Mated To The Alpha Of The North
Chapter 49

Willow

Upon arriving back at the lodge, I speedily shifted shapes and was then shepherded into the house by a tremendously domineering mate.

I found that I did not like this side of Jax, discovering that it reminded me too much of Zeke’s overbearing ways, despite the differences in the details.

I had promised myself that I would speak up more in the future regarding my needs and desires. I knew there was feasibly a threat to my safety, so I paused to temper my thoughts before starting in on him.

In that time, Ronnie showed up bearing gifts of clothing, though I had forgotten I was naked to be honest. I donned the shirt which instantly drowned me in Jax’s scent, helping to lessen my anger as I questioned my mate, “What is going on? Why did you rush me back here so fast?”

Ronnie joined in, not giving him a reprieve to reply, “Yeah, while you are at it, do you want to tell me why you ordered me to stay here? You are not the boss of me anymore Jax.”

His exasperation was near palpable as he snarled in annoyance before finally giving us some information, but I noticed that his eyes remained glued to mine as he spoke, “Reese informed me that we have a few unwanted visitors in the area, and I wanted to make sure you were both somewhere safe.”

His answer thawed the rest of my already melting demeanor from his presence alone, but Ronnie was unsurprisingly not satisfied with his answer. She bulldozed on, ignoring his elucidation as she said, “That still does not give you the right to demand me to do anything, and what if I wanted to help? You know dad trained me too.”

Jax did not bat an eye as Ronnie rebuked him, but I observed his vexed expression morph into a look of tenderness as I moved forward to wrap my arms around his lean waist.

I implored him to allow me to help him once he had made it clear that he intended to check the boundary surrounding the lodge by himself. I could not help but worry about his wellbeing, even though my wolf was confident that he could stand his ground without any assistance.

I was prepared to help him in any way I could, but I had to admit that I was a tad crestfallen at his request for me to cook dinner, even if I had been planning to do so to begin with.

After some prodding from Ronnie, I had to acknowledge that I was not in the best shape to aid anyone at the moment, but I was mildly appeased when she also advocated for me to begin training within the near future.

Her recommendation resonated with me strongly, bringing up old memories that left a bittersweet note in my mouth as I recalled my father teaching me basic self-defense so long ago.

Although Jax had seemed reluctant at first, he quickly relented before he departed to ensure our security while the trespassers were still at large, though personally I fully believed Zeke was to blame for the breach.

I turned towards Ronnie, silently praying that she’d had the foresight to stop by the store on her way over because I had completely spaced earlier when I was supposed to be asking her to take me so that I could make something edible tonight.

She smiled before saying, “I can start something if you want to go throw some clothes on or you can stay as is. Whatever is more comfortable for you.”

Ronnie’s calm manner facilitated me in adopting my own tranquil deportment, allowing me to block my qualms out, at least temporarily while I had something to occupy my mind.

I took a moment to soothe my frayed nerves, breathing in and out deeply before responding, “Let me grab some sweats, and then I will be right down. I wanted to make something special for you both tonight, but I would not be opposed to some help.”

Ronnie agreed easily, heading in the direction of the kitchen as I made my way tiredly towards the stairs. However, I paused briefly, remembering my dilemma earlier, and consequently called out to her, “Did you happen to pick up any groceries on your way over? The kitchen was looking kind of sparse this morning…”

I trailed off, but Ronnie replied with a light laugh before I could concern myself too much, “I did get a few things actually. I know how my brother is, and it seemed like you were enjoying yourself when I was watching you previously.”

A small smile graced my lips as I answered, “It was something my mother and I always did together.”

Normally, any mention of my parents would send me spiraling into a pit of depression so I had avoided dredging up any painful memories in the past, but I had found that I could gradually allow the happy times to drift back to the forefront of my mind now that I had a support system to help me through the less pleasant recollections.

My mind wandered as I floated up the stairs in a daze, my sore muscles wholly forgotten as I lost myself reminiscing about before the war had begun. I made my way into the closet, searching for the loungewear that I had detected earlier in the day.

However, my hand froze where it had been bunched up in the smooth fabric of the leggings I was about to grab out of a lower drawer when I heard the unmistakable lilting tone that signified Zeke’s existence behind me in the tiny enclosed area as he said, “Well, if it isn’t my little whore of a mate. I can smell that a*****e all over you. I should have known you would shack up with the first male you came across.”

I must have missed his entrance while my mind was astray with commemorations of my past, but the how did not matter in this moment.

My ears strained, trying to get an idea of where Ronnie was, but the thought brought immediate terror to the anterior of my brain as I considered how Jax was faring if Zeke had managed to make his way inside the house.

Nevertheless, my wolf shut down that line of thinking before my panic could escalate, rendering me useless, assuring me that we would have felt it if anything bad had happened, but she also urged me to get my a*s in gear and stop standing around like a statue while Zeke not-so-subtly stepped closer in the crowded room.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as everything registered simultaneously, the adrenaline pumping thickly through my veins. I heard Ronnie’s furious steps in the same second that Zeke had, and he reacted by swiftly yanking the long braid that adorned my hair, wrenching me backwards in an instant.

My skin rippled and my claws elongated as I allowed them to sink savagely into the skin of Zeke’s toned forearm, causing him to release his hold momentarily, still a minute was all that I needed.

I rapidly spun out of his grasp, letting out a terrifying rumble from somewhere deep inside my chest as I viciously slashed my already bloodied claws across his clothed chest, pushing him out of the closet from the sheer force of my blow and into the fuming Ronnie that had just arrived to join the party.

We both advanced on the trembling alpha, my wolf primed for violence and vengeance against the male that had threatened our survival and dared to chain my nature. Ronnie darted forward, driving Zeke further into the room.

Yet, before I could blink or halt his escape, he was out the already gaping window, leaving a trail of crimson in his wake. The sight encouraged my wolf’s instinct to pursue, but the sound of Jax’s sonorous voice bellowing my name in the distance prevented her from engaging for the time being.

Zeke’s cowardice was no surprise, nor the fact that he had returned for me, though his poorly executed plan had played in my favor this time.

He had obviously not been expecting Ronnie, and he had looked shocked at my partially shifted form, probably being so used to the frail girl who no longer existed anymore.

Ronnie rushed forward then, ensuring I was unharmed before we retreated to the kitchen where Jax found us a few minutes later when he demolished the back door in his desperation to replace me.