Alex’s pov:
My mate was what would no doubt get me gray hairs. Indeed, my sweet, beloved luna seemingly went out of her way to get in trouble… or could it be that it was trouble which found her each time?
She and Eli returned just as I was about to send Trevor and Luc after her, and go out to find her myself. But she didn’t return empty-handed. On the contrary, Eli was holding an unconscious Sasha like one would a sack of potatoes.
I raised an eyebrow at the sight, my disbelief breaking through my poker face, even as Luc repressed a chuckle.
I shot my beta a look and mind-linked him briefly, “Don’t encourage her.”
“I would never,” he retorted but I could sense the sarcasm behind his words.
“Did you get my voicemail, Alex?” Jade, the only one who basically called me Alex, let out in a sweetly triumphant tone of voice.
“I didn’t check my phone,” I shook my head negatively.
She sighed a little bit dramatically, and muttered something under her breath, “Not only are you too busy for me, but also too busy to receive a call or check your voicemail?”
Both my eyebrows shot up at once in disbelief.
And just as I was about to give her a reply, which I hoped would convince her against giving me the cold shoulder treatment or something, she went on, “You’ll find a beautifully ready confession from Sasha dearest waiting for you.”
I checked my phone, and indeed I had a voicemail from her.
“Thanks, love,” I told her softly as I rose off my chair and approached her.
To my surprise, Jade evaded my kiss and my embrace both. I sighed inwardly, and wondered what I could have done so wrong that it would warrant such a treatment.
“Luna Jade handled Sasha well,” Eli let out in a tone of admiration.
To which, she nudged his side before saying in a hushed tone of voice, “You’re going to make me blush.”
He merely winked at her before carrying on, “She asked questions first, stalling before the fight began…”
“The fight?” I echoed after him, not quite pleased with this turn of events.
Eli nodded awkwardly, no doubt sensing my mood.
Luc approached Jade, while Trevor went to handle Sasha and take her to the dungeon.
“You should know better than to put yourself at risk,” Luc told her softly, expressing the very thoughts roaming my mind.
“And you should know that I was born a warrior first and foremost,” she retorted a little bit too icily.
“Luna Jade,” he then said with great deference and some coldness to his tone, “Do I really have to remind you of the consequences your actions might have had?”
“I could get hurt and Alex could snap,” she said dismissively with an eyeroll. “It’s better that you watch the witch instead…”
“Eli, Luc,” I began in a firm tone of voice. “Would you mind giving us a moment?”
Though worded out as a request, it was obviously a command for them to leave us.
“What’s wrong, love?” I asked in a soft tone of voice which I hoped would reassure her as to my undying feelings for her.
“Nothing,” she said in a clipped tone of voice.
“If it truly was nothing, you wouldn’t have avoided my kiss, would you?” I shot back, not missing a beat, still trying to figure her out.
“Did I now?” She scoffed at me, and I tried to put 2 and 2 together.
“Could you be jealous of Cami?” I asked in a neutral tone of voice, knowing that teasing her would only backfire considering the circumstances.
“Do I need to be?” She asked, her eyes boring into mine, trying to search for answers.
“Of course not,” I deadpanned at once.
She didn’t seem to relax. And yet, we were alone. As a newly mated pair, we should be oh so good together, so in tune…
“Did I do something to upset you, love?” I tried again, not giving up never giving up.
“If you haven’t taken notice of what you’ve been doing, then perhaps you’re not the wonderfully thoughtful mate I believed you were…”
She trailed off, sounding like she was choking on her words.
“You can’t be crying…” I said almos desperately.
Jade was about to walk out of the office when I grabbed her wrist and spun around. She seemed to be exerting great efforts to keep her tears at bay her eyes were glassy and she was tipping her head slightly back.
I cupped her cheek with my right hand as loving as I possibly could, and placed my forehead against hers for a brief moment, wishing she could feel the love I had for her.
“Please tell me why you’re crying,” I implored her as I gazed down into her eyes.
“I hate the effect you have on me. I hate the woman I became clingy, jealous, and different shades of obsessed. And yet, I love you so much, I ache for every touch to be mine… I wasn’t like this before.”
I offered her a small awkward smile before saying softly, “If you want the truth, the absolute truth, then let me tell you something. It’s not merely because I might snap out of grief, should anything happen to you, that we’re keeping tabs on you… It’s because you have grown to be my addiction. I can’t get enough of you, and I can’t bring myself to even accept that sometimes your smiles aren’t mine to look at.”
She inhaled deeply and a tear fell down her cheek which I was quick to wipe off.
“Don’t cry, love,” I pleaded with her in a desperate tone of voice. “Tell me what I did wrong so I could right my wrongs instead.”
“I hate that you call her the witch, your friend Cami. It makes me feel like you’re too buddy buddy with her.”
“I would never dare to be buddy buddy with anyone, Jade,” I told her in earnest. “Is that how little trust you have in me?”
She shook her head negatively at once. “It isn’t you I don’t trust, Alex.”
I offered her a small smile before asking, “Can I have a kiss now?”
“You never have to ask,” she retorted softly.
Though I felt like things weren’t quite patched up yet, we were one step closer to being like we were before.
Just as I leaned down to place a kiss on her soft lips, there was a knock on the door which I ignored… but it soon opened without delay.
And it was Cemelia, visiting the pack house for the first time and seeking me out.
Hell and damnation, now isn’t the time, I thought to myself.
“Did I come at the wrong time?” She asked in a soft tone of voice.
Before I had the chance to reply, Jade put some distance between us and said, “No. Not at all.”