Striking the Heart of the Wolf Pt. 02

Her first morning in the cabin was calm. She enjoyed coffee and breakfast by the bay windows facing the wood line and mountains, before exploring the cabin more thoroughly. She was pleased when she discovered a small study tucked away downstairs, filled with books of all sorts, mostly romance novels, time pieces, mythology, and astronomy. Then lunch, which was pretty basic with what was stocked in the fridge. Resolving she would need to go grocery shopping, she pulled out the list of locations George told her about.

With enough time before venturing to the grocery store, Mia did get to speak with her best friend, Lilly. Loving her as she may, Mia was exasperated when her friend wanted to know everything about Gildergreen and the cabin. Of course, she pried to know if Mia had met any hot guys, which she intentionally forgot to mention the man/God she had just met the night before.

After returning from town, the day seemed to drag on as Mia prepared herself for the festival. She put together the best outfit she could for the cold mountain weather, a form-fitting gray knit sweater shirt that showed off her subtle curves and just a slight of cleavage, and the perfect pair of light blue jeans that hugged her derriere just right. The brown suede ankle boots with a similar brown leather jacket completed her look. Letting her wavy hair flow free, she added just a touch of makeup. She preferred the more natural look anyway.

When 5 o'clock finally came not a second later there was a knock. Not wanting to seem desperate, Mia took her time before she opened the door. What stood in front of her was Apollo himself, dawning a black cotton button-up shirt, dark blue jeans, and black suede boots. Mesmerized, Mia's words failed her. The man that stood in front of her looked like he came off the cover of one of those dirty novels Camilla or Lilly would read. While drinking in the gorgeous man in front of her, she became trapped in his muscular arms peeking out of his rolled-up sleeves and imagined them wrapped around her. The overwhelming sense of security from his presence ran over her. When Jax spoke, it pulled her out of the whirlwind of thoughts running through her mind.

"You look beautiful. Are you ready to head to the festival?"

"Of course, let me just grab my jacket and bag."

Mia returned to him after fetching her items.

"I'm good to go."

"After you."

Gesturing her out the door, he waited until it was all locked up before leading her to his truck. Keeping his hand at the small of her back, Mia's skin was on fire where his hand lay. Sitting in the driveway behind her car was a fully restored classic Ford truck. He helped her in the passenger side, before getting in.

"You men around here must have a thing for the classics."

Jax smirked confidently. "That, and we just have great taste."

"I can't disagree with that, given my new ride."

"I would hope not. It would be a horrible waste of a perfect Camaro."

"Couldn't let Victor's hard work be all for naught." Mia shrugged.

Looking down at her hands as she fidgeted with her fingers, Mia's anxiety began to surface. Being alone with Jax had her imagination running rampant. Noticing him watching her from the corner of his eyes, her cheeks became red with embarrassment. He reached a hand over grabbing hers, putting a stop to her nervous habit.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Mia was great at diverting, but Jax's tone compelled her to speak as honestly as she could with someone she had known for about 24 hours.

"My nerves are just getting the best of me. Being alone with men is something I usually try to avoid." Jax looked at her puzzled, but remained quiet, silently urging her to continue.

"It's not something I like to talk about really. I just had... a bad experience." She paused, with nothing else she really wanted to add to the matter. Looking back up at Jax she noticed his look had changed from puzzled to assured.

"We can talk about it another time. Until then you have nothing to be nervous about. Tonight is about showing you a good time, and I intend to do just that."

Mia managed the most genuine smile she could, content that he didn't push the subject. "Well, I'm definitely due for some fun."

Jax returned her smile. "And I hope you like to eat. Everyone brings out their best food for the festivals." He added.

"Food is my favorite."

"Good, I want to see you eat more than grilled cheese and French fries." It almost sounded like a command. Mia raised an eyebrow towards him, but he didn't seem to pay any mind. Deciding she wasn't ready to test their boundaries just yet, Mia resolved to pick that battle another time.

After parking, Jax took Mia's arm as they walked the short distance to the festival in the center of town. Her nerves quickly became replaced with excitement as she took in her surroundings. All the kids were running amuck, chasing each other around, or eating some pure sugar-made substance. Mia's earlier anxiety was long forgotten and replaced with joy. A local band took up a temporary stage, where people were standing in front of, watching, or dancing and all the food stands were set up along the sidewalks.

Still memorized by her surroundings, it took her a moment to register the small woman coming her way. Marie was a woman on a mission making a B line in their direction. Smiling, Mia awaited her new friend's arrival.

"Mia! It's so good to see you again dear." Marie pulled Mia in for a hug that she was more than happy to return.

"You look adorable. I hope Jax here is taking care of you. Don't you two just make the perfect pair? Goodness, let me not get ahead of myself."

Mia giggled at her overzealous greeting. Marie was the first person in a long time she instantly felt at ease with. Everything about her was warm and welcoming.

"I assure you, he has been quite the gentleman. I'm glad I came."

"You must come meet everyone." Marie declared with enthusiasm before turning to Jax. "I promise I'll have her back to you before you know it."

"Of course, Ms. Marie, I won't be far. Don't overwhelm her too much." Marie waved off Jax's words while she and Mia disappeared into the crowd.

"Where are you, Russ?" Jax sent his thoughts out to his best friend.

"Over by the funnel cakes with Jordan."

"10-4."

Spotting his right-hand man and one of the girls in line to win Russ' affection, he made his way to greet his friend. He would never understand how such strong women from the pack could be reduced to lovesick puppy dogs desperate to be Russ' mate. They all had given up on Jax a long time ago. After a few short flings, he realized he didn't care for artificial companionship, and none of the women felt... right. Eventually, he just ignored any advances for his affection. Jax had begun to give up on the idea of ever finding a mate. Until he saw Mia, that is.

"Hey, boss." Russ greeted Jax, shaking his hand and pulling him into a hug.

"Hey, brother. Jordan, I hope you are enjoying yourself."

"Eh, same thing every year, honestly I would rather be in my bed." Jordan looked up at Russ with an eager smile. Jax had to stifle a laugh at her poor excuse for a subtle advance.

Russ interjected, in what Jax assumed was to point out her density. "Being surrounded by good people, and having a good time never gets old to me." Jordan looked annoyed at his disregard for her implication.

"Jordan, I'm going to go get a drink with Jax. I'll catch you later." Before Jordan could say anything Russ and Jax made their way toward the beer stand.

"Two of the El Jefe's please." Jax handed the boy at the stand a twenty. "Keep the change, Silas."

The young man stuttered slightly speaking to his alpha. "Thanks, boss."

Russ' lips turned into a smirk as he watched the young pack member practically fall over himself. He always found the ass-kissing entertaining.

"Making our own Hefeweizen for the brewery was genius. It's one of our best sellers in the Florida and New York locations." Russ admonished.

Jax nodded in agreement. "Speaking of, how is the new manager working out at the Miami location?" Jax's tone became agitated. "I was glad to hear Christian dealt with the scumbag who thought he could get one over on us. I wish I could have gone to meet his replacement."

"You mean you wish you would have had a chance to visit Victor and meet the girl." Russ teased as he nudged him with his shoulder. Jax gave him a scolding glare. His friend could never help himself when the opportunity to tease him came along. "Oh come on man, don't be so defensive. Where is she anyway? I thought you said you were bringing her after falling face-first into her at the Café last night."

"You're such a dick sometimes you know?"

"That may be true, doesn't change the facts though." Russ shrugged.

"Marie swept her away as soon as we got here. Thought I'd let her handle all the introductions, she's better at the people thing anyway."

"That's true, Marie does have a way. Back to the matter at hand though. I need more details. You were being pretty vague last night."

"I didn't want to interrupt. I could practically smell Nicole's arousal from your bedroom."

"What can I say? She's my go-to. Great in bed and doesn't expect any kind of commitment. Win, win."

Jax rolled his eyes at his friend's dismissive demeanor about his sex life.

Russ returned to prying. "Anyways, talk."

"I think you were right about her being my mate. She's beautiful man and she just feels so pure." Jax praised. "There's something else though. George mentioned some kind of light around her when he met her. I could sense it, but it was not alarming. The thing that bothers me is how unsure she is of herself. And she's holding something in. Some kind of pain torments her. You can catch it in her eyes at times. I can feel it when she does."

Russ looked puzzled as he responded. "That is a bit odd. From what I understand through the research I did, mating connections between wolves and humans usually take more time than when a wolf finds another wolf as his mate. I wonder if whatever pain she is harboring has any correlation."

"I'm not sure, but if she truly is my mate, I need to figure out how to keep her from leaving back to Florida."

Before Russ could offer his thoughts, Marie came over with Mia in tow. They were both smiling and laughing. It eased Jax and his wolf to see her so relaxed and happy.

"Russ, how are you? I'm surprised to not see you with another girl hanging off your arm in a puddle of her own drool." Marie said in jest with a raised eyebrow.

Russ gave Marie a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Gotta keep 'em on their toes, Ms. Marie. There's only so much of me to go around. You're still my favorite girl though." He winked at her playfully.

Marie shook her head and laughed. "Always the charmer."

Russ turned his attention to Mia. "And you must be the famous Mia. I'm Russ."

Mia blushed before speaking timidly. "I don't know about all that, but I'm glad to meet you, Russ."

Jax joined Mia at her side standing next to her possessively. Not that he worried about Russ trying anything, it just seemed like instinct. "Don't pay him any mind. He lives to give me hell. I don't know why I put up with it sometimes."

"Besides the fact that I've been your best friend since before we could walk, you would be utterly lost without me."

"I suppose that might be true."

Both men laughed as they joked with one another. Having grown up together, they were more brothers than friends.

"Well, you kids have fun and take care of my girl. I'm going to go help Jeremy with some hamburgers and hot dogs. Seems his helper for the night got sick and had to go home. Don't want to leave the poor boy to cook all that food by himself." Marie hugged Mia and gave the men a peck on the cheek before bouncing away. Jax noticed Mia smile fondly as Marie left. He was pleased to see her connecting with other people here. Hopefully, it would work in his favor.

As if on cue, he felt her before he heard her. Jax sighed at the impending interaction, knowing Jordan was a real bitch to anyone not in her little circle of snobs. The pack may be a community, but that didn't mean they all had to like each other, and Jordan never failed to make that known.

The way Jordan called out almost sounded like a shriek. "Russ! There you are." Russ flinched at the sound. "I wanted to see if you want to get out of here. I'm ready to go home."

"You should go on home then. I'm going to stay and hang out with Jax and Mia." Russ dismissed her, then smiled back at Jax and Mia.

"Who the hell is Mia?" Jordan had a sour look on her face and vinegar in her tone when she shifted her attention to Mia.

Jax growled a warning. "Watch yourself, Jordan." She backed down at the threat of his tone. He was a great alpha and was good to the pack, but everyone knew not to test him.

Mia looked at Jax with a little unease upon hearing his threatening tone.

Turning her focus to Jordan, she answered passively. "I'm Mia, I'm visiting from south Florida."

"Whatever." Jordan rolled her eyes before looking back toward Russ. "Are you sure you won't come keep me company? We could drink wine and watch movies. Or just skip the movie." Jordan emphasized the last part, in a suggestive tone. Mia cringed inside at the way Jordan batted her eyelashes at Russ while pouting. It was embarrassingly desperate.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Be careful on your way home." Russ immediately turned to Mia and Jax while the rejected girl remained where she stood unsure of how to react.

"You guys wanna go get some food? I'm dying for some chili and Janet brought all her best cheesecakes."

"I'm in! Cheesecake is my favorite." Mia clapped, already tasting the delicious dessert as she thought about it.

Jax kept Mia close as they walked over to the stage to watch the band. He made sure to hold her hand whenever it was available. She enjoyed being near him, even though she was a little annoyed when he damn near demanded her to eat something besides cheesecake. In hindsight he did have a point, dessert didn't exactly qualify as a meal. Still, she was a grown woman who could make her own choices...even if they were poor ones.

Russ kept his questions superficial and the conversation easy, which helped to keep Mia at ease.

"So how is the cabin treating you? Kind of the opposite end of the spectrum from a beach house in Miami."

"Well, I've never lived in a beach house, just a regular one." She responded with a giggle. "But the cabin is amazing. It's perfect for the cooler air up here. To be honest, I didn't think I was going to like being in the mountains, but there's something special about this place."

"There's a lot of history here. Most everyone has been here for generations. What's living in Florida like? I've been a few times on business, but never stayed too long."

"It's pretty great, the beaches are the best therapy. It's nice to have a bit of a change though." Mia found talking with Russ easy. It didn't hurt he was pretty easy on the eyes himself. Though not quite as gorgeous as Jax, he was handsome in his own right. Almost standing as tall, and muscular, he shared the same complexion. Russ though sported a shorter black buzz cut compared to Jax's longer, lighter hair.

Beginning to feel more comfortable with Jax, and already decided she liked Russ, the stains still on her mind and heart from her past kept her from fully trusting them. As well as she tried to hide it and keep a smile on her face, Jax seemed to notice something bothering her and gave her hand a light squeeze, and a small, concerned smile.

"You OK?"

"It's nothing. I think I'm just getting a bit tired. It's been a long few days." She was telling half the truth, being beat from the long drive.

"Would you like me to take you home? You definitely shouldn't overdo it, there's plenty of time for more fun." Jax's face lit up with his not-so-subtle insinuation, a giggle escaped from Mia. The thought set her insides on fire, the image of his body on hers seared her thoughts. Picturing his hands exploring her body, and his lips meeting her most intimate places. Mia shifted with her legs pressed tightly together, trying to ignore the moisture growing between her thighs.

Mia's voice was small as she tried to hide her arousal. "Well then, I should definitely get some sleep, so I'm prepared for all this fun you speak of."

"Let's get you back then."

They made their way to the truck after letting Russ know they were leaving. When Mia shivered from the wind that had picked up, Jax put his arm around her. He was so warm it almost wasn't normal with the light clothes he was wearing.

Leaning into Jax's hold, she spoke slightly bewildered. "You're like a human furnace. How are you not cold?"

Jax gave a light shrug. "Used to it I guess, I've never minded the cold." Mia took his explanation at face value, even though she got the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her.

When Jax let go of her to help her in the truck, Mia felt the absence of his touch as her body begged to have it back. The response to this man was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Who was he that was so quickly tearing down the concrete walls she had spent years building? The thought of trusting someone like that, letting them into her mind, yielding all her secrets, offering up her heart and body, all began to scare her.

When he entered the driver's seat, he looked over at her before firing up the truck, like he was carefully considering something.

After a moment, Jax finally broke the silence. "Are you up to seeing something before I take you home?" he asked in a reserved sort of way.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Mia looked back at him, attempting to be coy.

The drive to the secluded mountainside didn't seem that long, but they were far from town, or what seemed like any civilization. Looking out the window, Mia stared in awe at all the stars in the sky. There was hardly a blank space between them as they sparkled like diamonds.

When Jax parked the truck, he turned to her. "Come on, I'm going to grab some blankets from behind the seat."

After pulling out a big comforter and a few blankets, he laid them out in the bed of the truck. Once he deemed it was good enough, he held out his hand to Mia.

"Up you go."

Grabbing his extended hand, Mia let Jax help her into the back of the truck and sat as she waited for him to join her. When he lay back, Jax placed his head on the makeshift pillow and patted his chest.

"Lay down." He ordered, it wasn't in a rude manner, but still domineering, nonetheless.

Mia looked at him side eyed at his demand. Not that she didn't want to lay on his chest, she just didn't appreciate being told to do so. "You could ask nicely." She rebuked his presumptuous command.

He raised an eyebrow at her stubbornness. No one had ever challenged him before. In his pack his word was law. Only a few dared to challenge his new position as Alpha when Victor left. Jax made sure to make an example when he exiled them after inflicting as much damage during the ensuing duels. It seemed she wasn't going to give in to his dominant nature.

Jax spoke with playful sarcasm. "Lay down woman, please." He watched as Mia rolled her eyes, but then sighed and lay her head on his chest. As subtle as he could manage, he lightly put his nose to her hair, her scent was intoxicating. As he softly breathed her in, Jax stayed silent. When he wrapped his arms around her, Jax felt Mia tense up, before she allowed herself to relax.

Mia released a relaxed sigh. "It's beautiful, Jax. I could spend the rest of my life here just counting the stars."

"It's one of my favorite places, besides the woods."

"I would love to go hiking while I'm here. It's not something I've ever done, but I love being outdoors."