Chapter 133 A New Shade of Enemy
929words
"So Sophia wasn't with you? You both just vanished on me," I said jokingly. Jaxon's glare narrowed at me, and I heard a low growl escape his chest. "Who vanished...?" he asked with a snarl.
I rolled my eyes, reaching for my clothes scattered across the floor. "It's a joke, Jaxon," I replied. "There's no need to get all big bad Alpha big brother on me now." I'd be lying if I said I didn't find his possessiveness over Sophia strangely attractive most of the time, but she was about to turn eighteen hours from now, and her mate had already found her. It was time for him to loosen his grip on his little sister and let her live the life she was meant to have, as designed by the Moon Goddess. Sophia was a badass; that much I was sure of. She could easily handle herself. I was also sure that Jaxon's behavior only pushed her further away from him.
Jaxon growled and pressed his rock-solid body against mine, shoving me abruptly into the wooden frame behind me. It felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs as he looked down at me, running his index finger along my cheek and tucking a stray hair behind my ear. I wanted to stay like this; I didn't want the moment to end. The look in his eyes made me feel safe, yet it was as if my lungs barely filled with air as I stared up at him. I struggled to string words together as I found myself slowly getting lost in the golden swirls of his eyes. Jaxon clenched his jaw tightly, pushing even closer into my body. He looked down at me and bit his bottom lip like he was surrendering to his deepest thoughts.
"I—I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you, Adeline," he admitted. I could feel the pain laced in his words piercing my heart. I knew that feeling. I didn't know what I'd do without my mate either. I struggled to keep my voice steady and pulled him into a gentle kiss. His lips parted and granted me access as my tongue traced against his. I felt my wolf wince when he pulled back.
"Listen, Adeline, I need you to listen," he said in a stern voice. I nearly choked out a giggle at the authority he tried to press on me. "Blake was on Midnight Moon territory. Beta Don captured him and brought him down to the cells. Adeline, little wolf, he knows you're a red wolf," he finally admitted.
I felt my surroundings start to spin, making it hard to focus on Jaxon's face. I reached out for his thick bicep to steady myself, my eyes filling with tears. "But—how?" I responded. "I've been careful around him, Jaxon. You've got to believe me," I begged.
Jaxon shook his head and placed a small kiss on my forehead. I felt tiny electric shocks course through my body at the simple contact of his lips on my skin. "I had no choice. I had to let him go. I've made sure, Addie—he knows the consequences if he even thinks of touching you. We have to be smart for now. We don't know what he knows or who else knows," Jaxon explained.
I pressed my lips together, trying to hold onto the last shred of sanity as I watched Jaxon confess. It was bad enough that Alpha Blake somehow figured out I was a red wolf. It was even worse that he was using that knowledge to hold Jaxon's life over his head. I felt my teeth start to chatter as the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Alpha Blake wasn't the only one who knew—someone in Alpha Christian's pack must also know, given that my coiled notebooks were still missing.
I couldn't help but feel like the world was crashing down on me. I bit the inside of my cheek, my mind spiraling to put together some plan of action until we figured out how to protect ourselves and our pack.
"Hunters will come sooner or later, Adeline. We'll figure this out. It's a story as old as time. The legends of red wolves have been around for centuries," Jaxon said, but I noticed the nerves in his voice. He tried to put on a brave front, but I knew deep down he was terrified too.
I mustered my biggest smile and clasped my hand around his much larger one. "I know—the notebooks warned us too. Your mom—" I began to explain when a gut-wrenching pain split across the side of my abdomen. I reached for my torso, howling in pain as I slouched down and wrapped my arms around my side.
"Addie, my mate, my Luna. What's wrong? Are you hurt? Let me see," Jaxon called out urgently.
As quickly as the pain had come over me, it faded. I straightened and assured Jaxon that I felt much better. Maybe it was Chef Mark's pancakes that had upset my stomach. It took a few attempts before Jaxon finally accepted I was okay, though he still insisted I see the pack doctor at the pack house immediately.
It was no use arguing with him. I could feel his wolf pushing forward anxiously. I nodded and pulled my long sleeve sweater over my shoulders, then squared my stance. "Yes, Alpha sir," I exclaimed, saluting him. I couldn't stop the grin playing on my face as the corners of his lips tugged into a smile.
