First Embrace 🌶️

Jaxon

Quinn began to climb onto me, her movements slow and gentle as she straddled my hips. She was mindful of my injuries, her touch light as a feather.

The only barrier between us was the thin hospital gown and my blanket. She hadn’t even touched me yet, and I was already feeling the stirrings of desire.

I yearned to hold her, but my arms were still strapped to the bed.

“Are you going to unstrap me?” I asked.

She shook her head, a playful smile on her lips. “I like you just the way you are. It suits you.”

This was a new side of Quinn, one I hadn’t seen before. She was innocent, yet incredibly sexy.

~And she’s making me hard as hell.~

She leaned in, her lips inching towards mine. But when I winced in pain, she stopped.

“Be careful,” I warned, “I’m still healing.”

She pulled back.

“Can I see?”

I hesitated, then nodded.

Quinn gently lifted my hospital gown, revealing the damage the wolf had inflicted. I still had tubes in me, so she couldn’t lift it all the way, but she revealed enough.

It was the first time I’d seen the extent of my injuries. My torso was a battlefield of bruises and deep cuts. The doctors had mentioned something about three hundred stitches, but seeing it was a different story.

I couldn’t believe how badly I’d been hurt. I could have died.

I should have died.

~Why didn’t I?~

The memory of my failure washed over me.

My arousal began to fade, replaced by a deep sense of shame. I turned away, unable to meet her gaze.

She understood immediately.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she said, gently turning my face back towards her. “Tell me where it hurts.”

“Pick a spot,” I replied, my tone sharper than I intended. But she wasn’t deterred. She found a bruise on my abdomen and kissed it, sending a jolt of electricity through me.

It felt amazing.

I gripped the bed rails, trying to keep my body from reacting too strongly. I was almost embarrassed by how turned on I was.

My worries began to fade, replaced by a sense of relaxation. But then something unexpected happened.

It wasn’t just pleasure I was feeling, but a lessening of pain.

The skin where her lips had touched felt less painful, as if she was drawing the injury out of me.

The relief was localized to the areas she kissed, and it continued with each new kiss.

She moved from one bruise to the next, each kiss bringing relief. I felt it most when she kissed my cuts.

When I looked down at my body, I was shocked to see the bruises fading before my eyes.

At first, I thought I was imagining things. But then I saw some of my stitches come loose as my skin began to heal.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Not only was my pain lessening, but I was also feeling stronger. It was as if her presence was rejuvenating me.

Was this what being mated felt like?

I’d heard of special bonds between mates, but nothing like this.

I don’t think she realized what she was doing.

Quinn

I nearly fell off the bed when I saw Jax healing before my eyes. The doctor had said werewolves healed faster than humans, but I didn’t think this was what he meant.

“How are you doing this?” I asked.

“I’m not…” he said, clearly as surprised as I was. “You are.”

~Me? But how?~

“Kiss me again,” he said. So I kissed a deep cut on his chest. When I pulled back, the cut had disappeared, leaving only a faint white mark.

I kissed another bruise and watched it fade just as quickly. I kissed every cut and scrape I could find, working my way up his neck, along his jaw, and finally, to his mouth.

But this kiss was different. This time, I opened my mouth and let his tongue slip inside. I moaned involuntarily as he deepened the kiss.

This was my first time kissing like this!

It was warm and wet… I was intoxicated by his taste. I couldn’t get enough.

I could feel his arousal—another first—but neither of us pressed further. We let our mouths do the talking. I could feel his energy returning as I ran my hands over his chest and through his golden hair.

I jumped when the door opened, and we quickly pulled apart.

“Alpha Jaxon,” the nurse called from behind the curtain, “it’s time for your—are you okay in there?”

“Yes, just a minute, I’m just…using the bedpan,” he replied, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Okay, I’ll come back later.”

We burst into laughter as soon as the door closed, then picked up where we left off. I could tell he was eager to touch me, and I wanted him to feel me, too. So I unstrapped his restraints and let his hands explore my body.

I moaned when his cold hands slipped under my shirt and around my back, pulling me closer. He didn’t seem to be in pain anymore.

His rough hands on my back made me want to purr.

We kissed for what felt like an eternity. Time didn’t matter.

I pulled back to look into his eyes.

“I’m glad you stayed,” he said.

“Me too,” I replied.

As I moved in to kiss him once more, the door burst open, and the echo of multiple footsteps filled the room. The curtain was yanked back.

“Alpha, we—” Harper began, before hastily closing it again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—”

“It’s okay,” Jax responded, pulling the curtain back open. I slid off him, feeling a bit self-conscious. “What’s up?”

“The rogues from the attack…”

“What about them?”

“We’ve captured one.”

***

This was my first visit to the dungeon. Honestly, I hadn’t even known we had one until a few hours ago.

It seemed so archaic, but with threats lurking everywhere, the pack needed a secure place to hold its enemies, Jax explained.

Now that we had one of them, I might finally get the answers I craved about why they attacked and if it was connected to me.

The moment we heard the news, I insisted on accompanying Jax. He was hesitant about me coming, especially after the forest incident, but he kept his promise of not keeping anything from me and allowed me to come.

“Just stick close to me,” he instructed, almost like a command. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he quickly corrected himself. “Please.”

I agreed.

Jax had nearly fully recovered from his injuries, which surprised everyone.

It was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that we had such an effect on each other. He mentioned some lingering pain and discomfort, but overall, he felt good.

The pack dungeon had a dark and foreboding aura. It was damp and reeked of mold.

The scent of blood hung in the air. It was like something straight out of a horror movie.

Jax guided me past a corridor of grimy cells, each housing a single inmate. They groaned and yelled at us as we walked by.

“How many guards do you have?” I asked, unsettled by the scary prisoners.

“Enough,” he answered. “Some are stationed outside the building, others inside. The most dangerous inmates are watched round the clock.”

After what felt like forever, we reached the final staircase where Raphael was waiting for us.

“Right this way,” Raphael directed as he led us down.

“How did you find him?” Jax inquired.

“I was on patrol when we picked up a foul odor we recognized from the attack. We found him on the ground, nursing a leg wound. We brought him back as soon as we could.”

“And he was alone?” I asked.

“Yes, but the odd thing is, his injury was fresh. It almost looked self-inflicted.”

This was odd. I didn’t like where this was heading.

We descended several more flights of stairs until we reached the bottom floor. The cells here were spaced out, and instead of bars, there were thick, unbreakable windows.

The rogue prisoner was at the far end of the corridor. He was seated in a chair, his back to us, so I couldn’t see his face.

Alex was already in there, grilling him, but the rogue didn’t react. He seemed composed and collected.

I stood in front of his cell and studied the man. Something about him felt familiar.

“Has he said anything?” Jax asked.

“Not a word,” Raphael responded. “He’s ignoring everyone. Alex has been questioning him since we locked him up, but nothing seems to be getting through.”

Jax’s mood seemed to darken as he glared at the man.

This man’s group had killed two of our pack members—wounded dozens more. Jax’s intense gaze told me he wanted this man dead.

“What questions have you asked?” I asked Raphael, but as soon as the words left my mouth, the prisoner turned and looked straight at me.

My eyes widened when I saw a familiar scar running down his left cheek. He focused his gaze and smiled as I recoiled when I recognized who it was…

~Carl!~