Jax
I promptly finished rinsing off and taking care of my problem downstairs, though I knew it would not last for long with Willow’s lovely scent taunting my wolf and I at every turn. Her personal fragrance had persisted within the confines of the small closet that I had found myself within, already causing my dick to stir de novo.
I could hear her moving around downstairs with my sister as I swiftly pulled on some jeans and reached for the first shirt that my hands touched. I grabbed my shoes and socks and made my way back out into the bedroom. Yet, my half-dressed state was completely forgotten the moment that I heard the sound of shock escape Willow’s perfect lips.
I flew down the stairs like a bat out of hell, my wolf hounding me in my mind about our mate’s wellbeing, and frantically searched the room until my distraught eyes locked in on her curvy figure
Jax Asher was already there once I had arrived at Reese’s dwelling, though it appeared that he may have just arrived, seeing as he was still standing in the front hallway with Reese when I had walked through the door. I was already on edge due to the distance between me and my unclaimed soulmate, so Asher’s next words seriously pushed the limits of my self-control. My wolf had allowed me to leave Willow’s side temporarily, appeased by her wolf’s show of possession this morning, but that would only last for so long. Further, I could not keep my own tempestuous thoughts at bay, as I worried as I was with Willow being out of my field of vision and Zeke still on the loose, only compounding with my wolf’s own stormy blend of emotions. Needless to say, I was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, and Asher had been the one dumb enough to blow the fuse.
Willow It took me a few minutes to come back down from the high that I had been riding after Jax’s sweltering goodbye kiss, and when I finally fell, I found that Ronnie had just completed tidying up the kitchen while I had been standing in the middle of the room like a lovestruck fool, right where Jax had left me prior. Ronnie had taken one look at my face as she turned around from where she had been washing the dishes at the sink and then proceeded to break out in giggles while saying in between laughs, “You should really see your face right about now.” She snickered, before going on in a sober tone of voice, “If I was not so happy for my brother and you, I might have been a little sickened by that display, but it just makes me melt seeing how content you two are together.” Her words warmed my heart further, aiding in slowly,
Willow I could not help but notice that our return trip to the lodge had taken longer than the initial journey into town, and I had a sneaking suspicion that my slower pace was the cause of the increased length. We had not talked much on the walk home. My mind was too fried at the moment to focus enough to keep up a line of conversation, and I was too busy trying to figure out what this subtle pull in my chest was that I continued to feel rising stronger as we advanced towards our final destination. It was like there was a siren, luring me ever closer, and I could not resist the intoxicating feeling. However, all at once, the tugging sensation seemed to increase in intensity, nearly suffocating me with the impulse to rush forward to something heretofore unknown. Jax’s personal fragrance had stayed with me throughout the day, b
Jax I arrived back at our lodge, enthusiastically anticipating the moment when I would get to hold my curvaceous mate snug in my arms again, but I was regrettably saddened when I had discovered an empty dwelling, though the fact should not have surprised me considering the mad dash that I had been in to get here. I settled down to mind link with Ronnie about an estimated arrival time, anxiously awaiting Willow’s appearance. Ronnie assured me that they were already on their way back and would be here soon, but my wolf and I were not satisfied with her answer. He wanted me to shift and go find her immediately, but I suppressed his desire for now, resolving to work on holding up my end of the plan that had been created this morning with the other alphas to finally locate Zeke’s whereabouts. While it expended a considerable
Willow Upon arriving back at the lodge, I speedily shifted shapes and was then shepherded into the house by a tremendously domineering mate. I found that I did not like this side of Jax, discovering that it reminded me too much of Zeke’s overbearing ways, despite the differences in the details. I had promised myself that I would speak up more in the future regarding my needs and desires. I knew there was feasibly a threat to my safety, so I paused to temper my thoughts before starting in on him. In that time, Ronnie showed up bearing gifts of clothing, though I had forgotten I was naked to be honest. I donned the shirt which instantly drowned me in Jax’s scent, helping to lessen my anger as I questioned my mate, “What is going on? Why did you rush me back here so fast?” Ronnie joined in, not giv
Willow My nerves had settled some since Zeke had disappeared into the night, but the adrenaline was fading fast, leaving me exhausted and sore from the full day of activity as Ronnie steered me to sit in one of the four matching chairs surrounding the breakfast table downstairs. She apologized profusely that Zeke had been able to make it all the way into the lodge to me as she flitted around the kitchen, explaining that her brother had just warned her of the possibility of an interloper before she had registered the foreign voice speaking upstairs. I could tell that she was beating herself up over the fact, despite her hasty reaction which had aided me in running him off, at least for the time being. I hurried to assure her that I was fine, and I was. Although my wolf was still scratching at my skin to get out, frantic to eit
Jax I carried my mate up the stairs and straight into the washroom, depositing her in the walk-in shower and taking a step back after making sure that she was steady on her feet. Next, I quickly stripped off my shorts, pleased to see that she had copied my movements with only a slight blush gracing her face as she removed her own clothing and chucked it somewhere in the bathroom behind me, but I only had eyes for her so its final destination was lost on me. My wolf and I felt immensely gratified at her comfort level around us deepening, eliciting a bone-deep level of satisfaction as I marched into the tiled enclosure and reached around Willow to turn the dials to an agreeable setting, guiding her away from where the stream of water would soon emerge. I observed her as she swiftly unwound the thick plaits of her dark hair, lea
Willow My eyes felt like lead weights as I pushed the remnants of the buttery noodles around on my plate, but my movements were sluggish and half-hearted at best. A yawn escaped from my mouth as I relinquished my hold on the utensil. I had eaten a lot more than I thought could, more than I had in a long time, in fact. I supposed it was not surprising, seeing as I had eaten little since breakfast before, bright and early this morning with the two siblings. Ronnie had thankfully suggested procuring a few snacks to munch on when we had talked with the other girls about the ball and while we were at the coffee shop in town, but then we had run into Jax on the way back to the lodge for a late lunch and that was all she wrote. One thing led to another, and well, we had never gotten around to eating anything before he was driving me
Willow About Three Weeks Later… “Baby, we talked about this. You know we have to go help Ronnie with the final details before the ball. She has been complaining nonstop since we left, and then Scarlett bailed right after, leaving only Mari and her to organize the whole thing.” “We still have three days until the ball, sweetheart. This will only delay us a few hours, and I think we deserve to celebrate a little longer. My sister will be fine once she hears that she is going to be an aunt.” There was no more talking after that, at least nothing coherent as Jax sealed his alluring lips over my kiss-swollen ones once more in a passionate caress that left no questions concerning how he was feeling about my unexpected information. I had not even considered pregnancy when we had completed our bond, but of course I would be the one to get pregnant on the first go around. I was somewhere on the spectrum of freaking the fuck out and overwhelmingly joyful to be bringing another life into
Willow I was startled out of my deep slumber when Jax jumped up with me still ensconced in his arms, the sudden action jostling me awake. I was confused for about a second, but then my brain gradually caught up with the sounds that were filtering into my ears, and I spun my head around in a circle until my eyes connected with Ronnie’s. I did not register the others in the room until after I had leaped up and ensnared my sister in a giant hug in my excitement to see her again so soon. She let out a chuckle before gently pushing me back with a scrunched nose and look of discomfort coloring her expression. I was a bit hurt a first, but I immediately understood her apprehension when she said, “It is great to see you Willow, but you kind of need a bath. It appears that my brother could use one too.” I glanced back to where Jax was currently conversing with his beta and Asher, and I could not deny the actuality of her statement as I took in the dried blood that still streaked across
Jax I had followed Willow’s lead, shifting back into human form and blindly advancing towards the kitchen with my eyes glued to her naked ass. I pulled on some pants, content to follow my mate’s lead, but I realized how stupid the action was when I discarded them a few minutes later so that I could check the house’s security one last time. I was shocked when my wolf was hesitant to leave, but after another careful assessment of the area with my enhanced senses turning up nothing unusual, I pushed aside his worry and set off at a fast clip so that I could return to my mate sooner. I had traveled a few miles, my wolf fighting me the entire way, when the influx of warnings swamped my mind. The border was under attack, and it was by none other than the bear shifters that we had been keeping an eye on. I did not understand how they c
Willow After about an hour of practicing, with Jax refusing to so much as kiss me while we were training, we agreed to call it quits for now. He had only managed to go over a few of the basics due to us being pressed for time, but I felt good about what he did teach me during the allotted period. I also thought that it was kind of cute how serious he was about my preparation if I was being honest. Don’t get me wrong, I was just as invested in making sure that I knew how to protect myself, but I did not think one kiss would deter me from that goal. Irrespective, I was in heaven when he finally leaned down and closed the distance between our bodies, smashing me against his chest as he hoisted me up with ease and thoroughly plundered my mouth. He kissed me until I was out of breath, but then he pul
Willow Jax’s pronouncement of his fears relating to the bears’ possible forthcoming incursion instantly dragged my memories back to the disastrous day that I had found both of my parent’s murdered, the cataclysm that had flipped my whole world upside down on its axis. My vision clouded as my haunted past consumed my awareness, sending me back down into the pit of despair that I had only recently clawed my way out of. I could hear my wolf shouting for me, reaching out to help pull me back from my spiraling downfall, but her presence was muted by the horrific images still revolving through my mind on a reel. Then, out of nowhere, the light fragrance of freshly cut grass began to seep into my consciousness, followed by the aromatic smell of rich coffee as I vaguely felt sturdy arms encircle my waist.
Jax I had known this conversation was coming all along. Regardless, Willow’s words managed to succeed in startling my thoughts away from the dark path that they were previously headed down. While I was thankful for the reprieve, not looking forward to thinking about Ryker being anywhere near my baby sister without my regulation any more than necessary, I found my trepidation almost equal when I considered the topic that she wanted me to fill her in on. I never wanted to keep secrets from my mate, but I also did not want her to worry about the added difficulties that Ryker had heretofore been keeping me up to date with on top of the stress that Zeke’s reappearance had produced. I found myself stuck between a rock and hard place as I was forced to choose between total honesty and protecting her, both mentally and physically.
Willow I muttered a perfunctory greeting in response, not really awake enough to make conversation, but I pulled my long tresses over my shoulders and darted my eyes away from his general direction as I did so. I had not been expecting to see anyone else or I probably would have showered former to coming downstairs, but it was too late to change now, so I resolved on making the best of my current predicament. If I had been thinking clearly earlier, I would have apprehended that there might be others rambling about. This was the pack house of the Northern Province, after all. I could guess that he was trying to be friendly, but I still felt uncomfortable around large men by myself after my experiences with Zeke, so I had remained quiet as I beelined straight for the coffee that drew me in like a magnet wit
Willow I tiredly rolled around in the bed when I awoke, wincing at the soreness I could feel suffusing scarcely used muscles and electing to leave my eyes firmly shut as I reached out blindly, searching for my mate’s large form. Nevertheless, they soared open abruptly when my wandering hands came up with nothing but an empty space and cold sheets during their hunt. Blinking my groggy eyes open, I allowed them a minute to adjust to the bright light of a fully risen sun filtering through the white colored curtains, I had not realized that I had slept in so long, but it did not surprise me with how late Jax had kept me up last night, not that I was complaining. Still, I knew one thing for certain. Those window coverings would be exchanged for a much darker alternative in the near future if I had anything to say about it.
Jax With one powerful lunge forward, my mind fractured momentarily as it was overwhelmed with the sensations of claiming my soulmate at long last. I nebulously noticed that my wolf had managed to express his excitement through a low howl that I could feel all the way down to the tips of my toes as my shoulders strained with exertion and my claws tore into the wooden rail behind my mate’s head. I was struggling to not blow my load, holding my raging member stock-still so that the sensory overload would not send me sprinting over the edge prematurely as I was besieged by the lust drenching me in its deluge at the feeling of her wet heat ensconcing me. I wanted this to last at least until I had her screaming my name as her center compressed around my pulsing length with the resulting tremors of her release before we started the s