4 Chapter 3

It was days after Scarlett had mentioned she wanted to leave, but in the meantime, Jax was determined to make the most of the time he had with her until she left. He's been wanting to share something with her for days, but he wanted to wait for the right time. And, as of now, there was no better of a time for Jax.

"Scar? Can I show you something?" Jax asked, a hand on a door that was always locked. Scarlett was quiet, tilting her head to the side. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, nodding slowly. Jax took in a deep breath, leading her through the door. They were met with pitch blackness, except for one window on the opposite wall. He turned on the lights and the room became brightly lit.

Scarlett wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't what she imagined. Canvases rested on easels; paintings hung from the walls. A tarp covered the floor, splashed with paint. Jax stood in the middle of the room, moving one of the easels out of Scarlett's way. "I know, I know, it's not what you'd expect but.." his voice trailed off, biting his lip. "I've never shown this to anyone before. Painting is my.. stress reliever." He smiled nervously, looking over his shoulder to get a peek at her expression.

Scarlett's eyes scanned each of the paintings carefully. Hanging on the middle of one of the walls, happened to be a family portrait. Alexander stood proudly behind his wife. On Elizabeth's lap was a young girl, which seemed to be Jax's other sister. She seemed no older than ten. To her left was Jax himself and on the right was Maya. "Molly was the last addition to our family. They found her wandering the streets." He frowned at this, covering the painting with a sheet. "W-Why cover it..?" Scarlett finally asked, studying another painting awkwardly.

"We have a rough relationship with each other. I haven't heard from Molly in years. My parents refuse to come over now. The only one I actually see is Maya. I painted it a long time ago." His eyes grew sad and he turned away, eyes locked on the singular window. "T-these are beautiful," Scarlett spoke, changing the subject quickly. "You really think so?" Jax asked, turning to face her. She nodded, running her fingers along an edge of the current painting she was looking at.

There must have been at least fifty in the room. It was clear Jax had been painting for quite some time. In each of his paintings, he got better and more skillful. He smiled brightly at her response, pulling out one of his recently done paintings. He was eager to show her anything and everything he had, no matter how new or old.

"Y-You're.. like a k-kid in a c-candy store," Scarlett chuckled as he held up the painting, her stutter showing signs of amusement. "I finished this one last week." "I-Is that why... you were gone.. when I w-woke up?" Jax nodded. He handed a painting to her. She got a closer look at it now in her pale hands. "I-Is that me?" He nodded again, pointing out some details of the piece. "I wanted you to have something to remember me by when you go." He whispered rather nervously, shoving his hand deep into his pockets. "I just.. I wanted to give you something."

Scarlett hugged the portrait of herself close to her chest. "I-I've never.. h-had a g-gift like.. this." Her hair fell into her face, blocking Jax's view. When tears dropped onto her bare feet, he understood. Jax gulped very slowly. Scarlett didn't move for multiple moments, that is until she set the portrait carefully to the side. Jax was going to say something to her but didn't get a chance, as Scarlett wrapped her arms around him in an embrace.

"Are you okay?" Scarlett nodded, his shirt wet with her tears. She pulled away soon after, wiping her tears with her fingers. "I-I'm sorry I got.. your shirt wet.." Jax chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it." In fact, he just took it off, setting it on an empty easel. "I have another one somewhere.." he walked over to a pile of clothes, crumpled and wrinkled in the corner. He slipped on the first one he grabbed.

"There, see? No worries."

"C-Can I.. show you something?"

"Sure. Whatever you want."

Scarlett drew in a breath. "I-I need you.. to t-turn around.." She bit her lip. "Why?" "J-Just do it, p-please." Jax raised an eyebrow to her request but did as asked. He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning lightly. He could only guess what she planned on showing to him. Scarlett stripped down to her undergarments, in preparation to shift into her wolf. Her bones snapped and cracked sharply. It was a rather slow shift, as, she didn't get the opportunity to shift often. If she did, it got her in trouble with the owners.

Jax expected her to say turn around, instead, he only heard a bark. Furrowing his eyebrows together, he turned back to face Scarlett. A white wolf took Scarlett's place. She had black eyes, as Scarlett did. Her clothes lay right beside her, neatly folded. Jax now understood why he was asked to turn around. He crouched down, reaching his hand out to her. "Scar?" The wolf yipped in response, wagging her tail. Scarlett shook out her fur, nudging Jax's hand. "You're so soft." He chuckled, running his hand through her fur.

Scarlett growled lowly, running circles around him happily.

She finally stopped at his feet, laying on them. "This is what you wanted to show me, huh?" Scarlett licked his hand as he rubbed her stomach. Jax grinned down at her. Scarlett's wolf stood at three and a half feet, from head to toe. While the fur was white, it had grey undertones on her back and tail. She was sleek; her fur shiny yet her tail fur was fluffy. Scarlett wagged her tail, nudging herself into Jax's arms. He continued to pet and run his fingers through her fur.

"You're like a puppy."

Scarlett's tongue hung from her mouth and before he knew it, she was licking him on the face. However, when Scarlett heard a noise, she snarled, standing in front of Jax. "What do you hear?" He asked her, quietly. After a moment, she sat down. Her ears pointed forwards, alert. Jax frowned, scratching her ear as he stood up. "Someone there?"

There was no reply. It was quiet, all except for the ceiling fan spinning. One of the lights flickered. Scarlett still growled, pacing in front of Jax. "It's alright." He tried to reassure her, not sensing another presence. Jax picked Scarlett's clothes up for her. His leg was rubbed up against, leaving white fur behind. "You're shedding," He did his best to wipe off the fur from his pants.

Scarlett took her clothing from his hand into her mouth as she trotted back to the other side of the room to shift again. Jax figured she would've had him turn around once more. As the gentleman he says he was, he turned around for her so she can shift and change.

"Y-You can t-turn around now," Scarlett spoke, shuffling her feet. Jax nodded. "Why don't you shift more?" "I.. u-used to get.. in t-trouble if I did." "Why didn't you shift when my parents attacked?" He asked. His tone was accusing, eyes narrowed as he watched her. "I d-didn't.."

"You didn't what?"

Jax only received a whimper from Scarlett. He realized he was scaring her. With a frown, he crossed his arms. Jax said nothing, picking up her portrait. Silently, he handed it to her. Something told Scarlett he was upset with her, but she didn't know how or what she did wrong. She took the portrait from him, holding it close to her body again. Her gaze moved from him to her feet. She wiggled her bare toes, listening to his footsteps as he left the room.

Now, she stood in the middle of the room, the only thing to comfort her was the portrait in her arms.

"I-I'm sorry.." she whispered, met with dead silence as Jax was gone. She whimpered, setting the portrait down, curling up into a ball on the floor. She figured it was best to leave him alone.

"I'm s-sorry."

❧

The house was still when Scarlett left Jax's secret painting room. She crept around the house, actually worried to make a noise. By now, she knew the place well enough to get around on her own. "J-Jax?" She called out, peering around the corner into the living room. She got no response. She frowned, tiptoeing across the room, up the stairs. She figured he was in his bedroom.

The stairs were mainly quiet except for one step. It creaked loudly, and, before she even looked up, she saw feet at the top of the staircase. Jax was not one to wear shoes in the house, and, today was no exception. Despite him being a noble, he wore casual clothing in the house, which included sweatpants.

"Where have you been?" Scarlett gulped, walking up the rest of the way. She met Jax at the top, one hand on the railing. "In.. y-your.. art r-room." "For three hours?" He tilted his head to the side, eyes studying her face. She just nodded to him, stepping away from the staircase. She licked her lips, nodding again. "Y-Yes. I t-though you w-wanted to cool d-down from.." She stopped, shaking her head. "I-It was stupid... I-I know... for me not to s-shift when.."

"Stop. Just.." Jax sighed, running a hand down his face. "I'm sorry about earlier. It's not right for me to.. blame you for not shifting. You were scared. I'm sorry. I.. your form, I can understand why you wouldn't want to.. reveal it at that moment." He chose his words carefully. All he seemed to be doing these past few weeks was mess up and apologize for them. Scarlett was patient, and, she saw him as someone she could trust. After all, he was the only person to show her a shred of kindness besides her own mother.

Scarlet nodded to his apology, smiling gently. "I.. the p-portrait.. how long did it.. take?" She asked, having left the painting in the art room. Jax didn't answer immediately, trying to think of the time frame. "Uh, about.." he counted on his hands, causing Scarlett to grin. "About three weeks." He responded, nodding. Jax thought it would have turned out creepy if he started as soon as she came, so instead, he waited until she was there for over two months. Altogether, Scarlett had been with Jax for only a few months, five at the most, as it took at least two months for her to heal fully.

"H-how long.. have you been—" "Should we move away from the stairs?" She nodded. Jax brought her into the living room, gesturing to the couch. "You know you can sit on it," he patted the spot next to him as he sat down. Scarlett paused, looking over her shoulder. "There's no one here but you and me." He commented, leaning back. She nodded slowly, sitting next to Jax.

"H-How long have.. y-you been.. painting f-for?" "One-hundred and seven-five years." Scarlett blinked, letting the number sink in. "I'm five-hundred and twenty-five if you're wondering." Jax gave her a cheeky smile.

"T-that's.."

"Old. I know. Don't have to rub it in." He raised his hands in defeat, a rather smug look crossing his face.

"O-oldie."

"Be happy I enjoy your company."