The Alpha and his Mate

Chapter four

I smiled, happy that I had finally gotten a reaction out of her that wasn't a flinch. "Come on then, let's get you in the bath shall we? I'm not sure if you can stand properly in a shower at the moment with those cut up feet and twisted ankle" I explained as I pointed at the many cuts and grazes that littered the soles of her feet.

I reached out towards her, intending to pick her up and help her into the bathroom, but as I got closer towards her she froze up and closed her eyes tight, as if she was expecting a blow. My heart broke at her reaction and I retracted my hands slightly as I held them up for her to see, hoping to show her that I meant her no harm.

"It's okay angel, I'm not going to hurt you I promise, I was just going to help you get to the bathroom. I could never hurt you my sweet little mate" I muttered, hoping to soothe her a little. She was obviously terrified and the last thing I wanted to do was to cause her more discomfort by scaring her further.

She stared at me apprehensively for a few seconds, deliberating how much truth there was in my words, but when she nodded her head ever so slightly I smiled, whether it was in understanding or permission though I don't know. She was still obviously terrified and she could barely stay still due to her shaking, but at least she trusted me enough to touch her.

I slowly inched forward, not wanting to startle her in anyway as I made every move I made slow and deliberate. When I reached her I tucked her recently dislocated elbow into her side, making sure it was out of the way, before slowly taking her weight into my arms as I carried her bridal style to the bathroom. She flinched slightly as she felt me take her weight into my arms but I ignored her as I was to focused on her weight, or more accurately, lack of. I could feel every bone in her body, as if the sharp edges were going to pierce out of her skin if I pressed on them with too much force. I breathed in her scent as I held her close to me in my arms, as if I could protect her from even the air around her. This girl was precious and I was going to make sure I did everything in my power to stop bad things from ever happening to her again.

I walked into my en-suite bathroom and quickly sat her down on the vanity counter by the sink, I could tell she was uncomfortable with me touching her and I didn't want to push my luck by touching her more than was necessary.

I turned around to fill up the bath with some nice warm water and as the tub was filling I turned around to face her. There were so many questions running through my mind at the moment, but I didn't know where to begin. What was her name? What pack was she from, if she even was from a pack? How did she end up on the border of my territory and who the hell hurt her so bad? These and many other questions kept rolling around in my head as I looked into her baby blue eyes, eyes that looked like they had seen way more pain than they deserved.

She suddenly started to fidget uncomfortably, playing with the hem of her wet and dirty t-shirt as she looked at the ground and suddenly, I realised that I had been staring at her quite intensely without realising, to lost in my own mind. That was just the effect that she had on me, she was to hypnotising for her own good.

"My name is Jax by the way" I said as I introduced myself to the angel that was currently sitting on my bathroom counter. "What's your name little mate?" I asked, needing to know her name. I bet it was beautiful, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I looked at her expectantly but all I got was silence from her as she continued to stare at the tiled floor beneath my feet.

"Please little mate, I need to know your name" I pleaded. I had never pleaded a day in my life, an Alpha never needed to plea, but today I seem to be finding myself doing a lot of it.

She frowned for a second as a lone tear ran down her cheek as she shook her head slightly, not wanting to share with me the little bit of information that I had asked from her. I growled in frustration as I turned away from her, not wanting her to see the angry gold swirl in my eyes as my wolf came through. Why would she not tell me her name. I was her mate for crying out loud, surely I deserved to at least know her name!

I suddenly heard a whimper from behind me and I quickly turned around to find my mate silently crying with her arms covering her face. It was as if she was protecting herself from something, as if she was protecting herself from me. She must've come from a bad place if she associated raised voices with pain.

I quickly walked over to where she sat and knelt in front of her, hoping that if I stayed low I wouldn't startle her any more than I already had.

"No-no I'm sorry little mate, please don't cry...I can't stand to see you cry" I whispered as quiet as I could, as if my voice alone would scare her. I slowly reached out and took her hand in mine, loving how the sparks were still there between us. Sparks were a good sign, it meant I hadn't scared her so much that she had rejected me and the mate bond. "I'm so sorry I upset you my little mate, I just...I want to know your name so bad and not knowing it is killing me, me and my wolf" I muttered as I held her hand in mine.

She looked at me in confusion before scrunching her nose up slightly and looked off into the distance, as if she was concentrating on something. I wonder what was going through that pretty little head of hers? She was gone for a few seconds but when she came back she looked like she had made her mind up about something because just when I was about to ask her if she was okay she opened her mouth and I heard the most beautiful voice I could have ever imagined.

"A-Annabelle" she stuttered, as if she wasn't used to talking.

"Annabelle" I breathed as my face produced a smile so big it probably looked like it was splitting my face. "I was right, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl".

She slight blush appeared on her pale skin before she looked down and slightly to the right of me, trying to hide her reaction, but I gently took her chin in my hand as delicately as I could and turned her face so I could look at her, I could look at her face all day.

So Annabelle is slowly starting to open up to Jax! Yey 😁

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Recommendation of the chapter is...
Accidentally on Purpose by @numbereddays