Last Words

Quinn

It felt like a punch to the gut, like all the air had been sucked out of me. There was so much about Jax I didn’t know, but another mate?

~How could he hide this from me?~

“I don’t get it…” I stammered. “When did this happen? How long ago?”

“Just over two years,” she answered. “Jaxon was visiting my pack after his family’s death. He came to propose an alliance, but he left with nothing—except one thing…”

“I was out for a walk with Katherine after dinner when she was suddenly consumed with desire from someone’s scent.”

“She was drawn to it and couldn’t resist.”

“So, she ran. She had to find the source. I could barely keep up. The scent led us to the edge of our pack’s territory...and that’s when she saw Jaxon. A spark flew when their eyes met. They knew right away they were meant to be.”

Zara paused.

She could see I was struggling to keep it together. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was all too much, too fast.

“Are you okay, Luna? I know this is a lot. If you want me to stop—”

“No,” I said, “keep going.”

I needed to know the whole story.

“Katherine accepted his invitation to join him right away. I went with her. On the drive back to the Shadow Moon Pack, Jax and Katherine acted like they’d been friends forever. The way they talked...the way they held each other... They were happy. But the day after we arrived at the pack house, it happened.”

I was on edge. I didn’t know how to feel.

“Katherine went hiking alone to explore and was attacked by rogues. When we found her, she was on the ground, bleeding, barely alive. Those monsters had their way with her…”

“Oh, my god!” I gasped.

“Jaxon held her and did everything he could to save her, but it was too late. I watched my best friend die in front of me. And the pain Jaxon was in—the way he howled...it was unbearable.”

I realized I was holding my breath. Just hearing this sent shivers down my spine.

“After that, Jaxon changed. Overcome with grief, he became hollow, devoid of all joy, just like me. He let his beast attack anything that crossed his path. We never said it, but we silently agreed to never mention Katherine’s name again.”

I was horrified. My heart ached for that poor woman. It wasn’t her fault what happened to her.

“The pack knew about her,” she went on, “but she never became Luna. So, when you showed up, everyone was overjoyed! You gave us hope. Our pack could finally be complete again.”

She wiped away her tears as she relived the horrifying memory.

“I’m sorry for how I treated you...it felt like you were replacing Katherine. I hated feeling that way. I was being selfish. You being here is what’s best for the pack. And Katherine would have loved you and wanted you to be Luna.”

I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. I was so confused about how I was supposed to feel.

Not only did Jax not tell me about his previous mate—something crucial to him and to ~us~—but no one else did either.

I was torn between anger, embarrassment, and sadness.

Did I feel betrayed? I didn’t know… I felt lost.

“Thank you for telling me,” I managed to say, “but I need to go now.”

“Luna—”

I rushed out of the nursery before she could finish.

After everything that happened last night, I wanted to scream. He held me and told me he loved me… Were those just words?

Did he mean it?

Would he have ever told me about Katherine?

There was only one way to find out.

***

I walked into the pack house and passed everyone getting ready for tonight’s big event. I didn't even look at them.

They knew about Katherine and didn’t tell me. I wanted nothing to do with them.

“Quinn,” Sky asked, “what’s wrong?”

But I ignored her and kept walking. She knew, just like everyone else.

When I got to Jaxon’s private study, I opened the door without knocking, making him jump.

“Quinn?” he asked.

“We need to talk,” I said, stepping inside.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He quickly stood up and came over to me, but I suddenly froze.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

For a moment, I felt guilty knowing the pain he went through—watching his love die in his arms. I couldn’t imagine what that must have felt like.

If it were reversed and it was him in my arms, I didn’t know if I could handle it.

But this wasn’t about that.

This was about trust and honesty—what we agreed on from the start. I was supposed to be his Luna, but he hadn’t been treating me like one.

So, I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

“I know,” I said confidently.

He furrowed his brow, confused.

“You know, what?”

“About Katherine.”

Jax stepped back in shock. He was speechless. His eyes darted around like he was trapped.

“Who…who told you?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“Does it matter?”

I fought to stay strong. Jaxon leaned back on his desk and ran his hands through his blond hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

“Quinn…I’m so sorry. I should’ve been honest with you from the start. You deserved to know.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I tried, Quinn. I really did—more than once—but every time I tried, you didn’t want to hear it—”

“That’s bullshit!” I yelled, unable to hold back my emotions. “You can’t put this on me! If you wanted me to know, I would’ve known!”

“Okay! I’m the jerk. I get it!” he said, standing up. “But you have to understand, I was scared of how you’d react! I was afraid you’d think I loved you less—that you were just a second choice… I was scared you’d leave me.”

He slowly walked over and took my hand.

“I couldn’t bear to lose you—not after losing Katherine. If you’d left me too…I don’t know if I could’ve handled it.”

I yanked my hand away.

I started pacing the room.

“So, even after everything we’ve been through,” I said, “you still couldn’t trust me? That was the only thing—the ONLY thing I asked of you, to trust me enough to see me as your equal.”

“You ARE my equal.”

“Then start acting like it!”

Suddenly, Jaxon’s demeanor changed. His eyes darkened as his wolf fought to come out. He held it back, but it still frightened me.

“You want to talk about trust?” he growled. “I trusted you when I let you go to Carl’s cell, and you almost died. I trusted you to stay away after I told you not to see him again, but you didn’t. You went behind my back, and what happened? He filled your mind with nightmares—I almost killed him for it!”

“And why didn’t you?!”

“Because he’s my brother!”

We both fell silent, stunned by his confession. From the look on his face, it was clear he hadn’t meant to reveal it.

“Your brother?” I said, trying to catch my breath.

He nodded.

“He mind-linked with me the last time I was there—showed me my father with another woman, long before my mom. I know it’s hard to believe… I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, but I didn’t know, I swear!”

My head was spinning. My world was crumbling. Had mom been right all along? Had I made the biggest mistake of my life?

I backed away from him and grabbed the wall to steady myself.

“And when were you planning on telling me this? Ever? Or was I going to have to find out from someone else?”

“Quinn—”

“How many more secrets are you keeping?! How long have you known?!”

“Since—”

“You know what?” I said, throwing up my hands. “I don’t want to know!”

I headed for the door. He followed and grabbed my hand.

“Please, stay,” he pleaded.

“Let go of me!” I said, pulling my hand away.

“I need to talk to you. Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving! Stay out of my way!”

As I reached for the doorknob, he said something that stopped me.

“Lupus Paulo…”

I turned to him.

“Those were her last words. Her final words in this world…”

I stared at him.

“I used to want to know what those words meant. But now I get it. They mean that you still love her. Not me.”

I slammed the door behind me as I left.