24. Chapter 24
Jackson
“Any chance you want to take my patrol tonight?” Luca asks as he joins me for Emily’s training.
He agreed to help with her session today.
She has become too comfortable with me and it’s not pushing her anymore.
Since beginning therapy five days ago, the frequency of her panic attacks has significantly decreased.
The change in her demeanor is incredible.
Every day it’s like I’m getting to see more and more of her real self.
The sharp, funny, sassy parts that she hasn’t been able to show for so long have begun to bloom.
She’s still cautious, still has moments where she worries she said the wrong thing, but now she believes my reassurances rather than spiraling.
She studiously works on the skills she has learned in therapy and makes sure that she keeps practicing until they become natural.
And I see the changes in all the little things.
Like, how yesterday when she knocked over a vase and broke it.
She didn’t dissolve into fear. She apologized, picked up the pieces, and we moved on with our day.
Such a small thing, but it’s huge for Emily. She even has me trying some techniques out. And it’s been surprisingly helpful for me too. Maybe the humans are on to something with this therapy thing.
“Well, fancy an extra patrol this week?” Luca asks, and I realize I’ve gotten lost thinking about Emily again.
“Definitely not. I’ve got plans with my girl and they don’t involve leaving the bedroom.” Luca huffs and throws me a glare.
“You know, just because you have a girl on the scene again, it doesn’t make it okay to shirk pack duties.”
“She’s not just any girl,” I say with a growl, narrowing my eyes at him.
I’ve lived solely for the pack since losing my mom and Katie. Taken patrol almost every night and trained the warriors, omegas, and unranked wolves five days per week. I’ve never resented that—until now. Now I want something just for me .
I want her.
And she’s making me see that I don’t need to continue to punish myself forever. She’s made me start to forgive myself.
“Yeah, maybe. Just make sure you aren’t only thinking with your dick.”
I’m ready to swing for him when Emily’s sweet scent infiltrates the musky training room, pulling me from my building animosity. She closes the door softly behind her before slipping off her shoes and making her way across the soft training mats to me and Luca.
She’s wearing a cropped top and leggings today, showing a hint of her flat stomach, but even that small sliver of skin has my mouth watering.
“Hi Jackson, Beta Luca,” Emily nods her head politely to Luca, still unsure of him, which is perfect for today.
“Hey babe,” I say as I pull her into a hug, dropping a quick kiss on her forehead as all tension melts from my body. “I was thinking, you’ve been doing so great with me, and your therapy sessions have been going so well with Maya. It might be time to push yourself a bit more.”
Emily swallows, and her body tenses in my arms. I hate springing things on her but I've learned that giving her notice only serves to create more worries. She looks up at me, her bright green eyes full of fear, but she nods her head. She’s so brave, always willing to try new things, even when they terrify her.
“I’ll be right here.” I promise. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Okay, I trust you.”
And fuck, if those aren’t my favorite words I’ve ever heard.
Over the next hour, Luca pushes Emily further and further.
And she’s flawless. She twists and pivots out of his holds, uses his body weight against him, and ducks his punches and kicks.
She’s so quick. And after every successful evasion, she glances at me, and I can see her confidence building.
I’m so proud of how far she has come in such a short time.
Emily may not be as physically strong as most other shifters, but she is resilient as hell and she’s fast as lightning, too.
She doesn't need to beat a potential attacker, she needs to keep them from hurting her until she can get help.
I'll never be too far from her that I wouldn't drop everything to rush to her side.
“That’s great, babe. Don’t forget, use whatever you need to. Don’t worry about fighting fair.” I call out as Luca pins her to the ground. He’s testing me as much as her right now. And judging by his smug smirk, he fucking knows it. Bastard .
Emily attempts to extricate herself, but he has her defeated this time.
She's good at deflecting and pivoting but once a wolf has her pinned there's not much she can do. Still, my chest puffs out in pride that she doesn’t look dejected at all. There’s a gleam in her eye, so unlike that first day when she couldn’t get out of my hold.
She looks around before muttering, “Why is Sofia practically naked?” Luca’s concentration is broken immediately as he scrambles off Emily, his eyes darting in every direction. It takes him two full seconds to realize she tricked him.
A hearty laugh bursts from me as he glares at us, his eyes burning into mine with silent rage before he lets it go.
“I think she’s doing just fine, so I’ll be off.
” Luca tries to sound unaffected, but it’s clear he’s pissed at how easily she found his weak spot.
I guess it’s probably something she had to figure out to keep herself safe, but Emily is amazing at reading people.
She stifles her laughter until he departs, and it is only in his absence that she lets out a fit of giggles.
She skips over to me before throwing her arms around my neck. “What has you feeling so cheeky?” I ask, lifting her up by her thighs.
“Just practicing that ‘use every advantage’ lesson of yours.” She smirks briefly before her mouth is on mine.
“As long as you don’t turn that brilliant mind on me.” She giggles again. But when I pin her against a wall, her giggles swiftly turn into a groan as she grinds against me.
“Not here,” I say against her lips. “I have two more hours of training before I’m free for the night. But then I’m all yours.”
Emily’s fingers find their way into my hair, and she kisses me again, deep and slow. Like she’s saying goodbye forever, not for only a couple of hours.
“I’ll be waiting in your bed. Naked. And wet.” She nips at my bottom lip and if Luca hadn’t made that snipe at me, I’d be blowing off training right now.
“Fuck, babe. You want me to have a hard on when I’m trying to train?” Emily laughs and the carefree sound hits me hard. “You know I’m going to need to punish you for teasing me like this, right?”
“P…punish me?” She squeaks, and the flash of fear that crosses her face hits me like a gut punch. A painful reminder that she still has a long way to go. And that I need to be more careful with my words.
“Yeah,” I murmur softly, brushing her hair back. “You’re going to have to wait through two hours of edging before I let you come.”
“What? No, that’s not fair! ”
“And I told you not to worry about fighting fair. But don’t worry, when your two hours are up, you’ll have earned more orgasms than you think you can handle.”
The heady scent of her arousal intensifies, but all too quickly, I hear the approach of my next group of trainees.
I drop Emily to her feet and make sure she’s steady before stepping back.
I say goodbye with a quick kiss on her head and a light slap on her ass before she heads home to wait for me.
Letting out a sigh as I adjust myself, watching her leave.
Her hips sway and she shoots me furtive glances over her shoulder on her way out. Such a little tease. Damn, she's perfect.