Alpha Jaxon's POV
I saw the shock spread across their faces as they processed my presence.
The man who held Astrid in his arms let go of her slightly, probably from the shock but that was all she needed to pull away and race away from him to hide behind me.
This close, I could perceive his scent on her and it enraged me. How dare this man touch what wasn't his?
If not for my need to check up on Astrid after the librarian had informed me via the pack link of her leaving Astrid alone in the library, I would have never known.
This rage I was feeling was unfamiliar.
I didn't even know Astrid all that well but I was bothered. Bothered was an understatement. I felt undeniably possessive about her.
She was mine. I had bought her straight and clear and she had also agreed to our bargain.
The man in front of me looked and smelled strangely familiar and there was the look he had been giving Astrid.
I was willing to bet that this was her former mate who had been stupid enough to let go of someone like Astrid. I would never make the same mistakes as he had.
I called out to my men who were already in the library.
"Seize him!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He spoke up finally, his voice aiming for brash and lackadaisical but his nervousness crept into his words. "I am the heir to the Moonshadow pack."
I hid my surprise. No wonder he smelt familiar. Like his father. So Astrid had lied to me in the car as I had suspected. I would deal with her punishment later.
I lifted an eyebrow unimpressed at the sight of Finn's son.
"And that matters to me how exactly?"
Xavier seemed flustered by the fact that I wasn't immediately bowing over just because of who his father was. "No matter how powerful you are, Alpha Jaxon, even you cannot kill the heir of an Alpha unprovoked."
Did he really believe that nonsense? No wonder he had been fearless enough to sneak into my property. Someone's head would also roll for that later.
"You have trespassed on my property, boy." My annoyance with him was also growing. "You have also touched another of my property without permission. I am well within my rights to kill you immediately."
"Your property?" Xavier seemed confused initially. Then he seemed to understand what I was saying as his gaze cleared and panic returned.
He moved forward trying to Astrid from behind me.
"Astrid, tell him that I am your mate!"
Her grip on the back of my shirt tightened.
I growled at Xavier. "Talk to me, boy, not her."
Xavier turned to me, obviously annoyed at being ignored by Astrid.
"Call me boy one more freaking time and I will-"
"You will what? What can you do to me?"
I interrupted him. Had he been about to threaten me? Goddess, the boy was more than beyond dumb.
I took a slight step up to him, enough to scare him but not enough to dislodge Astrid's grip on my shirt.
"You are weak and pathetic. Same as your father. Even if I were to kill you right now, your family would be unable to do anything about it."
Xavier's voice shook as he responded to me and the light whiff of his fear hit my nostrils.
"You will start a war."
I folded my hands.
"And I will end it. I will add the Moonshadow pack lands to mine and your names will be forgotten."
Xavier growled at me, his eyes growing darker. "Over my dead body."
I smirked at him.
"As you wish. Lock him up, Caleb."
"Yes, Alpha."
Caleb began to move forward quickly.
Xavier threw one more look in my direction but not at me, at Astrid perhaps.
"I'll come back for you, my mate."
Then he was running. There was only one door in and out of the library and I and my men were blocking it but I shouldn't have bothered because he ran and shifted mid-leap, breaking the biggest window in the library escaping through.
"Go after him and don't return without him dead or alive. " I ordered my men and Caleb and some others went after him through the windows also shifting as well.
The rest of my guards went out through the door to circle him leaving Astrid and me alone.
She sagged against my back as though she were tired but I was far from done with her.
"You lied to me."
***""
Astrid's POV
"Huh?"
I paused at Alpha Jacin's words. What did he mean by saying that I lied?
That was when it came to me. How I had beaten around the bush to explain the tie of Xavier to the Moonshadow pack. Xavier's true identity.
Oh Goddess, I was so done for.
Alpha Jaxon didn't wait for me to respond before his hand wrapped around my arm removing my fingers from the back of his shirt to pull me in front of him.
His steely eyes glared at me without even a hint of forgiveness in them.
"Are all the words from your mouth lies?"
I couldn't meet his eyes. I was too ashamed and scared.
"I'm sorry."
He seemed confused. "Sorry?"
I folded my hands together anxiously running my fingers together.
"I thought that you would give me back to Xavier if you knew he was my mate as well as the heir of the Moonshadow pack."
Alpha Jaxon released a sigh then his hand went to my hair and I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for him to pull on it or hit me.
Instead, Alpha Jaxon simply stroked my hair like I was a child but the way he looked at me was anything but that. His gaze was burning me up from the inside out.
"And why would I do that?" He said finally and I was left scrambling for words.
With him being an Alpha like them I thought they would have more in common and it would be a smarter deal for him to give me to them and simply find another surrogate.
Alpha Jaxon was still stroking my hair.
"I've told you that I do not care for what the Moonshadow pack thinks." He pulled me close to him with one smooth movement and my breath caught as he spoke directly into my ear softly. "Only what you can do for me."
The feel of his breath against my skin made me shiver or it might have been the cold air coming in from the broken window courtesy of Xavier.
Alpha Haxon dropped a kiss on my exposed neck and my body melted against his.
"Are you cold? Do you want me to warm you up?"
He didn't wait for my response before his hands began to wander all over my body touching my neck, my breasts, squeezing my ass.
"Alpha Jaxon." His name left my lips as a moan before I was even conscious of what I was saying.
He kissed my neck again and this time, his tongue darted out tasting me and licking the salt off my skin. "You smell divine."
My fingers were buried in his hair now even though I had no conscious memory of even touching it.
"Please." I moaned.
I didn't know what I was asking for. I had never been with anyone like this but he seemed to understand what I couldn't say as he lifted me, his hands going under my ass.
He placed me directly on top of the librarian's massive desk. My cheeks flushed but he wasn't even done yet.
He began to push up the voluminous skirts of my gown pulling me to the edge of the desk where he pressed up against me, his erection rubbing against me and making me feel so darn hot.
I moaned louder and Alpha Jaxon kissed the top of my breasts making me shiver.
When he raised his head, his eyes were darker and his voice laboured.
"Today is your ovulation day, right?"
