Jax's PoV
The witch was strong.
Somewhere between the fight I had managed to switch sides with her, having me now standing next to Annabelle and on slightly higher ground. I was standing between her and my mate, who was still laying lifeless on the patio floor, without showing a single sign of waking anytime soon. I could feel the body heat coming from her, confirming that she was still alive, but it did little to calm my nerves down.
"Just give up wolf" the witch hissed at me, her black eyes piercing into my soul as she observed my stance. "There is no way you can beat me; you can barely stand as it is" she laughed as she flicked the daggers blade in my direction again, acting almost casual in the action.
Unfortunately, the witch was right, I was starting to struggle. Although we had both caused some damage to the other, I had seriously underestimated her speed and heeling capabilities. On two separate occasions I had managed to clip a claw or a tooth on one of her key arteries, but on both occasions there just seemed to flow this black ooze which quickly disappeared as her body healed the wound.
She had gotten one good hit on me with the blades edge, tearing at my underside, causing blood to flow freely out of the wound and cause my coat to matt in clumps. Thankfully my black coat was able to camouflage most of the blood, but I think she knew, even without the quantity of blood on show, that she had caused me fatal damage.
But I wasn't going to give up, not for anyone. Annabelle was my mate and under my protection, if anyone was going to defend her, it was going to be me. I drew strength from deep within me, my wolf helping out, and I coiled for another attack from the witch.
Just when I was about to spring, intending to slash at her throat in the hopes that her body would be unable to heal from a more deadly wound, the witch's facial expression changed. Gone was her fearless and ruthless expression as she zoned in on me for her kill. She was now looking at something behind me, panic evident in her features.
She dropped the dagger she had been desperately clinging on to throughout our whole fight, letting it drop to the floor beneath her as it clanged against the paved floor.
I frowned, confused by her sudden change in arrogance, before shifting my head slightly to the right so that I could see what had caught her attention without taking my eyes from her. The last thing I needed was for this to be some kind of trick and for her to suddenly jump back into the fight without me being ready.
I looked out of the corner of my eye, sceptical about there being anything there, but when I saw a blinding light I couldn't help but turn fully around so that I could take the whole scene in.
My mate, who was only moments was virtually lifeless on the floor, was now floating slightly above the ground. Her eyes shone a translucent moon stone colour and her skin was radiating a golden glow reminding me of the sun on a warm summer's day. Her hair was being whipped in all direction around her face, like it had a mind of its own, and she was staring at the witch with unadulterated rage.
What the...
"Sorceress Isabella, you have been found guilty of violating multiple of the covens seven sacred vows and is hereby called upon by the High Courts of Witchcraft for punishment and execution" she stated.
Annabelle didn't sound like herself at all, there was a slight edge to her tone of voice, making me think that the person inside my little mates body right now, wasn't my little mate at all. She lifted her hand up from where it was resting at her side and raised it high, the earlier knife wound that was there now vanishing with every passing second.
Just then figures made from dust and fog emerged from the ground around us, advancing on Sorceress Isabella who started screaming and begging for mercy. The figures though reacted little to her cry's and pleas for help as they all grabbed onto a part of her clothing or body and swarmed her. Within seconds she was surrounded, so much so that I couldn't even make out her figure anymore amongst the debris and mist and within a blink of an eye. she was gone.
I stood there for a second, taking in the empty space the witch had previously occupied, before I turned back to face whoever was currently inside my Annabelle.
My hackles raised as I growled at her, how dare they possess my mate.
"Calm yourself Alpha Jax, for I mean your mate no harm" the woman inside Annabelle's body reassured me and a sudden calmness settled around me.
I frowned at her for a second, confused at my own body's reactions, before having a moment of clarity and quickly bowed to the floor, showing the Moon Goddess the respect she deserved. I can't believe I just growled at our Goddess.
"Rise Alpha Jax, I do not wish for your submission. I purely came here for an answer to a question that desperately needs answering" she reassured me as I slowly got back to my feet.
I frowned at her as I cocked my head to the side in confusion. How could I give her an answer to something when I didn't know the question? I couldn't shift yet because of the wound that was slowly leaking blood on my underside, if I shifted it would split open and potentially become ten times worse.
As if she could somehow sense my confusion and frustration my mate, I mean the Moon Goddess, smiled down at me before walking forward and placing her hand on my forehead.
At first nothing happened, I just felt the comforting touch of a warm hand on my skin, but then all of a sudden, the cuts and grazes that littered my body began to rise in temperature and become increasingly itchy. I panicked as I realised I couldn't get away from the hand that was touching me, causing all these uncomfortable and slightly painful sensations.
After a minute or two of the most unbearable itching sensation, my injuries started to emit their own golden glow, just like the aura Annabelle's body was giving off, before they magically started healing closed. I stared in amazement as she retracted her hand from my skin, taking the warm glow like feeling with her as I did a mental check of my body.
I shifted from foot to foot, testing my strength and when I felt no uncomfortable tug, I looked up at her in shock. I was healed. I instantly started to shift back into my human form, needing to be able to speak so that I could get some answers as to what was going on with my mate.
I felt a presence behind me, and I turned around to find Will with a pair of shorts in his hands held out to me. He looked like crap, with more bruises and cuts on his body than I could count. His usual dirty blond hair almost looked brown with the amount of debris he had stuck to his strands and his limbs were swollen due to the amount of silver poisoning he'd had. Through all that though he still looked like my younger brother, the calm and collected soul who preferred to sit in the corner and read whilst everyone else would rather play video games.
I smiled at him in thanks, hoping that he knew it wasn't just the shorts I was thanking him for, but for lending a hand in finding Annabelle just generally staying alive. I slipped into the shorts quickly before bringing him into a tight hug. I felt him flinch slightly at the sudden contact, obviously finding my hug a little painful. He didn't pull away from me though, instead wrapping his arms around me before slapping me on the back. "It's good to see you brother" I whispered before releasing him with a smile.
My brother though, being a man of very few words, just nodded in response with a smile, his way of saying he was glad to be back.
I looked behind him and suddenly noticed that we had a very large audience, everyone that was involved with the rescue had made their way into the clearing and were staring at us with shock clear as day in their eyes.
The most shocked people though were the people in Alpha Matthews pack. Gone were their blank stares, they were now looking at everything around them, confused as to what was going on and why they were out here with several other packs surrounding them. It was clear that the witch had been influencing them in some way, making them blindly follow first Parker and then Matthew with whatever they needed so that she could execute her plan of destroying us all. But with the witch now gone her spell was lifted, leaving the residence none the wiser that they had basically been controlled by a witch and a few mentally unstable Alpha's and their rogues for god knows how long.
I looked back at my mate, taking in her appearance as she continued to float about a foot off the ground. Her cuts and bruises had all bean healed but the blood that had stained her skin and clothes had remained. Even still she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on. "What answer are you wanting?" I questioned her, noticing she was still staring at me.
She smiled down at me, as a caring mother would smile at her child. "Are you willing for me to re-form your mate bond to Annabelle? Think about your decision before you state it".
What kind of idiotic question was that?! Of course I wanted to be mated with Annabelle, she was the most beautiful person I had ever met, both inside and out. Even if she wasn't my mate, I would have still appreciated her beauty. "Yes" I stated in a strong voice, trying not to growl at her as the anger of her question ran through my veins.
"Are you sure Alpha Jax?" She pressed, "once I re-form the bond it cannot be undone".
"Look, by some miracle you paired me with this amazing person and I intend to be with her for the rest of my life. I will fight for her, kill for her, die for her. I acknowledge that this won't be the last time we experience trouble because of who she and what she shares with you, but there is no way you are taking away the best thing that has ever happened to me" I growled as my fists clenched beside me.
"Just give me back my Annabelle and I will do anything you ask, just give me back the mate and the person that I fell I love with the moment I laid eyes on her". My voice cracked slightly towards the end of my speech, but I cleared my throat, trying to hide the emotion I was feeling.
The Moon Goddess assessed me through Annabelle's translucent eyes, before finally offering me one swift nod. As fast as I could I quickly ran over to my Annabelle as she started to come crashing down to the blood-stained wood beneath her, the Moon Goddess' presence finally leaving her.
I caught her and wrapped her securely in my arms, she was finally back where she belonged.
"I love you too" I heard her whisper before she passed out in my arms, feeling the telling tingles of the reformed mate bond running through my veins.
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