Page 57 of Wolf Trapped
“We let the pack know there is to be a meeting in an hour,” Alex says. “We told them to meet in the clearing.”
Fuck. I haven’t been to the clearing since the asshole burned the words into the ground.
“Is the clearing free of any scorch marks?” I ask, not wanting Jara to see any evidence of what that bastard did.
“The grass hasn’t grown in yet, but the scorch marks are gone.” Alex’s eyes widen as he realizes that it’s probably a bad idea to have any kind of meeting there right now.
“We can go tell everyone to meet in the center of town instead, Alpha.” Patrick cuts in panic, filling his eyes.
“No, it’s fine. We will have to all face this eventually. The clearing will always be a bit scarred, as will we.” I turn to the pack house, unable to be away from my mate a second longer.
I stomp up the steps to the front door effectively ending the conversation. I storm into the house and go to the bedroom to find Jara ready for the meeting but sitting on the bed, staring out the window with a blank expression.
“Are you okay, mate?” I ask, running my fingers through her hair, startling her.
“Archer, you scared me. I didn’t hear you come in.” she shakes her head, standing up and wrapping her arms around me. I try not to tense, but it’s a habit, and her shoulders slump as she pulls away from me.
“Are you okay?” I repeat the words reaching out and tilting her chin up.
“I’m just tired and overwhelmed. I’ll be fine once we take Carter back to Kyle.” She sighs.
Her eyes have dark circles under them, but that’s not what guts me. It’s the pain I see in her expressive eyes. That pain isn’t physical, and I have no idea how to heal it.
“I don’t think you should come with me to confront Kyle,” I say and wait for her to react.
“Archer…” she sighs. “He was trying to have me killed. I need to be there to confront him.”
She’s not wrong but taking her to another alpha’s territory goes against everything I believe in. I just want to keep her safe. She’s protected inside the pack. It’s safe here, and I don’t know what could be ahead of us in Kyle’s territory.
“Okay, if it will get that pain out of your eyes, you can come with me,” I grumble, and her eyes widen. Neither of us expecting the responses we got.
“Really?” she whispers, stepping closer to me tentatively.
“Yes,” I sigh. “Contrary to my previous actions, I don’t want to be a jailer, Jara. My instinct tells me the best way to protect you is to keep you here out of harm's way, but I’m starting to see that I can’t really do that.”
“What are you saying?” she blinks up at me slowly.
“I’m going to try to be better.” I wrap her up in my arms, holding her head to my chest and breathing in her intoxicating scent.
“That’s all I can ask for.” She squeezes me before stepping away. “Are you going to get dressed for the meeting?”
“That was one reason I came up here.” I run my fingers through her hair, needing to keep touching her.
I almost lost her, and it’s hitting me hard. After nearly losing her, I know now more than ever that my life would be meaningless without her.
“Why do you want to watch me change, mate?” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
Jara blushes, and lust shines in her eyes, replacing the pain there. I can’t stand the pain behind those eyes. If I have to tease her to keep that look on her face, I will.
“Go get dressed. We don’t have time for that.” She giggles, swatting at me playfully.
“Fine.” I mock grumble and move to the closet. I’m relieved more than anything, though. If she can still giggle and blush, then she will be okay eventually, right?
Dressing quickly, I can’t help but think about how amazing Jara was in the face of Carter and his blade. Though I was terrified that she would miscalculate and end up dead, in hindsight, she was a strong female that got herself out of a deadly situation, and that is exactly what I plan to tell the pack.
They will respect my mate and her place here, or they will pay the price. Anything less is unacceptable.
I clench my fists at my sides as I stride from the closet to find Jara gone from the room. I panic slightly and rush down the stairs.
