Chapter 6: 6
It had been two weeks since Ana had met the Pack, and everyone loved her. She seemed to like all of them as well, which was a huge bonus. The Full Moon had come and gone. Jack had Ana stay with Audrey and Demetri that night since none of the Pack would have been around to protect her; Full Moons were shifting nights, everyone of age shifted and ran through the forest. The elders stayed with the kids who were not old enough to shift, meaning anyone under the age of sixteen.
Ana had asked all kinds of questions about the Full Moon and the shift, which Jack happily answered; her interest in his Pack and life gave him hope, though he tried not to get them too high. It was one thing to be friends with werewolves, it was another to have one as a mate, and lead a whole Pack, especially as a human.
Today Jack and Eric had Pack business, so Ana stayed at the Pack house. They had spent more and more of their time there, even staying the night occasionally. Ana slept in an empty room on the top floor meant to be for Alpha and Beta children, but it was used as a guest room for now. Eric was waiting by the Jag when Jack finally made it out of the Pack house. "Took you long enough" he teased.
"I was just making sure Ana was going to be alright here by herself" Jack replied, climbing into the driver's seat.
"She isn't by herself" Eric replied, sliding into the passenger seat.
"You know what I mean. Without one of us."
"She'll be fine" Eric assured.
"I hope so" Jack replied. Jack dropped the subject, even though he was still anxious about leaving Ana, and started talking to Eric about the Rogue attacks that had been happening in the area just outside the Pack lands. They were getting closer and Jack didn't like it. He asked Eric to come check things out with him, wanting to get a handle on the situation before it escalated anymore.
They stopped in at local bars, clubs, hotels, anywhere they could find that may give them clues; they had informants in all of the neighboring towns, but no one had much information. All they knew were some Rogue werewolves were going around snacking on any poor soul they came across late at night. So far there were four confirmed attacks, which meant hunters would be called in soon if Jack didn't get it under control.
The Pack and police had an agreement; Jack takes care of any Rogue wolves or else they call in hunters, who cannot always be trusted to only hunt the Supernaturals they were hired to, and Jack was not going to take that chance. They had lost members in the past to hunters and Jack was not about to let that happen again, especially since Ana was always around. They may mistake her as a wolf, or even just kill her for associating with them.
"No new leads. What now?" Eric asked when they climbed back into the Jag.
"I don't know. I don't like waiting for more attacks, but no one has any helpful information right now."
"Let's head back to the Pack house, there isn't much else we can do here right now." Jack nodded, hating that his Beta was right. They drove back to the Pack house in silence, neither one liking how their investigation had ended. Jack parked and they both climbed out.
"I'll go fill the warriors in on what we found out and let them know to be on the alert. You go find Ana; I know you want to" Eric said with a grin. Jack ignored his teasing and went in search of his mate. He found her in the kitchen with Maria and Susan, and just seeing her helped cheer him up.
"Good evening ladies" he greeted.
"Oh, hey Jack! Welcome home!" Ana said with one of her brilliant smiles. "How were your errands?"
"Could have gone better, but it's nothing you need to worry about. How was your day?" Jack didn't want to worry Ana; she had finally stopped having nightmares about the vampire attack and he didn't want to cause any new ones.
"It was really fun! I spent most of the day helping Mary with the kids before coming here to help cook dinner." Jack smiled, happy that she seemed to enjoy spending time with the Pack.
"That's good to hear. I need to go finish up a few things, I'll meet you at our table for dinner."
"Okay" Ana said, a light blush creeping across her cheeks. As much as Jack wanted to stay with her, he knew he had to go speak with the warriors with Eric, so he excused himself and headed for the council room.
"Look who it is, I thought you'd be with Ana" Lucian teased when Jack entered the room. Only Eric knew about Ana being Jack's mate, but his warriors had their suspicions, he could feel it, and he knew they could feel the change in him whenever she was around.
"I promised I'd be back to have dinner with her, so we need to wrap this up" Jack said, earning him a few "oohs" from the room. "We were unable to gather any new information, so we need to be on high alert. No one leaves the Pack grounds alone, and I want to double the patrol." Everyone nodded, growing serious; they knew having Rogues around was dangerous.
They went over a few more things before wrapping up the meeting and heading to dinner. Ana was sitting in her usual seat, chatting with others at the table when he arrived. Jack took a moment to take in the sight; his future Luna with his Pack. All of the people he loved in one room, getting along. It made him incredibly happy.
Ana noticed him standing in the doorway and a smile spread across her face as she waved him over. The fact she was happy to see him brought a smile to his own lips as Jack headed to his table and took a seat. "Miss me?" he asked, half-jokingly.
"Of course! You've been gone all day and you must be starving! I got you a plate already, I hope you don't mind." The fact she admitted to missing him caused Jack's face to warm and his chest to tighten; he wanted to pull her close and kiss her. Instead, he smiled and thanked her. Jack ate in relative silence, enjoying just observing Ana interact with the others. They accepted her so openly, and Jack was immensely grateful for that, it would make things much easier if she actually accepted him and became their Luna. She already cared about them, and Jack knew how loyal and loving she was; she'd make a wonderful Luna.
Jack was watching Ana so intently he didn't notice anyone walking behind them until Ana was soaking wet. "Oops, how clumsy of me" Hannah said from behind Ana, holding a now empty glass of soda.
Jack growled, causing Hannah to scamper off. "Come on, let's go get you cleaned up" Jack said, helping Ana out of her chair. "Do you mind cleaning up the mess here?" he asked the table.
"Yeah we'll clean it, you just help Ana" Maria said. Jack nodded a thanks before escorting Ana of the kitchen and up to her temporary room.
"Why does Hannah hate me?" Ana asked once they were inside her room. Jack turned to see her eyes welling up with tears. "I haven't done anything to her" she replied, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
"Please don't cry" Jack said, cupping her face and wiping the stray tear with his thumb.
"She likes you" Ana mumbled.
"That gives her no right to attack you" Jack said through his teeth; he hated seeing Ana so upset.
"I'm used to it. I was teased a lot in school because of how short and timid I was" Ana said, looking down at her feet.
"You are not timid, and I like your height" Jack said, lifting her chin to look up at him. "So please, don't be sad. We are a family here and I do not tolerate bullying. I'll talk with her. You go get cleaned up." Ana nodded and allowed herself to be led to the bathroom by Jack. While she cleaned herself up Jack decided to go speak with Hannah.
He left Ana's room and headed to the kitchen where they were cleaning up from dinner. "Thank you for cleaning the mess" he said to Maria and Susan.
"No trouble at all. How's she doing?" Maria asked.
"She's alright. Do you know where Hannah went?"
"Her and her little posse went outside" Susan replied with a growl.
"Thank you" Jack said. He went outside and followed his nose to where Hannah and her friends were. "Leave us" he growled at the others, who quickly got up and left. "What was that?" Jack asked Hannah once they were alone.
"What? It was an accident" she said, feigning innocence.
"Bullshit. Just because I rejected you does not give you the right to attack Ana. She's done nothing to you."
"She parades around like she's one of us. She's a human! She needs to learn her place!" Hannah shouted, giving up the innocent act.
"No, you need to learn your place" Jack growled, causing Hannah to take a step back. However, her fear was quickly replaced by outrage.
"I'm sick of watching her throw herself at you! She doesn't deserve you!"
"That is not for you to decide!" Jack yelled.
"Why not?" Hannah yelled back, stepping closer to him. Her anger subsided and she touched his chest. "What we had was special."
"No Hannah, it wasn't" Jack said, removing her hands.
"Stop lying to yourself" she said seductively. "I know you still want me."
"You're the one lying to yourself Hannah. I do not want you" Jack said sternly.
"Why not? You want her? Why?" Hannah screamed.
"Because she's my mate!" Jack yelled, which caught Hanna off guard. Her eyes widened in shock and she let her arms fall to her sides.
"I'm your mate?"
Ana had taken a hot shower, scrubbing until she no longer felt sticky from the soda that had been dumped over her head. She dried off and changed into sweats and a t-shirt before heading downstairs to find Jack. Maria said he had gone outside, so she left the Pack house and followed voices until she found Jack and Hannah screaming at each other. It was quite obvious they had been intimate once upon a time, and now Hannah wouldn't accept Jack rejecting her. She was angry that Ana was around and always with Jack, which Ana thought was silly, but what Jack said next shocked her.
"Because she's my mate!" Jack roared, which shut Hannah up.
"I'm your mate?" The words left Ana's mouth without her permission. Jack spun around and looked at her in complete shock.
"Ana, when did you get here?" he asked, still in shock.
"You bitch!" Hannah screamed, launching herself at Ana, knocking her onto the ground. The wind was knocked out of her, but Hannah didn't let her recover, she sat up and started raining blows onto the smaller girl. Ana raised her arms in an attempt to protect her face. "You don't deserve him!" Hannah yelled as she continued her assault.
Spots began forming in Ana's vision and everything became muffled. She was vaguely aware of Hannah being pulled off of her and Jack yelling before his face appeared above her. His lips were moving but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Her eyes grew heavy and the last thing she remembered was being lifted off the cold ground and being held against a warm body before she lost consciousness.
Ana wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, but she did know that her entire body ached, especially her head. "Ana, are you awake?" she heard Jack ask before feeling someone touch her arm. She forced her eyes open and blinked a few times to clear her vision.
"Where am I?" she asked, looking around the unfamiliar room.
"The Pack hospital" Jack replied. "Do you need anything?"
"Maybe some pain killers" Ana admitted.
"I'll be right back" Jack said, leaving the room. He returned a few moments later with two pills and a glass of water, handing both to her. She took the medicine and downed the water, setting the empty glass on the table next to her.
"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.
"Everything hurts" Ana replied, truthfully.
"The doctor said you have a minor concussion, along with several bruises and a broken rib" Jack said. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." He looked down, not meeting Ana's eyes.
"Where is she?" Ana asked.
"Locked in the cells for now, until I figure out what I want to do with her" Jack said through his teeth.
"Were you two dating?" Ana asked, though part of her didn't want to know the truth.
"Something like that. We met when I was in Pennsylvania. She took a liking to me, and neither of us had found our mate, so she came back with us, along with a few of her friends. Not having a mate is lonely, so I accepted her proposal to begin a relationship, but we agreed it would end if either of us found our mate" Jack explained.
"You said I was your mate" Ana said, remembering exactly why Hannah had attacked her.
"Yes" Jack said, still not meeting her eyes.
"How long have you known?"
"I knew the moment we met, but I didn't accept it until after you were attacked by the Rogue vampire in my house. I broke it off with Hannah after that, though I should have done it sooner."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ana asked.
"I was afraid you'd reject me. I planned on telling you, after you got comfortable with the Pack. As my mate you'd be their Luna; their leader. Please understand Ana, I just wanted to make you happy and keep you safe, though it seems I've failed at both."
"Your feelings are just because of the, what did you call it before? Mate pull? How do I know you like me for me and not just some pre-determined bond?"
"Mates are supposed to be each other's perfect partner. I'm sure I'd still care for you without the mate bond. I know it's confusing for you, but know that you're all I want." Ana shook her head; this was all too much right now.
"I want to go home" Ana said.
"Of course, I'll take you back to the house as soon as you feel well enough" Jack said.
"No, I want to go home. To my apartment. I need some time alone to think and process all of this." Jack looked hurt and his eyes were full of fear. "I'm not rejecting you, I just need time" Ana clarified. Jack nodded, though he still looked worried.
"I'll pack your things and have Eric take you home in the morning."
"Thank you" Ana replied.
"No need to thank me. Get some rest for now." Jack left the room and Ana decided to take his advice. It took a while for her to fall asleep with everything running through her head, but she eventually was able to.
The next morning Ana was on her way back to her apartment with Eric. Jack had come to see her off and they shared a somber good-bye before she left. She felt bad, she knew she was hurting him, but she needed time to work through everything that had happened.
"I know this is all a big shock to you, but try to go easy on him. He really was doing what he thought was best" Eric said after they had driven a few miles in silence.
"You knew?" Ana asked.
"Yes, Demetri and I are the only two he told. He wanted advice." Ana nodded; she should have known. She wondered if Demetri had told Audrey, who would have kept the secret for her fiancé but she definitely would not have liked it. Though, Demetri didn't like keeping secrets from Audrey either, so either way they must have been unhappy about the situation. Ana made a mental note to tell them that she knew. "Are you mad at him?"
"I don't know" Ana said. "So much has happened I don't even know how I feel, besides being in pain" she admitted.
"Do me a favor? Think long and hard before you make a decision. Losing one's mate, either in death or rejection, is one of the worst experiences for a wolf. The pain it causes is excruciating, and some don't live through it." Eric sounded sad, something that Ana had never seen from him.
"Eric, how come you don't have a mate? Jack told me most wolves find theirs at age eighteen."
"I did find mine. She was a year younger than me, so I didn't meet her until I was nineteen, but I was so happy when I found her. We shared one happy year together before she was killed my Hunters."
"I'm so sorry" Ana said, placing her hand on his shoulder. The pain in his voice broke her heart, and it made her think about Jack; could she really reject him knowing this is the kind of pain she'd be subjecting him to? "I will take my time making a decision, I promise."
"Thank you" Eric said with a sad smile. "Jack is a good guy. He'd treat you well, and the pack already loves and accepts you."
"I just don't know if I could be their leader" Ana said, she was not confident in her ability to lead over a hundred people.
"You'd be amazing, I'm sure of it" Eric said reassuringly.
"Thank you" Ana replied. They rode the rest of the way in silence. Eric helped carry her luggage to her apartment- luckily the elevator was working again - before pulling her into a tight hug.
"Be safe, and call me if you need anything" he said. Ana returned his hug and thanked him, promising she'd be careful, before he finally left. It was nice to be back in her own apartment, but Ana couldn't help but miss the noise of the Pack house. She'd grown so accustomed to it that the quiet of her apartment was unsettling.
The last twenty-four hours had been eventful, and Ana hadn't slept well in the hospital bed, so she decided to rest. She would call Audrey tomorrow to talk to her about everything, she knew her friend would have good advice, but for now, Ana just wanted to be alone and rest. She crawled into her bed and quickly fell asleep, comforted by the familiarity of her own bedding. She slept deeply, not even dreams disturbing her.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ElisInForeverland
ElisInForeverland I added a small section to this chapter of Jack explainung his relationship with Hannah to Ana. The gist is that they were together but had agreed it would end if they found their mates. You can re-read the chapter or just find that section, but it's not necessary
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