sage, and I'm not like the Alphas and vampires, you know; I don't care if you are human," I responded as I heard her shut off the shower.

Sage was silent for a few minutes, and then she finally walked over to me dressed just in the t-shirt I gave her; luckily, it was huge and went halfway down her thighs. Her hair flowed down her back, making the shirt slightly wet, and her make-up was now gone, allowing me to see the natural beauty she kept hidden.

Although my instinct was to pull her into my arms and claim her, I respected her request not to be touched.

"Will you eat something for me now?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, making me feel slightly more relieved as she walked out of the bathroom and made a small plate of food from the table.

"Here," I said as I handed her the bottle of whiskey and a glass.

"No need for the glass," she laughed as she sat down, twisted off the cap, and took a swig.

"Since I have asked you many questions, do you have any for me?" I asked.

"Do you have some sort of magical gem?" She asked.

"I'm assuming that's the information Ezra wanted you to get. Yes, I do, but it is in a safe place, and I have no intention of using it," I replied.

"Good. Don't let anyone in this city get their hands on it," Sage said as she took another huge swig of the whiskey.

"How can you drink like that?" I laughed as I held out my hand to take a drink as well.

"Whiskey is the only cure for this city," Sage replied as she handed me the bottle.

"I guess I'll have to learn to appreciate it more then," I laughed again as I took a swig.

Sage finally opened up as we spent an hour casually talking and drinking off the whiskey bottle. After a while, Alex knocked on the bedroom door with several bags full of her belongings, so I excused myself from the room momentarily.

"You have a meeting in one hour with Alpha River at the casino. Should I call for a car?" Alex asked.

"Yes, and I need you to stay here and monitor Sage," I requested. Alex accepted, and I returned to the room and gave Sage her belongings.

"Thanks," she chimed for the first time, smiling slightly.

"I have to go to the casino for a meeting, but I will return before it gets too late. Alex, my Beta, will remain here with you, but please make yourself at home while I'm gone," I informed her.

"Okay," Sage said as she remained seated with the whiskey bottle.

As I walked away, Sage whispered my name, making me turn around. "Be safe," she muttered, surprising me.

Jax found solace in the few words she spoke that showed she cared about us.

"I will, and when I return, we can talk some more," I promised as I left the room.

No matter how long it takes, I will win her heart.