Campout

Quinn

As we drove along the dusty roads, under the pale blue sky, and through the thick woods, I felt a sense of normalcy. It was as if Jaxon and I were just an ordinary couple, not Alpha and Luna, not leaders. Just Jax and Quinn.

~Lovers.~

A normal couple. The thought was sweet at first.

But as time passed, I started to feel restless. My mind began to wander, and my body felt trapped.

Jax noticed my restlessness. My knee was bouncing up and down, and my fingers were fidgeting in my lap.

“You can play music if you want,” he suggested, pointing to the cord attached to the stereo.

Seeing my confusion, he explained, “It’s an AUX.”

“Like the animal?”

“No. A-U-X. Auxiliary port.”

“I see,” I said, though I didn’t really understand. I shook my head. “We both know I’m a terrible DJ. Whatever you’re playing right now is good.”

We drove in silence, the soft indie tunes acting as a soundtrack to our journey. I watched as the trees changed colors, their leaves turning gold, orange, and burnt sienna. It was like watching summer turn into fall.

I started to listen to the music more closely, paying attention to the lyrics. I liked this genre. It was raw and gritty, yet tender and meaningful. The songs were about young love and lust, self-reflection, and adventure.

Chasing dreams. Finding truths. Running away.

It was a far cry from the country music my mom loved.

I remembered from our first date that Jax liked Bowie, Queen, The Black Stripes, and Food Fighters.

During a quiet instrumental part, I asked, “What is this, by the way? Is it an album?”

“Nope, a playlist. I made it last night after you fell asleep.”

~Damn~. I thought, my heart fluttering.

Jaxon was a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes.

I knew he felt bad about our conversation last night and was trying to make it up to me.

Even his decision to drive me home, despite the risks, was thoughtful. How else would I have managed?

Feeling a bit useless, I decided to take charge of the food. At least I could make sure Jax was as well-fed as the car.

“Are you hungry?” I asked. “Want a snack?”

“Sure,” he said.

I reached for the tote at my feet, only to remember that I had tossed it into the backseat. I unbuckled my seatbelt, stretched back to retrieve the bag, and pulled out some carrot sticks, two apples, and a bag of trail mix from Sky.

Harper had given us a freshly sharpened dagger, and Sky had given us a mix of peanuts, almonds, and chocolate candies.

And…~raisins~, I realized as I popped a handful into my mouth.

~Ick.~

“You okay?” Jax asked, noticing my reaction.

“Yeah. I just hate raisins.”

“Oh, I like them. I’ll take them.”

I picked out the raisins from the trail mix and handed them to Jax. He happily took them.

“My mom used to make oatmeal raisin cookies all the time,” I said. “They looked and smelled amazing, but I could never stomach the taste.”

I polished an apple on my shirt and used Harper's dagger to slice it. Who knew something so deadly could be used so innocently?

She would never have to know.

~Crunch.~

~Ah~. The crisp, tart flavor of the apple washed away the taste of the raisins.

“I guess those cookies were my prison food. Or, one of my prison foods—a dessert I didn’t want.”

Jax shook his head. “Your mom sounds like the witch from Hansel and Gretel or something.”

“Something like that,” I replied.

“You’ve texted or called her, right? To tell her that we’re coming?”

Um. “About that…”

Jax turned to face me. I didn’t know much about driving, but I knew you were supposed to keep your eyes on the road.

“Wait, Quinn, are you serious?”

“I, uh…” I trailed off, trying to think of an excuse.

~What’s a good excuse for this?~

“It was one thing when you weren’t planning on ever going back. But now… What if she’s not even there? And if she is… you know how much worse this’ll be without any heads up.”

“I know,” I admitted, feeling guilty and embarrassed. “I will. Relax. I’ll text her.”

“You should,” he said sternly.

I swallowed hard and started fidgeting again.

The phone in my back pocket suddenly felt heavy.

***

Alex

It felt strange that, almost as soon as Jaxon and Quinn were out of sight, we began rearranging Shadow Moon. The layout and organization of the palace and territory had been the same for years.

But I liked the change. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited.

For the past two nights, the other pack members had been sleeping on spare beds, chaises, and couches. Now we were creating a more permanent makeshift setup. As convoluted as that sounded.

Bunk beds were popping up everywhere. Extra pillows, cushions, and blankets were being brought up from storage.

Sky and Harper were busy setting up a makeshift donation center. Our pack members were dropping off unused clothes, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and combs. Raphael was busy collecting dry goods and ingredients, while trained fighters from other packs took turns standing guard.

Everyone was hustling and bustling, each person engrossed in their own task.

It felt like we were preparing for some sort of apocalypse. Like zombies were about to descend upon us.

Zara waddled in, carrying a huge cardboard box filled to the brim with books. Children’s books. I hurried over to help.

“Let me give you a hand with that.”

“It’s not heavy,” she said, “just awkward to carry.”

She handed it over anyway and gave me a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“How are you holding up?” I asked, as we walked down the hallway towards the small ballroom and attached courtyard. We’d decided it would be perfect for the daycare.

“Not too bad,” she replied. “Just a lot to keep track of.”

“I know what you mean. I’m just taking it one step at a time.”

As we passed Anthony, who was overseeing the whole operation, I felt my back straighten. I respected the Alpha’s ideas and enthusiasm, but his presence always made me feel self-conscious. More than usual.

“Hello, Beta,” he greeted me.

Jax never called me that. Anthony always did.

“Have you thought about dinner yet?” he asked, sounding cheerful.

Dinner? “What do you mean?”

“For all our guests. They’ve been finding food around town, but now that we’re on lockdown, they’re getting hungry. We need cooks.”

“Oh. Shit,” was all I could say. I hadn’t even thought about that.

But Anthony dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Actually, I bet Raphael’s already on it. He’s pretty much your stand-in Luna, isn’t he? It’s funny how you don’t have one. It must be hard running a palace without a mate, right?”

“Jaxon did it successfully for years,” Zara pointed out, her voice quiet but firm.

“Yes, well. Alex isn’t Jaxon, is he?”

Anthony kept his tone light, like he was joking, but his words stung.

“Anyway, carry on,” Anthony said, stepping aside and gesturing for us to pass.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zara glance at me. Maybe she expected me to say something.

But I had nothing to say.

I swallowed my pride and kept walking, as Anthony had instructed. Zara did the same.

~I’m a Beta~. I thought. ~A good Beta. A competent Beta.~

~But not an Alpha.~

It was a good thing all of this was temporary. Just two days.

Because if it were any longer…

Could I handle all this fucking responsibility?

***

Quinn

We drove through the evening, stopping only briefly for bathroom breaks and to eat our packed sandwiches at a beautiful overlook.

The sun was starting to set when, without any warning, Jaxon suddenly took an exit. He drove us down a dirt road that was barely visible.

“Uh… Where are we going?”

The plan was to drive until it got dark. Until Jax was so tired he couldn’t drive another mile, and then we’d sleep in the SUV until morning.

But as the car parked in a patch of dirt, it was clear that Jax had a different plan.

“Um, Jax?”

“I thought that since everyone back home is having their big campout, we could have a little one of our own.”

Jax got out of the car, and I followed, feeling excited. He opened the trunk, revealing a bunch of items I didn’t remember packing.

“I brought everything we need. A tent, sleeping bag, dinner. Lighter fluid to start a fire. Since I haven’t mastered Theodore’s magic yet.”

My heart fluttered.

A surprise campout?

~So romantic!~

“Jax…” I sighed, deeply touched, before pulling myself together. “Isn’t this, like, incredibly dangerous?”

I was usually the one who threw caution to the wind, but we had to think about our pack. “I mean, you were the one who said I’m a glaring target—”

“I’ll protect you,” Jax interrupted. “I’ll keep us safe. I won’t let anyone or anything fucking touch you.”

I trusted my mate completely.

But sleeping out in the open in the woods—instead of in a car, where we could at least make a quick getaway if we needed to…

I knew the risks.

But the thought of having some quality alone time with Jaxon, which I was already craving constantly—and which would only become harder to find in the coming days at Shadow Moon—was tempting.

~Our bodies tangled together, sharing a sleeping bag…~

“Okay,” I agreed, unable to resist.