The Alpha And His Mate (Silver Hills #1)

Chapter 31

When Jax walked in I was expecting a storm.

I was not expecting him to run and instantly gather me in his arms, whispering consolations in my ear and anxiously reached out to my stomach.

I felt a jolt as his hand brushed against where there would soon be a bump, as if some power in me recognised the power in him.

"So it's true," he muttered low in my ear, his breath warm on my neck. "You're..."

"Pregnant." I nodded, appreciating how odd it was to say the word.

He pulled back from the embrace and looked me over, as if I were about to collapse on the floor. If he had been protective before it would only get worse now. He opened his mouth, as if to remark something, but was interrupted by Genevieve.

Her sadness, whatever mourning she was undergoing right now, seemed to translate into manic energy. "Meeting. Now!" The words were harsh and snapped out with no mercy. Even when the Masons flinched, clearly not ready to leave the side of their son.

"Am I invited?" Victor asked, rather politely considering he'd been chained like a dog.

"No!" Genevieve hissed before her gaze fell onto Caspar.

"Who the hell-"

"He knows," I cut in on his behalf, before objects would start flying about. "He knows everything."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but said nothing.

Shockingly, it was Diana who spoke next, wincing as something tugged at her arm. "Surely Lord Thornwood has to be at the meeting. Considering he's an official member of the council, and you're already one member down."

The room descended into silence. I could almost feel the pleasure radiating off Victor.

"How... how do you know all that?" Elisabeth stuttered. If she hadn't told her, I couldn't imagine who had.

"I..." Diana's face scrunched in confusion. "I don't know actually. I must've overheard it somewhere."

Jax grabbed hold of my waist and pulled me close. "Let's get this bloody meeting over with," he growled. "My pregnant wife doesn't need any more stress."

Genevieve made a sound that resembled throwing up, but began to usher people down into the chamber anyway.

I watched everyone file out, paying particular attention to the Masons, who walked like soldiers returning from the battle for their lives. Jax and Caspar went to escort Victor down, and as they did I approached Elisabeth and Diana, the last to leave, before they left the room.

"Let me look at your wounds." I had phrased it half as an order, half as a question. There was an awkward moment they just stared at me. Elisabeth clutched at her bandages, reluctant to come close to me.

Diana nervously shuffled forward, jaw clenched in pain as she tried to lift forward her arm. I looked up at Victor before I touched her, and registered the pleasing desperation in his eyes.

Unsure what else to do, I touched her arm and tried to imagine healing it. Eyes shut, I couldn't see what was happening, but from the gasp and the strange dead feeling in my arm I had hope something had happened.

And, lo and behold, when I had the courage to peel my eyes open, Diana's arm was no longer mangled, but looking stronger than ever. Blood still covered the length of it, but other than that everything looked fine.

I met Jax's eye across the room. To my surprise, he just shrugged, a proud look on his face. It almost said, I always knew you were special.

I felt a strange hope blossoming in me. Before I could turn to attend to the milder injuries of Elisabeth, Genevieve came storming in and demanded we instantly withdraw to the council room.

Something shone brighter in me as we descended the steps down into the lower depths of the house. We should've been having the first full council meeting today, yet we were now missing one member. One member who wouldn't return.

And maybe Richard Mason would never sit in a council meeting again because of me. Maybe I had killed him.

A/N- sorry for the short updates recently; I've been working on other stuff that I've been slightly more invested in. I'll try to update as regularly as possible still!