Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen
THE CALM BEFORE WAR

JAX’S POV

The world feels different when I’m near her. That haze of blood and violence, the one that had been clinging to me like a second skin ever since Flynn poisoned me with Servinium fades, like morning fog under the sun. That's exactly how it disappeared. 

When Gabriella's scent hit me, everything cleared. The beast in my chest? Its voice quieted, the wild thoughts in my head reduced down on its noise and for the first time in what felt like forever, I could breathe. Not smoke and ash or blood, but normal air.

But seeing her crumpled on the cold floor, motionless and pale, stripped me bare, my heart thumping in fear as I saw her right there. 

I sat there, holding her tight against me, my body already frozen. My hands, which were usually steady and strong, trembled like a leaf against her cheek. She felt small in my arms, too small and too still. Her heartbeat was weak and sluggish. It barely reached my ears that were as sharp as that of a rabbit's. The only sound that filled the room was the sharp, shallow rasp of my own breathing.

“Come back to me, baby,” I whispered, my voice coming out cracked and shaky.  “Please.”

The door burst open and the sound of Benson’s boots sounded heavy against the floor. He skidded to a stop beside me, the panic on his face raw and unguarded. “The healer’s on his way,” he said breathlessly.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My entire world lay in my lap, and she was unconscious.

Victor, the healer, arrived within minutes, dropping his worn leather bag by her side. He didn’t waste time on words. His hands were swift, precise and then he started checking her pulse, her breathing, her eyes. I clung to every subtle movement, trying to read the answers before he even spoke.

“She’s alive,” Victor finally muttered. “But barely. She’s very weak, Alpha.”

My chest tightened, but before I could ask more, his hands paused on her lower abdomen. His expression shifted  just slightly but it was enough for me to notice. His lips parted like he meant to speak, but then he hesitated.

“What is it?” I snapped, my voice sounding sharper than I intended.

Victor met my eyes, his mouth tightening. “She’s pregnant.”

The words landed like a punch. My mind stalled. Pregnant.

My gaze dropped to her, my fingers grazing her stomach, the reality of it wrapping around me. I knew she had been pregnant, but hearing it again from the healer made it feel like I was hearing it for the first time again and all I felt was relief. Relief that it was mine. I didn’t need to ask. I already knew. She’s mine. This pup is mine. I had fucked the baby into her belly. 

Before I could question him, Benson shifted behind me. The scent of nerves practically rolled off him, thick and sour. I could practically smell the nervousness from him. 

“What’s going on?” I asked him but my eyes were still locked on Gabriella, but my words were aimed at him.

Silence stretched between us. It was thick and awkward. He didn't want to speak. Something was wrong.  I finally turned to look at him, and his face was pale, mouth pressed in a tight line.

“Out with it, Benson,” I ordered.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “There was an attack on the pack two nights ago.”

I froze. An attack.

He kept going, his voice low, strained. “I didn’t tell you sooner. You were... out of it. The Servinium made you... I didn’t want to burden you when you couldn’t… when you weren't—”

“How bad is it?” I cut him off, my voice sharp and a low growl. 

“Three patrol wolves are dead. Rogues crossed the border and we couldn’t track them. They vanished into the forest before reinforcements arrived. I thought I had it under control, I wanted to deal with this since you weren't yourself, but I couldn't.” He lowered his eyes. 

The weight of the information settled in my chest and it was thick and it felt like it was suffocating me. Rage rose from around me and inside me but it wasn’t the kind that blurred my vision. No. This one was sharp, and controlled. It wasn't like the Servinium where I couldn't even control it. No. This was my anger. Me. 

“Get the warriors ready,” I said, standing slowly, carefully laying Gabriella back against the cushions. “At first light, we hit them back. No more waiting. If they want war, I’ll give them one.”

Benson nodded stiffly, but I could see the worry still lingering in his eyes. I knew he wanted to argue, to remind me I wasn’t healed. That the Servinium still owned part of me. 

I could practically read him and hear his thoughts. 

But before he could or before I could tell him off, a soft sound from behind me pulled me back, making me turn. 

“No,” a fragile thin voice whispered.

Gabriella.

I rushed towards her and dropped to my knees beside her as her eyes fluttered open. It was unfocused and dazed but full of life. She reached weakly for me, and I caught her hand, holding it tight.

“You can’t. You can't just go to war,” she whispered, her voice barely coming out but as a breath. “Not like this.”

“Gabriella, please don’t—”

She shook her head, weak but her eyes were determined. “You’re still poisoned. You’ll lose yourself out there. Don’t lead them to war, Jax. Not now,  You're not ready.”

Her words hit me harder than any punch. She was right. She always was. My chest ached with the weight of it. It was the truth, the fear and the realization that I wasn’t just fighting for the pack anymore. I was fighting for her. For the life growing inside her.

“Please, don't get hurt for the baby and us…” she stuttered, coughing weakly. 

“I can't—” 

“I'll go.”