Chapter 75

Aurora

Meow! Meow!

I swear I hear Snowflake in my sleep, calling for me just outside the hut door. I convince myself that it’s in my head, it isn’t real, but I am stuck hearing her precious calls for help reply over and over in my head. Jaxson and I finally get a night to sleep, a full night of blissful rest, and yet I toss and turn in the haze that is her meowing.

Looking to Jaxson beside me, he adjusts in his sleep, curled onto his side and facing me, but so soundly unconscious. I would hate to wake him, especially if I was just being crazy and hearing noises in my head. I leave bed quietly, my leg sore but I manage a slight limp, looking outside to the dark of night and seeing the porch clear of any kitten.

I rub my eyes, exhausted.

Meow!

I perk up, hearing the clear call of my cat just outside. My head spins. I hurry out the front door and off the porch, my eyes scanning the woods nearby, just past the shore and the sandy beach. My pulse is rapid and painful, so desperately wanting this last, tiny piece of our lives back. I have felt guilty that I let her go in the first place, watching her run off, and I should have kept her closer and held her tighter.

“Snowflake,” I breathe, creeping into the woods, feeling like I may hear her meow again any second now. “Snowflake, come here, please.”

Slow steps approach from behind in the woods, a flicker of white catching the moonlight as I snatch up snowflake in my hands suddenly, feeling her body relax into my arms. I hug her tight, threatening to cry, my body aching as I turn back towards the hut and find a large, husky Alpha instead of a beaten path.

I jump, startled, his dark eyes glowering down at me. I clutch my kitten tighter.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asks, no tire in his voice surprisingly.

I look away, slightly ashamed. “I’m sorry. I heard her out here. I didn’t think to wake you.”

“Always wake me, sweetheart. Always.”

He holds out his hand and helps maneuver us out of the woods, Snowflake settling in my arms while I make sure not to let her run out of my grasp again. I won’t let that happen again. For now I hold her tight and follow Jaxson back to our hut on the beach. He seems a little sleepy in his walk, slow and steady, but his face and features seem uncaring as he flicks me a look or two, as though to watch me closely as if I may disappear into the woods again.

I release my kitten into the hut, Jaxson locking the door behind our entrance. He spins me around instantly, his hand finding my arm, stroking it slowly, his eyes kind but frustrated. I watch his lips, pressed into a frustrated line, his eyes centered on mine and his body taut like he wants to fight back a little bit of anger.

“You should have never gone out there without me,” he groans, attempting to sound calm. “What if there were rouges out, or a royal? Sweetheart, I cannot lose you. I can’t tell you that enough.”

I bow my head, feeling the guilt rise to my throat. “Of course. I’m sorry, Jaxson.”

He gives me a slight kiss and pulls away, fettling in the kitchen to make coffee or tea, I don’t care to ask which. I take to the couch, Snowflake purring against my hip while I pat her little head. Jaxson is upset still, I can tell, and it’s still so new to me to know that Jaxson cares so deeply for me that I have to be more mindful of my safety.

The war on the beach, it terrified him. Seeing Xander didn’t help I know he has had his share of scares, and he has changed his life drastically, but I can’t ignore his feelings about me anymore. I know he is my mate, I care for him so deeply, and the thought of him in pain over me in pain is unbearable.

“Are you mad at me?” I hum.

Jaxson looks over his shoulder, his gentle gaze gracing my life. “Never, baby. I could never stay mad at you. I just want you to know that as my Luna, you will be my priority, sweetheart. You are my life now. Before anything else. I cannot let you get hurt.”

“I know that, Jaxson,” I hum, hearing him say it so much before. “I am sorry. I should have woken you up.”

“As long as you’re safe now, I’m not mad.” He grins toward me on the couch, as long as seeing Snowflake purr at my affectionate touch. “I am happy that we are all back together, sweetheart. It means a lot to have the three of us under one roof.”

I think back to the palace, the vast kingdom we started out in. it wasn’t meant for us. It was a lavish life that Jaxson had known, but I could tell he no longer wanted it. That is what makes me sure that I have made the right choices to get us here. It wasn’t always safe or smart, but it lead us to this shack, on this beach, Alpha and Luna of this pack.

Jaxson finally has what he has always wanted, with a little adjustments on the details here and there. It is a good feeling to know that he is proud of his life here as an Alpha. He may not be the royal king Alpha, but he is an Alpha all the same. And here I am accepted as the Luna. I know it would have never happened as the Alpha and Luna of the Royal pack.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Jaxson hums, quickly looking through the link and hearing my mulling thoughts. “Enough of that pack. This is our pack now. We are the Alpha and Luna of Dawn pack. A pack I dedicate to you. It’s more special than galas and fancy palaces and being a royal. It’s special, sweetheart. Just like us.”

“Of course it is,” I admit. “Thank you again, Jaxson.”

“Anything for my Luna.”

I blush. Snowflake purrs as I run my hands through her fur, trying to pick out the twigs of the woods from her coat. She gently sleeps in my lap and I can’t help but smile at her. She needed a little space, was easily frightened, and she returned home where she belongs. I feel a little like her in this moment.

Running from Jaxson wasn’t easy and missing him was definitely depressing. He brings me calmness, peace, and he was all I could think about when Xander had me hostage. Jaxson is my world now. He is the one thing I’ve needed to make sense and finally, after all the bloodshed and arguing and disadvantage throughout our love story, I feel like things are perfectly bonded now and forever.