Chapter 9

[The Mute Alpha -Chapter 9]

Song: Believer by Imagine Dragons

Thank you WANDERLUST2CloudCity for giving me your input on who you thought would be a good Autumn. I looked at some pics of Danielle Campbell and thought that she was a perfect Autumn. She looked very similar to how I imagined her. So I put this here to help give an idea on how I imagine Autumn.

She also said that she imagined Jaxton as Sean O'Pry (I might use him 😉). If you guys have any body that you picture as him or any of the other characters, please let me know. If you guys like the idea of the cast or not please let me know. I know some people like to have a cast to help them imagine the characters better and then there are those who prefer to let their imagination run wild.

And I apologize for taking FOREVER to update. To make it up to you guys, I made this chapter longer than normal!!! I would've updated sooner but I was visiting my Aunt. And I'll also be visiting my other aunt for two weeks in a few days, but I'll try to update while I'm there!

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter 😊

•••

My eyes slowly opened up into a squint. The room was completely dark, the light from the TV no longer on. I looked over at the window. There was a faint light outside as the sun was making an appearance.

A warm body was next to me, an arm draped over me. I turned my head to see a head laying on my thigh. Brown hair pooled over my legs.

Memories of last night came flooding through my mind. Oh right, I fell asleep on Autumn's lap. It looked like she fell over on my legs during her sleep, but her arm was still around me.

Even though I was perfectly comfortable, I lifted her arm up and slipped off the couch. She stirred in her sleep, mumbling a few words. I fixed the blanket so that she was completely covered.

I found myself staring at her as I observed her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful. Her lips were slightly parted and her long lashes lightly brushed against the skin under her eyes.

Suddenly I felt like a creep, staring at her while she sleeps. I turned around and walked out of the dark room and down the hallway. When I reached the door, I quietly opened it and stepped out into the cold air.

I shivered, forgetting that I wasn't back at home where it was always warm, even when the sun was out.

The cold wind wrapped itself around me like a blanket, not wanting to let me go. I shivered again. My thin t-shirt and pants weren't enough to protect me from the cold.

I tried to ignore the cold as I closed the door behind me. My footsteps were muted against the gravel beneath me. I looked around for a place I could go, but they lived in a neighborhood. On their street, most of the houses had similar structures.

No one was out on the streets. Everyone was inside sleeping. My eyes spotted a large tree in their front yard. It looked like it would be easy to climb.

I walked up to it and began climbing it, using my strength to pull myself up. The branches made it easier for me. Once I was high enough, I stopped and sat on the thick branch, leaning against the trunk. Moving around definitely made me feel less cold.

I stared at the house Autumn lives in. It was your normal two-story family house. It was made from white siding and the windows were sandwiched between dark red shudders. Their landscaping was simple, just a few bushes, trees, and flowers.

I sat in the tree for about 30 minutes, watching the stars fade away as the sun came up.

I was lost in my mind, thinking about many different things. Mainly my mate and that the Moon goddess blessed me. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a twig snap from below me. My eyes shot down and I smiled when they met a pair of brown ones.

"What are you doing up there?" Autumn's sweet voice asked as she stared at me.

I shrugged in response before starting to make my way down the tree. My feet hit the ground when I jumped from the last branch and I turned to face Autumn.

Her long hair was falling out of her bun from yesterday because of when she fell asleep. She was squinting her eyes like she had just woken up and the light was blinding her.

I laughed when I noticed the little bit of saliva at the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes narrowed at me. "Why are you laughing?" She asked. With a smirk, I pointed at her mouth.

She moved her hand up to her face and dragged her finger across her lips. Her eyes grew when she felt the corner of her mouth. "Oh God," she muttered, "That's embarrassing."

I shook my head while laughing at her flushed face.

She's too cute.

She shoved me while muttering a string of curses. "Don't make me change my mind," she warned.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I grabbed a stick that laid on the ground under the tree and began writing in the gravel path. "Change your mind about what?" I wrote.

She was quiet for a couple of seconds before she replied, "Going with you..." Her voice was low and soft, barely above a whisper.

My body froze in shock. My head snapped up to her. I quickly wrote down my response, "You're coming back with me?" She nodded her head. "Are you sure? Won't you miss your friends and family?"

She looked down at the ground and kicked a pebble with her foot. "I've thought about it. And yeah, I'll miss my family and my friends, especially my bestie, Ciara, but I can't be away from you. It was hard enough being away from you after the party. Both my wolf and I were yearning for your presence. I actually never expected you to come back. So when I saw you yesterday, I was afraid it was all a dream..."

I sent Autumn a serious look before writing, "Only come if you want to, not because you feel like you have to."

"I want to go," she said, "I want to be with my mate."

We fell into a comfortable silence. I played with the stick in my hand, rolling it between my fingers.

"I was planning on leaving tonight. Is that ok with you? I really need to get back to my pack. There's been a lot of rogue activity near my pack and I need to make sure my pack members are safe," I found myself write.

Autumn's eyes scan over the words written in the gravel, squinting at the hard-to-read words. I tried my best making it as readable as possible.

"Yeah, I guess that's fine. I want to spend the day with Ciara. But first I should probably pack..."

I'm still honestly surprised she's going through with this. I'm almost tempted to make her stay. But if she wants to come...

I still couldn't help but feel guilty.

Autumn and I went back inside, feeling like it was a little too cold. And Autumn said that she wanted to go ahead and start packing so that she could spend more time with her friend.

When we were about to head upstairs, her mom caught us before we could go up. "You kids are up early," she stated with a yawn. She was holding a mug of coffee in her hands. Her hair was up messily and she was dressed in sweatpants, a tank top, and a white robe.

Autumn glanced at me before looking at her mom. "I've decided to go with Jax," she said confidently, squaring her shoulders and standing up straighter.

Melissa's lips were pulled into a thin line as her face fell. She slowly nodded. "I see..." she said softly, her voice cracking at the end, "Smart decision." Her eyes became glassy, but she quickly covered up her sad expression.

"I shall go share the news with your father while you go pack." That was the last thing she said before disappearing down the hallway.

Autumn continued up the stairs and I followed closely behind her.

My eyes wandered downwards and I couldn't help but stare at her ass. It was right in front of my face. The urge to reach out and touch them was strong.

I've never stared at a girl's ass before, unlike Theo who always has his eyes glued to them. But now, for some reason, my eyes wouldn't leave it. It looked perfect, not too big and not too small.

My thoughts were interrupted when I went to step on the next step which, to my luck, didn't exist. I lost my balance and fell forward. Luckily my arms shot out to catch my body before I could face plant into the floor.

In the process of me falling, when my arms shot out, I felt my hand hit something. Autumn released a yelp and jumped forward.

I quickly stood up and looked around. Autumn was facing me with a shocked face and her hand was cupping her ass as she stared at me. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck, not knowing what to do.

Then she began to giggle which turned into a full blown laugh. "Oh my God!" She laughed, "You tripped up the stairs. And the face you made. It. Was. Priceless." She wiped away a tear that tried to fall.

She turned around and began walking to her room. I stood there for a few seconds, cheeks flaming up. I shook my head and quickly followed.

We entered her room and she walked over to her closet. She stood on her toes and reached for a large purple suitcase that was laying on a shelf. She pulled it down and brought it over to her bet and opened it.

"I'm not sure exactly how much or what to pack..." she mumbled, looking around the room, "but let's start with clothes." She walked over to her closet and started taking clothing articles off their hangers and folded them, placing them in the suitcase.

I walked over to her desk and picked up a purple sticky notepad and pen. I quickly scribbled down some words on it before handing it to her.

She read, "Don't stress about clothes that much. We can go shopping at the human mall or we can visit the clothing stores in my pack."

She laughed, "That's a relief. I was pretty sure not everything would fit anyways."

She walked over to her dresser and opened some drawers, pulling some things out. Then she brought them over to the suitcase, dropping something in the process.

I went over to pick it up and my eyes widened when I held it up. It was a black, lacy thong.

Then my lips curled into a smirk when I looked up at Autumn. I cleared my throat, making her turn her attention towards me. I spun the thong around my index finger. Her eyes widened for a brief second before she smirked too and walked over to me.

She plucked them off my finger. "Maybe some time you'll be able to see me in them," she joked in a playful whisper before slapping my ass and walking back to where she was, stuffing the underwear in her suitcase with the others.

I licked my dry lips. Something began to tighten and I quickly looked down to see a large bulge in my pants. I internally groaned when I felt myself harden. Not wanting Autumn to see my boner, I began to panic. I tried mentally calming myself, but the image of Autumn in that lacy thong wouldn't get out of my mind and the feeling of Autumn slapping me got me even more excited for some odd reason.

"Is your pack big?" Autumn asked, her back facing me. "I bet it's really warm. It'll be like summer!" She turned around with an excited grin, "I've never left this pack before and I've always want to-"

Her eyes wandered to my lower region and she immediately stopped what she was saying. A small laugh escaped her throat.

"Did I do that to you?" She asked. I slowly nodded my head, my cheeks heating up. "Boy, you need a cold shower." Her eyes glittered with amusement as she smirked at me.

She laughed again as she walked out of her room and into the bathroom a couple doors down. She came back in a minute later carrying her personal hygiene stuff in a large purple pouch.

I helped Autumn pack for a little bit. When everything was all packed, she zipped up her suitcase and pulled it up from the bed. "Thanks for helping me," she smiled.

"I'll pack my personal items later," she told me as she started leaving the room to go to the stairs. "Are you hungry? I'm starving."

She walked right into the kitchen, going straight to the refrigerator. Her eyes scanned over the food items as she placed all her weight on one leg with her hand on her hip. "What are you hungry for?" she asked, glancing at me over her shoulder. "Do you want eggs, pancakes, waffles, a bagel, or cereal? We also have yogurt and fruit if that's what you like."

I held up my hand, showing all five of my fingers. "Cereal?" I nodded my head. She closed the door to the fridge and went over to the pantry, swinging the door open. She pulled out a few boxes of cereal and kicked the door shut behind her. She set the boxes down on the white marble counter.

My eyes read over the labels on each box as she goes to grab a couple bowls and spoons. "Can you grab the milk from the fridge, please?" I did what she asked and opened the fridge door, grabbing the carton of milk from the back of the first shelf.

Autumn picked up the Frosted Flakes and started pouring them into her white bowl. Then she poured milk into it, making sure all of the flakes were touching it. I reached for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch and copied her by filling my bowl up with it and milk.

Not too long after, Autumn's father came walking into the kitchen. A frown was displayed on his face. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jeans and the white buttoned-up shirt he wore was wrinkled. When he stepped into the room, his eyes immediately darted to were we were sitting at the small round, white-wooden table.

"You take good care of my daughter, Alpha," he gritted out, his voice holding a promise, "Or I will feed you to the rogues. Got it?" Jared stared at me for a few more seconds before turning on his heel and leaving us.

I noticed the dry erase board hanging on the fridge. I grabbed the marker above it and wrote on the board, "Do you want to go see your friend?"

"Yeah!" she replied as she stood up and placed her empty bowl in the sink. Then she walked over to where I was standing to see the other thing I wrote.

"When you get back we can leave since it's a long ride home."

"Oh, you're coming with me," she grinned as she started walking away, "Bring your notepad with you. Ciara is pretty talkative and since your my mate and an Alpha, she'll be bombarding you with so many questions."

•••

The bell above the door jingled as Autumn and I entered a small cafe. Small round tables were scattered around the room and booths were lined up by the large windows. The flooring was wood and the walls were painted a light green. A cashier stood behind a white-painted counter.

A menu hung on the wall behind him. Next to the cash register was a display case filled with a variety of pastries. The cashier a tan baseball cap on his head with a coffee cup logo on the right side of his black polo shirt.

He smiled when he saw us. "Hey Autumn," he waved at her. She smiled back. He took off the hat and brushed away his blonde hair from his forehead before placing it back on.

"Hey Chase!" She walked up to the counter and I followed, standing next to her.

Chase looked over at me. "Who's this?" he asked, "I didn't know you were friends with an Alpha." His eyes scanned over me, "That's pretty cool. I've always wanted to meet an Alpha who wasn't our own."

Autumn looked over at me. She moved her arm around my waist and pulled me closer to her so that her body was touching mine. She leaned her head against my shoulder. I blinked a couple times, not expecting her to be so open about us being mates so soon. You know, hugging, standing close, and holding hands. I was honestly expecting it to take more time.

It's typical for mates to accept each other and mate right when they meet, but I want Autumn to get closer to me before we do anything really intimate. I want her to fully accept the fact that I'm mute and be completely okay with it. I know she says she is, but I'm not entirely sure since I don't know her very well.

"This is Jax, the Alpha of the Solar Eclipse Pack," Autumn said with a smile, "My mate."

Chase's eyes widened in surprise. "He's you mate? You finally found your mate?" Autumn nodded, "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" He flashed her a smile, showing off his perfectly straight teeth. But then his smile faltered, "Does this mean you're leaving?" Autumn nodded her head again.

"Oh...Well I think you'll be a great Luna."

Autumn and Chase talked for a few minutes before he finally asked us what we wanted. "You already know what I want," Autumn replied. Chase turned to look at me, waiting for me to tell him what I wanted to order. Realization immediately flashed across his face and he quickly bent down behind the counter to get something.

He stood up with a sheet of paper and a pen. "Here," he handed them to me, "Sorry for behind rude. I just remembered I heard from someone that you can't speak."

I wrote down my order on the paper and handed it back to him. Autumn handed her credit card to Chase and I suddenly felt guilty that she was paying.

"Your food will be done in about ten minutes."

Autumn pointed over at a booth by the window and made her way over to it. She sat down, scooting over to the window. Then she looked up at me with her brown eyes and patted the spot next to her with a small smile. I sat down, allowing myself to sink into the black cushion.

"Ciara should be here in a couple minutes," Autumn told me as she organized the sugar packets that sat in a little metal basket.

I found my eyes observing her. She had a concentrated look on her face as she separated the packets by color. As she started putting the last few packets in the basket, her lips curled up into a smirk. "You know...if you were going to stare, at least be discreet about it."

I playfully roll my eyes at her with a smirk. I can't help it. She's extremely beautiful and cute.

Who could not stare at her?

Today she had her long hair down, which flowed to her mid-back in chocolate waves. She had applied a light layer of makeup. It kind of disappointed me because she looks stunning without it. I don't understand why girl's hide their faces with makeup. They look beautiful just the way they are.

Her body was covered by a black hoodie that had a wolf's head on the back and leggings hugged her legs. It amazed me how she managed to look beautiful without even trying.

I was just wearing a navy blue shirt that had sleeves that went to my elbows and a pair of dark jeans. It was definitely a lot cooler than my pack, but it's nice to be out of the heat every once in a while. And besides, the cool air didn't bother me anyways.

The bell above the door rang again as the door swung open. "Hello People!" a cheerful voice exclaimed in a singsong tone. A dark-skinned girl with a bright smile entered the building, acting like she owned the place. Her ebony hair was braided to the side and she wore a black dress that had white polka dots. The fabric went down to just above her knees and her feet were protected by black leather boots. To top it off, she had an off-white sweater thingy covering her arms to keep her warm.

She walked over to where Chase was and offered him a large, toothy smile. "Hey Chase!" she greeted him, "I'll have the usual."

"Okay," Chase replied, "Autumn and her mate are here if you're looking for them. They're over there." Chase pointed over to where we're sitting before going back into the kitchen. The girl turned around and her eyes scanned the room until they landed on us.

She quickly walked over to us. "Hey," she beamed at us. She sat down across from Autumn and I. Unlike Autumn, this girl had more makeup on. There was a dark line above her eye with dark powder above it and some other stuff I don't know the name of.

"Hi," Autumn replied and then she motioned towards me, "This is Jax."

Ciara stuck her hand out for me to shake. When I shook her hand, her grip tightened and all of the excitement on her face vanished as she narrowed her eyes.

"Look pal," she spat, "Autumn is my bestie. You better be good to her or I'll personally chop off your balls, fry them in coconut oil, serve them on a plate with rice, and force feed them down your throat, making sure you choke on it. Then I will slice your dick off slowly, making sure you suffer the pain, and then shove it up your ass."

By the time Ciara finished her sentence, my eyes were wide and my lips slightly parted. I couldn't look away from Ciara's hard stare, afraid she'll do something to me if I did.

"Ciara!" Autumn cried out, trying to hide her laughter, "Be nice!"

She let go of my hand and looked at her friend. "Sorry for looking out for my bestie," she mumbled.

"So you're Alpha Jaxton...?" Ciara asked in thought and I nodded, "And you're mute, right?" I nodded my head again, looking down at the wooden table. My fingers played with the bottom hem of my shirt.

"That must be really tough..." Ciara mumbled, sympathy laced in her voice, "You should feel really lucky that Autumn is your mate. She doesn't know how to be quiet. She'll definitely keep those convos going."

I released a small chuckle and looked at Autumn through the corner of my eye. "Damn, you are hot. Autumn wasn't shitting me when she told me how freaking hot you are." Ciara released a low whistle as her eyes gave me a once over. "Look at those arm muscles...Just imagine how big his di-"

"Ciara!" Autumn cut her off.

Autumn's cheeks darkened when she noticed my eyes on her. I moved my hand over so that it was resting on her thigh. Her body tensed up and her head snapped down to where my hand laid. She blinked a couple times while biting her lower lip.

Then her body slowly relaxed under my touch. I gave her thigh a gentle squeeze as I moved the pad of my thumb against the thin fabric of her leggings. I could feel her scooting a little closer to me, only there being a few inches between our shoulders.

"If I find my mate, which I don't care if I don't, I hope he's sexy," Ciara said in a daze, probably imagining what her mate will be like.

A few minutes passed and soon Chase was bringing our food over to us. He placed our food in front of us, exchanged a few words with Autumn and Ciara, and went back to the cash register because another customer showed up.

Ciara began digging into her food, taking a bite of her avocado wrap. She said things to Autumn in the process, not bothering to swallow her food beforehand. "Does this mean you're going back to his pack down south?"

My mate was in the middle of taking a bite of her chicken and cheese sandwich. A piece of lettuce fell out and onto her plate. She put her food down and looked at Ciara. "Yeah... I can't be without Jax."

Ciara's face saddened and then her sad eyes met mine. "Are you making her go with you?" she asked angrily. Her grip on the wrap tightened, squeezing some of the inside stuff out the end.

I quickly shook my head. I wrote down on a piece of paper in my notebook, "No. I gave her the option to either go with me or stay. She said she wanted to come. I even feel guilty about this..."

Ciara's eyebrows shot up when she read what I wrote. "Really?" I could see the expression on her face soften, her dark eyes no longer looking slightly intimidating. Then she turned her attention to Autumn. "But why? Wouldn't you miss your family? Wouldn't you miss your friends? Me? I can't remember a time when you weren't in my life..."

Ciara's eyes became glassy as tears rimmed them, threatening to fall from them like a stream. "W-What if you forget about us?" she asked, stuttering.

Autumn frowned. She reached across the table and grabbed her friend's hand. "I will never forget about them. Especially you. And besides, we can text, Facetime, and snap each other."

"Don't forget visit." Ciara added.

We continued eating. I ate silently while the two girls talked about guys from their school. I felt my jaw tighten as they gushed about how hot some of them are. I try to ignore them and keep myself calm, but it was so damn hard. Especially when my mate was talking about other men.

"And Jeremy," Ciara whistled, fanning herself, "Hot damn. He can take on anybody in school and beat their ass."

Autumn chuckled, "Aaron is much hotter though."

"Remember when he took you to homecoming?"

Autumn nodded her head. "Yeah I was shocked when he did. But holy shit, that guy can bust some serious moves."

"It's a shame you're leaving. Now I have no one to stare at the hot guys with." Ciara pouted, "There are so many hot guys at our school. I wish I could claim them all mine." Autumn nodded her head in agreement.

I could feel my heart clench at the things they said. Jealousy surged through my veins and I was tempted to up and leave. My chicken strips no longer seemed appetizing. So I pushed my plate away from me with a scowl.

I was about to get up, but then Autumn said something that caught my attention.

"But let's be real here," Autumn said with a pride smirk, "Jax is sexier than all of them combined. And he's mine."

Ciara laughed, "I can't disagree."

My mouth turned up into a smug smirk, everything they mentioned before, all of those guys, flew out of my mind. "Really?" I showed Autumn my paper.

"Definitely." She noticed the smug look on my face and she rose an eyebrow at me, "Why do you look so smug?"

I quickly leaned over towards her and pressed my lips to her cheek in a quick motion. It happened so fast, but when I sat back up, I could still feel her soft skin against my lips. And that smug look never left my face.

Autumn was staring in front of her, looking dazed. She slowly brought her hand up to her cheek, right to the spot where my lips had just been. A smile appeared on her lips. Her eyes wandered over to me and I winked. Her eyes sparkled with an emotion I couldn't figure out, but it made my heart race.

•••

Hey guys!!! So I hope you all liked this chapter, which was super long. It was almost 4,700 words. Thank you all so much for reading!!!

Again, I am so so so so sorry for not updating sooner. I started writing this chapter more than a week ago and since I've been with my aunt I hadn't really gotten around to working on it until a couple days ago.

Anyways, thank you for all of the lovely comments and votes. Makes me super happy 😊  Love you all so much!!! ❤️

~Jordan

Instagram: Cheezlver