The Alpha and his Mate
Chapter 20

Jax POV

I was so happy when Annabelle had said that she would forgive Xavier for what he had done to her when they first met. It has happened in the past in wolf history where the Luna hasn’t trusted the Beta due to one reason or another. The distrust in the pack’s hierarchy has either caused the pack to become unstable or the Beta inevitably having to step down. Both options were dangerous and, more often than not, it spelt the end of the pack.

We made our way into the living room, after I had made sure to grab both mine and Annabelle’s soup, and got comfortable on the sofas. I smiled down at her as I watched her sit down beside me and tuck her legs underneath her before reaching her hands out to take her bowl of soup from me. She was slowly sipped at the food and, even though I knew she wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, I was glad she was humouring me. Her appetite had slowly been increasing, which was good, but I still needed to make sure she ate a sufficient amount to make sure she gained the required amount of weight the doctor had asked of her.

“So” I sighed as I turned back to by friend who had sat himself on the opposite sofa. “You said you’d found something about Annabelle and I’m guessing it has something to do with that huge book you have in your hands” I said as I leant forward with my arms resting on my knees, pointing to the fairly old book resting in the palm of his hands.

“Well remember when I said Annabelle’s eyes were different in her shift than all of ours and that I had read about it somewhere but couldn’t remember where?”

I nodded my head as I looked over my shoulder at my mate who had stopped eating and was staring at us in confusion. Of course she was, she had no idea what we were talking about. “Annabelle when we change into our wolf forms our eyes shift to a golden colour, no matter what rank in the pack you are or what your eye colour is when you’re a human” I explained.

She nodded her head in understanding before placing the half uneaten bowl of soup on the coffee table in front of us and brushed her lip off with her fingers, making sure she didn’t have any around her lips. “So what does that mean for me?”

Xavier opened his mouth to answer her question but before he could I turned around and gave her a meaningful look. “Xavier will tell us what he found and answer any questions you have but only when you pick up that bowl and continue to eat. I don’t want to get it in the neck from Dr Tessler because you’re not eating enough” I smiled.

She smiled up at me sheepishly before looking back at the food and took another spoonful, and then another. When I was satisfied that she was going to carry on eating I looked over at Xavier and gestured for him to continue.

“Well this is the book that I originally read it from” he continued, “I had to go through a mountain of books in my mum’s old library but I eventually found it”. Xavier dropped the book onto the coffee table and started flicking through the pages so fast I thought he was going to tear them.

“Here, page 267...

The wolf’s eyes are remarkable. Whether they are an Alpha or Omega they always remain the same colour. It is believed that the Moon Goddess designed it that way to remind us that we are all special to her and are all of equal value to her and each other. In her eyes we are all gold.

There is however one exception to this rule. It is believed that in every generation there is a messiah or messenger of sorts who is directly connected to the Moon Goddess herself. This messenger will always be female and will be identifiable by the colour of her wolf eyes. Unlike any other wolf she will have moonstone eyes symbolising the connection she has with our creator and the moon itself.”

Xavier was quiet after that and quickly snapped the book shut with a flick of his wrist, obviously finished with the extract he was reading from.

“Well what else does it say?” I asked as I looked at the book and then at Xavier again, expecting there to be more about my Annabelle and what she is. The more I knew about her the more I could protect her.

All Xavier did though was shake his head and shrugged his shoulders. “That’s it, it just goes on about the standard transformation of a wolf after that, but nothing else about the moonstone eyes or what a messenger is capable of. I may have to do some serious digging to replace out what a messenger actually is but I’m hoping we’ll have something in the packs library somewhere” he sighed.

I nodded and took a sneak peek over my shoulder to make sure she was still eating and sighed when I saw that she had almost finished her soup. “Well whatever you need you have alright? I want to get to the bottom of this” I stated, hoping he knew that he had my undying gratitude for what he had managed to dig up so far.

“What if he knew?” Annabelle whispered from behind me, so quiet I had to rely on my over sensitive ears to hear her. I turned to my left to ask her what she meant but I was met with a far-off look in her eyes as she focused on the cushions underneath her.

“What do you mean little mate?” I asked as I leant back into the sofa cushions to get closer to her, hoping my presence would comfort her in some way.

“What if Alpha Parker knew about this ‘wolf messenger’ thing and that’s why he did what he did. That’s why he took me away from my parents and that’s why he forced me not to shift as a child and made me stay hidden at the Leftens house” she whispered, her voice shaking slightly with hear as she thought about her revelation.

I held my arm out to her, inviting her in, and sighed when she willing crawled into my lap with her head resting on my chest. My poor little mate had been through so much in her short life and it didn’t look like it would be letting up any time soon.

“She has a point there Jax” Xavier sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. “I mean it would explain his weird behaviour at the pack’s boarder yesterday, his desperation to get her back at all costs. No sane Alpha would start a war between two packs over a single runaway, especially if that runaway had found her mate” Xavier said as he scratched his head, trying to work everything out. That’s why he was my beta, my pack deserve the best and he was the best.

“But how would he know? I had never shifted before, especially when I was that young. He couldn’t have known my wolf eyes of I hadn’t even shifted and met her yet myself” Annabelle muttered against my neck. I could feel her breath tickle the hairs on my neck ever so slightly and I was struggling not to let my goose bumps take hold of me. I was trying to stay in Alpha mode but with my sweet little mate in my arms and a hairs breath away from where she’d eventually mark me as her own, it was getting increasingly difficult.

“Good point” Xavier mumbled and sat back in his seat, frustrated in not having all the answers for his Luna.

“What if it’s genetic?” I wondered, not realising I had said it allowed until I felt Annabelle shift in my arms slightly so that she could see my face better.

“You mean my mum could have been one of these messenger things too?”

I shrugged as I thought it over. “I mean it makes the most sense right? If your parents were part of Parker’s pack, he would have been able to have complete access to you and your parents. He would have seen the powers she possessed and thought that maybe he could take those powers for himself and use them in some sick twisted way”.

“But I would have had to shift to be able to access these so-called powers so why would he shield them from me if he wanted to use me?”

“I don’t know” I groaned as I ran my hand down my face in frustration “maybe he’s just an idiot that hadn’t thought his plan through?”

Xavier snorted at the thought before shaking his head and put his hands on his knees to push himself into a standing position. “I feel like these are questions for another night, once I’ve managed to hit the books and have a few more answers for you guys”.

I nodded my head in agreement as I looked down at my Annabelle who had made herself comfortable in my arms. “See yourself out will you? I’m guessing she’s still pretty exhausted from the shift yesterday” I explained as I made no move to get up and see my friend out.

Xavier smiles before nodding his head and went to leave out the living room door with his book in hand. “Sure man no worries, I’ll give you a message when I know more” he said just before closing the living room door, giving us some much needed peace and quiet.

‘Thanks Xavier’ I told him through the pack link, relaxing back into the sofas as he left.

“What if he killed them?” I heard a little voice whisper after five minutes of us being alone. “What if he killed my parents and is planning to kill me next?”

My arms tightened around her at the mere thought of her being harmed. “I will never let that happen to you Annabelle. You are my mate and it is my job to make you the happiest and safest person you could possibly be.”

My wolf growled in my head at the mention of her death and I reassured him that we would never let it happen, the last thing I needed was an angry wolf prowling around in my head.

“You have a pack now Annabelle, a pack that will save you till their last breath” I whispered as I looked down to see her eyelids had closed and her breathing had slowed down. She was asleep.