little one

chapter thirteen

thea's pov

Shockingly Jace and Sebastian eventually left Jace's mate and me alone. Well after they had a growling match with each other after Jace growled at my suggestion. I'm still getting used to Alpha males and their temperaments.

I knew how the girl was feeling though. I'm still afraid one day Sebastian's gonna wake up and his sweet personality will be exchanged for an angry one. Even though he's shown me no signs of that ever happening. I can't help that feeling of doubt, and I know it's not fair to Sebastian. He's been so good to me, he's absolutely perfect. I definitely don't deserve him.

Jace's mate and I sat in silence for a few minutes before I spoke;

"He's not going to hurt you." She looked at me skeptically and I continued, "No, really. Sebastian found me about a week ago in the same situation you were." Her eyes grew wide, "I didn't trust him at first, but he was so sweet. He took care of me and made sure I felt safe and warm. He puts up with my anxiety, and he never pushes me to do something I'm not comfortable with. I know Alpha males are scary. They have tempers, they're extremely possessive and protective to an insane level. But, I'm starting to think there's nothing Sebastian won't do for me. And, Jace is the same. He is an amazing guy, whose only desire is to protect and cherish you."

I could tell she still didn't totally believe me, but she wasn't negating it either. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her midsection, and I watched her breathing become uneven. Before I could even blink, Jace was in the room. His eyes wild and searching for his mate.  Sebastian followed behind him. I looked at Sebastian frantic, but all he did was pick me up and carried me to our room.

*

"Sebastian-"

"Little One, Jace is hanging on by a thread right now. He found his mate in a horrible condition, a week after finding you. She's clearly malnourished, she hasn't spoken since he found her. He doesn't even know her name. For a male wolf, that's enough to make him snap. He felt her panic and nearly lost it. He needs to be with his mate, so he can feel she's safe."

I simply nodded my head and crawled over to where he sat on the bed. Placing myself in his arms, I rested my head on his chest, breathing in his scent.

jace's pov

I've never felt more helpless in my life. My little mate was smaller than Thea if that was even possible. I could feel her frail frame shaking in my arms. I'm so out of my depth it's not even funny. The one positive in all this is, she's here. In my arms. Safe. And though she may be scared, she's never rejected my touch. A small consolation.

It's not easy for an Alpha male to feel so helpless and out of control. All I want to do is wrap her up in my arms and keep her safe from everything that could hurt her. It kills me that she won't talk to me. I don't even know her name. I don't know anything, but the extent of her injuries. Ainsley said she was hanging by a thread when I found her. My little mate has suffered so much, and I can't help but feel like I failed her.

"Beautiful, what's wrong? Please, just talk to me. I swear I won't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Just please talk to me. Anything, say anything. Your name? How're you're feeling? All I want is to hear your voice sweet. That's all." I could hear my wolf whining as I begged. She's the only one who would ever see this side of me. I would only ever beg and plead to her. She's the only one I'd ever show weakness to. She shifted slightly, burying her face deeper in my chest exhaling loudly.

*

We sat there for what seemed like hours. Me holding her tightly, stroking her arm, her clinging to me as if I was a life raft, and the only thing keeping her afloat. She still had yet to make even a sound, and I was starting to feel defeated.

I suddenly heard her exhale loudly again, and she placed her hand against my cheek;

"Acacia."

I stared at her shocked that she spoke, but seriously confused. I must have shown on my face how puzzled I was because she gave a small smile;

"My name. Acacia." Her voice was shaky, but the grin on my face couldn't be removed. Her voice was obviously out of practice, but nothing had ever sounded sweeter.

"My name is Jace. You've met Thea and her mate Alpha Sebastian. You can just call him Sebastian though, I'm his beta. You don't need to worry about anyone hurting you here. I'll protect you. I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner, you have no idea how much it kills me that it took me so long to go looking for my mate. I failed you sweet. I failed you. And for that I'm sorry-" She suddenly placed her finger over my mouth, shaking her head frowning.

"You came." The more she spoke, the more I realized how stilted her words were. Her English sounding broken.

"Sweet I don't want to upset you, but what did Thea say that upset you? You don't need to talk about it, but I just wanna be there for you."

She paused, "She told me to trust you, and though I haven't trusted anyone in my life, I felt like I could trust you. It is probably because of the mate bond, but I see no reason to distrust that feeling. You have only been kind to me. You saved me. I realized I was hurting you by not speaking. But I just- I don't speak very well. My Mama and Papa are from Greece, I did not speak much English. I did not want to embarrass you." Her head was down, she clearly was feeling embarrassed.

"Sweet you don't have to feel embarrassed. I understood that you were scared. You don't have to worry about speaking incorrectly around me. Or anyone for that matter. I would never allow anyone to make you feel inferior." She just nodded and laid her head back down against my chest. "You tired sweet?" She lifted her head to look into my eyes, and I could see her eyes struggling to stay open. My little mate had been through so much today. She needed rest.

I picked her up, adjusting her closely against me. Carrying her into the bedroom I set her on the bed. I looked in the drawers, praying someone had brought up some clothes, and sure enough, I found some T-shirts of mine. Chuckling when I turned and found my little mate curled up in a ball at the end of the bed, I lightly shook her awake, changing her into my shirt. I placed her in the middle of the bed. Tucking the covers around her tight enough to keep her warm, but not strangling her, too wired to fall asleep just yet I walked back into the kitchen/living room area to find Thea and Sebastian sitting at the counter.

*

"How is the little Sprite-" Before Sebastian could finish his sentence, Thea was rambling;

"I'm sorry for scaring her. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to make her feel better. I swear. I'm sorry. I swear. I wasn't trying to upset her. I'm sorry. Sorry." Thea's eyes were frantic, tears rolling down her face. Sebastian held her close, cooing in her ear.

"Thea it's ok. I know you didn't mean to upset her, she was just scared. She's ok now. I got her settled in the bedroom next door. She was wiped." My words didn't seem to really break past her anxious state, but she seemed a little more relaxed.

*

"She talks yet, brother?" Sebastian changed the subject, still trying to settle Thea from her panic attack.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face, "Acacia. Her name is Acacia." I couldn't keep the pride out of my voice if I tried.

" I think I'll stick with calling her sprite." Sebastian teased. I rolled my eyes, knowing there was no arguing with him.

At this moment, with my mate safe in a room nearby, I felt more settled than I had in a long time. But, I couldn't help the sinking feeling that there were more battles to come.

Thanks so much for reading! I haven't decided if I'll continue showing Acacia or Jaces POV. What do you think? Thank you for being patient with me, I've been really busy with school. And just minor writers block😂 Let me know what you think!

Thanks,
-ej