Chapter 19

**Jaxson**

My training didn’t go as planned. I got angry all right, but I didn’t exactly contain my wolf. My father had to call down Lana to calm me. I was so afraid when she reached through the bars I would hurt her. Surprisingly, I didn’t. If anything, her touch calmed the beast in me.
I laid my head down and closed my eyes. The door opened and I rested my chin on my hands. My father stood there rubbing the back of his neck. “So I called my witch, but she can’t be here for a few days.”
“That’s fine.” I was about to say something else, but Cole busted through my door. “Jaxson, you’ve got to come quick. The border.”
I ran outside following Cole, with my father following behind me. The trees went by in a blur as I ran to the edge, and came to a halt when I smelled the stench of rotting flesh. I inched closer and saw her lifeless body. I pushed her matted blonde hair away from her face, and that’s when I saw it. There were two puncture holes in her neck. Her clothes had been torn; stained with her blood.
I studied her face, and I immediately recognized her. She was one of the maids in our pack that disappeared without a trace. She always kept to herself and was shy. I never had any problems with her. Her father was my father’s beta. I can’t remember her name. It’s right on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t get it out.
I don’t understand.
We haven’t had a vampire problem in years.
Why now?
“Oh shit.” I heard my father’s hushed whisper.
“What is it?”
“This is James’ daughter. This is going to tear him apart.”
“You take the body and take her to the infirmary,” I commanded them, and looked to my father as he braced himself against the tree. He knew he was going to have to tell James the bad news.
“But why the infirmary? She’s already…”
“Don’t ask questions, just fucking do it!”
I was already angry about Lorenzo texting my sister, and now this. I watched as one of my men carefully picked up the limp woman, and carried her to the back of the house. I had to make sure that James doesn’t see him take her inside. James was going to be torn up.
She grew up with us since we were kids. Natalia was always good friends with her. Everyone liked her. Her mother left them when she cheated on James with his brother. I remember how he was so broken for years then one day he changed.
He vowed to never love again and that’s why he only messes around with the pack sluts. Of course, the women always hope that he’ll claim them. He never does and never will. His little girl was his whole life and now she’s gone.
My father and I stood at the front of James in my office. He furrowed his eyebrows, squinting his eyes. “James you should sit.”
I knew this was going to be bad.
“We have some bad news. Do you know where your daughter ran off to?” My father hesitated before taking a step forward.
“She said she found her mate. I don’t understand.” He had no idea that his only daughter was gone.
“We found a body at the territory border, and we have reason to believe it’s your daughter.” I softly spoke cautiously, careful not to upset him too much.
“No,” His knees buckled, and he fell to his knees. “It’s not true! Please tell me she’s not the one you found.”
He struggled to find his voice as he clenched his fists pounding them on the floor. My father and I looked away not wanting to see the pain he was going through. Feeling his pain was hard enough.
“James.” I wished there was something we could do. “We need you to identify her to make sure it’s her.”
“Okay.” He pulled himself to his feet. I could smell the anxiety radiating off him as we neared the infirmary. I opened the door and smelled the rotting flesh as we walked through the door.
I stood there and grabbed the edge of the sheet. I slowly pulled it down revealing her pale face and he cupped her cheeks kissing her forehead. Tears poured out and fell on her as he cried for the only thing he had left to love in his life.
He convulsed as he ran his hands through her hair. He was starting to lose it little by little.
“No! You’ll be okay.” He shook her lifeless body. “Wake up, sweetheart!”
His golden eyes glowered and his body shook. “Open your fucking eyes!”
Her limp body shook as he tried to make her wake up.
He was in denial that she was dead, and I knew what we were going to have to do. We were going to have to sedate him or he was going to lose it and possibly shift in here. I don’t want him shifting and then going on a rampage with women and children under this roof. If he was going to shift, he needed to do that outside.
“James, go shift.” He looked up and shook his head.
“I can’t leave her! She can’t leave me!” He looked up with red-rimmed eyes and shook harder and lowered his gaze to her.
I cocked my head to the side and glanced at my father. He nodded his head to me and I looked up to Cole nodding for him to inject him. He needed rest right now. It was too much for him. My father and I stood on each side of him. We were getting ready for Cole to do what he was commanded to do.
I watched as he punctured his neck, and I apologized to him as his body leaned on my father feeling dizzy and disoriented. I grabbed his arm and put it around my shoulder, as did my father with the other one. “I’m sorry James.”
My father struggled up the stairs and finally made it to the top dragging him to my office. I kicked the door open and walked towards the sofa gently laying him down. I didn’t want to have to sedate him, but I feared he might do something to bring harm to himself.
I walked to my desk and sat down holding my head in my hands. It just doesn’t make any sense. Why would vampires attack and why now? My head was pounding and I tried to think about why this would happen. The more I thought about it made the pounding worse.
“Jaxson.” My father’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“What?” I gritted out through my teeth.
“There hasn’t been a vampire around here for years.” He stood next to the sofa looking at his beta.
“What are you trying to say?” I’m confused about why he would say that.
“I don’t think this was a vampire.” My head snapped up to meet his face.
“Vampires aren’t the only ones with sharp teeth,” I whispered to myself.
I knew when I said that who was responsible for this. He staged this whole thing, but why? I rubbed my temples and my father put both his hands on my shoulders slightly squeezing.
“Son, go rest. You can’t figure anything out when you're exhausted. I’ll work on this with Cole and you can go to see your mate.”
I nodded knowing if anyone could ease my head it would be Lana. I walked upstairs and stepped in to look at Lana reading to Gabriel. My heart warmed at the sight of her holding my son. She’s also carrying your child you fool. I heard my wolf purr giddy with excitement. She looked down at him and he had fallen asleep in her arms. She looked up at me and closed the book. I took the book from her and placed it on the nightstand.
She rose and placed him in his bed gently covering him up. I brought her back to my chest and wrapped my arms around her waist. I found comfort in her as I smelled her scent.
My throbbing headache subsided as I kissed her neck.
“Jaxson. Not here.” She moaned, melting under my touch.
She twisted around wrapping her arms around my neck. She looked at me worriedly as she studied my face. “What’s happened?”
“My father’s beta, we found his daughter at the border. Dead.”
“Oh my god.” She traced my arm as she kissed my lips. “You need to unwind baby?”
I walked back to the bed leading her, and fall back on the bed pulling her on top of me. I know my father told me I needed to rest, but I couldn’t sleep if my life depended on it. There’s only one thing that would relax me. Her sweet lips on mine. I needed her to relax me with that sweet pussy.