Demonic Regime

Chapter 15: Notebooks (Jax)

Rubbing my forehead, I stared at the page showing all the photos of the past alphas. I nearly had them memorized, their humans forms, at least. I glanced at the pile of books at my feet that Clark had left me. They had the allies and lower alphas from branch packs listed in them. I was starting to doubt if anyone in this household knew all of these names because I sure wasn't going to be able to remember them all.

The bedroom door opened. Max poked his head inside. "Brought you something."

He carried in a plastic bin and put it on the bed. My chest felt tight. My notebooks.

I snatched the container and yanked it closer. "You didn't read them, right?"

"I glanced at them."

Cursing under my breath, I covered my face with my hands. "Those were private. No one was ever supposed to read them."

"Sorry." Max shrugged. "A few were open when they gave them to me."

"Gave them?"

"Yeah, your parents went back to the farmhouse and packed up everyone's personal items. They said you would want these."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't want anyone looking at them." I quickly stack them and made sure no loose papers were showing.

"Hmm..." Max leaned on his arm as his tail flicked from side to side. "I didn't know you were a writer."

"I'm not. This is just for me. I don't let people read my stuff."

"Why?"

"It's personal," I stated.

He was as dense as everyone else.

"I don't go snooping around in your things."

The werewolf glanced at the container. "I don't have a diary."

I scoffed at him. "They're not diaries! I'm not some melodramatic teenager. They're just thoughts. It's not like I could run around with everyone else, so I'd write instead."

"If they're just thoughts, why can't anyone read them?"

Grabbing an empty tablet, I threw it at him.

Max blocked his face as it hit his shoulder. "God, Jax," he laughed. "I didn't know you were so passionate about this." He picked up the notebook and flipped through the pages. "Oh, you wrote in the back of this one. Hmm... interesting."

I shoved the container out of the way and struggled to get across the bed. "Give it back!"

"You threw it at me, though." He turned his body so I couldn't get to it.

Pulling myself across the bed, I grabbed his arm. "Max! Give it back to me now."

The werewolf started to laugh. "I was joking." He showed me the last few blank pages in the tablet. Max tossed the book into the bin.

I dropped to my side and glared at the comforter. "Asshole," I muttered.

Max put his hand on my head. "I was only teasing you a bit. It was kind of impressive how you got over here so quickly."

"Don't make fun of me. Disabilities are not something to laugh at."

"Sorry." He played with my hair. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Stronger. My upper body, at least."

"That's good. You seem to have more energy too."

"A bit."

"Do you want to try standing?"

I shook my head. "I'll fall."

Max slipped his hands under my shoulders. "I won't let you." He lifted me up.