- Josie -

I could only manage to sit on a stool on the kitchen island, my legs ached even more as soon as I tried to sit at the kitchen table...the bending down pulling at my wounds.

I was in my own world, my mind lost in my own thoughts as my hands hugged the mug of coffee, keeping me warm. It was cold today, colder than usual and like always, I felt it more than the others.

I didn't notice Jaxon and Knox return from training until Mum walked in, also noticing their arrival.

"How was training?" Mum breezes in, dressed in a white milk-maid style dress and a denim jacket. Her go to flip flops clicking with her steps.

"Fine." Jaxon grunts as I hear him pot cereal into a bowl.

"Just fine?" Mum's tongue clicks in annoyance.

"What do you want me to say Mum? That I'm doing two people's work..." I roll my eyes at Jaxon's curt reply, he fails to forget that he would be the sole alpha of this pack one day and would have a beta..not another alpha by his side. Maybe Jace was right to leave, maybe he did it to finally force Jaxon to step up and take on full responsibility of the pack, by himself.

"No different to how your father runs the pack." She turns, her eyebrow raising and her arms crossing in front her chest.

"He has you."

"Not at the beginning he didn't, when he built this pack from scratch. So quit your moaning." She quite rightfully reprimands him for his attitude. Yes Jace leaving has put a spanner in the works but it would have happened sooner or later. "Did someone mention me?" Dad walks into the kitchen from his office, his hands wrapping around Mum as he starts nibbling at her ear from behind. He makes no attempt to hide how much Mum's scent still affects him to this day.

"Just saying what an impressive alpha you are..." Mum leans her neck to the side to reveal her mark to him, which he kisses. Their love like something out of a fairytale. Something I have always envied, ever more since knowing it would never happen to me. "Oh really."

"Ew gross." Jaxon mutters, earning a death stare from Dad.

I remain where I sit, my back straight as I try to act unbothered by his presence, unbothered by the fact that I could feel his eyes on my back.

He turned his back on me early this morning as he walked out the front door, without a word...even an acknowledgement from the eyes...time he felt the coldness of my back.

"Good morning Alpha family." Doctor Abel lets himself in, chiming his morning greeting to us all.

"Morning Doctor Abel" Mum sings back out, matching Doctor Abel's enthusiast greeting as he enters.

"Please Alpha, like I tell Josie, when I'm not at the hospital it's just Abel."

"My females are respectful Abel, the same can't be the said about my males." Dad shoots Jaxon a warning look before continuing his conversation with Doctor Abel. "What can we do for you?"

"I'm here to redress Josie's wounds."

"Oh there's no need Doctor Abel, I can do that myself. I was actually almost on my way in."

"You aren't working today?" Dad doesn't make any attempt to hide his surprise at my plans for the day.

"You need to rest." His pointed look threatens to keep me on this stool all day.

"Rest? I'll die of boredom."

"Better than dying from an infection."

"Dad..." I moan out at his embarrassingly, over protectiveness attitude.

"We are past the stage of possible infection, but I think the Alpha is right Josie, another day just to give the skin a better chance to heal over more." He agrees with father, of course he does. He places a jar of my special remedy on the kitchen island top, his hands reaching out to lift my leg out when Lobo darts over...growling and almost biting the doctor's hand off.

"Lobo." I shout at him for reacting in such a way. Sure he was protective but this was taking it too far.novelbin

"I'd like to keep my hand...call me if you need help doing it." Doctor Abel eyes Lobo with warning as he backs away.

"I'm sure one of us can help if she can't do it herself Doctor." Dad smirks as he moves away from Mum and pulls a chair out of the kitchen table, joining Jaxon and Knox.