-Foxâs POV-
She actually picked me up and moved me. I guess it made sense because she was not human. Holy fuck. The woman Jax claimed was my soulmate, or whatever, wasnât human. Holy fuck. Jax wasnât human.
I still hadnât decided if I should be afraid of them yet. I mean they saved my life today, except it wouldnât have needed to be saved if they were human. I felt so drawn to Amaya I almost forgot she wasnât human. Almost. I didnât know what to do and I couldnât ask anyone about it because no one would believe me.
Jo said they have some pack members who were humans that mated-what a strange term-to wolves in the pack. She said she could set up a meeting if I wanted, but I hadnât decided.
âFox. Outside. Now,â Jax ordered with a growl. I followed him outside, âI really should kick your ass for the way you just treated my best friend. She saves our asses this afternoon, at the risk of her own life, and thatâs how you treat her. Even after I told you about being her mate. You self righteous bastard.â
âSheâs lied about everything. Every single thing I know about her is a lie. Whatâs her last name Jax? What does she do for a living? Who is Daniel to her? How did she get those scars? Who is she, Jax? Everything.â He hit me with a left hook before I had time to brace for it, causing me to fall to the ground. I recovered quickly though, and was back on my feet throwing my own punch. We traded blows until Jax got the best of me and I ended up on the ground with him on top of me. It was all I could do to block his punches and get in hits of my own. Then suddenly he was gone. I got up to see Amaya standing between Jax and me, growling at Jax.
He put his hands up, âNiamh, calm down. I wasnât going to hurt him too bad. I had a reason.â She growled louder, âNiamh give Amaya control back. Iâm not a danger to your mate.â
âArenât you though?â Amayaâs voice came out gruff with a growl.
âShit. Fox help me out, please,â Jax looked at me over Amayaâs shoulder, causing her to growl at him.
âWhat do I do?â
âMates calm each other down, so try hugging her?â
I rolled my eyes at how unsure he sounded, and took a hesitant step forward. Jax gave me an encouraging nod and thumbs up which caused her to growl again. I took in a breath and swallowed my fear. I wrapped my arms around her middle, causing her tense body to relax just a little bit. âAmaya?â She relaxed a little further and her body began to vibrate like a cat purring. âAmaya?â
She sprung forward shoving Jax with my hands still on her waist, âWhat the fuck were you two doing? Jax you know not to do that. Iâm having a hard enough time justifying anything I do to Niamh, but getting into a fight with him? Seriously.â
âIt was my fault,â I said, âIâm sorry. I pissed Jax off and he punched me which started the fight.â
My arms dropped from her waist as she spun to face me, âHe still knows better.â
Jax sighed, âSheâs right. Iâm sorry Little Duck. Go back to sleep. I promise I wonât beat his ass anymore.â
âBetter not, or Niamh isnât going to be the only one you have to worry about,â she said before walking back into the house.
âSorry I almost got you killed Jax,â I said with a half smile.
âNah. She wasnât going to kill me,â He walked up to me and admired the beating he laid on my face, âProbably. Do you get it now?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âIâm her best friend, and she was ready to maybe kill me because I was hurting you. Anyone who comes after you or attempts to hurt you, sheâs going to protect you with everything she has in her. Sheâs your mate, and sure she lied about and omitted details when she needed to, to hide what she is when you didnât know. She did what she had to before you found out and you shouldnât hold that against her.â
âWas she ever going to tell me?â I asked quietly, embarrassed that my voice sounded so sad.
He sighed, âI honestly donât know. I donât think she knows. She had a lot on her plate when she found out you were her mate, and she still has a lot on her plate. Especially with the reemergence of Joseph, whoever he is.â
âHeâs her uncle,â we both turned to see Charlie standing in the doorway.
âAre you fucking serious Dad? The guy that tried to kill her today and who is trying to kill the storm dragons is her uncle?â
He motioned us inside, so we settled inside in the living room. When Charlie rejoined us he tossed a bag of frozen peas at me, âPut that on your face. Iâve heard it helps humans heal or at least not look like theyâve been beaten so badly,â I did as I was told, and he offered an apologetic smile before beginning his tale. âJoseph Wardwell, brother to Daniel, was second in line for the throne, with the reign of their parents not having an end in sight and Amayaâs birth bumping Joseph down to third, he took matters into his own hands and killed his parents, Amayaâs mother, and his own mate, who attempted to stop him, which is how Daniel survived. There are rumors that Ingrid, Danielâs mate, was pregnant when the attack happened as well. Joseph was working with various groups outside the clan, and some inside, to murder almost everyone in the clan. Only a handful of storm dragons are left, and thatâs mostly due to Daniel managing to get those he could out of the territory, including Amaya and his nephew.â He looked at me, âLosing clan mates, much less a mate, is the toughest thing we can go through. You canât understand it until you actually become part of a pack or clan, but what Daniel, Amaya, and whoever is left from their clan went through that night is the stuff of nightmares.â
We sat there stunned for a little while until I cleared my throat, âThis feels like a stupid question because of what happened today, but did they get any kind of justice for what happened?â
Charlie shook his head, âJoseph disappeared after that night, although Iâm fairly certain theyâve been tracking him they havenât been able to find him. Today was the first time he has actually shown himself, and he didnât really show himself, just his abilities.â
âIf he was out there listening well enough to hear that rogue and stop him from telling us whatever he was going to say about Joseph. Then Joseph definitely heard the rogue call Fox Amayaâs mate.â Charlie looked at Jax and nodded.
âIt is strange that he didnât go for Fox though. He went for you. He probably is formulating a longer term thing for Fox, but wanted to see if Amaya saved you over herself. He will have more in store for you both in the future based on how she reacted today.â
âThis is all so insane. You guys realize that right?â They were both silent as they looked from me to each other then back to me.
âFox we understand it is a bit strange and hard to understand, however I know Jo offered to set you up with some of the humans that mated into the pack. I really think you should meet with them. It wasnât easy for them either, but they stuck it out, learned, and came to love pack life.â
âThat makes it sound like a cult,â I said with renewed skepticism.
They both sighed dramatically, âItâs not like that. Look, just promise to keep an open mind and meet with them. It wonât hurt and you could gain some important insight into being the mate of a supernatural and being a human in the supernatural world. Iâll even call Aaron to see if he has any human mates in his clan.â Jax finished with a sardonic look that told me I should give it a try or risk another ass whooping.
âOkay Iâll meet with the other people, humans, whatever. I wouldnât mind meeting someone who is with a dragon. Youâre right it couldnât hurt anything,â I said hesitantly. âIâll see you guys in the morning. Goodnight,â they bid me goodnight as I headed upstairs.