Forced Mate

24: Home

A/N: One more chapter after this one!

At the same moment, hundreds of footsteps sound through the woods. The salt line must have broken with Hayes' death, as Jaxon's face is the first I see. The Founders do nothing but stand in a clump, observing the scene as it unfolds. You'd think they would do something, anything, but I suppose they're used to being uninvolved.

Jaxon races down the side of the hill, surprisingly in his human form still. He stumbles back when he notices the towering white wolf, as do the others with him. I've never seen him hesitate, but he's doing so now. Does he know it's me? I shift back with ease, completely naked now in the light of the full moon and the fire.

Sarah offers me her cloak, which I wrap fully around myself before hurrying to where he's standing by the induction stone. It's in two pieces now and his eyes trace over the crack in the surface before landing warily on me. There's still blood on me, in my mouth. The runes are gone, healed by my shift and the power radiating through me.

"Jaxon!" I exclaim, barreling into him for an embrace. He takes me in his arms, but I sense the hesitance radiating off him in waves. "I've missed you. Did you see my wolf? I'm a white wolf. I-I have all this power, and Sarah said the prophecy was truly about me—"

I stop when I notice the distant expression across his face. "Jaxon?" I call again, his eyes finding every piece of Hayes scattered in the yard.

"Did you do this?"

"Yes."

An uncharacteristic smile slowly crosses his lips as he pulls me into him again, "Good job."

"Thank you," My cheeks tinge scarlet at the praise, turning to look at the insanity of the scene. Yara is still semi-dead to the side, her neck bones slowly mending themselves. Jaxon follows my gaze and crooks an eyebrow.

"Your mother?"

"Yes. How'd you know?"

He's never met my mother, so he doesn't have any reason to recognize her. My brow scrunches at the thought and I suddenly feel uneasy. "Do-Do you...know her?"

His eyes track the emotions across my face, icy and blue and cold, before he finally settles on an answer, a lie, "No."

"You're lying," I immediately fire back, somehow sensing the deception. Is it because of my wolf? My new powers? Either way, I know it's a lie before it even leaves his lips.

He sighs, glancing around at the small crowd amassed near us. They can hear us, He links to me and I furrow my brow even further and scoff.

"So? I don't care if they can hear us. Tell me why you're lying. Now."

The expression that crosses his face is similar to the one in those first days, where I was only a burden to him. It dissipates quickly, however, as he replaces the attitude with a sigh. "I may have met her a few months back," His tone is straight. Impassive. Unbothered.

But I'm bothered. I clench my teeth and my fists as I begin to seethe, "You knew my mother was alive? Where she was? And you didn't tell me?"

"Your little friend knew as well," As if in defense of himself, he throws Jon's name out. I scoff again and shake my head, turning around then back to him again.

"Look where that got him," I point to Jon's dead body lying a few feet away from us. When Jaxon doesn't acknowledge it, I step closer to him, command, "Look."