Page 88 of Second Chance Mates

I brace my hands on the counter for a second before turning to look at him. His nostrils are flared, and his brows are dipped, but once his eyes roam my face, concern washes over his features. “Fuck, Ava.” He steps towards me. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s just blood,” I say dryly before rinsing my hands in the sink. “I’ve had much worse.”

Jax’s fingers are underneath my chin, forcing my eyes to his. “I don't care if it’s just blood, Ava. You’re hurt.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s fine.”

“Don’t ever roll your eyes at me.” He pinches my chin, making me gasp quietly. “Not when it’s about your wellbeing. Now, let me clean you up.”

My mouth parts as I stare up at him. “Jax, honestly. It–”

“Sit.”

I don’t object. I perch on the edge of the stool and watch him pull out antiseptic wipes and tissues. He peels the box open and starts cleaning the wound. “I think you’re okay. No broken bones. The skin has just split. One of the pack doctors can heal you.”

He throws the bloody supplies away, and I remain silent.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” he asks, leaning onto the kitchen island.

I peek my eyes up at him. “I-I don’t know what came over me.”

“So, you hit her first?”

My hands cover my face, and I wince. I’m still shaking from excess adrenaline, but I’m finally managing to take a few calm breaths. “I felt this way towards her.”

“What did you feel?”

“She was looking at you, and I-I didn’t like it.”

Jaxon pulls back in confusion. “You attacked her because she was looking at me?”

“Oh my God.” I laugh sadly to myself. “I sound insane.”

“Ava, I know you’re adjusting to new emotions, new surroundings, and our bond. But we don’t do things like that here. Not to pack members.” His voice isn’t as gentle as I expected it to be. “We treat each other with respect.”

I bite on my lip and nod. “I know. I’m not proud of it. In that moment, I was fuelled with these emotions I couldn’t control. They literally took over. I know I attacked first, but trust me, she got in more punches than I did.”

Jaxon analyses my expression for a long moment, and I feel all that jealousy flood out of me. Why am I even jealous? I know deep down that Jaxon wants me and no one else. He’s made that very clear. His reassurance is one thing I don’t need to ask for.

“I feel so bad,” I confess. “I don’t want everyone thinking I’m a bitch.”

Jaxon runs his tongue across his bottom lip. “Look, none of us are perfect, and sometimes we let our emotions cloud our judgement of what’s right and wrong. I trust you won’t do anything like that again, and if you feel like that, then you take five minutes for yourself.”

“All my emotions have been incredibly heightened lately.”

“That’s being around werewolves for you.”

I want to laugh at my pathetic actions, but my ribs ache. I can’t believe I did that. My fists throb, and I know I need to work on my technique. I definitely could have broken my wrists. I’m surprised they didn’t snap in two.

As if on command, he reaches for my hand and raises my bruised knuckles to his lips, leaving delicate kisses along my fragile skin. “You put up a good fight,” he confesses.

My heart beats out of time at the intensity in his gaze. “I bet she hasn’t got one scratch on her.”

“Hey.” He angles my face towards him. “She is a wolf who has been training for years; you’ve only just started your training journey. You can’t compare the two of you. For how little we’ve trained together, that was incredibly impressive.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmur.

His thumb grazes my chin. “Why are you sorry?”

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