Alpha's Prophecy

Chapter 40

Hannah
Delicious, rich scents invaded my deep slumber. One was the smell of food, a bold, meaty aroma that made my stomach growl from hunger, but it was entwined with another scent, so sweet yet powerful, rain.
He was nearby, and I was torn between wanting to be furious at his presence and also feeling safe and protected. I didn't dare open my eyes, though, fearing he was in the room. I wasn't ready to face him just yet. Honey stirred within me, not really understanding my objection to Jake; all she knows is that Rayne is here, and that makes her happy.
*Down girl* I chastise my inner wolf, and she whimpers. I feel guilty that I'm holding her back from her mate, punishing them both for what Jake has done.
Like metal sheets slamming together, a loud crashing sound makes my eyes spring open. The room I'm in may be dark, but I can see well enough to realise that this isn't the cottage. Panic begins to rise inside me as I piece together where I am.
It's hard to escape the memories of being trapped in this small house for 10 years. Jake's scent is only strong because I was sleeping in the bed he'd claimed, but what if he wasn't the one who brought me here? What if it's Quinton who has taken me to complete his sadistic plan?
Slowly, I creep from the bed to the door and carefully open it, peering out into the vast nothingness that is the hallway. I can hear noise coming from the kitchen, and it takes me a moment to register that it's someone singing. There's no music to accompany the vocals, but I know the song. We used to sing it when I was at school.
I find myself, involuntarily, humming along to the melody, wishing I could remember the words as my feet take me in the direction of the kitchen. Relief floods through me when I see Jake, standing over the stove, wooden spoon in hand, stirring whatever he has brewing.
"I'm sorry I woke you," He apologises without even turning away from the stove. "I was trying to get a tray from the cupboard, but they were squished in there like sardines and came crashing down hard against the floor."
Well, that explains the noise I heard, but it still leaves me wondering why I'm here.
I look down and see that I'm in a nightdress, one of Emma's. Last night is all a bit of a blur, but the last thing I remember is that Jake caught me before I hit the ground outside Icebergs.
My hand instantly flies up to my neck, searching for evidence that my brain won't provide me, but I'm relieved to discover that I'm left unmarked.
"Did we..." I struggle with my question, not wanting to sound like I'm throwing an accusation at Jake, but I have to know. "Have sex last night?"
Jake turns around, and his red, bloodshot eyes meet mine. He looks like he's gone to war, a soldier weary from a battle he fought alone.
"I would never touch you without your consent." He promises me and I believe his word. "You were on heat, and I thought it was safer to bring you here than risk taking you back to the cottage."
His explanation speaks volumes about how much my heat would have tortured him, but he fought against his own anguish just to keep me safe. He could have literally thrown me to the wolves, yet he protected me from getting marked, not only by himself but by others.
"Thank you." Tears prick at my eyes just thinking about what he would have gone through. It takes a strong wolf to fight off the urge to mark his mate while she's in heat.
"I wasn't alone, Serena helped too." He admits as if he thinks that it takes away from his heroic actions.
"Serena didn't have to fight the urge to mark me, you did." I empathise with him, letting him know that I appreciate his hard work.
"I thought you might be hungry, so I made a beef stew and have garlic bread in the oven." He tells me, quickly changing the subject. I can't tell if he's being modest or if he's trying to shield me from how much my heat affected him.
"Can we please talk about last night?" I beg him, closing the gap between us. He visibly stiffens before me but doesn't move back. Our eyes locked, and for the first time in weeks, I felt that bond that I had been trying so hard to fight against.
"Do you need me to explain to you what you went through?" He asks, misunderstanding what I want from him.
"No, Jake, I remember the excruciating pain I experienced,"  I tell him, wincing at the memory of how it felt like my entire body was being ripped apart and set on fire. "I need you to open up to me, talk to me about what you went through."
I place a hand on his cheek, and his facial hair prickles from not being shaved. He's stopped taking care of himself, and that saddens me.
"Hannah, I can't," He protests, cupping his hand over mine. His touch warms me like it's healing my broken soul.
"Why?" I push, drawing my body closer to his. He holds me against him with one arm wrapped around my waist, but he feels so far away.
"Because I don't want you to think that I just helped you as a way to get back into your life." He admits after the longest pause.
"That didn't even cross my mind," Jake wouldn't put himself through hell just to say I owed him or to hold it over me. What he did was selfless.
"I've accepted that you may never want me in your life after my betrayal." He says so sincerely but I can tell that the thought alone is tearing him apart. "I love you so much Hannah and last night I thought you were going to die, I thought I was going to lose you forever"
Pack members often joke that Jake doesn't have a heart but here it was, breaking before me. The pain of him sleeping with that disgusting bloodsucker was still raw but for the first time since finding out about his betrayal, I started to believe that we could move past it, together.
"I love you too," I tell him and he smiles. He looks so handsome, so rugged. "You're so strong, to withstand the temptation of my heat."
"It was fucking hard, I'm not going to pretend that it wasn't but I would never have marked you without your consent." He says, pressing his forehead against mine. "You've had so many people steal from you Hannah, I wasn't going to add to that long list."
My heart swells, he's the first person who has not wanted to use me or destroy my power.
I close my eye and slowly drift in, my lips puckered, awaiting his but I'm left hanging.