Jacob’s eyes flashed, and he snarled at her. She froze at the sound, and she couldn’t stop the small whimper that left her.
“They didn’t protect you,” he growled. “They left you to deal with this on your own.” He gestured towards her wrist. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched him.
“They did the best they could. They took me to the hospital,” she said. Jacob’s jaw clenched again, and his eyes darkened. She shrank back into the bed, pulling the covers closer to her.
He noticed the movement, and his shoulders sagged a little.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have growled at you,” he murmured after a moment. “It’s just frustrating that they let you down. You’re supposed to be their princess.” His eyes flashed again, but this time there was no growl.
She licked her lips and then bit down on her bottom lip. Her wolf stirred a little. “I know, but they don’t know how to deal with what I did. No one in the pack has ever tried to take their own life before. They don’t understand, and they don’t know how to help me,” she admitted.
Jacob’s expression softened, and he stepped towards her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“I know how to help you. You’re safe with me, Autumn,” he said, taking her hand in his. She looked down at their hands and then back up at him.
“Jacob.” she started, but he cut her off.
“You’re safe here with me,” he repeated. She licked her lips again and nodded slowly.
“Okay,”
“I’m going to protect you from anyone and everyone that wants to hurt you, including yourself,” he told her, his voice hard.
Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him.
“You can’t protect me from myself,” she pointed out.
“Yes, I can, and I will. You’re mine, Autumn. My mate. I’m not letting anything happen to you,” he said firmly.
She stared at him, not sure what she was supposed to say to that. Her wolf was happy, though, and her tail wagged at the declaration.
“I… I don’t even know what to say,” she said finally.
Jacob squeezed her hand.
“You don’t need to say anything. Just trust me. Trust that I’ll keep you safe,” he murmured, his thumb stroking her skin.
She wanted to trust him. She really did, but she wasn’t sure if she could. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to be his mate. She wasn’t sure of anything at that point. Except that she needed to get out of bed and shower. She felt gross, and she needed to wash off.
“Jacob?” she said after a moment.
“Yes?” he replied, looking at her.
“I need to shower and get dressed,” she said slowly.
Jacob’s gaze darkened, and she swallowed hard. She knew that look. It was desire, pure and simple, and it was all for her. He looked away from her and nodded.
“I’ll have one of the girls bring you something to wear,” he said as he stood.
Autumn wanted to ask why she needed one of his girls to bring her clothes, but then she remembered. She was in his house, in the vampire compound.
“Wait,” she said before she could stop herself. Jacob turned back to her, one brow raised. She licked her lips.
“Why am I here?” she asked.
“You’re safe here,” he said.
“I know that’s what you said, but… why? How did I even get here?” she asked, confused. The last thing she remembered was the hospital.
“You were brought here,” he replied.
“By who?” she pressed.
“Me. I brought you here,” he told her. Her eyes widened.
“But… but… how?” she asked.
“I was at the hospital. I saw you there, and I couldn’t let you go back to your pack. I couldn’t leave you there. You needed me, and so I brought you here. To me,” he said simply.
“But… the pack?” she asked. Hadn’t they tried to stop him?
“They didn’t want you,” Jacob said, his voice harsh.
“What?” she asked.
“They didn’t want you, Autumn. They were only too happy to get rid of you. It’s why I was able to bring you here without a fight,” he told her.
Her heart dropped, and tears sprung to her eyes.
“No. No, that’s not true. That can’t be true,” she denied.
“It is. But it doesn’t matter. You’re here now, and I’m going to look after you. No one is going to hurt you, I promise,” Jacob said.
She stared up at him and then burst into tears. His expression softened, and then he pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed into his chest.
“It’s okay, I promise,” he murmured into her hair.
She pulled away from him and looked up.
“You promise I’m safe?” she whispered.
“Yes,”
“You won’t let anyone hurt me?” she asked, looking for reassurance.
“No, I won’t. You’re safe,” he said. She searched his gaze for a moment and then nodded. She believed him. She believed that he would protect her, but she also believed that her pack didn’t want her. Her father, the alpha, had pretty much told her that she was dead to him when she had been released from the hospital.
She had thought he was angry, but looking back, she realized he was just done with her. She was a disappointment to him, and he didn’t want her anymore. The realization caused more tears to fall. Jacob pulled her back into his arms and held her tightly.