Chapter 25

Charlotte walked into the kitchen to start dinner. She needed to see if anyone had laid anything out to cook. Going to the fridge, she looked to see what was available. Just as she suspected, no one had thought to set anything out to thaw. As she was looking, strong, muscular arms came around her waist.

"Looking for something?"

"Yes. I'm trying to figure out something for dinner. The leftovers have taken a hit and none of us thought to lay anything out to cook tonight." Turning in his arms, she reached up to kiss him, then said, "How about breakfast for dinner? Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, sliced tomatoes....?"

"Sounds good. I'm fine with that, Just know that you will be cooking a lot of pancakes. Figure at least five or more for each person."

Just then Amber and Rio came strolling into the kitchen. Behind them were their parents, Jaxson telling them about Charlotte's idea for dinner.

"What about hashbrown casserole, and if you want we can do a breakfast casserole with ham, cheese and tomatoes, as well?" Miney suggested.

"Would you make that, Momma Miney?" Charlotte asked, hopeful.

"I sure will. Anders and the boys happen to love that casserole too." At the affirmative sounds, Miney smiled. "See, no problem, at all."

The three women got together in the kitchen and began setting everything out to prepare dinner. Charlotte prided herself on her ability to cook. Most everything she made was from scratch. She mixed the ingredients for the pancakes and set them aside. Amber began to crack eggs and whisk them together. Then she moved on to chopping the ham, while Charlotte grated the cheese. Miney greased the pan and preheated the oven while Charlotte turned on the flat top part of the large stove. She was thankful once again that when Jaxson had remodeled the kitchen, he had chosen the range. It was a six burner cooktop with a large griddle/flat top portion. The oven had two large comparts and even had a convection setting.

Just looking around she felt the pride that her mate in selecting the top of the line appliances for his future mate, to make her life easier. She knew without a doubt thought, that if had just been them, he would be in here with her. Helping her, cooking with her. Sharing the act of preparing meals. Showing her that he could take care of her like a mate should.

But they had guests and family to feed. She honestly didn't mind. But she didn't want to be in a house full of people when she and Jaxson did the deed.

Charlotte blushed fiercely at the thought. Hearing someone chuckle, she lifted her head and looked. Amber and Momma Miney were watching her.

Amber spoke up first. "You are not alone in that Charlotte."

Charlotte, horrified, realized that she had spoken out loud. Putting her hand up to her mouth, she looked from one woman to the other, then she looked around the room to make sure they were still alone.

"Oh god! I cannot believe that I did that. Thank god no one else but you two heard that."

Smiling like she couldn't stop, Miney walked over to Charlotte and took both of her hands in hers and said, "Don't you worry. When the time comes, you two will be completely alone. As will you Amber. You and Rio will also be completely alone. No one wants to hear that. Shifters tend to announce their mating. Quite loudly." Miney smiled and turned back to finishing up the casserole.

Charlotte decided that she needed something to take her mind off of mating with Jaxson.

"If no one cares, I'll be in the barn with Old John."

She didn't wait for an answer and hurriedly left the room.

Jaxson watched his mate practically run out of the house. Without meaning to, he had overheard his mom talking to Charlotte. As she ran by the scent of her arousal was strong and sweet. Now he understood why his bear came forward. She smelled delectable. He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into her throat and claim her. Knowing that she had never been with anyone and that she was saving herself for her husband turned him hard as granite.

Standing in the doorway of his and Charlotte's room. he decided to follow her. Stepping out, he looked toward the kitchen where Amber and his mother were talking while preparing dinner for everyone.

Quietly, he stepped out of the house and followed Charlotte's footsteps. They led exactly to where she said she would be. There she was, leaning against Old John's stall door, petting him. The horse was so tall and Charlotte was not. It was a sight to see. The horse bent his neck as if he knew that the little human female couldn't reach the best places to scratch and pet.

Watching, Jaxson studied his little mate. Some would call her tiny compared to him, and he supposed that she was. But, when it came to heart, she was stronger than most. She had lived through something that should have killed her. The wounds were not bad, but the blood loss was terrible. When he found her, he had simply prayed that she lived. Now, he prayed that she would love him the way he loved her.

He hadn't really had a chance to ask her. There had been just too much going on to court her. He remembered his dad telling him and Rio that a mate was not a guarantee. They would need to earn the love and affection of their mate. Not to expect her to automatically give it to them. Jaxson had taken it in and was remembering that day.

Looking over at his mate, she was everything that he didn't know that he had wanted. And he was very glad that his brother dumped her on their property for him to find. Watching her, he realized that he didn't really know much about her. Her first crush, her first date, his bear growled at that one, her first heartbreak, her favorite movie, foods and color. There was so much that he wanted to know. Then, he relaxed and smiled to himself, realizing that they had a lifetime to get to know each other.

Pushing himself off of the wall where he was leaning, he walked over to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. But, she turned her head and met his lips with her own. She turned in his arms and raised hers to his shoulders, then under his arms and around his back. Picking her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist as the kiss deepened, causing her to moan into his mouth.

Jaxson felt his control splinter. Taking one or two steps, he walked her to the stable wall and held her there, rubbing up against her. Letting her feel exactly what she did to him.

Charlotte was driving him crazy. The heat pouring from her body was bad enough, but the sweet little sounds that she made almost sent him over the edge. Her moans were becoming more and more frantic and then he realized what was happening. Jaxson thought he would lose it right there. But he held on for her. To give her what she needed.

When she finally let go, her cry was caught in his mouth.

Straightening, he looked down at her. She was sleepy looking and her face was flushed and her eyes were glazed.

"Oh, Jaxson! I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened. I didn't mean for it to. And you, you're ..you're, well you didn't get anything." Charlotte turned even redder, if that was possible.

"I wouldn't say that. I loved watching that happen to you." Leaning down, he rested his forehead against hers. "It gives me something to look forward to."

Old John chose that moment to stick his head out of his stall and snort at them. Then he lipped Charlotte's hair. When they stepped away from his stall he bobbed his head like he was nodding.

Jaxson smiled. "Do you approve old man?" The horse just bobbed his head even more.

Jaxson and Charlotte walked out of the barn hand in hand and went into the house.

Jaxson, Rio and Anders sat next to their mates. Jaxson, as Alpha, sat at the head of the table and as the Alpha female, Charlotte sat next to him, on his right. As the Beta, Rio sat on his left then his mate, his dad at the other end of the table with his mate Miney on his right. Jaxson's five military buddies sat around the table.

"This looks so good ladies. I cannot wait to try it. Ms. Miney, I haven't had this much home cooking in a long time." Hunter said. "You ladies are incredible. I hope I can find a girl like that soon."

Jaxson smiled and said, "There's a couple of younger girls in town. One works at the diner, the other I think works in Henry's office. That one is a cheetah shifter."

Rio grinned at the man.

"You better be ready if you let her get a hold of you. You might not make it through the night."

Everyone was looking from one man to the other.

Eagle broke the silence as he said, "He means Hunter that with her aggressive nature, she might..well her aggressive nature would carry over into the bedroom."

"The girl at the diner? She's kind of young. 19 maybe 20. She lives with her dad out on the other side of town." Jaxson said.

"Huh, well, I'll have to see. Neither one of them might be my type." Hunter said.

Everyone quieted down and ate. When dinner was finished, it was late.

Charlotte yawned so hard that she thought she would unhinge her jaw. Jaxson led her to their room and put her to bed for the night.

Pulling out his phone, he called Henry.

"Sorry it's so late."

"Is everything okay? Is anything wrong with Charlotte?"

"No, she's fine. But I was going to ask you if you can come check her out. It's been a few days and I would really like to know that there won't be any aftereffects of what she went through"

"Sure, I can be up there tomorrow. What's a good time for you?"

Jaxson and Henry set a time and Henry said he would be here

Going back into the house, he said goodnight to his family and joined his mate in bed.

Laying there in the dark, surrounded by her scent, he was pretty sure he wouldn't sleep. Not after the incident in the barn.

In his eyes, it was the most beautiful thing in the world to him to watch his mate come apart like that, realizing that this was her first. He had felt his chest swell with pride. He had caused that.

Laying there, just enjoying her presence, he felt himself drift off to sleep.

Light coming through the curtains woke him. He had slept later than he usually did. Looking at his phone it was after 10. He rarely slept past 8. But since Charlotte has been in the house he had aligned his body to her. When she slept, he slept. When she ate, he ate. Mates synced up their lives like that. His dad had told him that it was an unconscious thing that we did. He said that it made living with a mate easier.

Getting out of bed, he pulled on a pair of jeans and padded barefoot through the house to the kitchen.

Henry was there talking to Charlotte and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Morning Jaxson. We were waiting for you to wake."

Charlotte got up to fix him some coffee. When she handed it to him, she smiled and said, "We saved you some breakfast."

"I'm fine, Sweet Mate. let's go to our room and let Henry check you out. I want to make sure that you are well enough for anything that we may do..."

Henry noticed that Charlotte turned a deep shade of red.

"Don't worry, Jaxson. I'll give her a thorough examination. I want you comfortable with the idea that she is well and healthy." Walking into their bedroom, Charlotte was very uncomfortable with the two males.

Looking at Jaxson, she knew that he felt her nervousness.

Smiling at her, he motioned for Henry to turn around while Charlotte undressed down to her underwear.

He was beginning to regret all of the pretty matching sets with plenty of see-through lace and ribbons. He wanted to hand her a pair of his boxer briefs and one of his t-shirts. However, Henry was a doctor and his professionalism was above reproach. It was just his bear not wanting any male near his mate until they were mated and she was fully marked.

Jaxson alerted Henry that she was ready. Sitting on the side of their bed, trying her best not to look Henry or Jaxson in the eye.

"Alright, Charlotte. How have you been doing? Any dizziness or blurred vision? What about lingering pain or headaches? What about nightmares?"

"No to the first. Some to the second and third." She replied.

"Lingering pain or headaches?" Henry asked her while he checked her eyes.

"Headaches. They're fairly minor though. I'm beginning to think I

might need glasses."

"Okay, we can get you an eye exam with an eye doctor. What about the nightmares?" He asked.

"They aren't too bad, anymore. When I first woke up, every time I closed my eyes, I was sucked into one. Now, I'm pretty good. If I do have one, it's usually short and I don't remember it. Jaxson has woken me once, I think, and I went right back to sleep."

"We usually sleep through the night. There are the occasional 'bad dream,' but for the most part, she doesn't have too many. She sleeps pretty soundly." Henry nods his head, satisfied with Jaxson and Charlotte's answers.

"I need to look at your gunshot wounds." She nodded and lowered the towel she had covering her.

Henry took a close look at the entrance and exit portions of the wound. It had healed leaving a still pink scar that would eventually fade out to a white or silvery color. When he was finished, he asked her to stand so he could check the wound on her inner thigh. When he was finished, he stood and put his things away.

"Everything looks like it is healing well, Charlotte. You will have some scarring, but it will be minimal at best. I'll be in touch to schedule that eye exam. We don't have an eye doctor in town. You'll have to go down the mountain or to Knoxville."

"Either one is fine. I have to go to Knoxville soon anyway. It will be in about two weeks. That should be far enough in advance to get an appointment, Henry." Smiling, she looked up at him, and said, "Thank you for coming up here to check on me. I would have come into town. Either way would have been fine."