4: Jayce

Getting the call to pick up Lily from therapy was a surprise he wasn't expecting. Neither was listening to her cry and yell on the other side while she argued with Dr. Marshall about contacting him. What bothered him the most was at the end, when she said she didn't want to anger him anymore. To be fair, he was pissed when she kneed him in the groin the other night, but he couldn't deny that he was at fault. He knew what she had been through, yet he crossed the line, anyway. Once he realized that the woman was his Mate, it took everything in him not to break down her bedroom door. He scented her arousal, just for a moment until it quickly disappeared, but it was enough to drive his Wolf insane.

Now here he was, pulling up to the doctor's office, ticked off that they pulled him from his work. But when he caught her scent, his annoyance dwindled instantly. Dr. Marshall was standing outside her office, her arms crossed as he approached her. Her brows knitted together with concern.

"I apologize for calling you, but this was pretty urgent." She looked away, looking uncomfortable, which was a rare sight to see.

"How bad is she?" He asked her, his eyes on the door behind her.

"I know this is against patient privacy, but..." The She-Wolf hesitated for a second, "But in her case, I believe you should know what's going on." She let out a breath. "He really fucked with her, Alpha. She was practically reliving it during the session. I've dealt with patients who were in toxic relationships, but from what she went through was a whole different level." She let out a sigh, combing her fingers through her hair. "She wasn't even done talking about it. I think she wants to open up, but the moment she does." Her hand covered her face. He'd never seen her so troubled before.

"I'll take it from here." He told her, but she didn't budge right away.

"Did something happen between you two? She seemed so desperate to not making you mad. I want to believe it's because of her trauma, but it feels like there is more to it." She said, finally looking up at him. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I just recently discovered that she's my Mate, and didn't exactly go about it properly." He said in a mere whisper. Dr. Marshall slowly nodded, stepping aside for him.

"In that case, tread carefully with her. She's a risk to herself and possibly to those around her. However, it is good to know that your playboy days are over." She said to him, sticking her hands in her pockets, and walked off. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him. "You should get her some food first. I don't think she's been eating." Before continuing her walk. He scoffed before entering the room. The magnificent scent of lilies erupted his senses as his eyes fell on Lily curled up on the couch, her knees tucked to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. She glanced up, her eyes tinted red from crying and swollen slightly. He felt the beast within him stir and whimper sadly.

"I'm here to take you home." He said bluntly, walking over to her, but she flinched. Her head dipped back into her arms. He hesitated, inclining his head before going over to the desk and leaned up against it, his arms folded across his chest.

"I can wait here until you're ready." He informed her. She sniffled in response. The ticking clock filled the silence between them. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, she lifted her head and met his gaze.

"I'm sorry for hurting you the other day." She whispered. He raised a brow at her, running his hand over his groin, remembering the pain for a second.

"Don't worry about it." He rose to his feet. "You ready?" He asked her. She sniffled again, rising to her feet, and adjusted her sleeves. He caught sight of her scars again, but he refrained from asking about them. If this whole Mate thing is real between them, he'll need to be patient. But patience wasn't one of his best qualities.

"Let's get you something to eat." He told her after he escorted her to the car. He noticed her eyes light up at his black Audi. She ran her fingers along the hood slowly. He watched her admire the vehicle for a moment before he opened the door for her. She hesitated, looking up at him.

"I'm not hungry, though." She told him until her stomach let out a loud growl. Her cheeks took on a shade of pink and her eyes dropped from his. He closed the door as she got in and climbed on the other side.

"Do you want anything in particular?" He asked her, but she went quiet again. He felt his fuse burning up quickly, but he quickly smothered it by letting out a breath. "It's okay. I'll cook up something when we get back to the house." He told her.

"You can cook?" She asked him. He turned out of the parking lot and drove up the road.

"I lived alone for a long time." He side eyed her. "You thought I had some personal chef or something?" He asked her. She shrugged, her eyes going out the window.

"I wouldn't have denied the idea didn't cross my mind." She told him. The driveway came up and as he pulled through, a familiar woman stood on his doorstep, her brunette hair in curls over her shoulder, wearing a tight fitting cream-colored dress and heels. Did he invite her over? His Wolf growled angrily at the sight of her. He glimpsed over at Lily, seeing her shrink back into her seat at the very sight of Chelsea.

"I wasn't expecting company." He told her as he parked the car in front of the door.

"It's okay. Go have dinner with your girlfriend." Lily said to him as she opened the door.

"Lily, she's not..." She shut the door to cut him off. He climbed out of the car as Lily went to go inside, but Chelsea stood in her way.

"What are you still doing here, Human?" Her lip curled into a snarl. Lily ignored her as she moved past her, but Chelsea grabbed her arm. "Look at me when I talk to you." She barked at her. Jayce towered behind Lily, his presence overpowering the authority Chelsea gave off. Lily glanced up at him in surprise.

"I believe the question here is, what are you doing here?" He returned the question to Chelsea with a snarl. She flinched, her eyes shifted away from him nervously.

"I wanted to have dinner with you." She tried to use her sweet voice on him, but her fear was too strong. He snarled again at her, making her jump and start descending the small stairs. She shot a glare back at Lily before storming away.

"Jayce, go have dinner with her. I can manage on my own." Lily said to him as he entered the house. He dropped his keys on the table next to the door, taking off his shoes and neatly put them away. Lily hesitated before following suit and tucked her shoes off to the side.

"I've already decided I was cooking for you tonight. Unless you want to starve another night, then quit complaining." He told her as he made his way toward the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder at her, her eyes on the floor and her arms wrapped around herself.

Idiot, this is something you wanted to avoid.

Jayce internally groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. He had never been accustomed to dealing with other people's timid behavior. With his pack along with all the other Wolves wrapped around his finger, yet here was a woman who was broken and he couldn't learn to control his sharp tongue. He went through the fridge, pulling out raw chicken breast, eggs and mozzarella cheese.

"What do you plan on making?" She asked him finally. He started setting up a saute pan, going through his cabinets for other ingredients.

"Chicken Parmesan." He told her. He heard her walk over to the sink and turn it on. When he peered over, she was putting up her hair. "What are you doing?"

"I want to help." She told him as she washed her hands.

"Do you not trust me?" He asked as a joke as she stepped up beside him, prepping the chicken as he started a pot.

"I'd rather help than risk getting Salmonella." She said to him. She gasped, covering her mouth almost instinctively, looking up at him. The fear in her eyes was undeniable. "I'm sorry, I didn't..." He let out a chuckle that slowly expanded into a laugh.

"I don't blame you." He chuckled at her, turning his attention back to the stove. When was the last time he laughed like that?

"Jayce?" She spoke his name. His Wolf purred, "What's it like being the Werewolf King?" She asked him. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came. Children had always asked him, and he always had an automatic answer for them. Yet when she asked him the same question, he couldn't answer her.