Taming the Hellbeast

Ch. 6: Food. Don't women like food?

Somebody was screaming at him.

Why was that so annoying?

The piercing sound of somebody screaming his name reached him in his violent dreams, but it had not been enough to wake him. He had been woken by a clenching in his heart. A pain so unusual and strong it tore him from his sleep. "Great, headaches and a heart attack," Jax groaned, trying to catch his breath.

'It's not a heart attack, you idiot. It's our mate. She's doing something she shouldn't.'

'The fuck you mean, Acker?'

'The pain is from our mate doing something intimate with another male.'

'Hell no! Go claim her. She's ours.'

'I thought she liked us?' Acker sounded so lost, almost at the brink of tears. He had felt attached to her since that day many years earlier, more than the other two. He had been the one fighting to keep her safe, and now he felt oddly betrayed.

All rational thought left Jax in that instant. He felt confused and hurt, but the anger and jealousy reached new heights for him. How the hell did she even think she could get away with something like that? Maybe before they had known they were made for each other, it was not exactly like he had saved himself for her, but now?

Fuck no!

Jax stormed out of the house and shifted midair. He was still in control because Acker stayed whimpering with hurt at the back of his mind.

Her smell became clearer as he ran through the forest. The sweet smell of her. The whole fucking marketplace of fruit, flowers, and sweets blasted at him. He was still angry, though the smell soothed him in a sense, which only made him more annoyed. He wanted to be angry with her, wanted to make her pay for the pain he had felt, and yet he also wanted to grab her and take her to bed.

Santine.

She was close. He could feel her now as well as smelled her and... With an angry growl, he jumped out from the trees at her, startling her significantly. She was not shifted, she just stood in front of him in a pair of ripped jeans, a grey t-shirt, and sneakers. Her hair was wet and all over the place. She looked so worried it ripped at him.

"Jax," Santine cried and ran toward him the moment she saw him. She did not give him a chance to pull back. She just wrapped her arms around him and clung to his front leg, nestling her head under him. "Jax, I need you."

All his anger and negative emotions left him the instant she said the words, and he felt she was scared. Something in him just wanted to hold her and comfort her. She shook and clung to him like he was her only lifeline. "I'm here, sweetheart. Tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know where to start," she sniffled.

"The beginning would be a nice choice."

Slowly Santine let go of him, stepping back. She stood there looking at him. The way she felt calm when she was close to him was extraordinary. A new feeling for her, because she was used to dealing with everything on her own.

She looked so damn fragile. Jax felt torn. He could see the puffiness of her lips. She had been kissing somebody, but her eyes were red too, which meant she had been crying. It was too conflicting for him to figure out. He could smell two males on her, even if she smelled newly showered too. Phoenix was attack ready and Acker was crying. No matter what she was scared of, there was more going on than he could process without more information.

"Jax?" Her big green eyes were on him and she kept biting her lips nervously. She felt his anger, but did not understand it. All she needed was him. Her mate bond was already too strong to deny. Just seeing him made her heart race and her fears disappear. He would be able to comfort her. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" Santine asked softly. "I need your help."