Chapter 1 Jack\'s Backstory (part 1)

5 years ago…

Jack’s POV

I always knew that the day my face was smashed in with a silver mace, would be a day, that would mark the rest of my life.

It was a group of Hunters that had gotten creative with some medieval weaponry. As alpha of the Evergreen Pack, it was my duty to protect my pack. And I do so without holding myself back. I was fighting one of the Hunters, protecting my father, when suddenly his partner pulled out the maze. He swung the massive lump of spiked metal, hitting the side of my face with incredible force. I remember hearing the sound of something cracking, pain, and then---

I woke up again to excruciating pain!

Some of the silver had embedded itself into the marrow of my jawbone and I had to be put into an induced coma. And I stayed in that coma for almost 6 months. When I woke up the second time around, I had to face an onslaught of new adjustments. I was permanently blind in my eye and half my face was scarred beyond recognition. My sense of smell was reduced to below that of even a human and shifting was extremely painful, to the point where I sometimes couldn’t even do it.

It was at that point that I realized. That moment when I saw the last hope my father had for my recovery, died. While I’d been in a coma my brother, Riven, and my father had been the ones leading the pack. When I failed to shift, my father decided to make Riven alpha instead of me. In his own words…

“No one wants a handicapped wolf as an alpha!”

I lost my birthright that day. I knew I could fight for it, but at that point in my life, I believed them. I was 21 and my pride had been severely wounded. I didn’t want to embarrass myself any further, appearing as a failure was bad enough…

But even that paled in comparison to the betrayal I felt because of her.

Skylar Thwan!

She was my mate.

My one and only!

Her first reaction to my appearances should have been my first clue though. She screamed and ran, hiding away in her room for several days. And even after that, every time she saw me, I could feel the disgust and revulsion rolling off her in thick waves. Not that I blamed her. Even a year after my last surgery, my face was still sunken and scarred.

I looked like a freak…

I knew I should have rejected her right then and there. She was a true beauty. Golden, blond hair and eyes the color of sapphire. Her body was fit and perfect. Her laughter made my insides dance like little butterflies and her smile made my heart jump in my chest. And that was why I didn’t reject her.

Or let her reject me…

I believed that the mate-bond would work in my favor. That one she got over how I looked, she’d learn to love me. So I moved carefully. Let her take her time, being patient. Because I believed, that there was more to a man than a monster. I later realized that there was a word for people like me.

Idealistic fool…

“I’ll wait for you,” I told her one night after our date, although it was painful to talk. But that night she surprised me, by taking my hand and looking me straight in the eyes.

“I don’t want you to wait,” she said, her lips slightly trembling. “I want you to claim me!”

And I did that!

Feeling connected to her, was something I would never get used to. My wolf was content, purring in my chest as she laid next to me in bed. Our bodies were naked and sweaty from endless rounds of sex. I’d claimed her and my mark was on her neck.

It hurt like a son of a bitch to claim her, but it was worth every second of it. I love her so much as she was my entire life. Although through our bond I could feel that she was still somewhat repulsed by my appearance. I didn’t blame her. I looked worse than Jonah Hex on a good day.

A beast to her beauty…

But I wowed to be patient with her and until she and her wolf were ready to claim me, I’d be whatever she needed me to be. Because of the damage to my jaw, I couldn’t kiss her the way I wanted. I couldn’t do a lot of things to her that I wanted, but I believed in the power of the bond between us.

And that it would be enough…

“I love you, Jack,” she said softly, as we got dressed and she gently kissed the unscarred side of my lips.

“I love you too, Sky,” I replied, wishing I could tell her just how much she meant to me. But the pain from saying just those few words and from claiming her was already pulsing through my head and I felt weak and sick from that alone.

I didn’t tell anyone that however. Instead, I took some painkillers and headed to my old office.

Riven sat behind the desk and while it pained my wolf to see him in MY rightful spot, I pushed the pain aside and instead focused on being grateful. At least he was a good alpha and he took care of the pack. And while my father seemed to be ashamed of me, Riven didn’t look at me any differently. He respected me, always asking me about my opinion and what I would do in this or that situation…

I realized later that that too has another name…

Guilt…!