SWNOVELS Chapter As Soon as She is Strong Enough
Max’s POV
It was after two days that I became conscious again. The room smelt like salted caramel chocolate cake and her unmistakable scent had returned. Her back no longer had the dressings, and the IV was long gone. The cuts were healed and closed, leaving behind deep, ugly scars.
Scars inflicted by silver would faint within years but never leave our flesh. She would be marked for life. The little wolf had so many that it was hard to see her skin. But that was not the reason I could not accept her. I could accept and love all her physical imperfections, but I could never accept her weakness. I needed a strong mate, and she was not it.
The sparks on my chest were stronger than before. And I knew it was time to go. “Ares?” He smiled. “Welcome back, buddy. Our mate will be alright. She is much better now. ” I rolled my eyes at him. He was in a bubble of happiness. “Glad that you did not break her in the process. Now let’s go. The pack needs us, and we were away for too long.” He groaned in my head. “No.”
“I won’t ask again, Ares. If you behave, I might let you come back tonight. We need to go for a run.” He paused for a minute or two to think. “Fine. But why is our little wolf not in our room? That is our old bed. We haven’t slept here in so long that it doesn’t even smell like us anymore.”
Of course, I had to keep the real reason private. I would let Ares heal her and only have a conversation with him afterwards. “She will remain here, for now, Ares. Now stop stalling, and let’s get to work.” He breathed on her hair, taking all her scent in to calm him. “By the Goddess, she smells divine. Can’t wait to mate her.”
I rolled my eyes and took back control. I moved her to lie on the mattress. As soon as I got outside the pack house, I shifted to my wolf and met Terry and my Gamma Karl. Both were in wolf form, getting ready to run.
My Beta was surprised to see me there. I should be resting after spending much strength in healing the little wolf. But I never felt so great, and I was not tired at all. “Morning, Alpha.” Both said through the mindlink, and four warriors joined us in the run. They loved to run with their Alpha. I stopped at a lake to drink water and give them time to catch up. I noticed my speed had increased. The others were way behind.
“Look at them, Max. We need to improve the training. Those pups can’t even catch up with their Alpha anymore.” But I knew it was us that were going too fast and I told him. “No, Ares, we are way faster than before.”
Panting, the others joined us at the lake. “Alpha, you have way more energy this morning. Left us all struggling behind.” Karl mindlinked me. When I was about to respond, my ears perked up, and I saw five rogues running in our direction, ready to attack. Ares took control viciously, killing them alone even before my men could move. “What was that, Ares? I have never seen you fight like that before.”
“They could have invaded our pack house and attacked our mate. We need to protect her. Now, let’s hunt and bring back a nice steak for her lunch. I still have some energy left to burn. up” All the wolves were howling, impressed with their Alpha.
We went hunting, and Ares did not want help from the others. He wanted to provide a good steak for his mate alone. They helped me carry back the kill to the back entrance. The Omegas were there happily waiting to receive it and would be able to cook it in time for lunch.
Combining the trip to hell to the days healing the little wolf, I had been out for nearly a week. After having a shower and wearing my ready-to-impress three-piece suit, I went to my office to start my day. Terry was already waiting for me with a file. “What is it, Terry? I have so much work to catch up on. I hope you and Karl have actually done some work to help me while I was out.”
He had determination in his eyes. “I have your mate’s file. I have done a background check and spoke to her former pack members to get more information on her.” I groaned, and put the file inside the cabinet. Terry is stepping over the line now. “I didn’t ask you to do that, Terry. And she isn’t my mate. I haven’t accepted her. This pack doesn’t need a weakling being a hindrance to them.”
He ran his hands through his hair. “What are you saying, Max? Are you rejecting her?” I narrowed my eyes at his boldness. “As soon as she is strong enough, Terry.” He shook his head. I knew he was with Ares on it. We found his mate when we were sixteen.
We’re playing catch in wolf form outside the borders, near the motorway. The smell of blood was strong, and we followed it after hearing a crash. Terry sprinted ahead of me. He said her scent was what drove us there. He was lucky that it was before he marked her. His mate was human and was in a car accident, killing her and her family. There was nothing we could have done to help. He felt the pain and lay on the ground, whining. The depression would have taken his life. It took a while for him to recover.
“If, scratch that, when your mother finds out you rejected your other half, she will be disappointed in you, Max. Not to mention Ares. There is a reason the Moon Goddess chose her for you, and you are throwing away the most precious gift she could have given you.”
I was done with that conversation. I did not have time for lectures. In an Alpha tone, I said. “Beta Terry. You are to deliver three meals daily to her as soon as she wakes up. Ensure the doctor checks on her regularly until she is recovered. I want the room locked. Under no circumstances is she to leave that room. Please give her a steak from Ares’ kill today. He got it for her. Now leave. I have work to do, and so do you.”
With an unsatisfied face, he left the room, and I locked the cabinet with her file. I don’t need to know anything about her. When the time is right, I will check her surname and reject her.
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Julie’s POV
Slowly I opened my eyes, and it was bright. I was in a very soft bed. The last thing I remember was lying on this bed after climbing all the stairs in slow motion. “A, are you back?” I was scared to ask, but I needed to.
A smiley white wolf showed in my mind. “Hi, Jules. I met my mate, Ares, who helped me heal. He healed your back, too, and there isn’t silver inside us anymore. He is strong, Jules. Oh my!” She laid on her back, bouncing her legs.
“He said he would catch us lunch today. He’s a gentleman, already giving us gifts. He projected amazing images inside my mind of the beautiful land and many things to do. They have a school and a nursery inside the pack. The hospital is huge. We will do great there. As soon as I have my powers, we can show off. They will be impressed with their new Luna. I am sure we will be pretty happy here, girl.”
I was disappointed that I had already created all this hassle for my mate. “I wished I were awake to have shared those moments with you.” Wagging her tail, she said. “Oh, Jules, he held us. Can you smell his scent in the air? He left early this morning.” I giggled at her happiness and took a deep breath. “Yes. He smells good. ”
I was curious, Aphrodite always talked about powers, but I never knew what she could do. “A. Do you think you will have your powers now that we are away from uncle Michael? You never had much to help others, only me.” I felt the love rushing through my heart, instantly lifting my mood. I knew it came from her.
“Stop that, Jules. I have told you many times that we are destined to do great things, not Omegas. Things will improve for us both now that we have found our mate. Besides, I was glad I was never strong enough to use them in our old pack. If Michael found out what we could do, he would have used us to his advantage.”
I heard the door opening and held my breath. It revealed a handsome man with shining blue eyes in his forties. It was like the Omegas said, everybody was well-built and pretty here. With a calm smile, he approached. “Good Afternoon, Julie. I’m doctor Paul, helping the Alpha look after you. I will ensure you and your wolf are back on your feet in no time.”
I knew my mate had sent him, and he would have no reason to hurt me. Uncle Michael was the only one that had ever hurt me. I was not scared of doctor Paul, but I was sure it had to do with Aphrodite inside me. She always spread love when I was afraid. “Hello”
He gave me a reassuring smile. “I will check on your vitals now. You don’t need to be nervous. I would never hurt you.” He took blood samples, saying he would check if I were clean of silver. I was glad he did not ask any questions about my injuries. “Now. We must get the nutrition up. You need to help your wolf. Is she talking to you?”
“Yes. She told me the silver in our blood is gone.” He put the blood samples in the bag. “Excellent. I will run the tests just in case there might still be small traces. We need to be sure. Now tell me about your wolf. When did you get her, and when was your last shift.”
Again there was no point in lying. Doctor Paul would sense it and would have a wrong impression of me. I am soon to be his Luna. And my mother always said pack members respect their Lunas as much as their Alphas, and I had to be a perfect Luna and help my people. “She came after I turned sixteen, and I only shifted twice since. I was not allowed to shift.”
I looked at his face, and he made sure not to change his expression. I could not sense anything from him. I am still less than a weak Omega. At least now, I was not in pain. Was he judging me because my wolf came very late compared to anyone else? Poor Aphrodite was caged for so long inside me. I hoped I would recover soon to let her out to play with her mate. Doctor Paul wrote down everything and asked. “How old are you, Jules?
“I am eighteen.” He gave me a sad smile. “All right. Let’s make sure you are healthy to shift again. It will be like your first shift and take a lot of you. Even if you want to try, I don’t think it is a good idea. It is best if she stays put a little longer.”
Aphrodite gave a sarcastic laugh inside my mind. “Of course, he says that. It isn’t him that has been locked for two years inside you.” I gave her a sad smile. “A, you know we can’t shift.”
“I will check on you later. Lunch will be brought to you soon. Make sure to eat everything, Julie.” With a bright smile, doctor Paul left me alone.
I was wearing only panties under the blanket and saw a white dressing gown on the green sofa. It was so soft, softer than the one my mum had. I wore it and went to the window. The room was very spacious with a green theme and a big window.
I was high up from the ground. This pack house must be bigger than the one in Woodland. I could see many people and wolves running around. The pack was in total buzz. I smiled. I could not wait to explore.
As Aphrodite said, we are going to be pretty happy here.
Jules is awake and has no clue what her mate has in store for her. Aphrodite has already bonded with Ares and thinks everything is well. Please leave your comments below