57 - ra


    "Make sure you give him a big hug and tell him how much you missed him while you were away," Jax teased as we stepped back into the packhouse. For the first time in weeks, I felt thoroughly exhausted—but in the best way possible. Jax had clearly understood exactly what I needed, and he hadn''t held back. Dev was out on patrol with Owen, one of the male witches in the coven, so it was just Jax and me for now. Even though I felt good, I wasn''t about to let him get away with mocking me. I swung my arm back toward his face, more yful than angry, but if he didn''t zip it, we might have another round.


    "You want more of this, baby Alpha?" he taunted, skipping ahead down the hallway toward our wing. A few coven members were scattered about, but I wasn''t in the mood for an audience, and Jax seriously needed to learn when to keep quiet.


    "I''m not sure you could handle any more, Delta. You already look like you got dragged through a mud puddle. Your mate''s going to be disappointed," I shot back.


    "He''ll only be mad because he didn''t get to join in," Jax said with a grin. "Next time, you should fill me in on your full ns. Maybe we could do a double date night." Then,ughing, he darted away from me again. “You know we wouldn''t mind sharing your big broody beefcake." This time, he took off at full speed, and I chased him down the hall.


    I only slowed when I realized he''d opened my door—and I didn''t need to look inside to know Ben was there. His scent was strong and soothing, calming my nerves instantly. If I pushed Jax any further, he''d embarrass me in front of Ben. I growled quietly, torn between putting Jax in his ce and risking Ben waking up, or letting Ben rest peacefully, unaware of thest two hours I''d spent talking about him nonstop.


    In the end, I decided it was better to let Jax gloat for winning this round than risk him knowing how deeply I felt for my mate-feelings I wasn''t ready to admit out loud. Thank the Goddess Ben was asleep when I entered; it spared me from another awkward conversation where I might have said something needy or ridiculous. As I headed to the bathroom for a shower, I noticed his packed bags nearby. My wolf stirred restlessly, wondering aloud if Ben would wake us up before he left early in the morning.


    My dreams were chaotic and fragmented. I only knew they were dreams because my mother appeared beside me, offering advice about the whole magic, witch, and dying teen situation. My emotions were a whirlwind my heart pounding with panic, then settling into calm relief, then ring with anger, and finally drowning in sorrow. Just as I feared I wouldn''t wake from the dark nightmare, a warm sensation began at my toes, licking upward, wrapping around my arms and finally enveloping my head. My lungs drew in a long, needed breath as I shot upright, eyes wide and scanning the room in confusion for a brief moment.


    "You were whimpering. Are you okay?" That deep baritone voice sent another wave of warmth through me.


    “Uh... yeah... just worried about the kids here," I blurted, scrambling for an excuse. "It always has my wolf and me dreaming of the worst-case scenarios." I rubbed my face, avoiding his gaze—the one person who somehow managed to quiet the panicked thoughts that I was failing at my job. "When are you guys leaving?" I shifted, trying to sound casual as I moved to get out of bed and get dressed. Truthfully, I just wanted to hear his voice before he disappeared for who knew how long. I hated how much I felt the pull of my mate, but I couldn''t deny it any longer. I wanted to solve this witch and rogue problem so I could finally have time to really get to know Ben, without all this chaos in the way.


    "I''m meeting Sebastian, Richard, Owen, and Damon for breakfast downstairs... if you want to join us and hear the n," he said, his feet shuffling as I pulled a shirt over my head. Somehow, changing clothes mid-conversation had be afortable, if strange, habit between us—probably the least awkward thing we did together right now. We exchanged quick summaries of our ns as we got ready, then prepared to go our separate ways.


    "Yeah, I probably should know what you''re nning, just in case Junior needs information, or..." I let the sentence trail off, unwilling to voice the worst possibility. Just in case something goes wrong, we''ll know where to look.