Mated To The Alpha Of The North
Chapter 48

Jax

I arrived back at our lodge, enthusiastically anticipating the moment when I would get to hold my curvaceous mate snug in my arms again, but I was regrettably saddened when I had discovered an empty dwelling, though the fact should not have surprised me considering the mad dash that I had been in to get here.

I settled down to mind link with Ronnie about an estimated arrival time, anxiously awaiting Willow’s appearance. Ronnie assured me that they were already on their way back and would be here soon, but my wolf and I were not satisfied with her answer.

He wanted me to shift and go find her immediately, but I suppressed his desire for now, resolving to work on holding up my end of the plan that had been created this morning with the other alphas to finally locate Zeke’s whereabouts.

While it expended a considerable amount of energy for a diminutive period of time, I could contact Ryker through mind link with great concentration at this distance but only because he was my beta.

I had always known that he had only taken the position because he was my best friend, and I had desperately needed someone to fill the role at the time, but I had also always known that he could hold his own, regardless of that fact.

Which was one of the reasons why I trusted him to take care of things on the home front while I finished organizing everything with the guys and Willow here in the Southern Province.

After a fleeting update over nothing unusual from Ryker, I asked him to keep an eye out for Zeke or any of the elders and gave him any pertinent information that I had gleaned this morning from the other alphas. I was thrown for a minute when he had asked about Ronnie, but I quickly shook it off, assuming that he was just asking out of common courtesy.

I then commenced pacing around the small front room while I awaited my mate’s return, each step bringing me closer to the door. My concern level seemed to grow as the seconds dragged, and Willow did not arrive. My wolf was clawing to get out of my skin.

Ronnie had provided brief updates through our mind link, though I noticed each subsequent reply had become snippier in nature until eventually she had stopped answering altogether.

Finally, I could not take the swelling disquiet and relentless pleas from my wolf any longer, so I conceded defeat before stripping in a flash and shifting to search for my missing mate.

It did not take my wolf long to pick up on the subtle pull that I could feel radiating out from where my heart was located. I felt elation as I realized that the mate bond had started to develop between us, causing my wolf to gush forward in a rush of speed, despite my slightly weary state.

My wolf located Willow with ease, finding her in five minutes flat from the time that I had shifted, and I could not stop him fast enough as he bounded forward, bombarding our mate with slobbery k****s, which she, thank Luna, took in stride before Ronnie diverted her attention elsewhere.

Ronnie summarily departed after a passing remark, leaving me free to steal away with my gorgeous mate for a least a little while. However, I found myself instantaneously frozen in place when I glanced up and took in the sight before me.

Willow had begun disrobing while I had been distracted, in preparation to shift and join my wolf and I, no doubt. I was sure my wolf was ecstatic somewhere in the back of my mind regarding this fact, but right now, all of his attention was focused solely on the beautiful vision before us.

She met my burning gaze shortly, then, suddenly, a small chocolate colored wolf stood before me, and my wolf was in nirvana for the next several hours as we romped around the forest together and cuddled by the spot we had discovered in our explorations yesterday.

Unfortunately, the moment faded no matter how hard I had tried to grasp the fragments tight, preventing reality from creeping back in, at least temporarily.

Sometime later, Reese’s voice had intruded into my awareness while I had been peacefully resting with my mate, my wolf more content than I could remember him ever being for any period of time before this point.

Yet, I did not allow myself the luxury of fully letting my guard down, knowing too well about the dangers that still lurked within the shadows, and I was gratified of this fact when the other alpha had given me the forewarning that there had been suspicious activity around the border to the main entrance of the Southern Province.

I roused Willow and gently nudged her in the direction of the lodge, my wolf and I on edge, but not wanting to alarm her until explanations would be easier to make.

My wolf and I remained on high alert during our journey home, his superior senses aiding in maintaining our mate’s safety, but the decision to wait was taken out of my hands when Reese warned of an impending attack on the massive pack house.

He had assured me that he had left Theo in charge and that he was handling the situation, but there was not a reservation in my mind as to why that particular building was the one under threat of attack.

I checked in with Ronnie to ensure she was somewhere safe and was euphoric to discover that she had just arrived at my lodge to drop off Willow’s clothes which she had left behind after shifting earlier. I was damn glad for that now, and I hurriedly ordered her to stay put while pushing Willow faster, being out in the open was driving my anxiety through the roof.

Once we had returned to the relative shelter that the small cabin afforded, I shifted instantly, relieved to see that Willow had followed my lead and done the same. I ushered her inside without a word, keen to get her out of eyesight.

She seemed confused, but she thankfully did not move to question me until after I had shut the door firmly behind us, barring the outside world.

Ronnie came forward then, tossing a pair of pants my way while studiously looking away before throwing one of my shirts towards Willow, unknowingly entering a tense situation as she did so.

However, to my chagrin, she swiftly turned after ensuring I was covered and joined Willow in peppering me with questions and reprimands for being so pushy. I had known beforehand that I would have trouble on my hands with the two of them teaming up together, but now was not the ideal time to deal with their combined sassiness.

I growled in frustration, promptly running through the few details I had while letting my sensitive hearing take in our surroundings.

Willow had relaxed once she understood the seriousness of the situation, moving forward to wrap her arms around me as she said, “What can I do to help?”

My initial reaction was to immediately tell her that I did not need her help, near desperate at the thought of her being out there and in danger, but, as I paused to consider her offer, I was struck with an amazing compromise, at least in my book.

“Yes, actually. It would be great if you and Ronnie could maybe start some dinner while I run a quick perimeter check. It will just take a few minutes, sweetheart.” I entreated in an upbeat tone, determined to remain positive, even as her eyes darted away from mine.

I could sense the unhappiness oozing out from her at my request, so I rapidly went on, “Love, I know you want to help, but the best thing you can do right now is make sure you are taking care of yourself. I know you are feeling much better, but you still need extra food and rest right now while your body catches up to you mind.”

I could see the softening in her eyes as I had spoken, but I shot an indirect glance towards Ronnie, silently beseeching her to help me out.

She rolled her eyes, but she intervened then, saying, “He is right, Willow. It will take a while until you are back to feeling one hundred percent, and I could tell that you were already pretty worn out earlier on the walk back.”

Willow looked like she wanted to argue, but she could not deny Ronnie’s observations. I was beginning to feel the first signs of gratitude towards my sister when she had to ruin it by opening her big mouth again as she went on, “But, I do think that you should start some basic training within the next couple of days after everything settles down to start building up your muscles again and so you can learn to defend yourself.”

The image of Willow being attacked, even for simple training purposes, was enough to momentarily distract me from the emergency going on outside.

However, the more I thought about it, I agreed that Ronnie was right. I could not leave my mate defenseless, and the sudden twinge of eager enthusiasm that I sensed emanating from her through our bond at my sister’s suggestion refuted any further arguments against the proposal.

I gracefully acquiesced, at least as much as I was able and made my escape to secure the perimeter, though I was unsure how I would react when faced with the situation in reality.

Nevertheless, I set the worry aside for another day, quickly discarding my jeans and unleashing my wolf once more.