Chapter 7

~Kehlani~

I hated that I had to rush back to my territory because of a rogue attack. Jax was concerned since there were so many rogues who attacked. They usually attack alone or with 1 or 2 other people. This attack consisted of a group of 15 rogues. That is a lot of rogues together. The situation was handled, and any survivors were taken to the dungeons for questioning. I'm unsure what is going on with these attacks, but my pack will figure it out. I hated leaving Jayden as I did, but I had no choice. It had been three days since I met Jayden, and I needed to see him again. I decided to go to his territory to see if we could get to the bottom of things.

Standing in front of him, I was at a loss for words. His black hair was disheveled as if he had just gotten out of bed. He had on a white t-shirt that showed just how muscular he was. He also sported some grey sweatpants that left nothing to the imagination. Oh, goddess, I need to do my best to stay focused to figure out how we will work through this. I look into his green eyes and say, “Hey mate.”

“Uh…..um….hi. Uh….what are you doing here?” he responded.

“I felt that we needed to discuss some things. I hate that I had to leave abruptly, but decided I should try to make it up to you…..are you going to let me in Jayden?”

He looked flustered but stepped aside to allow me through the door. “I guess we can talk in my office,” he said quietly. I follow Jayden into the foyer. The Luna here has some good taste. I can tell this is a woman’s touch. She used soft colors for the decor and furniture, making you feel calm in the room. The walls contained a lot of art and personal pictures. You could tell that the pack members were highly cared for and made to feel special.

We walked up the stairs to the third floor. The door to the office had a picture of a unicorn on the outside. It was cute, and you could tell a child did it. It was sweet that he seemed to be well-liked by the children in the pack. Jayden opened the door and allowed me to walk into his office. A giant oak desk sat in the corner with a white leather chair behind it. There was a white leather loveseat with two armchairs of the same look. The bookshelf, against the wall, was filled with books, showing me that he is a reader. I like that since reading is a favorite pastime of my own. It was interesting that there weren’t many pictures up. It looked like picture frames had been removed because you could see the discoloration around the empty spaces. That is interesting; where did the photos go? Jayden took a seat at his desk, and I sat across from him. I got comfortable in the chair, feeling like we would be here for a while.

“I believe you own me a rational explanation. You know, you feeling like we need to reject each other before we even begin,” I start. I wanted to make this easy and not make him feel compelled to start everything. Jayden looks away, running his hands through his hair.

“Well, I mean…..You are an Alpha, and I'm simply a Beta. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with your position, but what could I possibly give you?

I shake my head and lean my elbows on the desk. “Do you think I care about titles? Why should that matter? The Moon Goddess already knew our titles when she placed us together so, clearly, they are not important. I would imagine you are fated to me because of who you are rather than the title you hold. Is this the only reason you have that we should reject each other?” Jayden looks at me and sighs. It seems that he figured that would not be enough to deter me. It also appears that there is something else that he hasn’t said yet.

“I…..well…...I don’t really know how to tell you this. I think it is vital and may put things in perspective.”

“Just say it. Pretend that you're ripping off a band-aid. Are you already marked? Have a chosen mate?”

“No it isn’t that, Kehlani.” He said my name! Oh, the way it sounds coming out of his mouth. “It is just….I….well I have….” Before he could finish his sentence, the door slammed open. A little girl runs into the room and right into Jayden’s lap.

“Daddy!” she cries. Daddy?! He is…..a father?! The little girl turns to me and stares with her big brown eyes. She has tan skin and curly black hair, about shoulder length. She has the cutest dimple on her right cheek. “Who are you?” she asks. I look at Jayden and then look back at her.

“My name is Kehlani and I am a…..friend of your fathers,” I tell her. She looks at her dad and then looks at me.

“I'm Brooklyn. You are pretty. Daddy said he was going to play dolls with me after breakfast, but he didn’t come back. Do you like playing dolls?” She said all this so fast that it was hard to keep up. Brooklyn, such a cute name. I was about to respond when Jayden cleared his throat.

“Love, maybe we can play dolls later. I'm sure that Kehlani has other things to do with her day.” Brookly starts to pout and turns to look at Jayden. “But daddy…..”

“It's ok,” I interject. “I have some time and would love nothing more than to play dolls with you.” Brookyln’s pout turns to a smile, and her eyes widen with excitement.

“OK! Let’s go!” Brooklyn hops off Jayden’s lap and grabs my hand before running for the door. Jayden can’t do anything other than follow us out of the room. We make it down the hall and enter a door on the right. This must be their living quarters. It is more than a room; it's more like a mini apartment. When I step through the door, I first see the living room with the kitchen next to it. The room has an open concept so that all is visible from where ever you happen to be. The room is decorated with tones of blue and white. There is a feeling of comfort within these walls. There are pictures up everywhere of Brooklyn. They are from when she was a baby to now, and I'm guessing she is about five years old. Brooklyn leaves me in the living room and heads down a hallway.

I can feel Jayden come up behind me. The closer he gets, the stronger the scent, and the more heat I can feel from his body. He walks up to me so closely; his breath is on my neck. My entire body starts to heat up as images of his hands on me entered my mind. I start to lean my head back so I can lay it on his chest, and he leans down closer, his hot breath scorching my neck. Oh, goddess, I'm dripping wet, and he hasn’t even touched me yet. Just as I feel his lips softly make contact with my neck, I hear: “I got them and I'm going to let you play with my favorite doll.” Brooklyn starts to walk into the living room. I feel Jayden quickly take a few steps back as if I'm a leper. I feel instantly cold with his body so far away from me. Brooklyn walks over to me with her dolls in hand and pulls me down with her. She hands me two dolls and Jayden one; let the games begin.