Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-Two

**Annie**

I still need to figure out what the hell happened to Alex, and I need to know what the hell is going on, I manage to squeeze myself between Alpha Jaxson and the doorway to get to Alex, I need to ask her a couple questions and nobody and I mean nobody is going to keep me from my bestie.

“Alex, are you okay? What the hell happened? How in the hell did you end up in that closet?”

She is staring at him like she is lost in thought. A couple minutes have gone by, and She still hasn’t answered my original question. With Alex and the Alpha just staring at each other it takes me a moment to gather why she hasn’t answered me yet. Even though I heard him call her mate, I thought she would have picked up on it by now, but I guess she is having a hard time grasping the concept that she has been given a second chance. I need to bring her back to the here and now.

“ALEX! Hello? What the hell girl? Why were you locked in that closet?”

She finally shakes her head and looks at me and gives me the best answer she can come up with. When she finally opens her mouth to tell me what happened and after I hear what she has to say, it makes me want to go and hunt down that stupid Jackie and her gaggle of friends and beat the ever living shit out of them. I know Jackie had something to do with this.

“I'm not sure Annie, I went to the bathroom like I told you I was doing and when I came out, I heard someone walking behind me, I didn’t think anything about it, because we are at a party, but before I could turn around to see who it was, they clocked me on the back of my head with something and I woke up in the closet.”

That makes sense as to why she was in there, but why she couldn’t open the door herself unless they injected her with wolfbane or something. But before I could ask her about it, I hear a growl behind me and when I look to see which handsome man it came from, I realize it was the Alpha, he has yet to say anything to Alex, I guess that is what meeting your mate can do to some people when they first meet.

My excitement has returned full force and I can’t help myself; when my squeal comes out everyone turns to look at me and I just shrug my shoulders and put my focus back on Alex. During all this Alpha Jaxson has yet to take his eyes off Alex, even my squeal didn’t deter his vision from Alex. She is his mate, and she hasn’t figured it out yet. I can’t wait to see her reaction when she figures it out. I’m hoping it will be very soon.

“Alex! Girl, I told you!”

She finally breaks eye contact with him again and looks at me like she doesn’t know what to do. I know what she is about to say but before I can get a word out, she is already telling me she doesn’t believe it. I need to get this girl to believe me. I know second chance mates are few and far between, but I believe Alpha Jaxson could be her second chance at a true mate and he could show her how a true mate is supposed to love us and treat us the way we should be treated.

“Annie, please. Not now. I can’t handle this right now, it can’t be true. You know that sort of thing doesn’t happen.”

I give her a nod to show her that it’s okay, but. I refuse to let her believe that she doesn’t deserve a second chance. She deserves so much; she has worked so hard, and she is one of the sweetest most kindhearted people in the world and she deserves to find someone to love her and show her how a true mate is supposed to treat us.

“I knew it was possible, and you will soon believe it too, but that’s okay we will talk about everything later.”

I walk up to her, and I give her the biggest hug I can manage, and I hear a growl behind me again and when I turn to look at who it came from, the Alpha has a slight blush to his cheeks, and I can’t help but chuckle and roll my eyes. Alex needs to figure this out and quickly, if she doesn’t, she is going to have one angry Alpha on her hands.

After I step away from Alex, John looks to the Alpha.

“Jax, you got this. My little mate and I are going to head back to the party, feel free to mind-link me if you need anything.”

Then The Alpha gives John a slight nod without looking away from Alex, He still yet to look anywhere else but at Alex, it’s like he is afraid to take his eyes off her and that if he does, she will disappear or something. John reaches for my hand, and we turn to head back down the hall towards the party.

John and I make our way back to the party for some dancing and chatting and when we make it to the dance floor, I feel his hands wrap around me and he pulls me close and gives me the sweetest smile.

“So, my little mate, I know I should have asked you this before, but how old are you exactly? I know you have to be at least eighteen because you’re here tonight.”

“Well, I just turned eighteen a few months ago. I am going to be graduating with Alex, this year and we were going to go away to college together somewhere, but now that we both found our mates, I think things might change just a little bit.”

I can’t but blush when he looks at the way he is right now. I can feel the sparks along my spine as his fingers trail up and down the open back of my dress and I will admit that I like that feeling. It makes me want to take him back to his room in the pack house and complete the mating and marking. But I need to pace myself and make sure he is who is claims to be. I want to make sure that he is going to treat me the way I deserve to be treated. I refuse to go through what Alex went through just a few days ago.

“Why don’t we go somewhere a little more private and we can talk and get to know each other a little better.”

I can’t help but feel comfortable enough around him to want to take this next step with him and after all the talking we have done do far and the more I get to know him tonight. If he can prove to me, he is what I want him to be then maybe. I can find myself being his completely by the end of tonight.

“Of course, we can my little mate. Let’s go up to my room and we can hang out and talk and get to know each other a little better.”

He gently grasps my hand to guide me from the ball room to another part of the packhouse and when we make it back to the packhouse and he guides me up the stairs to his room and when we make it to his room, he can’t seem to keep his hands off me and I can’t deny that I don’t hate the feeling.

He steps close to me and presses me against the wall and put his nose to my marking spot and inhales deeply.

“I want to kiss you so bad right now, but I’m afraid it would be too soon for you.”

I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves but. I know he can hear my heart racing and he can feel my nerves going haywire.

“You can kiss me if you want to John. I wouldn’t mind at all.”

He then pulls way to look into my eyes to see if he sees any doubt at my words and I know he won’t find any. When his lips touch mine, the sparks and the feel of his lips on mine is the best feeling I think I have ever felt in my life. I hope this never ends.

When he pulls away to catch our breath and to calm down from the heated kisses.

“We need to take it slow right now. I want to actually talk and get to know you before we move to fast.”

He is really showing me how life could be, and my wolf keeps telling me to go faster and to just complete the mating and marking. I know I can trust her, but for my sanity I need to wait a little longer.

“I agree.”

So, we walk over to the sofa he has in his room along the wall and get comfortable and we talk about everything. We talk about what we want our future to be like, what our favorite foods are and what our ambitions are and what we would like to have out of life.

I still can’t believe we found them. My girl found hers. I found mine. We both found ours on the same night and they belong to the same pack! I can’t believe this. I look up to the ceiling like I’m praying to the moon goddess herself.

Thank you, Selene.