22. Jackson

22

Jackson

My heart is in my throat. The mate bond exploded with emotion—happy, sad, distraught—it assaulted me. My wolf couldn’t stand it, so I shifted and ran to her—straight to the Clinic.

Luckily, Hunter had the foresight to stock the Clinic with extra clothes, so I slipped on some gym shorts and came straight to her door.

My wolf is on edge. The humming energy fills my body; the human side is just a vessel. I can scent her from the other side of this thick wooden door. The rooms have all been soundproofed to help with privacy and security, smart Hunter, so I can’t hear if she will open it. Right now, it’s taking every bit of control I have to not bust the fucking door in.

“Charlie, please.” I’m begging; my voice cracks, and at the same time, the door breaks open. Charlie’s small form fills the gap. I gently push the door wide and sweep her into my arms, bringing her into the room where Emma is and settling her on my lap. My face presses into her soft neck. I breathe in her scent. It’s comforting but also off. I let my lips find her mark, and I feel her tiny body tremble in my arms. I’ve missed the feeling of her here. “I’m never letting you go again,” I whisper against her neck. Her hands cling to me as she nods. The emotions are too much to navigate through our bond.

“I’m going to give you guys a minute,” Emma says while leaving the room.

My hand sweeps through her soft hair. Her eyes are puffy, her cheeks flushed, and there is something different about her. Is her scent sweeter?

“Mate, talk to me.”

“Can we go to the falls?” Her voice is husky from crying.

“Yes, do you want to run there? Or take my truck?” Anything, I would do anything to spend actual fucking time with her and fix what I broke.

“Let’s run.”

“Well, that’s a relief. That’s how I got here.”

A smile tugs at her mouth, “What if I said truck?”

“I would’ve told Kill to bring my truck here, and we could drop him off on the way back.”

“Huh,” she says, “Well, I need to run.” She’s slowly pulling herself together as she pushes out of my hold. I watch as she swipes at the remaining wetness lining her cheeks with renewed strength.

I follow her lead as we make our way out to the Clinic, and her wolf shifts, shredding her clothes. I slide the borrowed shorts off and throw them in the basket by the door for laundry, and follow her.

‘Little mate?’ My wolf asks her as we navigate through the forest’s underbrush surrounding our Village.

‘Yes,’ she answers.

My wolf lets out a huff of annoyance. He says, ‘ Stay with us, don’t leave again. We need you. The human needs you.’ My large body swallows hers as we gait towards the bridge that leads to the Pack house property.

She doesn’t respond, and my wolf whimpers while anger seeps into my body, giving me the feeling that she’s been hiding something from us.

Breaking through our thoughts, she says, ‘ Let me tell you my truth, and you can decide if it’s safe.’

Safe? Safe? She is worried about me being safe. My wolf body presses higher as we follow her down a well-worn trail, navigating through old pine trees and small ferns. The smell of rain fills the valley as we finally emerge near the falls.

She heads straight for her cave and shifts. I stalk into the cave and shift, needing to clear the air from last week’s miscommunication. “Charlie, what you heard was not what was said…” Shit. I didn’t think this conversation through. “You heard all the bad parts of the conversation with my dad. I defended you; you’re my Pack. You’re my mate, and I would tear everything apart to ensure everyone knows.” It may happen anyway when my brother and sister discover the truth.

Slowly, she moves towards my body, her arms reach for me, and I step into her embrace. Her face pushes into my chest as we breathe in each other’s scents. “Charlie, why do you smell this way?”

She shakes her head. “Please don’t use your Alpha bark on me again.”

“Never, little mate.” I pull her back slightly so she can see the truth in my words, “Never again, I’m so sorry.” My words are an oath, a promise I’d make with any deity listening to ensure she stays mine forever. I continue, “I feel like I’m being crushed under the pressure of being Alpha and the mess that is this Pack. Add in the issues with Emma and Hunter.” My hand slides down her back, pulling her closer against me, using her body as a therapy. “I won’t do that again. Now talk to me, little mate.”

“I’m pregnant.”

My heart stops. “Are you serious?” I smell her again. “You’re pregnant?”

She nods and peeks up to see my face. She has a slight smile. “Yes.”

“When did you?—”

She cuts me off. “Just now, I’ve been sick and sensitive; I didn’t know what was wrong with me?—”

My motions cut her off as my hands and eyes scan her body. My wolf is set on protecting her. “What can I do, little mate? How are you sick? Are you hurt?” I’m suddenly on edge, my instincts once again pushing me to keep her safe.

She grabs my hands, stopping my search for her pain, and says, “I’m alright, and I don’t know what we can do. I didn’t get to that part of my appointment before you came in,” she says.

‘She’s not leaving our sight now,’ my wolf growls.

‘We have to be smart about our smothering. We can’t just lock her away.’

‘I don’t see the problem; this is our baby and our mate.’

Her quiet voice breaks my conversation with my wolf. “Jackson, that’s not all we need to talk about,” her tone takes on a sadder connotation.

“Tell me.”

“It’s about my past,” she starts and stops again, shifting in my hold. I sit along the cold stone wall and pull her into my lap. She continues, “I, well, I don’t know where to start. There is so much.”

“Why don’t I tell you what I know? Would that help?” I brush her hair behind her ear.

She nods.

“Okay, I found the letter your brother sent my dad. In the letter, he explains that your sale to Ax had already been arranged before the Auction, and he wanted to get you to safety. I already knew those details, but to have them confirmed,” I growl out the last words.

Her eyes fall from mine, and I tip her chin back up and gently kiss her soft lips. “The only part that confused me was in the letter; Your brother?”

She nods.

“He made it sound like he was coming with you?” I finish.

She sniffles hard and wipes at her tears. Her voice is weak when she says, “I killed my brother.”

I feel her heart shatter as she says the words to me. “Charlie.” My voice is quiet and soothing, “Talk to me.”

Between two gasping breaths, she says, “He helped me escape, but as we got to the car.” She puffs a small breath, “When we got to the car, he was shot. He told me to go on my greatest adventure yet. But…but, if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be dead.”

My arms wrap around her, holding her together. “Charlie, shhh, little mate. I have you. I have you.”

Her words are still stuttered, “I just told Emma. I just told her that I’m scared if I join your Pack, everyone will be a target. Everyone I love would die…” My hand rubs up her back as she tries to control her tears. “They would die. Everyone I love dies, Jackson. I can’t…I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you. I can’t lose my Pack.”Her words fall off as she falls apart.

“No, no, you won’t lose me.” My wolf is on edge, pushing for a shift, and I know hers is, too. This much emotion is flooding through the bond. “Charlie, I need to shift can…can we cuddle as wolves?”

Her head drops slightly, and my wolf takes over. He doesn’t hesitate as he wraps his large body around hers. Her shift is effortless, and there’s a slight echo of a cry as she curls up in her small form. She is nearly hidden in all my dark fur. Every part of her is tucked into my big body.

‘You’re safe, little Phoenix. We will keep you safe,’ my wolf says.

It doesn’t take long before she’s asleep. My wolf stays awake, curled around her tiny form. The reality of what she’s been through is so much worse than what I assumed. That she believes she killed her brother all those years ago. She is haunted by the past and terrified of her future. One thing is certain: Ax is a dead man. If he did try to buy or touch what is mine. He is dead. He is dead for hurting her brother and making her believe she is the reason he died.

He’s dead because of what he did to my family. A low rumble of approval echoes off the cold stone walls.