Mated To The Alpha Of The North
Chapter 15

Willow

I felt a massive pounding coming from the back of my head as I slowly woke up, groaning audibly as I shifted in the soft, comfortable bed, and groggily attempted to sit up.

However, as I began to wake up, the events of the past…how many ever hours, were all starting to come back to me. What happened in the clearing? How did I end up in a bed? Where was Zeke?

The questions kept coming one after another as my brain fought to catch up, and my heart thundered furiously in my chest once I realized I was not alone.

Further, I was startled to notice that my left hand was being held in a rough, but surprisingly comfortable embrace.

I knew I should be panicking and fighting to get away right now, but I just felt so safe and it had been a long time since I had felt the comfort of this feeling.

Nevertheless, my eyes flew open so I could ascertain who was holding my hand. I felt small electric currents racing through my palm where it connected with his, but his calloused skin had immediately clued me in to the fact that it was not Zeke, even without my eyes confirming it for me first.

Zeke had never worked a day in his life, but this man had obviously seen some rough shit if his hands were any indication.

Yet, as I gazed up into his eyes, I once again found myself lost in his mesmerizing gaze. The man holding my hand was none other than the stranger from the clearing.

I vaguely noticed that the small tug I gave to free my extremity was ignored as he squeezed my hand firmly within his larger one.

Any pretenses I had of resisting his touch was gone the second I felt that small squeeze.

All the questions that were bubbling up and ready to spill over immediately froze on my lips the moment my eyes met his again.

He got a faraway look in his eyes for a moment, a look I recognized in fact. An alpha was communicating with his pack, but before I could question him on it, his eyes refocused and he opened his mouth to speak, “Slowly, here let me help you sit up. You hit your head pretty hard unfortunately.”

He spoke as he carefully helped me finish sitting up against the headboard.

I noticed he looked away, seemingly guilty, as he finished speaking, and he would not meet my eyes as he rearranged the pillows into a more comfortable position for me.

I recognized where I was as soon as I glanced around the room, though I guess I should by now considering how many times Zeke made me reclean it, despite its already pristine state.

I had always felt uneasy in this room, as it was the one that I had initially woken up in about two years ago, before it all went to hell.

Don’t get me wrong, the room itself was gorgeous, with a warm brown color coating the walls and luxuriously soft carpet that your feet just sank in to when you got out of bed first thing in the morning, and do not even get me started on that bathroom and the massive tub that I still have not gotten the privilege of taking a bath in.

The massive four poster bed took up a good portion of the room, but I was quite certain it was the most comfortable surface I had ever rested on in my entire life.

Yet despite all the extravagances the room afforded, I was never able to experience anything close to it until now, save that first morning, and I had been too keyed up to even appreciate it then.

However, before I could get too wrapped up in admiring the fineries of the room, the male began speaking again.

I was surprised I could get so lost in my own thoughts given everything that was going on, but I just felt so at ease for the first time in as long as I could remember that I found myself constantly drifting off in a new direction of thought, despite the enthralling male before me.

Nonetheless, his deep, authoritative voice was able to penetrate my hazy mind with his next words, “Ronnie will be here in a minute now that you are awake. She checked you over while you were knocked out, but she was concerned about a few things…”

The warrior in front of me trailed off, probably as he took in the expression on my face.

“Who is Ronnie? Better yet, who are you and how did I get here?” I began panicking and attempting to clamber out of the bed as I realized that a stranger, perhaps several strangers, had been around me while I was unconscious.

There was no telling what they had done while I was out of it. I needed to get out here.

I made a motion to throw my legs over the side of the bed, causing a new burst of pain to suffuse my body, but the man was there quickly, steadying me when I about face planted and helping me back into bed. Well, that was embarrassing.

Before I could say or do anything else, the male quickly began speaking again after he retook his seat by the bed. “Ronnie, or Veronica I should say, is my sister and a medic, and I carried you back here for medical attention when you were knocked unconscious by Zeke pushing you into the boulders in the clearing by the river.”

He seemed to get more upset the longer he kept talking, finishing his sentence with a fierce sounding growl. I knew I should have been afraid of the terrifying sound and his mounting anger, but somehow, I felt safe with him despite it all.

I found myself reaching out to grab his hand again, wanting to comfort him; however, a soft knocking came from the direction of the door, causing me to retract my wandering hand as I glanced over to see a young woman about my age hesitating in the doorframe.

I had not even realized I was reaching out towards him until his sister interrupted our brief moment.

My cheeks burned as I felt the man reach out and snag my hand again while I was distracted by her entrance. As much as I wanted to pull away from him, his warm hand felt comforting, and I could not bring myself to give up that feeling, not yet anyway.

Veronica began talking, apparently either not noticing or caring about the tension and chemistry present between her brother and me, “Hello, Jax told me you were awake. Do you mind if I come in and check you over one more time? There were a few things that concerned me earlier when he brought you in after everything that happened with Zeke.”

Although she asked nicely, I had a feeling that I did not have a choice in the matter, and at least I knew who was holding my hand now, not that it helped me calm down any.

I knew Jax was the alpha that had taken over in the Northern Province shortly after the beginning of the war, and I also knew that Zeke had a major grudge against him.

Shit! Once I thought of Zeke again, I immediately felt my b***d start to rush, and my heartrate audibly picked up speed; however, before I could work myself up too much, I felt Jax’s calloused hand rubbing small circles over the top of my hand with his thumb.

“You are safe.” He murmured quietly in his deep baritone, as I met his gaze yet again. “I will not let anyone hurt you ever again.”

He vowed solemnly, soothing the last of my frayed nerves for the time being with his calming words.

While I definitely felt safe, I was still confused as to why Jax was here holding my hand and comforting me.

I had forgotten about his sister the moment my chocolate eyes met his hazel ones, so I had no qualms about the next question that spilled out of my mouth.

“But why? Why are you taking care of and comforting me?” I asked quietly, still gazing into his eyes.

“Because you are mine. You are my mate.” Jax answered immediately, without any hint of hesitation.

A million thoughts raced through my brain at his proclamation, though my wolf was ready to drown out everything else and claim her mate.

I pulled upon my years of mental fortitude to push her towards the back of my mind until I could process the situation more fully.

My initial instinct was to deny his claim; he was not the first alpha to declare I was his other half, after all. However, something stopped me from speaking these feelings aloud.

The most obvious reason would be that he did not treat me like Zeke had, that much was clear as day, even with the limited amount of time I had spent in his company.

My wolf and I also felt safe in his presence, but I would definitely need more time to process his revelation, preferably when he was not around muddying my already scattered thoughts.

As it turned out, I was saved from having to immediately respond to Jax’s assertion by none other than his sister, who I had already completely forgotten was still in the room up until the moment she loudly cleared her throat as she approached us by the bed.

I ignored the tell-tale sign of my embarrassment as my face reddened and allowed Veronica to examine my injuries, while I pretended I was somewhere else. I was uncomfortable around medics, having never been examined by one before, and I knew I was not exactly in the best shape. I did not want to have to answer any questions right now.

I think maybe Jax could sense my distress though because his next words made me want to let myself fall for him. He had obviously been having some sort of discussion with his sister over their mind link, but his gaze quickly refocused on me as he spoke, “How about I run you a bath so you can relax for a while before eating?”

There was still a mountain of queries to be asked and answered by both sides; however, his offer was not one I could refuse.

I quickly acquiesced to his suggestion and watched, strangely conflicted by his absence by my side, as he strode toward the bathroom door without any further conversation, leaving me alone with his sister. Yikes.