Chapter 3

Jax could see that Amelia was in shock. He guessed that she had never seen a wolf before. He had often patrolled this part of the woods but had never come across her.

Her scent instantly overtook his senses. There was something about her that made him want to protect her.

He was hesitant to come closer to her, worried that she too would bolt into the woods, sensing her fear as she shook behind the oak tree.

“I mean you no harm,” he said as he lay down, trying to look less menacing, noticing the slight ease in her body language.

“What do you want? Are you going to kill me?” Amelia sniffed. Her mind ran a million miles a second.

“I sensed that you were in danger and came to save you.” Jax wracked his brain with things to say to put her at ease. But nothing came to mind.

He knew that the only way to make her feel more at ease was to change back into his human form.

Jax crawled behind the bushes and transformed into his human form. Stepping back into the clearing he noticed that his human form had indeed helped the situation.

He could see that Amelia had been bitten on the shoulder and needed to assess the damage. A wolf’s bite could be deadly for a human, even more so changing them into a wolf.

“May I come closer?” He asked as calmly and friendly as he could. “I promise not to hurt you.”

Now seeing him in his human form eased Amelia’s anxiety. He didn’t seem as scary as when he presented himself as a wolf.

“I need to assess your wound… if I may?” Amelia nodded and slowly crept out from where she was hiding. Sensing that he didn’t mean her any harm. Trusting her gut and not her head.

“My name is Jax. Please don’t be afraid of me.” He slowly walked towards her, her scent immediately piquing his interest.

Her beauty struck him as soon as she came out of her hiding place. His heart skipped a beat. He had never seen anyone as striking before. Her bright green eyes filled with fear, even though she let him come closer.

His movements were slow, so as not to frighten her off. His eyes never left hers, his heart softening with each step she took.

“May I take a look at your wound now?” Asked Jax. And Amelia was immediately struck by the kindness in his eyes and voice.

She came closer and turned for him to inspect her wound. The bite was deep, but not fatal. He however knew that it would cause her to turn, something he didn’t want to mention to her. Something that he sensed she had no knowledge of.

“I’m Amelia,” she said as she looked over her wounded shoulder, making eye contact with him once more, noticing the way he looked at her. His brown eyes smoldered. A dimpled smile on his face. 

It was then that she got a good look at him. He was extremely handsome, in a rugged sort of way. His hair hung in shaggy curls to his shoulders and he had a well-manicured beard and mustache. He was sexy and she couldn’t help but feel her heart rate rise as his fingers lightly touched where she had been bitten, sending shivers down her spine. What she wouldn’t give to have him touch her forever. She didn’t want the feeling to end. The pull in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to center herself before opening them up to see Jax looking back at her.

“Do you understand what it means to be bitten by a werewolf?” asked Jax, gently prying her knowledge of wolves and the severe situation that she found herself in. He could see by the look in her eyes that she was still in shock from the whole ordeal.

“No, I don’t,” blushed Amelia, feeling extremely out of her depth regarding her lack of knowledge. She didn’t even know that werewolves existed let alone what would happen if she was bitten by one. It isn’t as if it was a subject taught at school or something easily spoken about at the dinner table.

“I need to take you back to my pack in order for you to be healed,” said Jax, hoping not to frighten her even more. Dying to reach for her hand and feel it in his own.

“Can’t I just go to a normal doctor to get it looked at?” Inquired Amelia, hoping that it was similar to a dog bite, but knowing that it was indeed very far off from being a regular dog bite.

“No, werewolf bites don’t work that way. Being bitten by one means that your entire life as you know it has changed. You can never go back and live in the human world. You will now be part of our pack, should our Alpha allow it, and you will soon go through the transition of becoming one yourself.”

The severity of her situation hit home and her eyes became the size of saucers. She vaguely remembered hearing tales of werewolf bites before, thinking back, knowing that there was a slight chance of turning, but never really believed any of the old folk tales.

“What do I do now?” Jax’s heart broke seeing the anguish in her eyes. He knew that he had to convince her to follow him, but feared that she wouldn’t agree. He wouldn’t know what to do if she refused his help and ran back to hide in her human world.

“Please believe me when I say that the only way for you to heal is to follow me back to my pack. We have Salutaries who can help you. I will explain everything on the way there. You are no longer safe in the human world. You are now one of us, something that cannot be changed.” Jax held out his hand and hoped that Amelia would take it. His mind tried to speak to hers, willing her along.

To her own astonishment, Amelia agreed to follow him, so she took hold of his outstretched hand and let him lead the way. She knew deep within her that it was the right thing to do. He seemed to have a spell over her. She felt safe with him as his chocolate brown eyes melted away all of her fears. It also didn’t help that he was drop-dead gorgeous.

“I’m scared,” whispered Amelia with a pained face, still looking at Jax’s dark chocolate eyes, as a tear rolled down her cheek and his heart melted. He would have given anything to have taken her in his strong, muscular, tanned arms and hold her until she no longer shook, was no longer filled with angst.

“I promise not to leave your side,” said Jax as he carefully slid his arm around her waist and turned to walk with her back into the woods. He knew that she was wracked with fear. He could feel her trembling. If only he knew that her trembling was not only caused by her situation but by being so close to him. His hand was on the small of her back and it felt so natural. Jax had no time to linger on how good it felt to have his hand touching her. He knew that she needed help. And fast.