To Be Protected

Chapter 4: Love or Torture?

Jackson's POV

Waking up warm and well rested was not something that I was used to but this morning I woke up with no kinks in my back and I was pleasantly warm as I was pressed to something that was providing warmth. And the thing was moving. Panicking I scrambled to my feet after tripping and stumbling a few times and I whimpered in fear when my groggy mind couldn't figure out where I was and why it was so bright. A figure appeared in front of me with a knife and I tried to shy away but I was pulled into the figures chest and his smell did wonders to calm me down.

"What happened Little One? Where's the danger?" he growled as I slouched into his hold. Looking over my shoulder I saw that he was pressing my face into his neck with one had and he was holding one of his twin daggers at the ready with the other.

"Nothing Mathis, I just freaked out when I woke up because I was confused. I'm sorry," I mumbled into his shoulder as I allowed him to pull me to the ground and into his lap.

"You scared me Little One," he muttered as he pulled back to get a look at my face, but when he did anger overwhelmed his scent.

Whimpering I recoiled at the scent as I squirmed. He gently placed a shaking hand on my cheek and I winced a bit at the contact. I had forgotten about being slapped and it must be starting to bruise now. Sighing I placed my hand over my cheek to cover it from his sight, "Don't worry about it," I muttered as I turned my face away slightly, "I have had much worse."

"You shouldn't even be touched in a abusive way, much less from your own clan!" he seethed, "I will have to go in and," he thought of what word he wanted to use, "Correct your clan."

Panicking a bit I looked him full on, "Don't do that. Please. I don't want to see you get into an unnecessary fight. It was just a couple of Alphas."

"If it if for your safety then it isn't an unnecessary fight," he said firmly as he removed my hand from my cheek to look at it fully again. "Bruising but it looks like nothing more serious. Who did it?"

"Random Alphas," I lied. I could only imagine what he would do if he found out it was Keller that had hit me.

I tensed up remembering Keller. Shit shit shit; I was supposed to be at his hut last night with a new garment! He is going to kill me! Just thinking about the beating that I had in store had me breathing hard in stress, but Mathis was quick to soothe me with coos and his hands running up my back. No matter how much I loved being with him I had to go back to reality sooner then later, and reality was waiting at home for me; and probably with a knife.

Pushing on his chest firmly I stood up and looked at my feet, "I need to go. I was supposed to be home by last night. Goodbye," I whispered as I turned and briskly walked away. Before I could disappear into the trees I stopped and looked over my shoulder at the confused Mathis as I gave him a uncertain smile, "If I don't come back tomorrow just know that I had a wonderful time with you and I would have wished to spend the rest of my life with you, but reality is getting in the way," I choked out. Once I got that out I sprinted into the forest and towards my doom.

I reached the clan in record time and I had trouble remained unseen considering it was midmorning and the clan was bustling already, but I had a stroke of luck when I spotted Evelyn walking towards the work hut. With a tossed rock I got her attention and she slunk over to me with her head down and I gasped when I saw the mess of her face. Her nose looked to be broken and dirt mingled with her freckles on her face. She had a gash under her eye and one of her hands was swollen, but what really caught my attention was the claiming necklace on her throat.

Swallowing the lump in my throat I looked at her in shock, "Who is it?"

She looked so broken when she caught my eye, "Don't even know his name. Just grabbed me, roughed me up a little, and collared me," she bit out with venom, "You don't look like a goddess yourself," she snorted as she poked my cheek. "So what had you running off yesterday?" she asked as she perked up a bit while I deflated.