"Elizabeth, come here." Jason said, his eyes staring into hers and seeing the empty expression finding it alarmingly uncomfortable.
She left the company of the maid and walked around the side of the table to its head where Jason was standing, his hand reached up to grab at her chin and look more intently into her eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine." she said a barely there smile registering on her face with the smallest rise of the corner of her lips.
"Are you still upset?" he questioned, looking for vitality in the hazel orbs.
"No. I'm fine." she responded back in turn, only because his close hold of her was demanding her attention.
Jason rolled his eyes in frustration and a sigh erupted from his lips as he gently placed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her jaw. His middle finger and thumb squeezed at the area where both of his eyes met his nose and his brows furrowed in annoyance. This was not at all what he wanted.
While he demanded compliance he did not want it in the form of a zombified state. He would rather her yelling at him and calling him a dick than to be absent from any and all emotion. As soon as his hands released from their strained press at the corner of his eyes, he soothingly wrapped an arm around her back where his hand grabbed at her hip and rubbed delicately.
The warm tingling sensation his body provided to her only further carried her off in a soothing wavelike drift, her body leaning into his but giving him no real satisfaction even though he felt the same sensations from her returned touch. "Claire, get her some coffee.." irritation clearly evident in his tone.
"Alpha, she does seem to have a more pleasant demeanor." Jacob said, knowing exactly where Jason's aggravation was coming from and trying to smooth it over.
"And what the fuck is pleasant about this?" he said with his free hand pointing at the woman who had closed her eyes leaning more heavily against him as if she was drifting off to sleep from his gentle rubbing. Her demeanor making her look as if she was high as a kite and nodding out while standing as she breathed in his relaxing scent and felt the sedating waves ripple throughout her body.
"... Well she's not mad." Mark said in caution with a small shrug.
"I'd rather her be fucking mad." he said with a dark glare and his teeth beginning to grit.
"Well, maybe a half a muffin next time?" Mark said with even more caution and his arms displaying a suggestive manner.
Jason wordlessly sent another threatening stare to Mark as he guided Elizabeth to her usual seat, pulling the chair out and pushing it back in when she sat, her eyes fixating on the flowers on top of the table and beginning to count the petals on each individual rose.
"I think your suggestion about the coffee is a good move." Jacob said as Claire deposited a mug of it in front of the woman seated at the table. Jason having to prod at her arm and point at it for her to take it in her hands and begin to sip at it in a more than leisurely pace. "The stimulant should help counteract some of the sedatives, but I think we should take a look at this and maybe listen to Mark's suggestion and decrease the dose in the future. She is calm, perhaps too calm at present, but if we lessen the dose it may prove beneficial to help her adjust to the transition." the Master Beta finished watching the demure woman sit in complete and utter complacency.
Jason stood behind the woman looking down at her and monitoring her progress with the drink, an idle hand reaching for her curled locks and wrapping them gently around his fingers. This was an absolute mess, and he needed to find a way to fix it immediately. He needed the information from Pinecrest, still not knowing how to feel about the entire situation, but hoping it could be useful to prevent future incidents.
"Keep drinking Elizabeth." he stated softly to her as he continued to run his fingers through her hair and play with the spiraled tresses. She had once again been lost in fixation which was quickly rectified by his direction. "I don't want to keep drugging her." he said more pointedly to the Beta's. "It's not natural. It's not right." his eyes staring at the liquid shift in the mug as she tipped it against her lips.
"Well, like I said before. I think she is in need of some gentle sedation to help her manage her emotions during this time. Just not this heavily." Jacob added back, his eyes showing a bit of sympathy to the Alpha in recognition in how difficult this was for him.
"Claire, another." Jason said blankly as he was lost in thought, his arm slipping down to inspect her neck and see how the mark was healing, a light twinkle of pride evident in his red scarring that was evident on her pale skin. "She needs some time to perk up, tell Pinecrest she will be available in a couple of hours. Leave us for now."
"As you wish." Jacob said with a nod directed to the other Betas as Claire returned with the half full pot and the men began to make their way out the door.
"Thank you Claire. You can go." he said after she filled the mug and he further encouraged Elizabeth to drink the coffee. He waited till she got half way through the cup before he grabbed at her hand and motioned for her to stand up, which she did accordingly. He pulled her over to the living room where he kicked off his shoes and laid down on the large couch, directing her to lay on top of him as he leaned back into the leather.
His fingers gently rubbing at the smooth hair on top of her head as he turned the television on to a low volume, no interest in the program at hand, but utilizing it for background noise to combat the quiet. The young female emitted a small pleasurable groan of contentment as he continued to pet her hair and wrapped his other arm around holding her in place on his chest.
"This is nice." she sighed out blankly in minor contentment, enjoying the warmth of his body in a muted manner, causing him to form a small smile.
"You look beautiful." he said looking down at her face, clear concern still being exhibited in his eyes, but still acknowledging her features.
"I know." she responded in the same drawn out contented manner, her response causing him to chuckle a little bit.
"It'll get better Elizabeth." he whispered to her, his hand on her back beginning to rub at the smooth material of the shirt.
"That's what everyone says." she responded in the only way that seemed available to her.
"It will.." He said as he deposited a kiss on her head. "Close your eyes, get some more sleep, you'll feel better."
"Okay." she said with a gentle nod causing her cheek to rub at his chest from the notion, and then closing her eyes.
———————
Jason laid awake the entire time he let the woman catnap on his chest, responding to corporate emails in a bored manner as he waited out the clock for the effects of the medication to dull from their initial onset. His hand on her back continued to stroke her lovingly as she slumbered, he paying attention to her rising and falling rib cage as she breathed in and out, noticing subtle changes in her breaths as once deep breaths became more even in their volume. Her heart beat resounding in his ears growing in its pace closer to a normal rhythm.
His hand began to slide up her back and allow gentle fingertips to rub at the reddened mark across her shoulder, providing a sensitive sensation by touching the area, which would begin to wake her from the medicinally inspired sleep. Her blonde brows began to furrow in response to the gentle touches he provided to the wound on her shoulder, a lingering rippling sensation spreading from the deeply significant area providing an electric warmth to spread throughout her.
"Five more minutes..." she mumbled into his chest as she burrowed her face further into it.
"It's time to get up Elizabeth." He whispered lowly to her as he continued to rub at the region.
"Nooo...." she whined back, her eyes scrunching as her fingers gripped at his crisp shirt, making his heart melt at her adorable response. If they didn't have to make the call to Pinecrest he would have been content to let her lay there on top of him forever.
"You're so annoying..." she huffed against his chest as he began to place kisses on top of her head, a laugh emitting from his throat as he was relieved she was able to reach a level of light frustration.
"Your Uncle has been patiently waiting for you to call..." he said as a reminder to further encourage her to wake up.
"Why are you so comfortable?" She groaned beginning to open her heavy lids, the medication still giving her the light effect of producing blunt words.
"It's almost as if we were meant to be together." He smirked at his own humor, one of his hands directing finger taps to text Jacob to return, now that she was waking.
"So you say.." she said lifting her head up and placing her hands on his chest so she could begin to push herself up, her knees planting into the sofa between his lightly spread legs.
"It's a certainty." He said back giving her cheek a gentle rub and smiling as her head turned into it. Now that the medication had leveled in her system he was appreciating her gentle demeanor and her lack of desire to act in resistance to the bonds pull. "If you're feeling up for it, I can still take you out for dinner later. I think you would enjoy spending some time off the territory."
"Mmm, maybe. I just need to get some more energy." She said straightening her back and resting her butt against the length of her pointed heels. Her hands reaching up to rub gently at her temples.
"Well, just think about it and let me know." He said, watching her beautiful face try to shake away the fatigue. Feeling an absence now that she was no longer on his chest.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked in honest curiosity.
His eyebrow arched slightly at her question as he was slightly taken a back by it. "I'd be like this all the time, if only you let me." His voice denoting a slight seriousness as he spoke earnest words, wishing their conversations could always be so peaceful.
"Hmm..." she hummed in thought before she awkwardly climbed over his leg, having difficulty due to the tightness of the pencil skirt. Eventually her heels clicking onto the wood floor where she smoothed out the material. "Well, lucky for you, I'm not in a fighting mood." She said with further heel clicks that carried her form to the kitchen, a sudden carefree nature being adopted as she opened the refrigerator and took in its contents.
She looked so natural walking about the kitchen with a new air of comfortability. Her spoken words, though still rather muted, were reminiscent of their first date he took her on, at the time she being completely unaware of it. A hope brimming in him that they were only going to go up from here.
"Oh, yes." A soft smile formed as she shut the fridge with a can of whip cream in hand and immediately removed its cap. Her head tipped back as she depressed it's tip pointed at her open mouth, it rapidly filling with the silky sweet white treat accompanied by aerosol sounds. She looked absolutely stunning standing there so demure in her outfit and jewelry as she unabashedly downed the substance meant to compliment desserts with closed eyes as she relished in the flavor.
Jason sat up on the couch and watched her in fervor. This is precisely what he wanted. He just needed to perfect the formula of their little experiment as he tested and studied their own mate bond. What he was seeing now showed to him that it was possible to achieve a desirable outcome. It was just getting there that was the hard part.