The Alpha and his Mate
Chapter 19

Annabelle’s PoV

I woke up with a smile on my face and the feeling of sore muscles all over my body from yesterday’s run. I wasn’t used to doing that much physical exercise yet, that and the fact that I had never used certain muscles before in my life. I can’t believe that I had actually managed to shift yesterday. On one hand it felt so abnormal running on all fours around the wood, but at the same time it felt like one of the most natural things in the world.

I smiled as I tried to stretch out all the soreness before sitting up to replace the other side of the bed empty and the room dark due to the closed black out blind. How long had I been asleep for?

“Jax?” I whispered into the room, hoping he could hear me.

A few seconds later the door opened slightly and I saw Jax step into the darkness of his room with a smile.

“Hey there sleepy head, did you have a good sleep”′ He whispered as he took a seat on his bed in front of me.

I smiled and nodded my head, still a little groggy, “yeah I did thanks, what time is it?” I managed to mutter out through a yawn.

He smiled as he reached out to tuck a strand of knotted hair behind me ear. “It’s about 1:30 in the afternoon, you slept for a long time. Not surprising though considering you went through the shift and then had quite a long run after. How are you feeling by the way? You’re not feeling nauseous or dizzy or anything like that are you?” He questioned.

I mentally assessed myself before shaking my head with a smile, I honestly felt fine. The best I had felt in a long time.

He let out a little sigh in relief before holding his hand out for me to take. “Come on then, you have an appointment in two days with Dr Tessler and I want to make sure that you’ve put on enough weight to satisfy her”.

I rolled my eyes at him as he pulled me up and out of my sitting position, groaning as my sore muscles yelled at me for making them move.

When we got downstairs I sat at my usual spot on the kitchen counter and as I watched Jax fix me my usual bowl of soup I thought about everything that had happened over the last twenty four hours. Not only had I shifted into my wolf for the first time, well the first time that I could remember anyway, I had also been reunited with the man that had ripped my childhood away from me and forced me to never shift with the Alpha Command Jax had told me about. What didn’t make sense to me was why that man would even want to ruin my life like that? Why would he put so much effort into taking me away from my parents and making sure that I never shifted just to place me in a fake foster home? What had I ever done to him to deserve something that cruel?

“Are you okay little mate?” Jax asked with a concerned note to his voice. I looked up from my fingers that were still fiddling in my lap to replace that he had stopped pouring out the two bowls of potato and leek soup and was now standing in front of me with a concerned look on his face.

I tried to smile and nod my head, not wanting him to panic after everything that he had done for me over the last few days, but I could tell that he wasn’t buying it from the stern look that he gave me.

“I just don’t...understand” I sighed and looked down, wanting to avoid eye contact with him.

“Understand what beautiful?”

“Why?”

“Why what?” He asked as he lent on the counter next to me, his arms folded across his chest and his bare feet crossed at his ankles.

“Why would Alpha Parker want to do something like that to me?” I whispered as I wrapped my arms around myself to try and ease the strong sense of loneliness that had suddenly overwhelmed me.

Jax sighed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and brought me into his chest. “It’s not your fault Annabelle. Alpha Parker is the scum of our kind, we knew that long before you came into our lives, this just solidifies it for us. Don’t worry, him and anyone else that helped him will get what they deserve” he mumbled.

I looked up to see that Jax was clenching his jaw so tight I’m surprised his teeth haven’t shattered yet. “Jax are you okay?” I didn’t want to scare him by talking to loudly, he looked like he was pretty zoned out.

“JAX!” A voice suddenly shouted in the distance followed by a massive crash as the front door ricocheted into the wall, “Jax where are you?

I shrunk back slightly as the voice got louder, causing Jax to jump into gear and stand in the kitchen doorway, ready for what was coming.

“Jax there you are” the voice sighed in relief as he saw Jax appear in the doorway “I’ve found something that you are really going to want to see” the voice continued, seeming unfazed by Jax’s stiff posture.

“This couldn’t wait until later? I have Annabelle here and I have to watch her just in case she has another uncontrollable shift” Jax growled back and I couldn’t help but shrink back slightly.

“I know I know but you are going to want to see this... it’s about Annabelle.”

At the mention of my name I perked up slightly, had this person found something to explain why Alpha Parker had done what he did? I slowly slid of the kitchen counter, not wanting the intruder to know that I was here and listening.

I peeked my head around the corner of the doorway to replace Jax pinching the bridge of his nose, looking frustrated, in the corridor. I couldn’t see the unknown person as he was semi shielded by the wall but I could see that he was holding a book out towards Jax, an old book by the looks of it.

Jax sighed before nodding his head slightly, “alright but I don’t want Annabelle to be worrying about any of this, she’s been through enough already” he whispered, unaware that I could hear him. “Go to my office at the pack house and wait for me there, I’ll think of some way to meet you”.

The stranger nodded and turned to leave but before he could take one step away, I jumped out from my hiding spot so that I was in view for the both of them to see. “I want to know” I whispered as I stood there, feeling slightly awkward at only being in a T-shirt and shorts in front of these two.

I locked eyes with Jax and he did the same with me, as if we were in some sort of staring contest. “I want to know” I repeated as I held my ground.

Jax sighed and turned to take a few steps towards me. “Annabelle-”

“I have a right to know” I muttered, slowly losing all the confidence I had suddenly gained. “Please” I whispered.

Jax ran his hands through his hair, having an internal battle with himself about whether it was a good idea to let me know or not.

“Fine, just tell me if it gets too much for you okay?”

I nodded my head before going over to him and giving him a hug. “Thank you”.

I hadn’t gotten a good look at the other person yet but as we pulled apart and I saw movement out of the corner of my eye I froze as I recognised who he was. He was the man that was yelling at me to shift the night I had run away from the Leftens. The one that had told me that he and his wolf friends had the right to kill me if I didn’t shift.

I shook slightly in fear as our eyes locked together. Jax knew this person? Jax was friends with this person?

“Annabelle are you okay?” Jax asked as he took in my rigid frame and fearful expression.

I shook my head and took a few steps back, wanting to get as far away from this man as I possibly could.

Jax looked at me before looking behind him at the stranger and then back at me again with understanding clear in his eyes.

“Annabelle this is Xavier, my second in command. You don’t need to fear him okay? He’s a friend, my friend.”

“He-he threatened to kill me” I stuttered, not able to take my eyes off Xavier’s face.

“He what?” Jax growled as he rounded on his so-called friend.

“Hey man it was before we knew who she was, when we thought she was just another rogue trying to get onto our land. You know, more than anyone, that I would never want to harm our Luna...never” Xavier defended himself with his hands raised slightly. “Come on man calm down so that we can figure out what this Parker jackass wants with our Luna”.

I looked at Jax to see the gold slowly leaving his eyes as he became less and less tense.

“Annabelle” Xavier continued as he now directed his attention at me “I am truly sorry about what happened the other day in the woods. We thought you were a threat to our pack and our family, but I promise you that it will never happen again. I could never hurt you and I would lay my life down for yours in a heartbeat if the situation ever arose.”

I stared at him in shock, not really knowing how to respond. I mean how do you respond to a person declaring he would lay his life down for you when he doesn’t even know you?

“Do you forgive me?” He asked as he let his hands rest to his sides, seeing that the threat was over.

I looked at Jax for help but when I looked over all I got back was a questioning look as he too wanted to know whether I forgave Xavier or not.

I sighed, well if Jax trusted him then so did I. I nodded slightly and got a smile back from both Jax and Xavier in response.

“Good, now come on into the living room and you can show us what you found out about Annabelle.”