Jax

"I thought I met my soul mate when I was just a child — I know that to be untrue now, but back then, she was everything."

My heart stops beating momentarily, and I feel a sudden rush of emotion — I feel sick, angry and upset. I need to focus on what Knox is saying, but I can't help but feel jealous. I swallow and tighten my hold on Knox as he breathes deeply and begins his story.

"Her name was Isra. We grew up together and began dating at seventeen. I thought she was my soul mate — I loved her." He chokes on his words, and I feel his tears fall on my chest. "Isra was beautiful — she had this softness that made her feel so inviting and warm. When she spoke, it would make you want to curl up and fall asleep. She was kind and so innocent, which wasn't something you would usually find in a dominant Omega —

We had been together for seven years when I proposed. I was so happy — a week later, after our proposal for my birthday; she surprised me by telling me she was pregnant. My whole life felt complete — I was going to get married, have a beautiful child, and it felt right." He smiles, and I place a kiss on his head. I feel sick with jealousy, but I can't tell him that — I don't want him to feel guilty for loving someone else before me.

"My father got seriously ill, so I took over as head of the business and sent him and my mother away to a private island where they could relax and recover. I was at the office constantly and had hardly any time for Isra. I felt guilty as she was planning our wedding whilst struggling with the first term of pregnancy.

She texted me that she was coming to the office with a surprise dinner she had made. An hour passed, and she hadn't arrived. I assumed she'd got stuck in traffic, but one hour turned to two, and then three. I was so worried; I left the office and told my driver to take me home immediately.

We were driving down the usual road, and I was going to stop to pick up some flowers — I thought she'd been too sick and had fallen asleep. As I stepped out of the car, I saw it." He sobs violently and holds me tightly, his fingers digging into my flesh as he chokes on a cry. I hold him, wrapping around him as if that were the answer to his problem.

"Her car was in the middle of the road, completely crushed and surrounded by police, firefighters and medics. At that moment, I felt my heart drop from my chest, and I ran. I fought them to let me through the bars, but they wouldn't let me, and then I saw her.

Her body was lifeless; I had never seen someone look so still. There was so much blood. I eventually got over the barrier and fell beside her. I picked her up in my arms, and she was so still and cold. I whispered her name, pleading with her to wake up and look at me; she had no heartbeat — no breath. I expected her to open her eyes and smile as if it were all a big joke." Instead, my eyes blur with tears as his pain takes over the bond; everything he had been suppressing suddenly bursts through, making me want to curl in on myself. He has hidden this away from me — from everyone because he didn't want to look weak. He didn't want to hurt anymore, so he buried it, and that shattered me.

"I couldn't feel her anymore, and I couldn't smell her or the baby. However, I can remember holding her whilst also caressing her stomach. Her dress had torn completely, and I tried to conceal her, but I didn't know what to do. I can't remember how long I sat there with her in my arms. All I can remember is Aiden dragging me away as they wrapped her body in a sheet and put her in the back of an ambulance.

They took me home, but I didn't want to be there; it was full of her and our future that had ended too soon. I don't know if it was the grief, but I ended up destroying everything — no one could calm me down, not even my father, who had flown over as soon as he heard the news.

Eventually, my mother calmed me, and I ended up crying like a child in her arms — she held me for hours whilst we sat in the nursery that Isra had created for our child.

I took only one thing to remember her: her favourite novel and the scans of the baby. I have no pictures of her, although my mother probably kept some and hid them. From there, my father sent me away to heal. I hated every second. Three years is what it took to make myself socially presentable. When I arrived home, I bought this place and took over as head of the family business.

I had casual hookups and made promises I knew I'd never keep. I was lost, a man drowning in his pain, and then, on a day where I felt as if I could die, a beautiful Omega almost took me off my feet, and for the first time in three years, I felt something." I sniffle. He looks up at me, and I crumble. His golden eyes are now red and puffy, and his cheeks are wet with tears. I lean down and press my lips to his, trying to communicate that I love him and that I'm not going anywhere.

"You saved me. You are a beacon of life that I have clung to since the first day we met. I need you to know that you are everything to me — as soon as I held you in my arms, I knew deep within my soul that you were my fated mate."

"Knox." I want to talk, but I can't, so instead, I lean down and press kisses over every inch of his face.

"I will protect you; I won't let anything happen to you — I promise." His croaked voice sends a spasm of pain through me. Was that what he was afraid of? He was always easygoing, ensuring he spent as much time with me as possible. He would come home early, text me constantly and ensure that I never left without a guard or him. Was this his anxiety about the past? How had I not noticed the signs? His hands clutch me, and I allow them, silently leaning down to press my face into his hair.

"We can't control these things — sometimes it's just the way of life. What you've been through is horrible, and I'll be beside you forever, but I don't want you to allow this trauma to consume you. I'm sure Isra wouldn't have wanted you to live this way." Knox sniffles, and I grip his face, pulling him to look up at me. I had never seen him like this before. I'd never seen an Alpha so open and honest. I smile at him and softly place my nose against his.

"Live for her memory, Live for me — Live for our future and our children's future. Don't allow the past to affect you anymore. I'm not saying forget about it or Isra because they were an important piece of your life, but you can't let that trauma control you anymore. I want my Knox, the Knox before the accident — I want every part of you, no matter how ugly."

He blinks at me, and I smile.

"I love you."

"I love you, Knox."

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Ok, so I just had a support banner made of Jax, and I love it. Here is the image in a larger size so that you can appreciate and love him in all his glory <3