Chapter 134 Stop and Smell the Roses
925words
Pride burst from the seams inside my chest, and I couldn't deny the sheer satisfaction taking over that I had actually made the notorious Blood Alpha laugh. His tough exterior cracked in more ways than I ever imagined. In moments like this, I felt like I could see his soul—exposed and raw. I felt like he was the missing piece of mine. I found myself staring up at his picture-perfect smile and into the bright rays of amber staring back at me, in awe of the insanely handsome man I forever got to call mine. The man who was designed, chosen, hand-selected just for me.
Jaxon pulled me into his solid body, wrapping his strong arms around my waist. I couldn't help it when Alpha Jaxon suddenly went blurry, the entire forest around us bending together and going fuzzy in my vision. My surroundings were still just as fast as they blended together, but the look of alarm took over Jaxon's face.
"Addie, baby, what's wrong?" he demanded, his usually cool and collected voice cracking, now taken over by an unfamiliar pitch of worry and panic. "Little wolf, talk to me, what happened?" he insisted.
I shook my head. "Nothing. I guess I just zoned out. Nothing to worry about, Alpha," I responded and shot a wink back at him.
Jaxon's gaze zoned in on me, and by the way his brows furrowed together, I knew he wasn't buying what I was selling. "Adeline—I just watched your eyes glaze over. Your skin... it... went pale. I'm your mate. Tell me what happened," he insisted.
I poked my finger into his chest, feeling the deep ridges there. I was irritated that he nearly had the nerve to use his Alpha command on me. Not that it would work—that had been proven unsuccessful already. We were mates. Equals. Even the Moon Goddess seemed to think so, considering I was completely unaffected when his voice went low and commanding, and when he tried to pull rank over me.
"I've warned you about that, Jaxon. I'm not one of your wolves to order around," I responded and let out a low growl, feeling my canines protrude.
A smirk played on Jaxon's face as he lifted his hands in surrender. "Yes, my Luna, my apologies, your highness," he teased back, and I felt my eyes narrow on him as my teeth ground together at his banter.
I forced my widest smile and nodded in approval. "Better," I replied. Before I could string together another thought, I found myself six feet higher in the air with my legs dangling over my mate's shoulders.
"Put. Me. Down!" I screeched as I punched Jaxon's back, although I was sure that the impact was hurting me more than him when he didn't even flinch.
"Your highness shouldn't be walking all the way to the pack house. She might get tired," he chirped back, and I huffed in frustration. "You know I'm a wolf, right?! I can use my own legs, dammit!" I belted out and heard Jaxon let out a nearly inaudible chuckle.
I was surprised when I saw the pack house coming into view so quickly and felt Jaxon's long legs bringing us up the stairs and through the front door.
"Alpha, Luna. Finally," Beta Don called out, a grin playing across his face as he moved closer to me, taking in a deep inhale.
"Hey!" I called out. "Too close for comfort."
"You... Your scent..." he stammered, a look of confusion painted on his face.
I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Oh, thanks. Pretty sure that's the compliment every Luna dreams to hear," I replied and rolled my eyes at him.
His eyes rushed down toward my stomach with a perplexed glint. "Has the heir been secured?" he asked, his voice filled with excitement.
I bit down on my tongue. I was annoyed that I was still being pried on, like my sole duty as a Luna was to breed for this pack's beloved Alpha. Jaxon didn't miss a beat as he picked up on my irritation. He gritted his teeth together. "You'll be the first to know if there is an heir, as second in command, Don. Don't push it," he replied, his own aggravation now matching mine.
"I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "Your scent has changed. That's all, Luna Adeline," he explained and dropped his head, baring his neck.
Alpha Jaxon held up a hand while the other laced his fingers with mine. "It would make sense..." he started to trail off, and I felt my stomach start to churn as my palms began to go sweaty. It couldn't be, could it? My heart started to drum erratically inside my chest.
"Shh, whatever it is. We'll pull through together, remember?" Jaxon whispered into my ear as his body crashed into mine in a tight embrace.
My mind reeled at the possibility that Beta Don might be right, but I was ripped out of my thoughts when a familiar voice echoed through the doorway of the pack house. I recognized his voice immediately and stood up straighter, exhaling a deep breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
The pack doctor nodded and dropped his gaze to Jaxon and me. He cocked his head quizzically and hummed, which I immediately placed as him having just had the same revelation as Beta Don.
"So, I take it you are aware why you've been called?" Jaxon asked, and my heart leached in my throat when I saw his eyes so bright and filled with excitement.
