Chapter 7

[The Mute Alpha - Chapter 7]

Song: House of Memories by Panic! At The Disco

•••

Nothing.

10 packs.

She was at none of them.

Luck was definitely not on my side.

I was beginning to lose all of my hope. I kept telling myself that there's a possibility she'll be at the next. The problem is, I've been telling myself that since the beginning of my search. And it's not helping anymore.

It has basically been a day of driving, stopping every 45 minutes at another pack. The next pack, Crystal Mountain Pack, is farther away from the packs I just visited since it is off in the mountains, away from many of the city packs.

The sun had already said "goodbye", like eight hours ago. It was time for it to say "hello" again as it became dawn. It was slowly peeking above the snow-capped mountains off in the horizon. The sky displayed a beautiful set of colors.

My eyes were barely staying open and I felt terrible. Exhaustion was consuming me alive and being away from my mate wasn't helping either. I was fine until I started craving her presence, which started when I was on my way to the fourth pack. After that, it's been hell for me.

I haven't eaten all day, since my main priority is finding her. Water is basically all I've been consuming, which hasn't been very much.

I released a yawn, my eyes watering. Lifting my hand up, I rubbed my tired eyes. I glanced over at Theo. He was out. He fell asleep when we left pack number ten, which was about two hours ago.

Thankfully the Alpha was kind enough to let us visit even though it was so early in the morning. The packs in the cities didn't mind when we came since they're always out and about even if it was late at night.

I didn't want to take a break and sleep. I just couldn't. She was the only thing on my mind and I have to find her or else I might go insane.

My eyes wandered over to the screen that displayed the time. 6:00. I've been up for twenty-four hours. Just staring at the time made my eyes hurt.

I stared at the long road ahead of me. Barely any cars passed by, and looking behind me, there were none behind us. It looked as if we were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains and trees of different shapes and sizes.

After another long hour, the exit for the pack was coming up, so I moved over into the farthest right lane. When I reached it, I turned onto the road. The closer we got, the more narrowed the road got. It turned from asphalt to dirt.

Suddenly I felt something within me and my wolf felt it too. My eyes widened in shock. It was very familiar. This feeling. And it grew stronger the closer we got to the border.

'She's here!' I shouted with excitement through the mind-link without even thinking.

Theo quickly sat up. "Hmm?" he mumbled some other incoherent words, "What?" I sat up straighter in my seat, feeling a bit more awake than before.

'My mate,' I repeated, 'She's here! I can feel that weird feeling I felt when I was here for the party.'

Theo's sleepy eyes widened as he processed my words. A large smile grew on his face as he leaned his head back against the headrest and released a sigh of relief, "Finally."

When we reached the gate, the guards allowed us to go through, telling us that the Alpha will be waiting for us by the town square. We drove passed homes. They were descent sizes. Many of them were two-story homes, a lot of them looking the same. There were also some one-story houses that looked really nice.

All of the lawns were kept nice. They were kept short and received a lot of rain. The ground wasn't flat, instead it was hilly. Large, green trees decorated the yards along with a huge variety of species of flowers and shrubs.

The town square consisted of various shops and restaurants. A large fountain was placed in the center. The pack members were all doing there own things.

A little boy, who looked about five, stood by the fountain, a coin in his small hand. He closed his eyes tightly and tossed it into the fountain. When he opened his eyes, he smiled and held his mom's hand, walking away after.

I made the car stop by the curb. I was out of the car in a flash and when I spotted the Alpha leaning against the other side of the fountain, I immediately made my way over to him. His icy blue eyes looked up at me when he heard my footsteps.

He was dressed in a maroon hoodie and a pair of dark jeans. He grinned and stuck his hand out for me to shake. I smiled back and shook his hand.

"Alpha Jaxton," he said, "I've been told that you were going to be paying me a visit." I nodded. He stood up a little straighter, trying to make himself seem a little taller even though I'm a head taller than him. He sent me a smirk, "I've heard that you're looking for your mate."

I'm not surprised that he knows. News travels really fast between packs. We all love a good talk.

Well...most of us.

"Since I was already expecting you, when I heard you reached the borders, I told my female pack members to all meet up at the pack meeting room. Some of them are really excited to see who is visiting."

Theo came up from behind me and stood next to me, "That's great! Jaxton really appreciates it."

"No need to thank me. We're Alphas. He should help each other out. It's smart to create allies with other Alphas instead of making enemies."

Theo stuck his hands in his pockets and sent a lazy smirk at a girl who walked by and whistled. When she saw him she rolled her eyes, flipped her curly raven hair, and sent him a finger before she continued to walk away. Both Matthew and I released a laugh at Theo's confused face.

'Get used to it,' I told him while chuckling.

Theo mumbled something under his breath before turning his attention back to the Alpha in front of us. "Jax has a really good feeling that his mate is here," he said, "His wolf is feeling weird." I nodded when Matthew moved his eyes over to me.

Matthew gazed off somewhere with a dazed look in his eyes. "I remember when I first met my mate," he whispered, a small smile played on his mouth, "It was the best feeling ever."

I couldn't agree more. Seeing her for the first time, I can never get that moment back. I wish I could just relive that night over and over again just to feel it again. That moment when I first laid my eyes on her. Or that moment when our eyes locked. The moment when we danced.

"Since you think she's here, we should probably stop wasting time," Matthew said as he started walking in a direction. We followed after him.

Excitement was welling up inside of me with each step I took. I can't wait to see her. I know she's here. I have no doubts.

It took a few minutes for us to reach a large, windowless building made from brick. There was a large double-door on the side of it. We walked up to it and Matthew pulled it open, stepping into the building.

It took less than a second for a sweet smell to drift through my nose, catching my attention. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes in the process. The anxious feeling intensified.

A low growl erupted from my chest and when I opened my eyes, I saw Theo staring at me.

"Dude, your eyes," he said, "they're bright green." I blinked.

Matthew looked at me with another smile, "It's because he senses his mate."

'I don't think it happened last time,' I told Theo in confusion.

Matthew noticed my confused expression. "I think it's because last time you weren't as anxious to see her. Last time you weren't positive she was there until you could smell her, I'm assuming. Right now, you have been searching for her and you've been craving her. Both you and your wolf are ecstatic because you have finally found her," he spoke out, as if reading my mind.

I turned my attention to the girls sitting down. The sound of them chattering amongst each other filled the air. They giggled and whispered.

Matthew walked up onto the stage and stood in front of all of them with his hands placed on his hips. He cleared his throat. All of them immediately stopped talking and all eyes were on him. Power radiated off of him and his voice was loud and clear as he spoke out to them, "We have a visitor."

The girls sat in rows, three isles ran up the room, making the room look like a small auditorium. This pack was a lot bigger than I thought it was considering the amount of seats in this room. There were a lot of girls in here but there was still a lot of open seats in the back.

"They are from the Solar Eclipse Pack," he stated and then added, "Their Alpha." They all started whispering to each other. I kept hearing them mention the word 'mute'. "He's looking for a specific individual he met during our annual gathering and he thinks she is from this pack. So he's going to be looking at each one of you."

He motioned for me to come up next to him. Theo stayed where he was and nudged me forward. When I got on the stage, I could feel all of their eyes on me. I came up to Matthew and stood next to him.

My eyes wandered over each of their faces, searching for my mate. Soon my eyes landed on a pair of chocolate brown eyes and my heart stopped.

Mate.

My eyes widened and my lips parted as I stared at her in awe. It felt like everyone in the room wasn't there anymore. Matthew wasn't next to me anymore. The whispering vanished. All of the seats were empty. The only things between us were the chairs. I needed to change that.

I didn't waste another second of standing their upon the stage. I jumped down, creating a soft thud when my feet hit the floor. I heard some murmurs as I made my way up the middle isle. My footsteps were light and they created no sounds.

Her eyes widened when she saw the determined look on my face. My eyes never left her's, afraid that she might disappear or I'll lose her again.

When I reached her row, the girls around her began to panic and check themselves in their mirrors, thinking it was them I was looking for.

Ignoring them, I passed them until I reached my mate. I stood in front of her. She tilted her head to stare up at me from her seat. Emotions I couldn't figure out swirled in the depths of her beautiful eyes.

She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her silky brown hair was tied up into a bun, a few strands hanging by her ears, framing the sides of her face. She had very little make up on, making her look even more beautiful. Her long lashes lightly brushed the skin under her eyes when I saw her close them for a brief moment.

She had on a grey tank top, hugging her body, and she wore a black sweater over it. She also had on a pair of white jeans.

I watched as her bottom lip rolled into her mouth as she nervously bit down on it.

The girl sitting next to her nudged her and whispered something in her ear. My mate nodded her head, cheeks tinting red. Her friend's dark eyes eyed me and she smirked. "He is hot," she blurted out, receiving a punch on the arm from my mate.

My lips turned up into a smile. She talked about me.

I stared at her with my mouth opening and closing. I really wanted to say something.

Without even thinking, in a quick motion, I gripped her wrists and pulled her up from her seat. I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her in a tight hug. Her body trembled as I pulled her even closer to me.

I could feel her heart beating unsteadily against her chest. I buried my face into her neck, relishing the feeling of my mate being in my arms. She smelled so good.

Her arms slowly moved around my waist as she pressed her face against my chest. I released a low growl of satisfaction.

Finally...

I found her.

After a few moments, she stepped back a little. Cold air slapped against me, leaving me disappointed and sad. I already missed having her in my arms.

She moved her head back slightly, looking up into my eyes. "You left me," she whispered, "You left me standing there." I frowned and looked down at my feet, ashamed of myself. I slowly nodded my head.

"Why?" she asked softly. She moved her hands up to my face, her soft hands cupping my cheeks. I could feel them heating up due to the sparks I felt when her skin touched mine. I closed my eyes and parted my lips when she brushed the pad of her thumb over my bottom lip.

I opened my eyes again and met her questioning and confused ones. Then I looked around and noticed everyone's curious gazes still looking at us.

I gently took her small hand in mine and started pulling her away from the row and down the isle. We walked by Theo and Matthew. Both of them had huge smiles and were about to say something but I brushed passed them. I pushed the door open and we both walked out.

"Where are we going, Alpha Jaxton?" She asked when she saw that I was heading towards the large forest. I just wanted to get away from everyone. Spend alone time with my mate. I've missed her so much and it hasn't even been a week since I first saw her. I don't even know her.

My fingers tightened around her hand, generating electrical sparks to travel in a current all throughout my body.

When we were surrounded by towering trees, I stopped. She eyed me quizzically as I picked up a stick and sat down on the ground. I looked up at her and patted the spot next to me. Slowly she got down on her knees.

I took the stick in my left hand and began pressing the end of it in the dirt. The stick moved fluently against the dirt as I began writing the one question that has been on my mind ever since I first saw her.

What is your name?

She stared at the words I wrote on the dirt with a look I couldn't decipher. Then the corners of her pink lips slowly curled up into the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

"Autumn," she replied.

I closed my eyes as I heard her name. Autumn. I wanted say it. To feel it roll off my tongue.

So beautiful

Her cheeks turned red at my compliment. "Thank you, Alpha." She smiled. I frowned when she called me Alpha. I didn't how my mate was being so formal towards me. I wanted her to be comfortable.

Call me Jax

"Jax."

I shivered when I heard her test my name. It sounded so beautiful coming from her mouth. It sounded so angelic.

"Say it again," I wrote down on the dirt after I wiped away the previous sentence.

She released a cute laugh at my request. "Jax," she repeated, "I love your name. I've never heard someone else's name be that. It's different." I flashed her a toothy smile.

I've never felt like this before. This happy. I've never felt so completed in my life. She's like the lost piece to my puzzle and I finally found her. And I'm not letting go of her this time.

Taking her by surprise, I snaked my arms around her and pulled her into me. She was tense at first but then she soon relaxed into me. I inhaled her scent and enjoyed her warmth. She buried her face into the crook of my neck. I shivered when I felt her hot breath fan across the bare skin on my neck.

"Mine," I heard her soft voice whisper.

Mine.

•••

Hey guys! I finally updated! It's been so long and I apologize for it. For some reason the last 800 words weren't saved so I had to go through my revision history on both my phone and computer until I finally found it. And then I had to re-proofread it to make sure there weren't a lot of errors.

Happy late 4th of July for those of you who live in the United States. This chapter was a bit longer than the other ones but I'm pretty sure you all don't mind.

Thank you all for all of the nice comments and for voting. I am really thankful that people are liking my story. And I am really surprised that it is at 20k views and 1k votes. That is a lot in my opinion. You guys are so awesome!!!

Please let me know what you guys think about my story so far. Did you like that chapter?

Thanks again for giving my story a chance! Love you ❤️

~Jordan

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