The Alpha And His Mate (Silver Hills #1)

Chapter 19

It was as if Satan himself had just strolled into the council.

Jax's presence fell like a weight onto glass, crashing down on all of us.

"Alpha Jax," Mrs Mason choked out. "We weren't expecting you."

"Nobody ever is," he drawled out, leaning his body against the back of my chair. I could almost feel his breath caress the back of my neck, creating unsettling images of his lips pressed against my hair.

"Of course he shows up now," hissed Genevieve, "when his mate gets invited instead of him."

Elisabeth placed a hand on Genevieve's arm, pushing her down onto her chair. Genevieve flinched away from her touch in disgust.

I didn't turn around to look at Jax's face; I knew what cool fury I would find there.

"If you didn't want me to come then you shouldn't have asked for me help," he retorted in a low, deadly voice. Genevieve almost recoiled away from him.

"I wanted your help in one matter," she explained. "That didn't mean I wanted you to suddenly take an interest in politics."

"I'm not interested in politics," he replied quietly. "I'm interested in Persephone."

Suddenly, I felt a hand at my shoulder, urging me to stand. Defiantly, I remained seated.

"You can sit on my lap if you're that desperate," Jax whispered in my ear as he gently pulled me up and moved me to the side. I flushed furiously as he lounged in the chair I once sat in.

I turned towards the chair that Victor should be sat in, as if considering whether to risk taking it. Winona saw me eyeing it and shook her head, lips pressed tightly together.

With a furious sigh, I put my weight against the side of Jax's chair and resigned to standing.

"You told her," Jax was growling, his voice livid. "We promised we never would. To protect her."

I was about to retort that I appreciated being told, when a a coldness pressed against my mind.

"Persephone," it laughed jubilantly. "Look at how they hide things from you."

This time I didn't ignore it. Are you a Shadowlord? I asked in my mind.

Silence.

Well, if that was all it took to get the voice to shut up.

Jax and Richard were now sparring over whether or not I had the right to be told about my heritage. Richard fought my corner bravely, but Jax wasn't one to stand down.

"You'd rather she didn't know?" Richard cried, one hand gesturing towards me. The rest of the council were anxiously whispering to each other, unsure how to proceed. "She deserves the truth! She always has!"

Jax bared his teeth; I half expected him to roar like a beast, but he simply clenched his fists against the table, knuckles showing through his skin, and a low purring like the roar of an engine rippled from his chest.

"You'd rather she knew the truth then be safe?" He hissed through gritted teeth. "You'd let her die for knowledge that does nothing but destroy her from the inside?"

His face showed such primal anger that it sent a chill down my spine. The silver moon eyes were glowing that balls of silver flames, and his jaw had clenched until it was so stiff it looked as if it could cut grass.

Unwittingly, my mind wandered to Caspar. It was late and I felt exhaustion settling over me like the blanket I longed to be under. I had to be in a decent state to talk to him tomorrow about his connection to all this. Maybe he could help. The thought of his violet eyes made me feel strangely guilty when I was stood this close to Jax though. Like it was a betrayal.

How much longer would this go on for? I stifled a yawn.

Desdemona Crane glanced at me whilst I forced myself to stop looking tired. "The girl looks ready to pass out," she said. "The least we can do for her is wrap this up quickly."

I tried to nod gratefully but my whole body felt heavy.

Mrs Mason sighed and stood up to face the whole council. For once, every member was present except for Victor.

"Thank you Genevieve and Jax for telling us your concerns about Sebastian." The two glared at each other as she spoke. "We will approach him tomorrow and see if we can find his motivation for getting close to Mrs Smith."

I felt a knot unwind in my stomach at this thought. My mom wouldn't be competitive left to the mercy of that charming bloodsucker. I suddenly thought of the vampires in the bathroom.

"I was attacked by vampire a few days ago," I told them. "They were trying to take me somewhere. Perhaps Sebastian is working for them?"

Mrs Mason pursed her lips together and considered this. "Thank you Persephone. We will consider that information."

I could feel Jax's eyes on me, all to conscious of the way he was looking at my face. Like I was the moon to his night.

I had to remind myself that everything was fake. Set up by a father that never even cared enough to stay.

"Finally," Mrs Mason continued. "Jax."

The Alpha turned to look at her, his pupils dilated and unseeing.

"Will you, or will you not, promise to stay away from your mate."

The chamber was silent. Upstairs, I could hear the creak of a floorboard. It must be Diana, probably wondering where her cousin had disappeared to.

"I won't purposefully seek her out," Jax finally relented.

"But?" Bellamy Mason asked, his tone unimpressed. I almost laughed at the idea that Angel had a crush on him. A member of a secret society that dealt in dark realms and shadows.

Jax stood up, his chair scraping against the floor as he pushed it back. His tight white shirt showed off the strength lying behind his muscles. Strands of dark hair fell into his face- I fought the urge to reach over and took it back.

"I won't seek her out, but I also won't leave her if she needs me. Mates are sacred, I won't abandon mine when she needs me."

A thousand tiny daggers pierced my heart as he said that. He only felt that way because of an ancient agreement. It wasn't true love.

It was getting harder and harder to toe the line between love and indifference. I didn't know how to pretend not to care about the alpha anymore. Not when every inch of me longed to be with every inch of him.

I thought Genevieve would object, but even she said nothing.

"Very well," Mrs Mason said at last. "We shall allow that."

A strange sense of relief flooded through me. Which was strange considering I would've continued to see him, even if I'd been banned.

"In that case, I'd better take my mate home before she collapses."

Before I could even take another breath, Jax scooped up in his arms. I was too tired to object or comment or even care about what the council thought.

The last thing I remembered was a gently swaying motion and the fell of Jax's heart beating next to mine.