Chapter 15 Wine About It
1632words
Somewhere between my uncontrollable sobs and the tears ravaging my face as they streamed down, I must have exhausted myself and fallen asleep in the same corner where I had curled up. A subtle knock at the door made me flinch, and my eyes bolted open. I assumed that my silence would make the visitor go away; I was certain it had to be Alpha Jaxon. The knock continued, followed by an unfamiliar yet gentle woman's voice. "Adeline, I know you're in there. Please open the door," she pleaded. I debated staying silent, hoping she would leave me alone, but typical Adeline—curiosity got the best of me. I stretched out my legs to stand, enjoying the shaggy white carpet beneath my feet.
I approached the door and cautiously opened it, only to find a girl about my age holding up a black tracksuit with a mischievous smile on her face. She was very pretty; her honey-colored eyes reminded me of Alpha Jaxon's for a moment—putting my wolf at ease. Her naturally highlighted hair flowed just under her shoulders, filled with volume, and looked so soft.
"Ahh, thank you," I said to her, my response sounding more like a question than a statement.
"Sheesh, what happened to your eyes? They're so swollen, you'd think Mike Tyson knocked you in each socket," she smirked as she slowly allowed herself into my room. "Oh! How inconsiderate of me—Hi! I'm Sophia. You must be Adeline, the she-wolf that's making my brother run wild," she giggled with pride.
Oh shit, this was Alpha Jaxon's sister. I wasn't aware he had any siblings. Sophia was so nice and seemed like she was fun to be around. At that moment, I wished I had met her under different circumstances—not the current one I was in. You know, locked up in the packhouse by her brother? Yeah, that one.
"Nice to meet you, Sophia," I spoke softly. "It's not like I asked to be here. I would much rather be allowed to go home, actually."
She threw herself on my bed, her demeanor reminding me so much of my best friend, Bailey. "Didn't ask to be here? Who the hell is keeping you captive, girl?" she laughed hysterically. "Oh, I get it. You're talking about Jaxon."
For some odd reason, her energy was contagious and made my wolf and me feel comforted. She made me laugh as if we had been friends for years—not like the stranger who had just knocked on my door.
"Look, Adeline, I was at the Lone Wolf earlier and saw you with my brother. I'm not sure what's going on between you two, but I know he cares about you enough to ask you to stay here for the night," she let out a deep breath. "I know things must have been tough for you since he took over your pack, but I think sooner or later, you're going to realize that your reservations about him are wrong."
"I appreciate your advice, Sophia. I really do," I said, noticing how her eyes looked into my soul the same way Alpha Jaxon's did. "He has a mate already, and I want to wait for my fated mate regardless. If you could help me find a way to get home, though, I would really appreciate it."
She gave a full belly laugh at my comment and snorted out, "Mate?! No, he has a power-hungry bitch who would suck his cock every night if she had to, only to become Luna." I sighed at her comment and tilted my head, raising my eyebrows. "I take it you and your sister-in-law aren't on the greatest of terms?"
"That's one way to put it, Adeline," she said, pausing before she said my name. "Just don't forget she isn't mated to my brother yet. But enough about that witch—GIRL, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY, and I might just have a little surprise for you," she said with a chuckle.
Like clockwork, another knock came from outside the room. She perked up and hurried over to the door, where I saw a cart of food being rolled in. Wait—two carts? No, three? WHAT? FOUR CARTS? My head began to spin. Sophia unraveled the four carts: one filled with fruits and vegetables, the second with all types of tea sandwiches. The sight of the third cart made my eyes water as it contained multiple types of desserts. I had always had a sweet tooth. It was enough food to feed a pack house. The final cart had Sophia smiling from ear to ear. It may have been my favorite too, if I were being honest. It contained multiple types of wine, everything from a white Moscato to a red Pinot Noir.
"Y-you did this? T-thank you," I stuttered in shock.
"Oh no way, my doing was selfishly only the fourth cart," a smile began to curl on her face. "The first three were my brother's; he wasn't sure what you liked."
A bright pink blush took over my face. "Sophia, I don't mean to be rude, but it's 12:30 a.m., I've had a hell of a night, and I really think I should try to get some rest." I wasn't lying when I said I was tired, but I was more wary about drinking with the Alpha's sister after my last encounter with the Alpha. There was no way he would be happy hearing that I'm here getting drunk with his sister when I should probably be locked in those cages again—this time, with reason.
"You do know you only turn 18 once, right?" she spat. I was curious how she knew any of this information.
"I'll give it to you, Sophia, you sure know how to get me going—now white or red?"
"Without a doubt, bring on the white," she said ecstatically.
"It's like you're reading my mind," I giggled back at her. I felt as if we could have been friends our entire lives—we clicked flawlessly.
After a few drinks and some light banter, I quickly dropped what was left of my dress on the floor and put on the black tracksuit that Sophia had brought for me. The tracksuit hugged all the right places on my body, feeling as if it was made for me.
"You know you're a saint, right? First the tracksuit and then the wine," I teased Sophia.
"If my brother sees you in that tracksuit, I'm not sure how much self-control he'll be able to have around you," she teased. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I'm not sure that fucking the Alpha is exactly something I want to be known for."
She stood up abruptly, her expression turning serious. "Look, I'm only doing this because you're clearly fighting with your wolf. I'll give you three questions—nothing is off-limits. Ask away," she said, waving her hand as if she were the Queen of England.
Feeling the wine take hold of me, I decided to play her little game. "Fine," I huffed, "did he really kill your father?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I had gone too far again.
"No, he didn't kill my father. That's a rumor, and to be honest, my father's death is one that Jax blames himself for," she answered honestly. I raised an eyebrow, not quite sure how that made any sense. She picked up on my expression and replied, "He was a teenager. Our pack was attacked by rogues. The pack and my dad, as Alpha, went to the front lines to fight. When my dad tried to mind-link Jax, he was nowhere to be found. Why? Teenage boy hormones—let's just say he was being seduced by Beverly," a scowl formed on her face. "The whole thing still haunts him to this day. It's why he's dedicated his life to always putting the pack first. He really is an Alpha by nature; my dad was the same way. I'm surprised you even knew about that."
"I'm really sorry to hear that. I shouldn't have asked." Regret filled my mind, now understanding why he barged out as hastily as he did.
"Don't be—my family has always been really close. What happened wasn't Jax's fault. I just wish he would see that one day," she gave me a soft smile.
"Okay, question two: I know you know more than you're leading on. Why am I here? Why can't I go home until tomorrow?" I asked directly, hoping for a sufficient answer.
"I've told you already, you aren't being held captive. You have some sort of effect on my brother. When we were at the Lone Wolf, the way he looked at you—so intently—he's never once seen Beverly in that light. I saw you two, you know? You couldn't keep your hands off each other," she answered softly.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the thought of Alpha Jaxon and me in that moment. "YOU SAW THAT? Who else saw that?!" I almost squealed.
"Oh girl, you're so busted," she chuckled aloud. "Aside from me, Beta Don, and obviously Beverly, no one else saw you, so don't get so antsy about it. Question three—shoot."
My eyes began to go glossy. "Is it true about Alpha Max? He was always such a great Alpha..." She threw her arm around my shoulder and leaned her head onto it.
"I'm sorry, Adeline. I know we want to see the best in our leaders, but when guards started going missing from the border and their bodies were later found scattered in pieces, Jax had to act. How many more guards could we afford to lose?"
We spent another hour or so sipping the wine from the cart and laughing hysterically. I'm not sure at what point, but I dozed off to sleep on my bed.
