39. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Jax
Adjusting to life on the island hadn’t been as difficult as adapting to live among supernatural people. Jax had been thrown into the thick of it since the moment he’d arrived. Taken under Nero’s wing, he had been tutored by both the Raeth sovereign and Aidan whenever he could ‘catch a ride’ to Oahu.
The werewolf alpha had taken special interest in him. Weekly visits with him and nighttime sprints with a Raeth panther helped regulate Jax’s wolf dominance. With Key still sleeping, it was one way to work off his anxiety.
Being two of the most recently turned immortals also inspired a friendship with Eden. As one of the only hybrids in existence, she had a fascinating story.
Of everyone on the island, however, Jax had formed the closest bond with Jeremiah. The Elemental’s easy humor and relatability had given him a foothold when he’d felt like he was free-falling.
Jax had taken a spare bedroom in Key’s home. It was the only place he could get any real rest in, filled with her presence and her scent. Most of the time he was curled up beside her bed in wolf form.
Since Luna, the healer assigned to her care, had been on the verge of exhaustion, he had partially taken over monitoring Key’s medical stats every day. Nero didn’t attempt to stop it. The sovereign knew how deep the mating pull could be.
Jax had visited his mate once already that morning, but the draw he felt toward her hadn’t lessened. The Sylth clan healer, Jaeda, would be teleporting to Oahu today to read the bond between him and Key. He had no doubt about what she would find.
The grass was slick beneath his paws. An early morning rain shower had drenched the island, but he wasn’t going to let a bit of dampness stop his scout. He had also offered to take a reconnaissance run for Nero every morning. It did his wolf good to know that the people he cared about on the island were well accounted for. And if he was honest with himself, busy work kept him from losing himself in grief.
The moment he trotted back into sight of Key’s home, Jax realized he had company. Jeremiah was hanging in the hammock in her backyard, swinging slightly in time with the wind.
Instantly, Jax’s wolf went into stalking mode. It’d become a game for them, and he was far too competitive for his own good. If the wind Elemental’s snores were any indication, this would be an easy point.
Jax crept toward him on silent paws. Aidan had begun teaching him the mechanics of the hunt, but more than anything, the older werewolf had told him to follow his instincts.
This time, his instincts allowed him to nip Jeremiah on the rump before the Elemental even realized there was a game afoot. A yelp was echoed by a victorious wolf howl.
“Sleeping, Jax,” Jeremiah snorted. “I was sleeping . That’s totally off limits.”
Leaping into the shift, Jax grinned. “Yeah, like I was totally off limits yesterday when I was taking Key’s stats? Invisibility is cheating, Elemental.”
Chuckling, Jeremiah’s fist sailed into Jax’s shoulder. “I was voluntold to come get you. Apparently, Jaeda is here early. When you weren’t here, I assumed you were off prancing around the island with a tail and four paws.”
Laser-focused on the fact that Jaeda was already here, Jax ignored his friend’s light tone as he took off toward Nero’s house at a sprint.
Behind him, Jeremiah shouted, “Yeah, you go ahead!”
Deep within him, his wolf snarled. His beast couldn’t be made to understand why the truth they both held at the core of their being had to be made official by someone else. Nothing and no one could remove him from where Key was—and he dared any of them to try.
Laughter sounded from the bedroom where Key slept. The wolf riled at the thought of her vulnerable with a stranger nearby, and he burst into the room, unapologetic about his chaotic entrance.
Nero nodded a greeting and motioned the blonde woman beside him. “This is Jaeda, the senior healer for the Sylth clan. She’s an Arbiter, able to see bonds between people. If you’ll allow her, she’ll check to see if a bond exists between you and Key.”
“And it won’t hurt Key?”
“Not at all,” Jaeda replied. “It’s painless. Neither of you will feel anything.”
Nodding, he looked at Nero. “What happens if I don’t have a bond with her, Nero?”
“Then my clan has gained a competent young werewolf,” the other man replied. “You staying close to Key and all of us isn’t dependent on a bond, Jax. It’s plain for everyone to see that you love her. I would never separate you.”
As soon as Jaeda shifted her gaze from Key to him, she interrupted. “As touching as this moment is, you’ll all be relieved to know the worries are unfounded. There’s a mating bond there, Nero, clear as day. Key must’ve realized it before she went under. Her end is open, but the bond hasn’t formalized.”
Nero’s smile was tragic. “That’s why you felt the pull toward each other. You and Key are fated to be mates.”
***
It was dark before Aidan arrived. Jax had reached out to him a few hours after Jaeda’s confirmation, asking for his advice. He was still sitting in the room beside Key’s still form when the alpha of all wolves walked in.
“Jax. How are you handling it?”
“About as well as I can,” he replied. “I think the fact that she knew at the end is the worst part for me. I feel like I failed her somehow. I should have been there.”
Aidan nodded solemnly as he looked at Key. “She was a warrior. Still is. Her, my sister, and Isaiah: all of them committed the ultimate sacrifice to save us. That takes courage that few people have.”
The other werewolf sighed, then continued, “I know it doesn’t help, but there was nothing you could’ve done that night. She assembled some of the most powerful people in the world, and all of us just watched. My sister—”
Aidan’s voice broke.
Jax clasped Aidan’s shoulder, supporting the other man as he worked through the hurt. Touch was important for werewolves, and he knew the alpha needed it now.
“My sister and Isaiah did something no one knew was possible, but it only happened because of Key,” Aidan finally said. “Your mate is a phenomenal woman, Jax. And when she wakes up—because I still have hope they all will—you’ll get to live with her in a world without the Citizens threatening our future.”
“I very much look forward to it.”
The alpha gave him an approving look. “Oh, the wolves from your facility—some of them have asked about you. There’s a teenager, Dillon, who’d like to speak with you whenever we can get you over to Seth’s pack lands.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s doing very well,” Aidan replied. “Dillon might be the youngest werewolf ever turned, and I’m keeping an eye on his development. He mentioned that you kept him going when he would’ve gone mad. He wanted to thank you.”
“For the venison?”
Chuckling, Aidan clapped him on the back. “I got the feeling it was mostly for talking to him like a human being and showing him mercy. He was a runaway when Rayn grabbed him and hadn’t seen kindness in a long time.”
Jax felt his wolf stir within him. “And Seth’s taking good care of him?”
“The entire pack has adopted him. Brilliant kid, and they’re happy to have him.” Aidan became pensive. “All of the dens across the States have taken in new wolves, though Riaz’ pack has taken in the most. Lots of loners across the Rocky Mountains.”
Over the last several weeks, Aidan had shared his new reforms for the werewolf nation. Over the previous few weeks, the alpha had brought the lone wolves back under the mantle of his responsibility. It was an effort to put an end to the losses their species had incurred because of lack of oversight.
The lone wolves had each been brought under the umbrella of a nearby den or invited to Paracel where Aidan lived. They still had the freedom to roam, if they chose to, but there would be checks and balances in place and a support system to address any issues or lack of contact for a predetermined period of time.
“I’d love to meet your alphas at some point,” Jax said. “I feel like there’s so much to werewolf society and I don’t know the half of it.”
“You’re not alone. Every recently turned wolf feels that way. It doesn’t help that you’ve just had such major shifts in your life. Moving to Oahu, leaving the Army, and finding out you’re mated to a Raeth foreseer—it’s quite the change. Give yourself time.”
Jax eyed him. “I’m still wondering how Remmus managed to get me honorably discharged with no warning whatsoever.”
“The technopath has his secrets,” Aidan grunted. “Either way, I’m glad he was able to. Staying in might’ve been difficult now that you’ve wolf.”
“At the time, all I wanted to do was help the cause and Key. I didn’t realize what a massive decision it was.”
Aidan nodded knowingly. “We all are fools in love.”