CHAPTER 2

Once the doctor finished the examination, he smiled at the young girl before making his way to the Alpha and Luna.

'None of that blood is her blood.' Henry stated. 'She has some cuts and bruises but most of the damage is emotional and mental. I don't know who's blood that is, but it probably plays a big part in her state.'

Elle gasped quietly, the poor girl was covered in blood when she was carried in. Now as she looked back at her son and the small girl, she could see the innocent beauty radiating from her. Jaxon had moved her to sit in front of the fireplace when she shivered slightly, he sat with his arm wrapped around her shoulders as he spoke quietly to her. He will make a fantastic Alpha.

'What's your name?' Jaxon asked as he leaned back against the beanbag that he'd placed in front of the fire. 'My name is Jaxon but you probably figured that out already.'

'Ivy,' came the small voice in response to Jaxon's question.

'Your name is Ivy?' Robert cut into his sons conversation. Doctor Henry was still sat filling out the paperwork about the examination.

Ivy shrank back against the beanbag in a attempt to get further away from Robert.

'Dad, you're scaring her.' Jaxon growled quietly, as he pulled his arm tighter around Ivy.

'I didn't mean to Jaxon, I just wanted to know her name.' Robert said calmly to his son, who he could see was getting worked up as Ivy began to panic more.

Elle could also see her son was getting agitated at his father, who seemed to be making Ivy more upset. 'Rob, come help me make sandwiches for the kids.'

Robert stood from the sofa, glancing back slightly as Ivy flinched away from him. Moving through the house into the kitchen he stood beside his mate.

'You know that our son just found his mate, right?' He asked her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

'I guessed as much, he seems so taken with her already,' Elle mused as she cut the sandwiches into triangles. 'He's only twelve, but I think he will make a exceptional mate. They'll be good for each other...maybe he can help her open up and explain how she ended up covered in blood on our territory.'

'She's human, we're going to have to explain the whole wolf thing.' Robert added, taking the plates from Elle. 'And we're also going to have to have the mate talk sooner than we planned.'

-

Whilst Elle and Robert we're making sandwiches, Jaxon was still trying to find out more about Ivy. Doctor Henry had left, saying that he would return tomorrow to check her over again.

'I'm sorry about my dad, he doesn't mean to be scary.' Jaxon said quietly as he looked at Ivy. He thought she was very pretty, the prettiest girl he'd seen besides his mother.

'It's okay,' Came the timid response.

'So how old are you?' Jaxon asked, turning his body to face Ivy as he did. He wanted to look at her.

'I'm nine.' Ivy said and Jaxon smiled as she raised nine fingers.

'That's cool, I'm twelve,' he grinned, a childish grin with his teeth on display. 'How did you end up in the forest?'

'Bad men hurt my mum and dad,' Ivy began quietly.

-

Elle and Robert had been bringing the sandwiches when they heard the conversation. Elle glanced at her mate and smiled, at only nine, little Ivy felt safe with Jaxon. They leaned against the wall, not wanting to interrupt their son who seemed to be having better luck at finding out information about Ivy.

-

'Hurt them lots. Lots of bloods. They stopped moving,' Ivy whispered, her eyes were getting glassy again as she looked up at Jaxon. He reached forward again, grasping her hand in his. 'They smelt bad. One tried to g-grab me but the other said I wasn't important a-and they left, I tried to wake dad up b-but he wouldn't. I-I,'

Ivy began to cry again and Jaxon began to panic. He moved around, putting his arms around Ivy and hugging her to him.

'I was coming for h-help but I got lost. Then these scary men came and then the other m-man brought me here.' Ivy finished and she began bawling, tears ran down her small face and she clutched Jaxons T-shirt in her small fist. He lifted her slightly, moving back to sit in his beanbag with Ivy still holding onto him.

And that was how his parents found them.

Ivy was quiet as Elle and Robert entered, carrying sandwiches and two glasses of water. Elle was shocked, seeing her son cradling Ivy in his arms and a small frown on his face. Robert and Elle had heard Ivy's story but they didn't mention it, not when the girl was holding onto their son like her life depended on it.

'Here you are, sandwiches and water,' Elle said as she set the glasses down on the coffee table in she living room, Robert placing the sandwiches beside the glasses.

'Thanks mum,' Jaxon whispered, smiling up at his mum. Ivy had fallen asleep wrapped in the comfort of Jaxon.

Elle moved forward, 'would you like me to take her? She can lay on the sofa whilst you eat your sandwich.'

Jaxon thought about it, his mum would never hurt Ivy. He could sit next to her whilst he ate his sandwich and he would be there when she woke up. He nodded up at his mum but Ivy seemed to have other ideas. As Elle began to pull her away from her sons embrace, Ivy cried out quietly, gripping onto his shirt as her eyes blink open slowly.

'Hi honey,' Elle greeted softly, hoping not to startle the young girl. 'I'm just going to put you on the sofa, you can take a nap and when you wake up you can have your sandwich.'

Ivy struggled to keep her eyes open as the events of the day caught up with her.

'Jack' she mumbled, holding tightly to his T-shirt.

Robert watched silently from the chair in the corner. His mate was holding onto Ivy but she was reaching out for his son. She was tired, which was understandable, but she still wasn't going anywhere without Jaxon, who she seemed to have renamed Jack.

Jaxon got up from the beanbag moving alongside his mum until he was sat on the sofa. He put a pillow on his lap, and Elle laid the small girl down beside him.

Robert could only watch as Ivy curled up with her head on the pillow, one hand tucked under her head and the other one holding onto his sons shirt. His son had slid the blanket off the back of the sofa, putting it over Ivy and placed one hand on her shoulder, keeping her from rolling over and falling off.

Elle came to sit on the chair with Robert, turning the tv on quietly in the background.

That was where they stayed, Elle and Robert watching the tv silently, as their son sat unmoving on the sofa with a small girl asleep beside him. She was one of them now, their sons mate, she was now apart of the family.