Mated To The Alpha Of The North
Chapter 16

Willow

I tried looking everywhere but at Veronica; though, she kind of messed up my plans when she sauntered up and took her brother’s chair. She began speaking without any preamble, “He is already halfway to in love with you, you know.”

Although her bold words and actions shocked the hell out of me, I could not help the swell of satisfaction that swept through me.

I quickly schooled my features so that I did not give away my feelings, still I was not sure I managed to pull it off.

My wolf was beyond pleased and preened inside, but my human half still had some misgivings, no doubt caused by the years of emotional torment I had suffered at Zeke’s hands.

However, she must have seen the doubt that leeched into my thoughts because she went on without any prompting from me.

“It is the truth, but you will see that over time. For now, can we start with your name before you take a bath?”

I think I might end up liking her. She had not dwelled on sensitive subjects so far or pressured me to do anything I was not comfortable with. It was a stark contrast from what I was used to.

“My name is Willow,” I answered in a soft, yet still forceful voice as I went on, “And I appreciate all of your help Veronica, but I am okay. I promise I will be fine.”

It appeared that she was fighting with herself over whether she wanted to say something or the other, but, ultimately, she settled for simply the following, “Please call me Ronnie. I know Jax and you are just starting out, but we are sisters after all. I would love for us to become friends, and I am here if you ever need to talk about anything.”

I was surprised at the sincerity I read in her eyes as she warmly accepted me into her family without hesitation.

I felt a pang of sadness as I remembered that this easy acceptance was one of the few things that I had longed for over the years Zeke had kept me locked away.

He had kept me isolated from most of the pack while I had been here, and, as a result, I yearned for the company of another human being, one who did not aim to cause me suffering with their every word or action.

I shifted slightly in the bed, causing me to wince in pain from the motion, as I pondered the best way to answer Ronnie.

While I wanted to immediately jump on her offer of friendship, my experiences over the past two years had left me leery, and I still needed to take the time to untangle the mess of the past how many ever hours.

I was still unsure how much time had elapsed since I had lost consciousness, but that could wait until after I had relaxed in the massive tub for an hour, or maybe two if I was being completely honest with myself. However, I did not think that my mate’s…

Shit, I meant Jax’s sister, would be one to lead me on maliciously.

She honestly seemed really great and like someone I would love to be friends with. She was also right when she said she was family, or she was going to be anyway when I finally accepted the situation for what it was.

I knew that I would eventually; I just needed some time to process everything on my own. Zeke had tainted my aspirations of ever replaceing my actual mate over the years, to the point that I never believed I would ever truly replace him. It was bit surreal knowing that that man was just in the other room.

Although I might have wanted to deny his claim initially, I was quickly becoming more and more certain as the time elapsed that Jax was my other half.

Whereas, with Zeke, it had never felt right when he had claimed I was his soulmate, but, with Jax, I felt deep inside my heart that his assertion was true if I allowed myself to be honest.

Further confirming this declaration, my wolf continued to cry out for her mate in the back of my head, and I vaguely remembered my mother describing how she felt around my father all those years back.

They were two halves that had found their perfect match, that was how she had described it anyway. I tried to discreetly wipe the tear that had managed to escape before I pulled myself out of my reverie to answer Ronnie.

“Thank you, Ronnie. I really appreciate it, but I honestly need a little time by myself to process everything. I would love to spend more time with you later.” I finished warmly, trying to hide the worst of my aches and pains from her watchful eyes.

“I am sure you need some space to yourself while you come to grips with everything that has happened. I think I actually just heard Jax turn off the water, so I will help you into the bath and take him with me to get you some food while you relax and decompress. First, however, I would like to give you something to dull the pain, if that is okay with you, and then we can answer any questions you have about what happened yesterday while you eat.”

I felt a bit apprehensive about Ronnie apparently noticing my discomfort, but I knew that was just my conditioned response due to Zeke’s horrendous conduct.

I pushed aside my unease and, as graciously as I could manage, accepted Ronnie’s offer without wasting anymore time.

“I would actually love it if you could give me something to help manage the pain,” I admitted, if a bit sheepishly.

I did not want to confess just how badly my head was hurting right now, and that was on top of the bone-deep ache that suffused my entire body, probably caused by my partial shift yesterday.

Yesterday!

I could not believe I had been unconscious for that long, yet another thing for me to consider while I bathed. I quickly took the offered pills that Ronnie had found after rummaging around in the small bag that I had just noticed she had carried into the room with her earlier.

However, before either of us could utter another word, Jax strolled back into the room and walked right up to me without any hesitation. I had never felt comfortable being within the same proximity as Zeke, but with Jax it was different.

I felt my heartrate pick up speed when I looked up at him. He had this gentle smile on his face that made my heart melt even further. I also felt heat somewhere else, though I did not want to think too much about that right now.

I made a motion to get out of the bed yet again, but I made sure I was much more careful this time, reaching out to hold onto the headboard as I steadied my balance after standing up with a bit of effort.

Jax’s steadying hand may have helped a little as well, but whatever, at least I was standing on my own two feet again. I swayed where I stood, feeling a wave of dizziness roll over me. Ronnie rushed forward, wrapping a supporting arm around my middle.

Jax let out a growl when Ronnie hurried towards me, but I quickly reassured him by giving his rough-skinned hand a small squeeze and running my thumb back and forth over the top of his hand in a slow motion.

He let the growl trail off, but he continued to shoot daggers at Ronnie, especially as she uttered her next decree, “I will help Willow into the bath, and then we will go get her some food together while she bathes.”

Her tone brooked no room for argument, though I could tell Jax still wanted to contest his sister’s words, despite the dangerous glint in her eye.

I looked up at him through my lashes, “Please Jax, I need some time to myself, and I would feel a little more comfortable for the time being if Ronnie helped me.”

While in theory I knew he was my mate and that it would not matter in the long run if he had been the one to help me, I just felt more at ease with another female helping me for now.

I tried to mitigate the hurt I could see blossoming in his eyes as much as I could, but I still really only knew what I had heard about him and most of it was not good, due to Zeke being the only source of my information the majority of the time.

I needed more information, and I would get it. But first, I was going to go enjoy my bath and try to come to terms with all the changes to my life.

Jax appeared reluctant, but he graciously released his hold after gently pulling me into the warm embrace of his body.

He cradled me awkwardly, as Ronnie had maintained her grip as well, in a half hug against his chest briefly before letting go.

“I will not be far if you need anything. Try to relax. and I will get you something to eat while you take some time for yourself.”

I did not know how to respond to him, so I settled for a grateful smile before allowing Ronnie to help me hobble into the bathroom after he released me.

It felt like his eyes left a path of fire everywhere it traveled over my body, as I knew his gaze trailed after us while we slowly crossed the short distance to get to the restroom.

However, I could not help thinking to myself that as much as my present situation reminded me of waking up here two years ago, the male behind me made me feel like maybe I would get a second chance at how my life was supposed to go with my actual mate by my side.