Chapter Two
Living with the enemy
Gabriella’s POV
"Tell me who’s the father of this bastard!”. He took a step closer, my body rigid as his fingers wrapped around my throat.
“You can’t be that stupid!”. He yelled at me, the pressure of his hands on my throat, pressing,crushing, suffocating me.
Shame curled in my gut, twisting like a knife,but I forced myself to meet his gaze. My lips parting slowly, dry and trembling. “It’s not…yours.”
Panic seized through me as my hands flew up, grasping at his wrist, my nails digging into his skin.
"You ruined everything, Gabriella! Do you have any idea what you've done?" He shot back, his voice dripping with fury, his body vibrating with a rage he tried to barely contain.
Tears covered my eyes, blurring my vision as my chest burned. I could feel my pulse drumming in my ears as spots danced in my sight. My legs are kicking weakly, trying to fight him off. But still, he didn’t let go.
This was it.. I was going to die, he was going to kill me. That realization sent a fresh wave of fear crashing through me. I clawed at his arm, scratching for him to let go, desperately. But the world was going dark.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped. The weight of his hands on my neck disappeared.
I collapsed onto the cold tile floor, gasping for breath, choking on the air that rushed back into my lungs. My throat ached, brushing from his tight grip, every breath coming from my body felt like fire.
Through my blurred, tear-filled eyes, I saw him—
Jax.
He stood just beside the doorway, his intimidating presence sucking all the air from the room. His black eyes burning with something dangerous, something lethal.
But it wasn’t directed at me.
He was looking at Hunter.
"Let her go now, or I'll make you!” Jax’s voice was cold, a deadly contrast to the storm raging in his eyes.
Hunter stumbled back, his face twisting with a mix of fear and stubbornness. “This has nothing to do with you, now get out.” He spat.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Jax moved his head, a cruel smirk curling at his lips.” Your girlfriend?” He took a slow, deliberate step forward,his predatory gaze filling every part of the room.
"Let me make something clear, little man— Gabriella does not belong to you.”
Hunter scoffed, but there was a deep fear in his posture. “And she belongs to you?” He shot back. “You used her to satisfy your bloody dick. Now look what it has caused.”
You suddenly give a shit?”
Jax’s smirk immediately vanished. His expression darkened as he turned his head slightly. His black eyes locked onto mine as I lay there, motionless on the floor.
At that moment, something shifted. Something deep… that couldn’t be denied. A pulse of energy shot through my body, warm and heating.
My breath caught, my body reacting before my mind could try to figure out what was happening. A strange pull tightened in my chest. My heart was hammering as I felt uncomfortable by the way he was looking at me.
This was no longer the man I had made a deal with, not just someone who I carried his child, but as something more… Something permanent.
A chill ran down my spine, I tried to deny it, tried to fight it, but the truth was already carved deep inside my bones.
Jax.. saw something, he knew something for him to look at me that way.
His body started to become tense, his jaws tightening, his hands folding into fists at his side. A low growl rumbled from his chest, vibrating through the whole room.
It crackled with something dangerous, something primal… powerful. “You’re my mate,Gabriella.”
Mate.
That word slammed into me, shaking every single bone in me to the core. I was confused, “what did he mean by… mate.”
This can’t be happening. Not with someone as cold hearted as him. Not with Jax Hawthorne.
I closed my eyes, staring away from his gaze, but it was too late. I had already felt the bond. Jax had already felt it.
Hunter was completely unaware of what was happening between us, “You won’t take her away, if you want to take her, you’ll have to go through me.”
The words barely left his mouth before Jax lunged towards him. It happened so fast, One second Hunter was standing there, arrogance written all over his face.
The next second, he was pinned against the wall, Jax’s hand wrapped around his throat as he struggled to breathe.
"Say that again," Jax murmured, his tone devoid of mercy, a very dangerous threat hidden behind those words.
Hunter clawed at Jax’s grip, his arrogance breaking as he struggled to break free of it. "Get off me, you psycho!"
Jax leaned in, his lips forming into something sly.. something sinister,"if you ever put your hands on her again, I’ll do more than this to you.”
With that, he released him, letting Hunter fall to the floor, gasping for breath, his eyes burning with hatred. But he couldn’t dare move… he couldn’t do anything anyway.
Jax turned to face me, his expression confusing as he extended his hand, his tone laced with an unspoken command. “ we’re leaving now.”
I couldn’t go with him,Not someone like Jax. My world just turned upside down. My body is still aching from Hunter's grip on my neck.
“You’re mated to me Gabriella, wether you like it or not, you are coming with me.” He shot back. I just lay there, staring at Jax, the man who just turned my life into Chaos.
Something inside me whispered that I had no choice but to go with him. Hunter would still try to kill me even if I stayed back.
Because whether I wanted to accept this or not, I belonged to him now.
And this was about to change everything for me.