Fated Love.

Time Apart.

(Jaxson)

He and Arla were lovers for around a year, and on schedule, she left a week before her birthday to visit her grandparents. He missed her so deeply, every inch of him needing her wanting her. The way he found himself thinking of her and what they'd do when she got back, to him it was a worry. He had never been like this before, all their years of friendship he had never wanted or missed her like this.

A few days before her birthday, they heard back that she wouldn't be home for some time due to her grandmother having fallen ill. His father sent well wishes, but a week later, her grandmother had died. She and her mother decided to stay a little while to help her grandfather, who had fallen ill, but recovered. Her mother returned. However, she had not. She would message him every day, begging to call. he was angry at her for not coming home, not coming back to be with him, so he kept telling her tomorrow, but never did call her. He had become more angry and aggressive during training, having actually sent many of his men to the pack doctor with injuries that wouldn't heal themselves. Jaxson had actually become quite angry at Tom for not dragging his sister home with him. They had a loud shouting match in Jaxsons office.

"My grandmother has just died, and you're mad that Arla is staying with my grandfather to help him adjust to being alone? you're an actual dickhead!" Tom yelled at him.

Jaxson knew that Tom was right, he was being a dickhead, he was worried about her being there all alone, without him. He was worried but he refused to call her, give her the satisfaction of him needing her.

Before he knew it, nearly a year had passed. Then suddenly, one day, Jaxson had toppled over in pain, pain he could not explain the reason as to why this pain was happening and he couldn't define how the pain felt. The pain had actually caused him to faint and was out for around nine hours, still writhing in pain, even when unconscious. The pain had gone, and Jaxson finally woke, just utterly confused as to what had happened. He and Tom searched the library desperately, wanting answers for what he had gone through.

At twenty-one, Jaxsons dad had stepped down, handing over the title of Alpha to Jaxson. Jaxson stepped into the role, happy to be doing what he was born to do. His mother and father had run off to Australia for some time, just them. Tom claimed his title as Beta, and his parents had left to do the same. They went to Japan. The two worked well together, doing what was needed and helping each other with Tom stepping in when Jaxson was otherwise busy.

The next year, when Jaxson was twenty-two, Tom had found his mate, mated, and marked her within the week. This had made Jaxson so incredibly jealous, Tom was a year younger than him and had his mate, yet he at twenty-two still could not find her.

Three months later, Tom's mate Eleanor had announced her pregnancy. Again, this caused Jaxson to be so jealous. Wanting to be a dad with his loving mate.

By the end of the year, Eleanor had a baby boy called Nate. Jaxson thought the baby was the double of Tom, and he remembered thinking, "Poor thing.'

A few months later, at twenty-three, Jaxson had to go visit Arlas families pack. He and around ten other Alphas had to go and renew contracts and update old ones. He was happy to do so, to get away from Tom being so loved up, it made him sick to think about his envy directed towards his Beta.

He stood in the informal dining hall, down near the kitchen, knowing if he needed an escape he could hide in there. He had walked past the kitchen to go to the restroom, hearing two women talking quietly. He had actually believed he recognised one of the voices. She wouldn't be in here. She must know he's here and is hiding. On his way back to the dining hall, he heard a baby giggle, but what stopped him in his tracks was the giggle he knew all too well, Arla. He stood outside the door listening.

"mamam." a baby.

"mamam, im doing it lil man." Arla giggled back.

He heard a bowl get placed on a tray, and the baby slammed their hands and giggled again.

"Are we hungry lil man, it's your favourite."

"Are we just not eating?" another voice called to someone else in the room.

"They are picking at it, don't worry Rose, I'm making sure they eat."

He feels her voice just calling to him. Nothing that she says is for him, but it still just draws him in. Before he knew it, he opened the kitchen door and was now staring at Alra, realising she was his mate.

"Jaxson?" She whispered, staring at him.

The baby babbled again, causing her to break the eye contact. She grabbed the baby and left, hiding his face from Jaxson.

He followed behind her, keeping his distance, just watching her be a good mom to the baby, making sure he was okay while she rushed home. A few minutes after she gets inside, he banged on the door, not meaning it to be so loud.

a few moments later, he sensed her at the other side of the door before she opened it.

"Talk to me, please." He pleaded. He knew he sounded pathetic.

"I tried for years. I have nothing to say. " That hurt him.

He tried to ask if the baby was his, but her grandfather interrupted, handing the baby to her. She had told him to go sit, which he did.

finally alone, he could ask once again, if the baby was his, she eventually told him, and he didn't know how to react, his mouth hung open and was staring wide eyed at her. His heart racing.

(Arla)

Arla rushed back to her grandfather's house, and it absolutely broke her to walk away from her mate. She was just thinking about how he was actually for her, and they never knew it back then, but still loved each other the last few years destroyed her, though. She, of course, loved him. He was the father to her baby. He was her mate. He never called her, never texted her. Their love clearly meant nothing to him if he could do that to her. Once home, she ran upstairs to settle her baby to let him rest. She then sat on her bed and cried. Her grandfather, obviously worried, got up to her as quickly as he could.

"Arla sweet, what's wrong?"

"He's here, my mate is here the father of Francis, I tried for so long to get him to talk to me, and now he's here, and he's my mate."

Her grandfather hugged her till a very loud knock broke the silence. Francis cried in the other room.

"I'll settle him, you get the door?" Her grandfather suggested.

Arla nodded, getting up and wiping her face, and walked towards the door. She knew who it was. She knew it was Jaxson. She took a deep breath in and opened the door.

"Talk to me, please." He begged.

"I tried for years, I have nothing to say."

"You're not marked. You have no mate, the baby?"

"You know I have no mate because it's you jackass." Arla had snapped at him.

"So is the-" Jaxson was cut off, her grandfather walking down the stairs with her baby.

"I'm sorry, he wanted you." He whispered.

"No, no, it's okay, you go sit pops."

She reached out and took Francis from him. She made sure that Jaxson could not see his face.

"Is he mine?" Jaxson asked again.

"He's mine." Alra snapped.

"You didn't make him alone Arla, am I the dad?"

"Yes." she snapped.

He stood there wide-eyed at her. She refused to meet his eyes and looked at their son.

"wh-what did you call him?"

"Francis, like my pops."

"Can I see him?"

She had changed his position and held him in front of her, her hands supporting him to her chest.

"He has my eyes."

"And clearly your hair."

"Well, yeah, I can see that." He joked. She never laughed. He missed her laughing at him with him.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her.

"Don't start, you wouldn't be sorry if it wasn't for the mate bond and him, so don't start with that."

Francis started blowing raspberries at him. He chuckled at him.

"Come home." He begged once again.

"I am home."

"Arla, please."

"Pops needs me."

As on cue, he walked through,

"Go, I have a room waiting for me."

"Pops."

"Arla, stop, go home, go see Tom and El, go see your family."

"I-I."

"Go pack yours and Francis' bags. Go home."

Jaxson stood awkwardly watching them, knowing she'll cave and come home.

She nodded her head at her Pops and left the two at the door, walking away with Francis.

"Go on, son, you can go with her, get to know your son."

Arla sighed, knowing her Pops was right to let Jaxson in, giving him reassurance that he's allowed to see his son. She sat Francis in his crib, and he babbled for a few seconds to himself before getting distracted by one of his teddies. Arla smiled at him before grabbing a bag to pack all his pyjamas, clothes, diapers, and pacifiers in. She got a small box and packed his bottles. He uses a sippy cup now. She always started packing his teddies and toys into a large trash bag, knowing that Jaxson was behind her. She kept on ignoring him.

Her wolf Kayla whined that she isn't giving into the bond they shared with Jaxson and his wolf Jace. They were made for each other, made better by each other.

"mamam." Francis babbled once again.

"we're going to see Uncle Tom, sweet man."

"Did Tom know about you and him all this time?"

"Yes and no, he's known about Francis since he was born but he never knew I was pregnant, I didn't tell anyone, I found out about the time Pops fell ill, so there was more important things happening. dont be mad, I never told you, I tried so many times, you didn't want to talk to me, how could I be expected to tell you if I couldn't even get you on the phone." she sobbed slightly.

"I was so scared and alone, well apart from Pops. I didnt have the one person I wanted to be there, I spent so many nights crying to myself, and then he was born, I went through around nine hours of labour for him, again alone! I rang you loads, and you never answered me! I rang you around ten times before I gave up!"

Jaxson recalled the day he passed out, he recalled waking up to her, having called him around ten times. He felt guilty,

"I felt your pain. It had caused me to pass out, I was out for eight to nine hours, I was with you." He whispered to her, just wanting to hold her to his chest, wanting to stop her sobs.

"Wow, you passed out, I'm so sorry my labour was so trying on you." She snaps.

Arla walks into her room quickly, followed by Jaxson. She packs her bags, and all her keep sakes into the box to keep them safe. One that caught Jaxsons eye was a picture of the two of them. He had it printed and framed for her. On her sixteenth birthday, it was them play fighting in the snow, the winter before, he had thrown her into a large pile of snow, you can see the flakes on her coat and in her long red hair, the photograph shows her laughing while a snow ball hits him in the face. He smiled, thinking back to it. She had tried to leave it, he saw her look at it and ignore it, he grabbed it and placed it in her box. A few hours later, she's all packed, has helped her grandfather to his new home, and she had packed all her belongings into Jaxsons car. He watched her set up the car seat for Francis and watched as she carefully placed their sleeping child into his seat. She sat in the back seat next to him and ignored Jaxson the entire time.

Around three hours later, they arrived at the pack grounds, and she watched as he drove past her house.

"I'm not staying in the pack house. Drive me home."

"I have the Luna suite set up for you and Francis."

"Jaxson, drive me home, I am not staying there."

"I am not sleeping in a different house to you and him, not anymore."

"Now, Jaxson."

"Arla, please."

"Just for a few nights, please, you can see him whenever, but I need time for this, okay, please."

He sighs, turns the car around, and parks outside her house.

"Thank you." she whispers.

He helped her unload the car before she went and got Francis and settled him back to sleep.

He stands at the front door, waiting for her to come back down.

"You're still here." she sighs.

"I can't bring myself to leave you." He whispers.

"You can see Francis tomorrow. We need to adjust."

"I know I can see him, but what about you?"

"What about me?"

"When can we talk?" He's scared, she thought.

"Just give me some time, please. I need time to think."

"Are you planning on rejecting us?"

"No, I just need to think about things, okay, a few days, please."

"But I-."

"Just go, Jaxson."

"No. I'm sleeping on the couch."

"No, you are not. You will go home and come back tomorrow."

"I spent too long away from you, I'm not spending more time away from you, the two of you."

"I'll spend time with you tomorrow. when you see Francis."

She's thinking hard about what she's saying for her she is being perfectly reasonable, asking him to respect her boundaries. She has put out what she needs and what she hopes for, but he's not listening.

"Please, Arla, I need this."

"We will see you tomorrow, Jaxson."

"No! you will listen to what I'm saying!" He yells.

"Get the f**k out! now."

They stare at each other, both of them furious. He walks towards her, taking her hand carefully in his, the shocks still a surprise to her, it does not calm her yet.

"I need this, Arla, please."

"I've put my boundaries out, you're not respecting them, I don't feel comfortable with that, please respect it and leave. We will see you tomorrow."

"You're not comfortable with me?"

"Not right now. I'm not."

She sighs, clearly upsetting him with what she is saying. She breaks eye contact with him,

"Kiss me, please." He sighs.

She looks back at him, her hand slapping his cheek.

"Leave."

she pulls her other hand free, rips open the door, and stares at him.

"I'll have some men standing guard."

"You and I both know I can easily outrun them all and over power most."

"I'll send Tom and El over."

"You do that."

with that, he leaves his guards positioning around the house. She closes and locks the door. she knows she will cave at some point, the love she has for him is still there, but the anger is too much for right now. She knows she'll accept the bond but needs time to think first, time to process it all.