Mated To The Alpha Of The North
Chapter 31

Willow

I watched as Jax got up and looked around the surrounding area. I was a bit confused as to what he was doing, but my wolf spoke up in my head saying He is making sure we are safe, dummy.

I was surprised to realize that she was right, though the insult was unnecessary. I knew she was just anxious, but still. I noticed the pinched look on Jax’s face as he strained his senses.

I allowed my hearing to branch out as well, but I was disappointed when I realized that my senses were still blunted by the remnants of the wolfsbane in my system.

Well, thank Luna for Jax being here. I did not want another run in with Zeke, or anyone else for that matter, anytime soon.

I turned my attention to the matter at hand, knowing Jax would be by my side as soon as he was sure it was safe. That was when I realized what was about to happen, I could not shift with my clothes on. I mean, I could, but then I would just be walking back to the house naked and that was no better than my current predicament.

I began to feel nerves bloom in the pit of my stomach. Of course, Jax was my mate so this really should not be a big deal, especially seeing as he had just had his tongue down my throat not all that long ago. I also did not see how he would ever be able to claim me if I could not even stand for him to see me without clothing on.

My wolf urged me to hurry the hell up already. I knew I was making a big deal out of nothing, but I could not get Zeke’s greedy, lustful eyes out of my head. His leering had always accompanied any shift he had deigned to allow in the past, to the point that it was an ingrained response for me to feel discomfort.

Nevertheless, I attempted to shake off the lingering unease, knowing I had no reason to worry with Jax, and reached down for the hem of the shirt that swallowed my curvy figure. However, I was unable to follow through with the bold action before Jax had started speaking.

I heard the first part of what he had said, but then he started taking his clothes off and everything else became nonexistent.

The wide expanse of his broad chest caught my eye as he shed his shirt, but it was immediately drawn down to his right ribs where I could see the indelible ink that had been so painfully marked into his skin.

It was uncommon for wolves to have tattoos, at least my father had said so. I had asked him why being my normal inquisitive 6-year-old self at the time.

I had been so mesmerized with the same pretty flowers that the human woman in the market had had on her shoulder every time I saw her in town, but I could not understand why no one I knew around home did not have any pretty designs too.

I later found out that the whole process to tattoo a werewolf involved utilizing wolfsbane in some fashion, though I was not sure of the specifics. It made sense if I really thought about it.

Werewolves had extraordinary healing abilities, so I would think we would naturally just push the ink out as we heal. The wolfsbane would allow the ink to set and form a sort of scar.

The fact that Jax was willing to endure the toxin to mark his skin meant that the image must have meant a lot to him. I would have asked him about it, but he had moved closer and quickly pressed a k**s to my head while I had been lost in the clouds. He then stepped back and reached down to his pants, and I instantly averted my eyes.

My wolf rolled her eyes in my head, urging me to open my damn eyes. I complied, with less reluctance than I would like to admit, but in the short amount of time that I had been arguing with my wolf, Jax had finished removing his clothes and had shifted into his enormous gray wolf.

I vaguely noticed that he had piled his clothes up on the natural seat that we had been sitting on earlier, but I was seriously in awe of just how massive Jax truly was.

I had seen Zeke and a few of the other warriors shift occasionally over the past couple of years, but Jax was truly a mammoth compared to Zeke. No wonder he had cowered to whatever Jax had wanted.

Before I could think or do anything else, Jax’s wolf came bounding forward and began licking every surface of my face that he could reach. I could only laugh at his antics, glad for the cheerfulness of the moment.

I moved forward, sinking my fingers into his plush fur and gently kneading the muscle. I could not reach all the way around him, but I hugged as much of him as I could. I allowed myself to take a few deep inhales of the wolf’s incredible scent, encouraging a sense of calmness to pervade.

Once I felt I was ready, I backed away from Jax’s wolf and started to pull off the tight pants before I could overthink it again. His eyes burned as I stripped, causing my cheeks to flame yet again.

However, when I glanced up, I noticed that he had turned away to give me privacy. I truly hit the jackpot with mates. What other male would have been able to look away from his unclaimed, half-naked mate sheerly out of respect? Jax’s self-control was truly something out of this world.

I quickly removed the remainder of my clothes, moving to place them next to his on the bench, before I took a few deep breaths and then attempted to call my wolf to the forefront, bracing myself for the inevitable pain.

She wasted no time in surging forward, more than anxious to finally stretch her legs, but the piercing pain that accompanied her mad dash brought me to my knees instantly. The agony spiraled throughout my body as I felt my skin start to stretch and my bones start to rearrange impossibly slow.

The pain continued to increase until I was unable to endure it in silence any longer. A small whimper of aching escaped through my clenched lips, and it was like the final crack before the dam broke and the water came crashing through. I could no longer hold back the painful sounds as my shift moved relentlessly onward, but then, I realized I did not have to.

In the seemingly endless amount of time that I had been suffering, Jax’s wolf had scurried forward, and I had apparently, unknowingly wrapped my arms around his huge body and buried my face in his soft fur at some point.

The sheer agony of my shift had caused me to black out the details of the moment, but now that Jax was here, the pain was finally receding. I could think again.

I noticed I was lying on the ground now, with Jax’s wolf remaining close by. My nails had shifted into claws and fur was beginning to grow all over my body. The pain was tolerable now at least, and my shift seemed to start progressing quicker now that Jax’s wolf was near, lending strength and support.

My wolf emitted a rush of reserved power, surging to the surface and finally taking over, completing our shift for the first time in over two months.

The elation that suffused my mind was near overwhelming. My wolf wanted to run through the forest for hours and splash through the river with our mate now that she was free, but she settled with starting by stretching out her sinewy limbs, ensuring that we were healing up nicely.

Most of my injuries were gone now, and my wolf was burning off the fragments of the toxin that remained in our system at an alarming rate.

Now that I felt confident that we were going to be okay and that my wolf would not make any rash decisions, I finally allowed my wolf to take full control.

She did not hesitate, immediately seizing the reins and spinning in a circle to replace our mate, emitting a high-pitched yelp in glee when our eyes connected with his mesmerizing tawny eyes.

My wolf’s senses would always be better than mine, and in the short amount of time it had taken to complete a three-sixty, she had taken in a variation of different stimuli, including the fact that the river was rushing close by in the distance.

My wolf could practically imagine her fantasy becoming a reality as she did the one sure thing wolves knew to never do, she took off running, knowing our mate would be close behind her.