Jaxson (River Pack Wolves 1) - New Adult Paranormal Romance (23 page)

Olivia swallowed and held tighter to Jaxson’s hand.

“Thanks, everyone, for coming,” Jaxson started.

Even though he was the one talking, Olivia felt like all eyes were glued to her. She kept her gaze on Jaxson’s face, strong and confident, standing before all his friends and family and pack about to tell them his darkest secret. It made her stand a little taller. If
he
could be that brave, the least she could do was stand strong by his side.

“As you know, someone in the government is stalking shifters,” Jaxson continued. “I don’t know why, but they’re performing experiments that mess with our ability to shift, and there’s no way that’s a good thing for any shifter, whether you’re on their radar or not. I’m confident we can ferret out whoever is behind this—we’ll expose them to the light of day and bring an end to this crime against shifter-kind. But you’re going to need full faith in your alpha in order for us all to work together and defeat this common enemy.” He took a breath as he slowly scanned the attentive faces. “To do that, you need to know a secret I’ve been hiding from all of you for years.”

Several furtive glances were exchanged and a murmur rose up.

Jaxson waited a moment before he continued. “When I was sixteen, I made the mistake of letting a witch seduce me.” Some eyebrows rose, but the room quieted. “When she couldn’t get what she wanted from me, she cursed me. Any mate I claimed… would die.” An audible gasp went around the room.

Even from across the room, Olivia could see Terra Wilding’s eyes go wide and her face pale.

Jaxson held up a hand to quiet them again. “I should have taken a mate years ago, but because of the curse, I’ve been stalling. I knew that, eventually, I would have to step down.” An angry murmur swelled up this time, with sounds of disagreement and growls mixed in. “I had hoped…” he said loud enough to rise about the noise. “I had hoped that I would be able to carry you through this crisis. But instead, an answer to my problem stumbled into my life.” He looked at Olivia then, with an expression so soft, it melted her heart. “An answer I wasn’t expecting and would never have dreamed possible.” He turned back to them. “Olivia broke the curse.”

Another gasp went around, along with frowns of confusion.

“How did she do it?” a voice from the crowd threw out. Olivia searched for the source—it was Jace, standing next to Jaxson’s mother, a scowl etched deep in his forehead. “You’re talking about a magical curse. How does a human break a curse like that?”

Olivia swallowed.
Here it comes,
she thought.
They’re going to toss me out the moment they know the truth.

“Olivia is half witch.” Jaxson’s voice was soft, but it carried over the crowd like a gong sounding.

Jace’s scowl grew deeper. He crossed his arms and stared hard at Olivia, like he might see the witchy part if he looked hard enough. Olivia tried not to shrink away. He wasn’t exactly glaring at her… more like he was trying to figure this whole thing out.

“Olivia used her magic to break the curse,” Jaxson continued. “She nearly died last night taking the poison of the curse into her own body and battling it there.” He dropped her hand and slipped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. “I knew she was brave
before
she did such a stupid thing trying to save me from my own foolishness.” He looked back at the gathered shifters. Their faces were mostly blank with shock. “But this thing she did for me… if I hadn’t already fallen in love with her, that would have pretty much sealed the deal.” He took another breath and blew it out. “And so, we’re here to tell you that, last night, I made Olivia my mate.”

Jace uncrossed his arms and lurched forward. Jared’s hand landed on his shoulder, trying to hold him back, but Jace shook him off.

“How is that even possible?” Jace asked in an angry voice. “You say she’s a
witch.
You can’t mate with one of those.” He glared at her and turned back to Jaxson. “Maybe she didn’t save you, Jaxson. Maybe she’s put a love curse on you! Maybe this is just her messing with all of us. You
know
how they are.”

Jaxson locked gazes with his brother. “I know because she’s carrying my magic in her blood, Jace. I can
feel
her love for me.”

His eyebrows flew up.
“What?”

But instead of replying, Jaxson swept his gaze back to the others. “I’m stepping down as your alpha.” He raised a hand toward them. “I release you from your pledges.” He dropped his hand. “I always knew this day would come. I fully understand why you wouldn’t want an alpha who has mated with a witch, but trust me when I tell you, she hasn’t cursed me. She hasn’t thrown a love spell over me.” He turned to her with love in his eyes. “She’s the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m not letting her go.”

The shifters looked uncomfortably at one another, but they were keeping quiet.

Jace lurched forward again, reaching Jaxson and gripping his shoulder hard.
“Think
about what you’re doing here,” he said quietly, but his face was aghast.

“I know exactly what I’m doing, Jace.” Jaxson’s voice was calm.

“How can you be sure she hasn’t—” Jace was cut off by Jared looming behind him.

“A man knows when he’s been cursed.” Jared’s gruff voice carried over the suddenly quiet crowd. “And he knows when he’s found his mate.” He edged around Jace to face Olivia. Jared was a mountain of a man, even larger than Jaxson, and Olivia was proud she didn’t cower under his intense gaze.

He smiled a little for her, but his booming words were for Jace and the rest of the crowd. “Any woman who saves a brother of mine, much less wins his heart, is a sister to me.” Then he reached his muscular arms around her and swept her into a hug.

Olivia had stayed quiet through all of Jaxson’s speech, but a squeak escaped her as she was squeezed between Jared’s massive, rock-hard chest and his bands-of-iron arms. He released her quickly, but the bashful smile on his face warmed her heart and pushed tears up to her eyes.

She didn’t know what to say, but she was spared having to figure it out by the shifters in the crowd. One by one, they were
changing…
they were shifting to their wolf forms and bowing their heads to the floor, tails tucked behind.

Jaxson stood, watching them, his mouth open.

“What’s happening?” Olivia whispered to Jared, who was nodding his approval at them.

“They’re submitting to him,” he said, like he expected this all along. “Renewing their pledge to him as their alpha.”

They are? 
Olivia watched in amazement as every single wolf in the room, even the Wildings in the corner, shifted and fell into the submission pose. Then Jared and his mother shifted as well. Only Jace and Jaxson were left standing in human form next to Olivia.

“It’s all right, Jace,” Jaxson said with a small smile. “You’ll always be my brother, pledge or no.”

Jace’s face was a picture of torment. “I wish you had told me,” he said, voice rough. “I’m your
brother.
I could have helped you carry that burden.”

Jaxson reached for him with both hands, holding tight onto his shoulders. “Jace, you had enough burdens of your own. You didn’t need to carry mine.”

Jace’s expression twisted further, like he was trying to hold some emotion inside, then he grabbed Jaxson into a fierce hug. Jaxson held onto him just as hard. When they broke apart, Jace held his brother’s gaze for a long moment… then he knelt at his brother’s feet and bowed his head. But he stayed in his human form.

Olivia wasn’t sure what that meant—but at least he wasn’t objecting anymore.

Jaxson quickly shifted to his wolf form, like the others, only he stood tall, ears perked, tail held high. His shiny black fur bristled out like a wave of static electricity had charged it. And then the strangest thing happened…
Olivia felt it too.
An echo of the magic that was charging Jaxson’s wolf form swept through her, head to toe, and back again. It warmed every part of her, lifted her, made her feel…
loved.
 Like she belonged.
At home.

It was the most amazing, wondrous feeling, she couldn’t keep the tears from coursing down her face.

Then one of the wolves yipped, and in one flow of fur and movement, they charged out of the great room, brushing against Olivia and Jaxson, still in his wolf form, as they went. While they cleared out, Jace rose from his spot in front of Jaxson and turned to Olivia.

“Of the three brothers,” Jace said, his voice still rough with emotion, “you healed the one who deserved it the most.” He swallowed, then added quietly. “Thank you for that.”

Olivia smiled through her tears but didn’t trust herself to say anything.

Jace ducked his head and loped out the front door, after the rest of his pack.

By the time she looked back to Jaxson, he had shifted to human form… only he was crouched on the floor, searching through the pile of clothes he left behind when he shifted.

He was truly a gorgeous man. Shifter enhanced muscles rippled over every inch of his body. It was marked with all the scars of the battles he’d endured… and she looked forward to exploring each and every one with her fingers and her kiss. Somehow the impossible had happened—she had embraced her witching side, she had gorgeous man who wanted her, and most miraculous of all, she had been accepted into a brand new, boisterous family of some of the finest people she’d ever known.

Jaxson finally stopped fussing with his clothes and stood up before her, completely naked. Olivia let her gaze travel the length of his ridiculously hot body. From the tattoo across his chest—
omni tempore,
all the time—down to his growing erection. Which just made her mouth water with anticipation.

She forced herself to drag her eyes up to meet his. “Please tell me you’re dragging me off to the bridal suite.” Her body was still radiating magical warmth from the bonding he performed with his pack, but just looking at Jaxson’s sexy body was enough to heat every part of her.

He smirked. “Oh yes, Miss Lilyfield. But first, I have a question for you.”

“Whatever it is, the answer is
yes, please God, yes.”

He laughed, and that smile on his face was worth everything in the world to her. It
mattered
in a way nothing else ever had.

“You might want to hear the question first.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Details.”

The smile was broad on his face as he stepped closer. Then he dropped to one knee and produced something shiny and small from behind his back. It took her a moment to realize it was a ring—silver twisted into the shape of claws holding a deep blue sapphire.

Her eyes went wide.
Was he—

“Olivia Lilyfield, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

She gasped. Her hands flew to cover her mouth. They trembled against her face. She was already bound by magic to him. He had already made her his mate. But for some reason, lost in all the extraordinary magic, she never expected this simple,
human
magic to ever be hers.

A lump the size of a baseball was stuck in her throat.

His grin was mischievous and loving and everything
Jaxson.
“You
promised
to say yes.”

Her hands flew away from her face.
“Yes!”
Then she threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him and shedding her tears across his skin.

He held her for a moment, then gently pulled her away and slipped the ring on her finger. “Now,” he said with a wicked sexy grin, “I’ll try to work on that
yes, please God, yes
part.”

Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her away toward the bridal suite. It seemed impossible, but Jaxson River wanted to love her senseless for the rest of her life. And 
this brave and beautiful man never stopped
 until he got what he wanted. She could hardly believe that thing was
her...
b
ut she would do everything in her power to keep that smile on his face forever.

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