Finding Happily Ever After

Chapter 24

I was warm and content, drifting through pleasant dreams, but something was bothering me. A faint, tingling feeling on my skin was distracting me from my satisfying slumber. It felt like someone was watching me, but I couldn't seem to make myself care enough to move. Everything was warm and cozy. Even the smell around me was lulling me deeper into my dreams.

That is, until a loud crash jolted me awake. I bolted upright, looking for the source of the noise. I was a bit dazed; the fog of sleep was slow to lift out of my head. This room was unfamiliar, and I had no idea how I got here.

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry! It w-was an accident. I'll cl-clean it right up," A young woman stammered out, kneeling on the ground. She was picking up a mess of equipment off of the floor and putting it on a silver tray next to her, her eyes never leaving her task. It was like she was afraid to look up. I found out why she was so nervous a moment later when a threatening growl erupted from the corner of the room.

"You're a medic. Aren't you supposed to have steady hands? You had better use more care when you're assessing her."

The threat of violence in his deep voice caught my attention, but somehow I wasn't afraid of him. I turned and saw his large, dark figure sitting on a chair in the corner, glaring at that woman. He had such a commanding presence, I had to wonder why it seemed like he was hiding himself away in that corner.

Then, he swung his scrutiny from the medic over to me, and his expression changed to a slightly softer one. It held curiosity, some concern, hope, and a little bit of wariness. Any emotion that he had shown was quickly walled off as he put up an impassive front. Regardless, that one look from him was enough to instantly raise my body temperature.

And then I knew: he was the one. He was my mate. Jackson, the name came to me from a jumbled mess of memories. I had dreamt for years about what it would be like to finally meet my mate. I had waited so long for him. But, along the way, I fell in love.

Ashton. He was kind and passionate and loving. He was the reason that I was still alive right now. He had given me hope and a reason to keep fighting when I was ready to give up. I couldn't possibly turn my back on him now. Ashton. Shit, where was Ashton?

Cloudy memories of the events of the past day filtered in slowly. Being on the run. Getting caught. Being hauled to the alpha's mansion. Execution. Alpha's son. Personal Breeder. Mate.

I was safe at the moment, but was Ashton still in danger?

I refocused my attention on Jackson, who was still staring me down with those stormy, dark eyes, waiting for the medic to finish gathering her supplies off of the floor. His gaze was stone hard and unreadable, but I couldn't let that intimidate me. Not when Ashton might be in trouble.

"Where is he? Where is Ashton?" I asked, sounding desperate. 

If it was even possible, my mate's gaze grew colder at the mention of Ashton. "He is no longer a concern of yours."

I growled, quickly growing frustrated with this man. "Where is he? What's going to happen to him?"

Jackson growled right back at me. "You and that boy may have been lovers before, but you're here now. You're my mate. And you will have nothing to do with him."

Then, it clicked in my head. He was jealous. Of course he was, he was my mate. Maybe I needed a different tactic. "We never had sex."

"Don't lie to me." He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "His scent is all over you."

"We didn't, I swear. He was just protecting me. I was assigned to be a breeder and I didn't want to be one, so Ashton covered for me. I'm still... I'm still a virgin, I promise."

I couldn't keep my cheeks from burning bright red at that confession, but I held his eyes, willing him to see the truth in my words. Okay, so there was a whole lot of truth that I was also leaving out, but that wasn't what was important right now. My priority was making sure that Ashton was safe. 

I could see that I hadn't convinced him yet, so I continued. "He saved my life. I owe him everything... Which means that you owe him everything too."

So maybe that wasn't a fair or even a valid argument, but I needed something. And, I could see that I was starting to win him over. There was only one more thing that I could think of to say to drive this home.

"Please." It was a whisper barely even audible to me, but I knew that he heard it.

Jackson was shaking his head, waging an internal battle with himself. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Finally, he leveled his gaze on me and sighed. "His execution is scheduled for eight o'clock. That's in ten minutes. We won't make it in time."

Everything froze: the world stopped spinning, my heart stopped beating. How could this be happening? The man that I loved was about to die. Ashton was the embodiment of everything good, and there was nothing that I could do to save him.

With tear filled eyes, I pled with my mate, "You have to save him!"

"His execution has already been ordered. There isn't anything that I can do."

But, there was something. I thought back to the way he walked into the alpha's meeting like he owned the room, the way he spoke to the alpha so brazenly without suffering any consequences. Jackson had pull with the alpha. There had to be something that he could do to save Ashton.

"I swear to God, if he dies, I will NEVER forgive you," I bit out, searing my mate with my stare. It hurt to say such harsh words to him; it went against everything in my wolf's nature. I meant everything that I said, though.

"Dammit!" Jackson screamed, punching the wall next to him. A thunderous crack filled the air, and a hole was left in the wall, a warning of the damage that his rage could inflict. I wouldn't be intimidated, though. I wouldn't back down. Ashton had to live. 

Finally, my mate's resistance faltered. I could see it crumble like an old wall right before my eyes, and Jackson's shoulders slumped under the weight of his decision. 

"We'll need to hurry."

So what do you think? Thank you for reading! Hope you like it! :)