The Alpha’s Forbidden Valkyrie

Chapter 16

Freya’s POV

Waking up crept into my consciousness slowly, almost imperceptibly. It was as if I were slowly swimming toward the surface from thick, black water. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept so deeply and undisturbed. There were no nightmares, no fleeing, just a dark, warm, safe emptiness.

My body was still heavy, and the pain in my back and wrists hadn't completely vanished, but it had somehow become duller, more distant. The cooling salve Jax had applied still tingled on my skin. I breathed in, and my lungs were instantly filled with the scent of pine, leather, and clean rain. Jax's scent, which heavily permeated the black cotton t-shirt he had put on me, and the heavy down comforter that covered me.

I wanted to move slowly, to stretch my numb limbs, but my survival instinct suddenly slashed through me, commanding me to stay motionless.

I heard voices.

Very quiet, muffled whispering. Men's voices. One of them, a deep, raspy baritone, was unmistakable—Jax. The other voice was slightly lighter, but equally filled with tension and power. If I remembered correctly, it was the voice of his Beta, a man named Silas.

My heart skipped a beat, then accelerated. I had learned in my vampire clan that whispering behind your back never meant anything good. It always cloaked betrayal, mockery, or another cruel scheme. I kept my eyes tightly shut and regulated my breathing into a slow, even rhythm. I pretended to still be asleep. I needed to know what they said about me when they thought I couldn't hear.

"...looks like hell, Jax," the other man, Silas, whispered. The shock was clear in his voice. "These scars on her back... some of them are literally burned into her flesh. Made with silver."

"I know," came Jax's reply. His voice was as dark and heavy as if cast from lead. "It happened on her father's orders. They tried to beat the Valkyrie blood out of her."

Silas let out a quiet breath in disbelief.

"Her own blood did this to her because she refused to murder humans... And we chained her up in the cellar for a crime she never committed."

The darkness of the cellar and the cold grip of the metal came to mind. I waited for Jax to justify himself. I waited for him to say that a vampire should be treated that way regardless, and that I deserved the suspicion. But that's not what happened.

I heard a dull thud, as if Jax had slammed his fist into the wall or the table in suppressed rage.

"For three days, Silas," Jax growled, his voice trembling with corrosive self-loathing. "I starved her for three days when she was already on her last legs. I thought I was breaking a monster, but I was only continuing the butchery of her own family. When I saw her trembling from me in the bathroom... when she apologized for falling from weakness... I f*****g hated myself. I am a monster."

Beneath the blanket, my hands clenched into fists. A suffocating lump blocked my throat. The Alpha, the ruthless, dreaded pack leader... was castigating himself over me in front of his Beta, in his most vulnerable moment. He didn't do it out of weakness, but because his wolf's honor dictated it. He cared that he had caused pain. In my clan, such a thing was an unknown concept.

"You couldn't have known, Alpha," Silas tried to soothe him. "You were only protecting the pack. Anyone else would have done the same. But now you know the truth. The question is, what happens if her clan figures out where she is? They won't stop. A mutt like this... sorry, a bloodline like this is a threat to the purebloods. If the Moon Goddess made her your mate, the vampires will declare war the second they catch wind of it."

Jax's thick, ominous growl cut through the silence of the room. It came from so deep it felt like the floor vibrated with it.

"Let them come," he snarled. "I have an unsettled score with them anyway over my parents. If even a single vampire crosses our territory's border, I'll rip his head off and mount it on the boundary markers. This girl is mine. And I swear to the Moon, Silas, if I have to slaughter an entire army to keep her safe... I will do it. Not a single hair on her head will ever be harmed again."

The words struck me with raw and brutal honesty. Mine. The possessiveness that radiated from his voice wasn't the kind used to own an object. This was the most ancient, deepest protective instinct. He genuinely believed me. He was standing up for me while he thought I was asleep, in a way no one ever had in my life.

The emotions suddenly became too much. Relief, gratitude, and a new, previously unknown warmth flooded my chest. An involuntary, muffled sigh slipped from my lips as my body shifted under the quilt. My aching back cut into the mattress for a moment, and I let out a soft hiss.

The conversation on the other side of the room cut off as abruptly as if it had been sliced.

Two seconds later, soft but rapid footsteps approached the bed. I knew I was busted. Slowly, hesitantly, I opened my eyes. The room was lit only by the light spilling in from the hallway and a dim bedside lamp.

Jax stood beside my bed, leaning over me. In a fraction of a second, the furious pack leader vanished from his dark, stormy eyes, replaced by an incredibly soft and focused attention. Silas remained discreetly a step back near the door, holding a medical kit.

"You're awake," Jax whispered. His voice was velvety, careful not to startle me. "Does anything hurt?"

I shook my head, slowly pulling the blanket higher up on myself, trying to hide how much everything I had just heard had stirred me.

"No... it's much better," I answered hoarsely. My gaze involuntarily drifted to Silas. The Beta, a massive biker covered in scars, met my eyes.

I waited for the contempt. I waited for the disgust for bringing the stench of vampires onto their territory.

But Silas, the second highest-ranking member of the pack, very slowly and solemnly bowed his head. A respectful nod. Among werewolves, this was the greatest sign of acknowledgment a stranger—and especially a mate—could receive.

"Welcome to the pack, Luna," Silas said softly, using the title of respect belonging to the Alpha's mate.

My throat tightened. Me, the mutt. A Luna.

Jax cast a glance at Silas, who understood the silent command. He set the kit down on the dresser, then, without another word, walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

We were left alone. Jax slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. His massive body sank into the mattress, drawing me closer to his warmth. He reached his hand out, but his movement stopped in mid-air, as if waiting for my permission.

I hesitated for only a moment, then very carefully, slowly slipped my hand into his huge, hot palm. The bond immediately flared up between us with a sweet spark.

"You heard what we said, didn't you?" Jax asked softly, his thumb beginning to stroke the back of my hand.

There was no point in lying.

"Everything," I whispered, looking straight into his dark, searching gaze with my green eyes. "Would you really start a war over me?"

Jax's face hardened, but his touch remained infinitely soft.

"Freya..." he leaned closer, his breath caressing my skin. "That war started the moment I put my hand on your throat in the cellar and my wolf recognized its soul in yours. I will never give you back to anyone."

His words finally tore down the last of my remaining walls. Because I knew he meant every single word. And for the first time in my life, I no longer wanted to run.