Page 23 of Jaxon

Jaxon nodded. “Then let’s get the hell out of here.”

The Green Devils turned as one, marching out of the room with Rachel, the pledges, and their leader in the center. They’d given up territory today, but gained something far more precious: loyalty, family, love.

For Jaxon, that was a win he’d take any day.

Jaxon hustled Rachel onto his bike, settling her in before kicking the engine to life. “You okay?” Jaxon asked Rachel, raising his voice to be heard above the roar of the bikes.

She nodded, but he didn’t miss the way she flinched at every loud noise, her knuckles turning white where she gripped his arms.

He took her hands in his, gently prying her fingers loose. “You’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

As they rode back to the clubhouse, Jaxon felt the resentment simmering within the ranks. Giving up territory to the Wolverines went against everything they stood for, and he didn’t blame his brothers for questioning his decision.

When they arrived, Jaxon cut the engine of his bike and helped Rachel dismount. Before he could say a word, one of the newer members, a troublemaker named Luke, stepped forward.

“Why’d we give up our land for a woman and a couple of kids? The prez has gone soft.” Luke sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Guess all it takes is a piece of ass to get Jaxon on his knees.”

The implication was clear. Jaxon saw red rage flooding his veins like molten lava. In two quick strides, he was in front of Luke, grabbing him by the collar of his cut and slamming him against the nearest wall.

“The only reason you’re still breathing is because you wear that patch,” Jaxon growled, face inches from Luke’s. “But if you ever disrespect Rachel again, cut or no cut, I will beat you to within an inch of your life. You got that?”

Luke sputtered, eyes wide with fear as he nodded.

“She is not a piece of ass,” Jaxon hissed. “She’s mine. And I protect what’s mine.”

Jaxon released Luke, shoving him away in disgust. His chest was heaving, rage still simmering in his veins, but one look at Rachel’s stricken face cooled his anger.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, baby,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her hair. “But no one disrespects my woman. No one.”

Rachel nodded against his chest, and Jaxon felt the tension seep from her body once more. His woman understood. She was his, just as he was hers, and he would tear the whole world apart before he let anyone hurt her.

“The next person who questions my decisions will get worse than what Luke just did,” Jaxon announced to the silent crowd. “Rachel and those pledges are family now. We protect our own.”

A chorus of “Amen” and “Yes, prez” followed his proclamation. The resentment hadn’t fully disappeared, but Jaxon’s show of force reminded them exactly who was in charge.

His gaze met Rachel’s, full of warmth and understanding and something more - love. She was worth every inch of territory, every drop of blood. Rachel was his everything, and these men would do well to remember that.

15

Rachel gripped the doorknob, her knuckles turning white, and began to swing the heavy wooden door shut. But before the bolt could slide into place, a steel-toed boot jammed between the frame and the door.

Jaxon.

Her heart leapt into her throat as the door burst open with a bang that rattled the windows.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he growled, crowding into her space.

Rachel stumbled back, panic rising in her chest. She searched his face—the sharp cut of his jaw, the piercing blue eyes that seemed to see straight through to her soul—but found no warmth there now. Only a storm brewing.

“I—I was just—”

“You were just going to lock me out?” Each word was clipped, biting. “After everything we’ve been through, you were gonna shut me out like I’m nothing to you?”

“No, of course not, I just—”

“Do you have any idea what I risked to get here? What I sacrificed?” He slammed a fist against the wall, the crack of it like a gunshot in the silence. “Dammit, Rachel.”

Rachel flinched at the outburst, instinctively raising her arms to shield herself. She knew he would never hurt her, not physically, but in that moment her body remembered a different time, a different place. A past that still haunted her dreams.

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