Chapter 12
Jaxon’s POV
I could tell that Alexei had something on his mind that he wanted to mention, but he stayed quiet. I guess he was excited and worried about his mate. I was happy for him. He was old, like old-old, close to five hundred years old. That was a long time to wait for your other half. I sent up a prayer for him to the Goddess. I was praying that she was willing to become a vampire like him. That way, they could live out the rest of their lives together. He deserved to find his mate.
The closer I got to the hospital, the more agitated I got. My wolf, Arc, was telling me our mate was close. Goddess, please do not let it be Alexei’s mate. No, I am sure I am wrong. The Goddess wouldn’t have done that to us. There were three sisters in total, I am sure that if my mate was here, that she was not going to be the one in surgery. I barely turned the SUV off before I threw open my door and ran into the hospital. I didn’t even stop to shut my door in my haste. I just ran to go and find my mate. I scented her the moment I entered the hospital.
I followed her scent to the waiting room outside the surgery area. As soon as I entered, I felt her fear and concern for her sister. I was already across the room and heading to her before she realized that I was even there. Her beautiful hazel eyes widened in surprise as I stopped in front of her. She was gorgeous and all mine. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail that had seen better days. Her hair was falling out of it, but it only made me want to reach out and touch her silken strands.
“Mate,” I breathed out as she stood up.
“Mate,” she breathed back to me, nodding in acceptance of me. She was happy to have found me but still anxious about her sister.
I took her all in. She was tall and tanned, clearly used to being out in the sun. She had a runner’s body but still had some curves. She was perfection and all mine. I hesitated for a minute, not knowing what I should do. Do I need to ask her permission to mark her? Do I need to wait until her sister is out of surgery? I don’t want her to think that I can’t manage to wait a few hours to accept her, as long as she was definitely planning on accepting me.
“I have waited so long for you. You do not have to wait to mark me. I do not want to lose you,” She told me quietly. I was so glad that she knew what I was feeling. I did want to mark her so badly that I was fighting Arc right now to keep from doing it. I want her. I need her. But I didn’t want to scare or intimidate her. I wanted her to know that this was her choice. I wasn’t going to force it on her. At her words, a warmth grew in my chest. I am overcome with love for this woman.
“I will mark you, but I want, no, I need for you to mark me back,” I replied. She nodded, blushing, and moved her tank over for me to give her my mark. I quickly extended my canines to place my mark on her. I felt the tingles all over me as I made her mine and then cleaned the blood off of her. I didn’t even wait to be impressed with my handiwork. I only wanted to ensure that I carried her mark. I ripped at least two buttons off my button-up shirt to move it out of the way for her to mark me back.
I heard a giggle to the side of us, and before I could glance over to see who had laughed, I felt my mate's teeth pierce my skin. The pain washed away in an instant, leaving me with only the feeling of pleasure spreading through me. She gently licked me clean. I looked down at her with my emotions all over the place. I felt happiness and surprise at finding her. I also felt pride in her. I can tell that she is an incredibly strong she-wolf. I had figured that when I met my mate, that I would have some party to celebrate our finding each other. Like a mating party. I had never once considered marking her in the hospital waiting room. I didn’t even know her name, but I knew with my whole heart that I wanted her more than anyone else in the world.
“My name is Jaxon,” I told her with a smile. I couldn’t wait to know what her name was. Her smile faltered for a moment before coming back.
“Wait, like as in, Alpha Jaxon?” she asked. I could tell that she already loved me. Thankfully, our mate bond was already working in our favor. It was a good thing that we were marked already. I would have wondered if she would have accepted me without being able to sense her emotions. I could read her concern that she felt like she wasn’t good enough. Worried that others would judge her. It almost seemed like she thought that she was not worthy to be my Luna. I had to stop her as I did not want her to be worried. I wrapped my hands around her waist. I didn’t want her to step back away from me.
“The Goddess did not make a mistake. You were meant to be mine. I am happy to have found you. Can you please let me know what your name is? I cannot wait to hear you say it,” I asked her. I kept my hands on her waist, as I could tell she was still thinking about running away. It wouldn’t matter if she did. Where she goes, I will follow.
“Brenna,” she finally answered.
“What a beautiful name,” I told her, and she blushed and looked down at the floor.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She was a bundle of nerves, and it wasn’t just because her sister was in surgery. I could feel real fear coming off of her in waves. I waited for her to speak again, knowing she was trying to work up the courage to do it.
“You won’t force my sisters to go back to the Kamaria Pack, will you? We won’t go back. If you are considering it, just let me know, and we can reject each other now before we go too far,” Brenna said. I could tell that she didn’t want to leave me. She wanted me but would protect her sisters with her very life. That made me love her even more. I would do the same for my siblings as well.
“I told Paxton to leave. I also told him not to come back. I was prepared to keep you all safe before I even laid eyes on you. I will fight him to the death if he even thinks about taking you away from me. You and your sisters are safe,” I told her. She searched my eyes before wrapping her arms around me. She had carried the full weight of protecting her siblings. She was trusting me to do the same, and I would. I would protect all three of them.
“You two are so cute together!” a voice squealed out from behind us. I looked over, and seeing the huge grin on her face, I knew I had found the girl who had giggled earlier.
“This is my younger sister, Luna,” Brenna told us.
“Her name is Luna? Like that is her actual first name?” Alexei asked. When we turned to look at him, his smile was covering his face. “This is going to be priceless.”
“What do you mean,” Luna asked with a frown.
“I honestly don’t want to spoil the surprise. I can assure you that you will not have to wait very long to receive it,” Alexei replied.
It hit me that he knew. He knew that one of the sisters was my mate, and one of them was his mate. Why didn’t he tell me? I looked at him, knowing my expression didn’t hide the question I was silently asking him.
“Just like finding my mate was important to me, I would not ruin it for you, Jaxon. You have been waiting patiently to find her. How could I take your moment away from you? I wanted you to both find each other organically, without any interference from me or anyone else,” Alexei said with a smile. I smiled back at him because he was right.
Finding Brenna on my own had made both Ace and me happy. I was over the moon the second I opened the door to my SUV and smelled Gardinia and vanilla. The Gardinia was the most prominent scent to me. She smelled fresh and sweet, and her scent made her even more perfect for me. I will never tire of breathing her intoxicating scent in for the rest of my days.
“Speaking of mates, isn’t there something you need to say,” I reminded him.
“Oh, yes, your sister Cara is my mate. One of my men, Ivan, had a vision, so I knew you three were coming today. It was the reason that you were immediately allowed into Black Adder. I spoke to Jaxon early this morning. He made the call out to the gate. No matter when you arrived, you would be safe because he had already made the call,” Alexei told them. Both sisters gasped in surprise at what he had said. I guess that they never thought that Cara’s mate wouldn’t be a witch or a wolf. He would end up being a vampire.