Eden

Chapter 29: Relax

I sit bolt upright and pant.
"You okay?" Jonah says, sitting up and I ball up the sheets in my hands
I lean on him and try to steady my breathing
"Nightmare?" He asks and I nod.
"Eden speak." He says, worried.
"I-I'm o-okay." I whimper
"You haven't had nightmares in ages, What was it about?" He asks and I look at him, locking eyes
"James...and Fras..." I breathe and he places his hand over mine.
"They can't hurt you anymore." He says and I look at him, tears Ready to fall
"I'm a wreck today." I breathe and he kisses me
"Mmm. My wreck." He smirks and I roll my eyes
"Jonah, don't you have work? It's seven am." I say and he shakes his head
"Decided to stay in today." He smiles and I nod
"Why's that?" I pant and he holds me.
"Because you need a break." He smiles
I try to calm down.
I scrunch up my eyes and try to stop hyperventilating.
I rub my head and he holds me.
"Cmon Eden, you're stronger than this." He says and I sniffle
"I just can't get it out my head." I sob
"So tell me. Tell me all of it Eden."
I walk through the hall, ready to enter last period when Fras smiles at me.
"Hey Maera." He smiles and I smile back, blushing
I blush easily, and guys never talk to me.
"Hi." I squeak out.

I lay on the bathroom stall floor and can barely move.
W-what just happened?
My body aches and hurts, I'm bleeding, why am I bleeding.
His words echo in my head
'I told she'd be easy.'
I sob, scrambling to pull my clothes on. I yelp as I stand, my leg giving out.
I limp to the bathroom sink and see my reflection move.
"Your mate's never gonna want you now, who would want a slut like you?" She growls
I cry, unable to even think straight, I run out of the bathroom and all the way home.

He's here.
My mate.
My mate is in front of me.
"You're my mate? Why did I get a ugly, boring, freak of nature, slut of a mate." He snarls and I whimper
"But-"
"I reject you." He snarls and I feel everything in my body numb.
Jonah PoV:
She looks at me with such a broken gaze, gasping for air ever so often.
I rub her cheek and she hugs me
I bring her outside and sit her down.
I wrap her in my jacket and she looks at me
"Thank you." She whispers and I kiss her head
"Of course."
I sit beside her and she seems to calm down, especially when she sees the sun rise
"Feeling any better?" I ask, and she runs a hand through her hair
"A little." She breathes
She wriggles further under my coat and smiles.
"Jonah?" She says and I look at her
"Thank you. For helping me through that." She says and I pull her into my lap
"You don't have panic attacks often, it's my job to help and protect you." I say and she giggles
"I love you." She huffs and I rub her back
"I love you too, but you shouldn't do that." I comment on her sinking her nails into her thighs
She pulls her claws away and squeaks
"Ugh, I thought I got over this." She sniffles and I frown
"Hey, it's okay. We're gonna be fine." I smile and she smiles back
"I think I'm gonna try and sleep again." She says and I nod
"I'll be here if you need me princess."
She nods and walks back inside from the balcony.
I yawn and smile.
I hope she gets back to sleep
Eden PoV:
When I wake up I immediately dash to the balcony and see Jonah working
"Hey." I smile
"Hey, you look much better." He says and I smile
"I feel much better. What are you working on?" I ask
"Mm, just renovations." He says and I nod
"You cold out here?" I ask and he shakes his head
"Nope, are you?" He asks and I shake my head
"I'm sure Sandy will be exhausted now." I giggle and he nods
"She sure will, and speaking of Sandy. You said you wanted to talk when you felt better. Do you feel better?" He asks and I smile
"I do." I say and he sits me down
"So what did you want to say?" He says and I breathe out
"Well, I just...we haven't made any progress on the whole Gio thing...it helps me to calm down if I can figure things out."
"Mmm. Sure, but take it easy okay?" He says and I nod
"Of course." I say and we walk to the office when he picks me up
"Jonah!" I yip and he smirks
He dumps me on the couch and I giggle
I get up and grab an older journal.
Maybe I'll find some info about Gio there.
I pull out my phone and text Ewan
Me: Hey, is there anything I should know about Gio?
Ewan: Hey Eden, not sure. It's worth mentioning he's living on the outskirts of the Justice pack still.
Me: thanks
I continue to read and hum to myself.
I look up and see Jonah buried in work, groaning.
I bite my lip
"I can help." I muse and he sighs
"Mhm, no. You need to relax." He grunts and I frown
Jonah...
I walk over and sit in his lap.
"Maybe you need to relax." I say and he rolls his eyes
"I'm fine Eden." He says and I pout
"Liar," I huff and he works on more paperwork
He traces circles on my thighs and I smile
I know I help calm him down, but this is too much stress on him.
"Jonah?" I muse and he looks up
I know he loves it when I say his name...
"Maybe you should take a break. You seem really stressed." I say and he grunts
"I'm fine." He says and I pout
"Jonah." I frown
"Eden." He counters and I look down
"Jonah I'm worried about you, I don't want you getting overwhelmed." I say, grabbing both sides of his face
"Eden..." He sighs and I whimper
"Please...my dad got all absorbed in his work and..." my voices hitches and a stray tear lands on my lap
"It's okay Eden. I'll take a break." He says, clearly just to calm me down
"Thank you." I rasp