Healing Kiss

Quinn

A week had slipped by since the Moon Shadow Pack was attacked. We were all trying to get back to normal, but my life had been anything ~but~ normal since I got here.

The front entrance was a mess, but it was nothing we couldn’t fix. The repair work had started, and they said it would be done by the end of the month. The inside of the pack house was tidied up pretty quickly.

We held a funeral for Josalynn and Bennett—the ones we lost. It was tough for everyone, especially their families. They both had mates and kids who were heartbroken.

I made sure the families were looked after. They had meals provided for as long as they needed, and we held a fundraiser to cover any costs.

I knew it wouldn’t make up for their loss, but it was something I could do. They seemed grateful.

It was hard to shake the guilt, knowing their deaths and all the injuries might have been because of me.

The thought was a heavy burden, but I couldn’t let it show. I had to put on a brave face for the pack.

It was strange having everyone look to me for guidance. I’d never been in charge like this before.

It was one thing having him to lean on, but on my own?

I was always second-guessing myself.

I found it hard to trust my own judgment but kept reminding myself that I’d done this before.

Apart from my mom’s watchful eye, I’d been pretty independent most of my life and made my own decisions. But that didn’t make this any easier.

There was still the threat of another rogue attack, so I ordered more patrols along the border and added extra training days for everyone—including me, which I really needed.

I’d felt helpless the night of the attack.

The rogues had left their truck behind, so I asked Alex to check the plate numbers to see if they could tell us anything. I’d seen it in a movie once.

But the truck was reported stolen, so that was a dead end. Alex said it was still a good idea, which was comforting, but it didn’t help us figure out who attacked us.

I hoped we’d get the answers we needed in time.

But, despite that setback, I felt like I was starting to get the hang of being Luna. It felt more natural than I expected.

I just wished I wasn’t so hard on myself. I was always worrying about what others were thinking.

It was tough being away from Jax for so long.

I wanted to stay by his side but knew pack duties had to come first.

He was recovering well, though. I found out werewolves heal much faster than humans, which the doctor said would speed up his recovery.

Sadly, every time I’d gone to visit, he’d been asleep. I wanted to tell him about everything that had happened, so it was disappointing not to see him awake.

But I knew it was for the best. Jax, of all people, needed rest.

When I wasn’t busy being Luna, I spent most of my time with the kids in the nursery. It was relaxing and helped me unwind—my own little escape from being a leader.

I liked kids. I always had. I hoped to have some of my own one day.

The thought of who their father might be was a strange thing to think about. Not that I didn’t want it to be Jax, but the reality of that possibility was a bit scary.

“Luna Quinn, free play ended ten minutes ago,” Zara said firmly. “It’s story time now.”

I wished she wasn’t so cold with me.

I felt like she was undermining my authority when she spoke to me like that.

I guess, as Luna, I could have her head chopped off, but something told me that wouldn’t set a good example.

But, seriously, it did bother me that she didn’t welcome me.

I know it’s a lot to ask to be liked by everyone, but it felt unfair for her to put up a wall between us like she did.

I hadn’t done anything to her…at least, not that I knew of. I just wished she would tell me what was wrong.

“Why did the bad people come for us?” one of the kids asked while I read ~Where the Wild Things Are.~ “Are they going to come after us again?”

Their straightforwardness caught me off guard. I struggled to find an answer.

“Umm…well…we don’t really know yet. Those people came to the pack house…but we’re doing everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Are they bad guys?” a little girl asked, raising her hand.

“Well…I don’t know about that, but what they did was a bad thing.”

“I’m scared,” said another.

“It’s okay to be scared—even adults get scared sometimes, but it makes us stronger. If nobody got scared or sad, we’d never know when or how to be happy.”

It felt odd saying that. It was as if I were realizing it for the first time as the words came out.

The kids seemed to respond well, though. So did the moms who were there volunteering.

When I was getting snacks ready, I overheard them talking about me from the kitchen.

“Oh, she’s doing so well as Luna,” I heard one say, “with the children, with the pack. Everyone just loves her!”

“All except Zara,” another added.

“It’s not surprising, given the circumstances. She’s still upset about what happened. It was all so tragic.”

This was news to me. ~What circumstances? Something tragic happened to Zara?~

“Do you think Luna Quinn knows about Katherine—?”

I dropped a tray of plastic cups, which made everyone look at me.

“Oh! Luna!” one of the moms exclaimed. “I didn’t see you over there. Here, let us get that for you.” I tried to protest, but the moms insisted. I guess that’s one of the perks of being Luna.

While I was glad to get some insight into why Zara didn’t like me, it left me with more questions than answers.

Who was Katherine? I was itching to ask Zara, but I knew better. That question would have to wait for another time.

Jaxon

I felt like absolute shit.

Every inch of my body was in pain. My arms and legs felt like they were weighed down by a hundred pounds. I was covered in more cuts and scars than I could count.

The first night I woke up, I freaked out and tried to pull out all the tubes. The doctors and nurses had to strap me to the bed.

It took eight of them to hold me down and secure me.

I’d been drifting in and out of consciousness since I arrived. Probably for the best. Every time I woke up, I felt like I was knocking on death’s door.

I asked for painkillers, but the pack doctor said no because of the “adverse effects” my werewolf blood could cause.

~Am I going to turn into the Hulk or something?~

But the worst pain was trying to make sense of what had happened. We’d been hit by a surprise attack, and a lot of people were hurt. Some didn’t make it.

And it all happened on my watch.

I’d told Quinn to run to the woods. What a fucking idiot I was. She could have been killed. If I hadn’t gotten there in time… I couldn’t even bear to think about it.

Being here was humiliating. Quinn visited almost every day—or so I was told. But I pretended to be asleep whenever she was around.

The shame was too much. I couldn’t face her. But I did feel stronger when she was there.

~What does she think of me?~

“Jax!” I heard a voice say.

~Shit! She caught me.~

She smiled as she walked over, but I didn’t feel like smiling back.

“Hey! It’s good to finally see you awake.”

She kissed me on the cheek. It was the first time since the night of the attack. It felt like a balm on my soul.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve seen better days,” I said.

“The doctors say you should be able to come home soon.”

~Great. Just what I need, to feel like a failure in front of not just Quinn, but the whole pack.~

She could tell by my silence that something was bothering me.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked.

“I let everyone down. I should have seen this coming. Been ready.”

“Don’t blame yourself. Rogues are loners, you said so yourself. How could you have known they’d do something like this?”

“There must have been a sign—some clue that this was their plan. Something I missed,” I said, my voice rising.

“We can’t control everything that happens,” she said, her hand on my arm soothing me. “Sometimes, all we can do is react to what life throws at us. We can’t always predict what’s going to happen.”

She was right. Everyone else always seemed to be right. And I was always wrong.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise,” she said. “I’m here for you. And I’m not going anywhere.”

She leaned in and kissed me slowly.

It was amazing. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

I took a deep breath, taking in her scent, and reached out to touch her, forgetting my arms were still strapped down.

Quinn noticed and smiled. “Has someone been misbehaving?”

“Looks like it…”

Her smile widened. “Why am I not surprised?”

For the first time in a long time, I smiled back. She kissed me again, and again—each one better than the last. I liked this new Quinn.

Then, my Luna pulled back and looked at me, a curious look in her eyes.

“What is it?” I asked, but she didn’t answer.

She just walked over to the door of my room and closed it. When she came back, she pulled the hospital curtain around my bed, hiding us from view.

“What are you—?”

“Sshhh! You talk too much,” she said, as she climbed into my hospital bed.