Chapter 4: Awkward Dinner Together

Artemis POV

Artemis closed the door behind her and sighed, closing her eyes as countless thoughts and emotions swirled through her. So much had happened in one day, so many unwanted memories coming back to haunt her…

This morning she had been thinking about college and worrying about the pack's future Luna and now, she could possibly be the next Luna. Not only that but she had two mates, the other being the younger brother of Louis.

If she accepted the bond with Jayce, she would probably have to see Louis again and she didn't want to face that monster. She felt her hand go to her stomach, memories of what he did to her threatening to fill her head.

Jayce also looked like his brother and Artemis wasn't sure if she was ready to spend the rest of her life with someone who looked like her parents' killer. She knew it was cruel to think like that, but her mind kept twisting things…

Everything was going too fast for her to process, but she was glad she had been given some time to think things over.

Shaking her head to clear the overwhelming thoughts and emotions, Artemis grabbed her oversized tee and some shorts, heading to the bathroom for a hot shower.

Inside the bathroom, she turned the shower on, placing her clothes on the towel rack next to her towel. She then quickly stripped out of her work clothes and hopped inside the shower, letting the hot water flow over her body.

Artemis sighed in relief, the hot water warming her body, making her anxious thoughts leave her like the steam rising. After washing herself, Artemis got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her wet hair.

She put on her oversized tee and shorts, throwing her work clothes into the laundry basket. Afterwards, she ran the towel on her head through her hair once before too throwing the wet towel into the basket.

She let her wet hair down wanting to dry it naturally, having a hate for blow dryers after she accidently burnt herself with one when she was younger. Not that that was the real reason, memories of her mother drying her hair being the real reason.

Thankfully, it was a warm summer's evening, otherwise Xander was probably going to scold her about having wet hair. The thought made Artemis realize how much their relationship was going to change because of this mate bond.

Artemis sighed again, flopping onto her bed and picking up her phone. Opening social media, she started watching some videos to distract herself from everything around her.

***

Artemis heard a knock on the door, stopping the cat video she was watching. Dropping her phone on the bed, she got up quickly and headed for the door. Opening it she saw Xander was standing there, the scent of meat making her stomach growl and inner wolf howl in hunger.

"Dinner smells nice." Artemis smiled a little nervously.

"Hopefully it tastes as good. You know that your cooking is better than mine." Xander replied, his eyes gleaming. "I see your hair is wet again."

"Aghh…I like drying it like this." Artemis muttered, walking out the door and heading to the kitchen. "Besides, it's hot today. I won't get a cold."

Xander just growled behind her, deciding to let it slide for once. As Artemis stepped into the kitchen, she let the delicious smells embrace her before she spotted a tall man placing food on the counter.

He turned to look at her, a bandage wrapped roughly around his eyes. Artemis felt her body go tense at the sight, her fear making her think it was Louis.

I guess I overestimated myself. I wasn't ready for this…I don't-

"Calm down." Xander whispered as he lightly placed his hands on her shoulders, his front against her back. "This is Jayce."

The warmth from his body and the familiar touch calmed her, knowing she was safe. Taking a deep breath, Artemis took a step, grabbing a seat in front of her. Xander took the one next to her while Jayce grabbed the one in front of her.

"Um…hi…" Artemis said awkwardly as she sat down. "I'm Artemis…and it's…um nice to meet you."

"Hello Artemis." Jayce drawled. "It's nice to meet you too."

Artemis felt some of her fear disappearing, her inner wolf loving the way he said her name. She felt relaxed and somehow safe…however, she couldn't figure out why.

Xander placed a plate of steak, done medium rare, with some chips and salad on it. He had made her favorite dish, knowing that she had been craving meat on such an awful day.

"Thanks…" Artemis murmured, grabbing her knife and fork.

She quickly cut up a piece of her steak, placing it in her mouth and chewing a little as the meat melted in her mouth. The taste was incredible, seasoned right with some herbs and spices, a little bite from the chili flakes.

It was perfect…

"Ahem…" Xander coughed, giving Artemis a side glance.

Artemis looked at him in confusion before she realized what he was trying to hint at. She looked up at Jayce who was eating some of his chips.

"Um…Jayce…" The male looked up at the sound of his name. "I wanted to um…apologize for earlier. You know hitting you with the bat and you know um…overeating…"

Jayce frowned. "You weren't overeating. You were just trying to protect yourself. I get my brother must have…cause you a lot of pain…and with our alikeness…it's easy to misunderstand…"

"Still, I hit you with a bat…You must have got sore…" Artemis winced, recalling the unpleasant memory.

Jayce put his fork down and sighed. He grabbed the hem of his new shirt and pulled it up slightly, showing off a flat stomach and a small area of bruising, purple in color.

"All I got was some light bruising. No internal damage." Jayce muttered, letting go of his shirt. "I'll be fine by tomorrow."

However, the healer in Artemis kicked in, her fear completely gone now. "Did you put ointment on it?"

"No…" Jayce looked at Artemis in confusion.

Xander shook his head as Artemis got up. "Told you…"

Artemis headed inside the small kitchen, opening a cupboard which held her medical kit. Opening it, she grabbed some ointment, noticing her bandages were missing.

"Did you use the bandages I had in here?" Artemis turned around to stare at the two males. "Xander, you know the ones in here are for emergencies."

"Sorry, sweetheart. That's my fault. I grabbed them when Xander was putting the ointment away after I refused it." Jayce exclaimed, tucking on the side of the bandage. "I thought it was best if I covered part of my face so you wouldn't have to see Louis in me…"

Artemis sighed, her annoyance disappearing with the explanation. She knew Jayce was trying his best to accommodate with her fears, making her feel a little guilty. She was starting to see he was very different from his brother.

"Hey, don't feel guilty about this." Jayce murmured, smiling widely. "I quite like them. Feels like sunglasses."

Artemis laughed at the comment. "Can you even see with them on?"

"Yeah, I can. It's a little blurry but my other senses make up for the lack of sight." Jayce smiled, softly this time. "So, don't worry about it. We can take them off if you're ever ready to see everything."

"Okay…Now lift your shirt." Artemis demanded, opening the ointment.

"Sure." Jayce replied, doing as Artemis asked, moving a little back so she could stand in front of him.

She placed the ointment on the counter, taking some of the cream with her finger. Looking back at the bruised area, she gently placed her fingers on it. Jayce hissed and Artemis looked up at him, the scent of pine filling her nose.

"Am I hurting you?" Artemis asked, a little worried.

"No…It's just a little cold." Jayce winced a little, his head turned to the side.

"Okay, I'll try to be quick then."

"It's fine. You can go slow…I was just surprised by the coldness…" Jayce murmured.

"And if he's in pain, he can always hold my hand." Xander added, appearing next to Artemis and Jayce.

Jayce turned his head in Xander's direction as Xander placed the other male's hand in his. Artemis couldn't see his eyes but was sure Jayce was glaring at Xander. Artemis held in a laugh, trying to focus on the bruised area, as Jayce pulled his hand out of Xander's.

She gently applied the ointment on Jayce's bruise, the air around the three werewolves becoming lighter. She was now completely comfortable in Jayce's presence, even if she wasn't ready to remove the bandages yet. She could test that another day.

However, his smell was definitely different and helped her get rid of her fear in being around him.

After applying the ointment, she went to the sink to wash her hands, Xander closing the ointment container for her. Handing it to her, she placed it back in the medical kit, making a mental note to add more bandages to it.