Chapter 26
I waited patiently to see who the intruder was. If the man outside our hiding place was Grayson then Jax may not make it to the next full moon. Grayson’s temper wouldn’t allow for reason and I wouldn’t be able to stop him from killing Jax.
The rustling paused, then picked up again. I reached out into the dark and found Jax’s hand and pressed it into mine.
When the sound dissolved into the background of the distant crashing waves I relaxed a little. Jax gave my fingers a little squeeze, a silent message of comfort.
I sat back on my heals and let out a slow breath. I concentrated on the pull between Grayson and I, but had lost it as soon as Jax grabbed me, almost like Jax was a shield from the ropes between us.
When we finally inched ourselves out of the tree covered cliff side, the forest was still and quiet. Once the light touched our faces, I noticed the large bruise covering half of Jax’s face. His left eye was nearly swollen shut and the eye behind the puffed up skin was bloodshot.
I gasped, reaching out to touch his face. He winced at the closeness of my fingers.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Marek gets a bit moody around this time of the month."
"But why would he attack you?"
Jax shrugged then smiled. I rolled my eyes and turned to search for any sign of Grayson, tired of their brother-like drama.
If only I had the same super ability to smell where people had been like my peers did. I craved Graysons smell, a personal musk that was so unique to him, it would never leave my mind.
As though catching on to my intentions, Jax searched with me. I held a hand above my brow to shade the midday sun from above and looked in every direction for any sign of movement.
"Coast is clear, Marek must’ve headed back toward base," Jax offered.
"I wasn’t looking for Marek," I told him.
Suddenly, hands were gripping my shoulders and spinning me to face a very uneasy Jax.
"Who are you looking for then, Rebel?"
My eyes were wide as I shrugged a single shoulder and gave him a half-innocent smile.
"Dammit," he cursed and looked to the ground in thought. Deciding, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind him.
"Where are we going?" I whined but didn’t recieve an answer.
We dipped through bushes and froze at every noise, hiding behind giant leaves and tree trunks until we reached our destination.
"Get in." He told me, a rushing river before me.
"In there?" I asked, such with the knowledge that I couldn’t swim.
"Yupp, it’ll hide your scent." He grabbed my hand and waded into the water. The water pushed fast against my shins and I walked unsteady through the slick rocks.
We made our way slowly upriver, the sound of rushing water drowning out everything but my thoughts. I wanted to go back to Julien, wrap myself in his arms and feel his warmth against my cheek. I replayed our kisses in my mind until we arrived at the base of a cliff.
The water fell over the ledge in a grand display. The droplets landing on my cheeks in a constant mist as we got closer. Jax took my other hand when the water got deeper and held me up as he swam towards the edge of the waterfall.
With his arms wrapped in mine, we pierced the veil of the downpour. On the other side, the water dropped like a curtain.
It was darker behind the water and Jax grabbed onto a ledge before pulling me up the rock. The cliffside was slick and I struggled not to fall. Jax successfully hauled us onto the ledge and I stared around in awe.
There was a short, hollowed out and green covered cave behind the waterfall. The moss was sponge-like where it stuck to every surface. I reached out, squeezing it between my fingers, feeling its texture.
"No one can find you here. You’ll be safe."
Outside of our stories by the fire, I hadn’t much time to get to know Jax.
"I can’t stay here, Jax." He looked confused and a little hurt as I said it.
"Nobody knows about this place..."
"You do," I interrupted.
Jax’s inner strength was resilient with his stubborness for the rules but not even he could fight the power of the moon. He would turn with the rest of them, and I would be at their mercy.
"I have to go to Grayson, he’s bound by the Lunar Laws to keep me safe. Isn’t that right?"
Jax nodded slowly, thinking. "As his Luna, he can’t kill you. That doesn’t stop him from attacking you, though. Unless you don’t remember."
The memory of Grayson’s hungry eyes flashed through my mind and my heart involuntarily skipped a beat. I also remembered Jax wanting blood for Graysons actions. I couldn’t ask Jax to take me to him.
"Take me to Julien then?"
He took a short breath in and sighed it out. "Alrighty, let’s go." He fell backwards, landing in the pool with a splash.
"I can’t swim," I called out when I saw him surface.
"I’ll catch you!" He yelled back, slowly paddling around the pool, the roar of the water clouding his words.
Without any other choice, I lept feet first into the water. I dipped under the surface, water rushing up my nose. Hands grasped me by my armpits and dragged me upwards.
I took a gasping breath and spit out the river water that had traveled through my nose. I bounced against Jax’s strong arms as he guided us to the river bed.
We rung out our clothes as much as we could before continueing our journey. Being in my underwear around Jax felt like the least threatening place to be. He didn’t steal glances or make me feel uncomfortable. It was like he was the most unbothered person I’d ever met and his demeanor soaked into my own feelings the longer I was with him.
There was no Grayson or Marek scares on the way back to the village. I found it was easy to be around Jax by ourselves. He was more laid-back then I’d given him credit for and as we neared base, I wasn’t as worried as I was when I left.
"I found her!" Jax called out, preemptively preparing for their onslaught.
I was swarmed within seconds. Jax wasn’t the only one hurt today given that each of them were marked by scratches, bruises, or bites.
Hands reached for me but were pulled away by others. They were still fighting over me, Jax trying to hold them back as even Marek joined in with trying to possess me.
"Stop!" I yelled at the top of my voice and to my surprise, they did.
"You are all acting like children. I am not a toy." I fought back tears that welled up in my eyes at the confrontation.
"None of you can have me, I belong to myself and only myself, understand?"
Dominic grinned and Marek stepped back. Their fighting was effectively broken up and the tension had eased.
Julien’s eyes were soft for me. They all saw me as some weak fragile thing and maybe I was.
"Either come up with a plan for tomorrow night or let me leave," I demanded.
They shared looks. The day had been too overwhelming and I was hungry and tired. Between the waterfall and traipsing through the forest, my body felt like it was in shock.
I crossed my arms in a pout, ready for their solutions so everything could go back to normal.
"There is one thing we could do." Dominic began.
Julien grabbed his arm, a threatening look directed at him. Whatever Dominic had in mind couldn’t be good if Julien was upset.
I sighed in discomfort, my clothes feeling too heavy. Food was at the back of my mind and I wanted to hurry the conversation along so I could hunt down some snacks from the pantry.
"It would be her choice," Dominic continued. Their was a glint of menace in his dark eyes.
"It’s not fair to her." The discussion was staring to upset me more in my hungry state.
"I’m right here," I said dramatically and they looked my way.
"The other option," Julien began. "Is for one of us to mark you."
I cocked my head.
"If you were claimed by one of us, no one in the pack could hurt you. It would be against the Laws to harm another pack members Luna," Dominic added in.
"What about Grayson?"
That was the question that made them question each other, I realized. They looked uneasy about it, like I had touched a sore spot.
I waited, not understanding their discomfort. If Julien claimed me, wouldn’t that break my bond to Grayson?
"Well," Dominic started, taking charge in explaining to me. "Grayson would know immediately. His claim being challenged, even one with a rejection, would alert him."
"Great, he doesn’t like me that much anyways. Let’s break his claim."
"Its not that simple. He would come for you."
Come for me? But why would he want to?
"He would fight for his claim. For you." Julien said. "Whoever you bond with, Grayson is going to try and kill."