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I finally get why he’s been so tense and distant these last few weeks. He’s mad that I didn’t leave Marlowe when I had the chance. He doesn’t get that I could never run away while he’s in danger?
“You really thought I would run away while Skyler was dying and you, Ezra, and Maisie were stuck in that house?” I yell back at him. “Come on, Jaxon! That’s crazy. I love you and would never leave you!”
“You almost did!” he growls angrily. He shakes me by the shoulders until I can see his blue-gray eyes, which are so sad that I have to take a breath.
“Calla, you almost left me,” he whispers now, and his eyes fill with tears. “You were dying. You had dozens of injuries, and you passed out after fighting one of the strongest witches in the world who wanted to kill you. You made that choice while I sat on the sidelines, trapped. I was screaming for you and beating down the magical walls that held me back. I had to watch.”
He has a tear on his cheek, but I wipe it away. After that, there are more.
“I had to watch her hurt you. It was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I felt so helpless and broken when I saw her throw you across the room like a rag doll. She choked you and I-”
Then Jaxon starts to cry, and all I can do is hold him close and tell him I’m sorry and that I’m safe in his arms. I don’t feel bad about what I did, but I do feel bad that Marlowe had to see it happen. I can’t even begin to imagine how he must have felt.
Alpha’s are supposed to protect, lead, and fight. He must have felt so tortured and helpless when he couldn’t reach me.
I take him to the bed and hold him like he held me when I was crying about Felix.
That’s all I can do.
And when he’s gotten rid of all those sad thoughts and looks at me with pure love and admiration, I know we can move on.
We are together.
It’s hard to believe how fast exam week went by, since exams usually take a long time and are very stressful for me. Skyler and I studied whenever we had time, but now that exams are over, I can focus on more important things, like my family and the pack.
Since Jaxon opened up about his deeper feelings, he and I have become even closer. Now I feel like we can really connect without any emotional barriers. I couldn’t spend as much time with him as I would have liked, though, because I had tests all week.
My mom is back at work now. She tried to take Maisie back to her old school, but she cried and threw a fit because she didn’t want to be away from her new friends. Maxwell’s name came up a lot. Mom made the choice for Maisie to stay in school with the other kids. I think she secretly loves the idea that Maisie will be safer from supernatural enemies like the coven that took her a few weeks ago.
Today I took my last test, which just so happened to be Ethics. Looking at the multiple-choice questions made me feel a lot of things, but I had to keep my cool. It’s so unfair. No one in class even noticed that Felix was gone. I know that in college, people can get lost in the chaos of classes, crowds, and parties, but how can no one care?
I care. I will always remember Felix and what he did for me, Skyler, and Maisie.
So the thought that Felix would say something dumb and completely wrong about ethics and tell me I had to study and pass helped me get through my Ethics test today. I can easily see him saying, “You can’t fail ethics! You’re the most ethical person I know!”
I see my breath fogging up in front of me as I leave the lecture hall. It makes me think of a book I read about an Ice Queen. It would be cool if I had magical powers, but I guess I’ll have to make do with my boyfriend being a werewolf.
There he is, illegally parked like he was when he picked me up from class all those months ago. He’s wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans, like he’s ready for 70-degree weather, while I’m bundled up in layers and layers of coats, socks, and long underwear that are not sexy at all.
I wish I didn’t get hot or cold like werewolves do.
He crosses his strong arms and leans against his Tesla. I watch as the sleeves barely fit over his biceps and think back to how impressed I was with him the first time I saw him at Steamy Bean Cafe.
Coffee sounds good right now.
As soon as Jaxon sees me leave the building, his eyes light up. He pulls his lips up at the corners, and when I’m only a few feet away, he can’t wait any longer to hold me, so he covers the distance and hugs me.
He mumbles, “Goddess, you’re freezing, Calla,” and rubs his hands up and down my arms, which are covered in a coat.
“Yeah, well I’m not as tough as you are,” I shiver.
It’s not that cold; it’s only in the low 30s. But I feel like I’ve just taken an ice pack out of the freezer.
Jaxon lets me into his car, which is thankfully warm. Jaxon just smiles at me from the driver’s seat like a creepy boyfriend, and for a moment I thaw. Normally, I would tell him off for parking in front of the building without permission, but I’m too cold to do that right now, so I let him have his moment.
When I finally get comfortable in the hot seat, Jaxon hands me a to-go cup of coffee from Cafe. I gasp and then let out a high-pitched scream of joy.
“Coffee! Yay!” I grab the cup, blow through the small hole in the top, and then sip the delicious drink.
“Thank you, baby,” I say with a smile. “It’s chocolatey.” He leans over the center console and kisses me, his tongue sliding against mine before he pulls back.
“You’re welcome,” he says. Then he gives me a smirk and starts to drive.
“I like the taste of coffee better when it comes from your lips.”
I’m embarrassed.
What should I do with him?
*********
Jaxon drives us back to the pack house, and the whole time I’m singing and drinking the last drop of the delicious coffee he bought me. As we get closer to the house, I start to feel a little nervous, and it’s not just because of the caffeine I just drank.
It takes me a second to realize that the nervousness isn’t coming from me; it’s coming from Jaxon.
I follow him when he parks and gets out of the car and reaches for his hand. His smile shows that he knows something, so his nerves can’t be anything bad, right?
I don’t say anything because I don’t want to pressure Jaxon if he doesn’t want to talk about it yet. I squeeze his hand a little harder, hoping he sees it as a comforting gesture.
Once we’re inside, Jaxon tells me to take a hot shower while he “takes care of something.”
I don’t think that’s ever a good thing, but I see a sparkle in his eyes that hasn’t been there in a long time, and I love him too much to take that away from him.
I give in, also because I’m really cold.
I take my time in the shower because I want to give Jaxon some time to “take care of” whatever he needs to “take care of.”
Just saying that makes my anxiety worse.
Instead of thinking about what Jaxon is up to, I try to focus on rubbing the nice-smelling vanilla shampoo and body wash he put in his bathroom for me into my hair and body. I might also smell his body wash.
What? It smells like him, and I’m head over heels in love.
I choose to wear a pair of jeans and a short-sleeve top. It’s cute and comfortable. It’s too early for dinner when I go downstairs around 4:00. I wonder what he’s doing…
“Jaxon?” I shout when I get to the bottom of the stairs. My little sister, who is always full of energy, comes running toward me instead.
“Calla!” she screams as she leaps into my arms. I just saw her yesterday, but she’s so excited that she runs into me like a linebacker.
I swear she must borrow some wolf strength because when she runs into me, I’m so shocked and off balance that I fall right on my b**t. Jaxon and my mom are there to see it, which makes it even worse.
As I hold Maisie close to my chest to keep her from hitting the ground with me, I let out a squeak. When I’m sure I took the full force of the hit, I start to laugh at how clumsy I am. I’m going to be sore in the b**t later, but I’m not hurt in any other way.
Mom and Jaxon rush to my side. My mom has a big smile on her face as she laughs at how weak and unbalanced I am, and Jaxon tries to hide his smile. At least he tries to hide that he’s teasing me.
“Oh no!” my mom laughs and reaches for her kids. I push her hand away and say, “I’ve got it,” under my breath as I stand up and hug Maisie. Jaxon just stands there and checks me for serious injuries, but he seems happy when I get up quickly.
When Maisie starts to wiggle in my arms, I put her down.
“Jaxon says he has a surprise for us! Come on! He says it’s in the other room!”
Maisie runs over to my mom and pulls her hand toward the room. I smile and start to follow them, but Jaxon stops me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, sounding very serious. My werewolf is always checking on me because he’s paranoid and sensitive.
“Yeah, she just surprised me. My b**t will be a little sore, though,” I say to myself with a laugh.
Jaxon’s eyes suddenly darken, and he is filled with l**t right away. I think he’s hugging me, but then his big hands start to massage and knead my b**t, which proves me wrong.
He growls, “I can help with that,” and pulls me into his hard body with a grip on my behind.
As he gets closer, I feel a shiver run through my body as his dominant side shows through. I really like it when he acts like an Alpha.
He gives me a cocky smile because of how my body reacts to him being close. As his forehead rests on mine, my eyes flutter shut and his hands keep giving me a heady massage.
He asks, “You like it when I touch you like this, don’t you?” even though I know that even the smallest touch makes me want him more, let alone when he touches me like this.
When I don’t answer him because I’m too lost in my desire and need for him, he slaps my b**t to get my attention.
He teases, “Hmm?” while running his hands over the area he just hurt.
“Yeah,” I say softly, feeling both shy and lustful.
“Later,” he winks, and then he leaves me wanting. As he walks away from me and into the other room where Maisie and my mom are waiting for us, I watch his back.
That sneaky bastard! How dare he get me all worked up and then leave me to push my bad thoughts down.
And I think a lot of bad things. starting with how his b**t looks in those jeans as he walks away from me…