Mated To The Alpha Of The North
Chapter 38

Jax

I felt my pulse began to pick up as she went to roll over before noticing that she was already halfway on top of me, her eyes quickly popping open to meet my heated hazel ones.

She looked so cute with that startled look on her face before it had started to melt away into a look of embarrassment as she moved to get off of me. I quickly reached out, gripping her round h**s and readjusting her so that she was straddling me.

“Don’t be embarrassed, sweetheart. He is just excited to see you.” My voice was thick with l**t and the slight growl that denoted my wolf’s presence.

I ground my e******n up hard, pressing her down onto my thickening rod simultaneously, causing an involuntary m**n to escape from her lovely lips and giving me the perfect opportunity to slip my tongue into her waiting mouth.

Somewhere in my cloudy state of mind, I knew that I still needed to be careful with Willow, but her enthusiastic response and roaming hands quickly put the thought out of my mind, my wolf still in full control.

Her petite hands roved the expanse of my chest, feeling the smooth, hard skin of my pectorals, before sliding over to squeeze the bulging muscles my shoulders boasted, as we continued to melt into each other.

Willow’s soft touch was hesitant at first, trailing tentative touches over my bare skin before she allowed herself to be pulled fully into the moment.

I continued devouring her swollen lips as my hands kept up their own exploration, becoming bolder as she began to slowly swivel her heavenly h**s, seemingly unconscious of the fact. Her little m***s were driving my wolf and I insane, urging me over my tipping point.

The fabric of her shirt had remained bunched up in place, exposing the smooth skin of her curved belly as she pressed herself as close to me as she could get. I allowed my hands to drift further upward, teasing the hem of her tank top and moving to pull it up and over her head when she made no immediate objection.

When she sat up, breaking our passionate k**s and taking several deep breaths of much needed air, she gave me the opportunity I needed to pull the fabric over her head, exposing her large, bare breasts to my hungry eyes.

I had been keeping a close eye on her reactions, so I instantly noticed when her face morphed from eager anticipation into something much less satisfying.

However, the look of open vulnerability on her face almost shattered me with its intensity, giving me the chance I needed to get a firm hold over my wolf’s actions before we both did something we might regret later.

Don’t get me wrong. I wanted Willow just as badly as he did, but our gorgeous mate had obviously been through some shit and his wrecking ball approach was evidently not working.

I sat up then, wrapping one arm securely around her waist so that I could move us back into a more comfortable reclining position, with my back leaned up against the headboard and Willow snug in my lap.

Nevertheless, I was shocked to my core when I noticed the thin, faint white lines crisscrossing the tan skin of her back that I had just uncovered, peeking out from behind the dark curtain of her hair.

Without thinking, I readjusted my hold on Willow, pushing her long tresses to the side so that I could see the full extent of the scarring.

I was not sure how I had missed these before, but I could not unsee the disturbing sight in front of me now that I had seen it up close and personal.

My wolf was livid at the sight, to say the least, and I did not have a prayer in stopping the ear-piercing roar, nor the partial shift that he had managed before I regained control, that escaped from my lips the moment we realized how these marks must have been left on her beautiful skin.

Willow shrank back at the thunderous sound, but I noticed, to my relief, that she did not appear frightened of me, despite my wolf’s terrifying performance.

Yet, the pain I saw etched across her face shot daggers through my heart, causing me to immediately pull her into circle of my arms, our earlier l**t and current lack of clothing completely forgotten for the time being.

I did not know the right thing to say in this moment, and my wolf was no help, having retreated the moment her chocolate colored eyes started spilling over with salty tears. So, I remained silent as I held her tight against my chest and buried my face in her long hair, slowly running soothing strokes up and down her back as she sought comfort in my embrace.

She clung to me, taking in her own deep inhales of my scent, and I could tell that just my presence was helping her cope with the situation. I did not want to push her, but there were clearly things that I still needed to know.

Therefore, I started out tentatively, gauging her reaction as I went, “Love, I know you have been alone for a long time now…” I trailed off, leaning down to make sure I had successfully captured her attention.

I was relieved to see her glistening eyes, looking a little less pained than they had before when they gleamed up at me in response to my words.

I went on then, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I do want to know what happened here,” I emphasized my point by sweeping my hand from her shoulder to her h*p in one smooth movement before going on, “But only when you are ready.” I finished, punctuating my statement with a soft, lingering k**s, loving the adoring look on her face when I pulled away.

She leaned even further into my grip, nuzzling her head up to the crook of my neck and taking a deep breath to fortify herself before she responded, saying softly, “I know I can, baby. I trust you. It is hard for me to talk about, but I want to try to get through it now that I have your help. I have been so numb over the past couple of years, but I started waking back up the moment I heard your deep voice reverberating through the walls of my prison days ago.”

Willow’s words filled my heart with joy, and it was almost like I could visibly see our bond getting stronger by the moment.

There were a million things I wanted to say in response to her admission, but I could see the struggle cross over her face as she figured out how to start her story.

My wolf was keen to get on with the claiming now that he was assured of her trust and adoration, but I knew there would probably be a lot more anger and tears before we made it to that point.

While I debated internally with my wolf, Willow seemed to have gathered her wits and started her rendering of her tale since the fighting broke out among the bears.

I was appalled, hurt, and beyond pissed off on her behalf alone after hearing of all the heart wrenching loss and constant turmoil she had been forced to endure on her own, and without her wolf’s strength and solace for the majority of that time to boot.

Words could not describe the amount of anger I felt coursing throughout my large frame at what I had heard. I had to untangle myself from Willow and move away for fear of harming her in my enraged state. I could feel my entire body vibrating as I struggled to hold back my shift.

I could not believe that I had just had dinner, sat face to face with the male responsible for my mate’s suffering, and had not ended his life right there on the spot. I only wished I had known then what I know now.

However, before my rage could take hold and force my shift, I felt Willow’s soft arms wrapping around me from behind, her proximity and scent helping to slowly soothe my wolf enough for me to regain some measure of control.

I considered the implications of everything that she had told me as my temperament gradually began to return to normal, making sure to leave out the details about Zeke’s abuse in the process. That would be a sure-fire way to drive my anger right back up, but her account did give me an idea of where to start looking at least.

It astounded me that Willow had already met Zeke before she had arrived here in the South, and I would make damn sure that he paid for every scar he had dared to leave on her precious body.

Yet, as I turned and glanced at her expression, I noticed that the weight seemed to have finally been lifted from her small shoulders. She seemed worn down, but finally at peace, at least in this moment with me, a slight smile gracing her lips.

I also just now grasped that she was still not wearing a shirt, and I realized that this perception provided the perfect prospect to change the subject to something much more pleasurable for both of us.

If I recalled correctly, she had not voiced any protests earlier to our intimacy, but there was only one way to find out for sure. Intent on finishing what we had started before, I turned slowly, seeking her enviable lips and pulling her silky skin up against my solid chest. My wolf rising up once again at the feel of her generous breasts pressed directly against us.