Chapter 61 First Date
1842words
The door burst open, ripping the hinges off the door frame as it collapsed to the floor and shattered into pieces. Alpha Jaxon stared at me with blackened eyes as dark as night, his knuckles white from gripping the loose doorknob that had now separated from the door. Fear trickled over me, blurring my vision as I sat up and hugged my pillow tight. Alpha Jaxon was livid, striding toward me in a few quick steps. I had been snuggled up in bed under the plush blue comforter, trying to take a nap before Alpha Jaxon returned from his meeting. I was exhausted from the day and tried to reserve my remaining energy for whatever he had planned for us tonight. When I couldn't sleep, I realized it was because I missed my mate too much, so I decided to put on his white t-shirt, his scent lulling me to sleep like a lullaby to a baby.
"I gave you an option. If you wanted to be my mate, did you think I wouldn't find out about the time you spent with Alpha Christian last night?" a growl escaped his chest. My mind began to swirl, panic rising in my body, causing it to shake. How did he find out? I wanted to be his; would he reject me as his mate now? My darkest fears slowly unfolded. I had fallen for Alpha Jaxon. I couldn't imagine my life without him. I held my pillow tightly against my chest, feeling my eyes fill with tears. "N-no, Alpha, you don't understand," I choked out.
"I understand well enough, Adeline. Don't you see how much you mean to me? So you decided to let Alpha Christian touch what's mine? He's requested to take you as his chosen mate. Now I can see why," he said as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "If that's what you want—pack your belongings. He leaves at sunset. I'd rather spend a cold life without you than spend my life knowing that you'd rather be with another man."
My stomach sank; he didn't understand what had happened. The thought that he could go back to his life with Beverly and forget about me made my heart crack. He was my mate. The pain was too much to bear. I was devoted to him; nothing could ever change that. I had no choice but to endure Alpha Christian's games. My head dropped onto my pillow. "I love you... please..." I muttered through the bulky pillow. He went silent, but I could feel his gaze still fixed on me, laced with fury.
I slowly lifted my head to look at him. He was frozen in place. His eyes pierced through me with a coldness I had never felt before, making me feel like he didn't believe me. Yet I could also sense his deep, painful anguish as if it were my own. My wolf pushed me inward, enraged that I had let this happen, screaming inside, "Please, mate!" I pressed my lips tightly and stood up from the bed. I ran the back of my hand across his jaw, feeling the subtle stubble prick my skin. Even in this chaos, the electric pangs still shot through my body.
"I know you feel that too. I'm yours. I'll only ever be yours," I whispered, holding my hand against his face, thankful he let me touch him.
"Just give me the opportunity to explain, please, Jaxon," I begged. He stayed silent, staring deep into my eyes. My heart ached at the blistering pain behind his eyes—pain I had caused. I would do anything to take it away. I took his silence as agreement to listen.
"I got lost last night trying to find your bedroom after I left the pack house kitchen. Alpha Christian pinned me to the wall. I don't think he noticed your mark on my neck because the love bite was still there on top of it. I tried to get away, but he was bigger than me. I decided the only way out was to play along until I had a chance. When I did, I kneed him between the legs and ran for my life until I bumped into Beta Don. I told Beta Don I'd just gone for a run. I don't think he believed me, but he still walked me to my room," I confessed, lowering my hand onto his broad chest.
He scowled at me, the pain that had once sat in his eyes replaced by anger that sent chills down my spine. He grabbed my face between his fingers, gripping it tightly. "That doesn't excuse why you hid this from me. I'm your Alpha, and above that, I'm your mate. There are no secrets between us, Adeline. I won't accept them," he yelled, clenching his jaw.
"It wasn't meant to be a secret, Jaxon. I chose not to tell you because I knew there would be a bloodbath if I had. I didn't want to cause you more problems. We'd just had a rogue attack on the pack and I would've died if it hadn't been for you..." I couldn't control the honesty spilling from my mouth. Tears escaped and landed on his hand gripping my face. He released me and dried my tears with his thumb. "Did you mean it? Do you actually love me?"
I nodded, my mouth dry and unable to say another word.
He kissed my forehead and wrapped his arms around me, offering comfort. Being in his arms made me feel safe and secure. He held me silently, but that silence told me everything I needed to know. He finally pulled away and placed his hands on the sides of my face.
"I love you, Adeline. If I hear of any other man near you again, I will rip him apart limb by limb. But there will be no more secrets between us. I can't take that kind of betrayal."
My heart leapt at the hope that Alpha Jaxon would still take me as his mate, and I wrapped my arms tightly around his torso. "I—I can't live without you. You're everything I've ever dreamed of," I whispered against his chiseled chest. He stroked the back of my head for a moment and said, "And you're more than I ever could have imagined."
I let out a small moan into his chest, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. We stayed still, listening as our breathing fell into a steady, shared rhythm.
He reached under the bed and pulled out a red box with a white bow on it. "Go put this on and meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes. I've waited too long to celebrate my mate's birthday."
I giggled at how adamant he was, taking the box into my hands. He grabbed a black garment bag from the closet and quickly left, leaving me alone to get ready.
I set the box on the bed and carefully unraveled the white ribbon. Eagerly, I yanked the lid off and pulled out a breathtaking long burgundy dress. I rushed to the walk-in closet, stripping off Alpha Jaxon's white t-shirt and slipping on the dress. The satin burgundy gown had a deep V-cut, exposing just enough cleavage. It was ruched at the bodice on one side and featured a deep slit that ran to the top of my thigh. I loosely waved my hair, tying it into a stylish low ponytail with thin strands left out. Satisfied, I quickly touched up my makeup—I didn't want to infuriate Alpha Jaxon further by being late.
I slipped on the strappy black heels from the box and paired my outfit with the black diamond earrings I had inherited from my great-grandmother. They had been a gift from my great-grandfather, and I vowed to wear them only on special occasions to keep them safe. I took one last look in the mirror, thrilled with my new dress. Considering that Sophia had done some shopping for me before, I assumed she had picked out the dress. I made a mental note to thank her for her excellent sense of fashion later.
I quietly closed the bedroom door and stopped dead when I saw Theo. "Oh my Moon Goddess, you've been here the entire time?!" I gasped.
He chuckled and replied, "It is my job to keep an eye on you now, Adeline. The Alpha has requested that I escort you to dinner."
I nodded and began walking down the hall with him. "Y-you didn't hear everything earlier, did you?" I felt my cheeks flush pink.
He gave a sad nod. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to overhear. For what it's worth, I believe you. Every time Alpha Christian visits our pack, he finds another Midnight Moon she-wolf to occupy his time. I'm impressed you managed to throw him a hard one where it counts—I would've loved to see his face."
I chuckled at the compliment, glad he didn't see me as the weak she-wolf everyone else did.
We made our way down the pack house staircase when a flash of red caught the corner of my eye. Anxiety filled my chest as I dreaded what was coming. Beverly barreled toward me, clutching a brown clipboard with an ugly scowl on her face.
"Looks like you got what you wanted. The entire pack has been notified that the mating between Jaxon and me will no longer take place. I hate to tell you this, but the pack is furious. Wait until they find out who Jaxon's mate is," she sneered, forcing out a laugh and tossing her hair with pure malice.
I rolled my eyes and felt Theo stiffen beside me.
"Is it true?" I pouted, feeling my wolf whimper inside.
He let out a sigh. "Yes, the announcement was made a few hours ago. I think the pack is just surprised—no one expected Alpha Jaxon to have a true mate because of the legend. Don't listen to her, Adeline. You're going to make a better Luna than she ever would. You care about the people. She thinks being Luna is all about bossing people around."
I smiled at Theo. I didn't care if it was true or not; his sincerity made me feel good.
We passed the pack house kitchen, and I paused. "Um, where are you going? Dinner, remember?"
He stifled a laugh. "Come on," he said, waving me to follow him. "Alpha Jaxon really pulled out all the stops for this one. He had half the pack house working on it, making sure tonight was perfect for you."
My eyes grew wide. No one had ever done anything this grand for me before.
He led me out of the pack house and into a clearing, where I instantly locked eyes with Alpha Jaxon. He wore black dress pants with the top buttons of his black dress shirt undone. His muscles were clearly defined beneath the shirt, which hugged every curve. Just seeing him made my mouth water and something between my legs tingle.
