Intimacy

Jaxon

~What the hell?~

I was frozen, unable to move. Katherine was here, in front of me, commanding the forest around us. The water danced around her ankles, and the wind played with her hair.

Her hair, those fiery red strands, reminded me of sun rays. She used to braid them often.

She used to wear work clothes for gardening or hiking. Denim overalls and boots.

But now, she was free of work.

Her hair was loose. She wore a simple white cotton dress and was barefoot.

“How… How are you doing this?” I stuttered, sounding like a fool. “I’m… I’m dreaming, right?”

But as soon as I said it, I realized I was ~aware~ I was dreaming.

So, this was a lucid dream. I’d never had one before, so why now?

Was it stress? Fear? Exhaustion?

What was causing this strange, intoxicating illusion?

Katherine laughed, and my heart caught in my chest. It had been so long since I’d heard that sound.

“I feel like I’m dreaming, too,” she said. “But if that’s the case, then I guess we’re both having the same dream. The same wonderful, beautiful dream.”

~The same wonderful, beautiful dream.~

Her words seemed to echo in the still morning air.

“But if we’re dreaming,” Katherine continued, “could I touch you?”

~Could she…~

~What?~

I was speechless as she moved towards me, stepping lightly over the pebbles and stones.

She stopped a few feet away and reached out a slightly trembling hand.

I swallowed hard. She had me under her spell.

And then—Katherine touched me.

My first love, my old flame…

~Touched me.~

Her soft fingertips brushed my cheek and then traced a line up along my jaw. It felt like electricity was flowing from her hand. It shocked me and connected us in a way that transcended reality.

What the hell was happening to me?

I felt like I was high. Or tripping on something.

Was it something I ate? That had to be it.

But Quinn and I shared the same meal…

“Could you touch me?”

~Could I touch her?~

Was she giving me permission?

She nodded, encouraging me.

Unable to comprehend what was happening, my arms moved on their own. It was like an out-of-body experience.

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and pulled her into a warm embrace.

She smelled like a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers.

Shadow Moon’s palace was once full of them. Katherine would pick them in the morning and fill every vase we had.

My mind was spinning.

~How is she here?~

~How is she alive?~

~How is she…~

~Back from the dead?~

“How…?” I started to ask, pulling away, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish. I was terrified of the answers.

Even though I knew I was dreaming, or maybe hallucinating, I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to stay in this dream forever. Except for…

Quinn… My Luna.

Katherine brought me back to reality. “How what, Jax?”

“Katherine…” Saying her name, with her standing right in front of me, felt so surreal. After a long pause, I asked, “How are you alive?”

Just a casual question.

Katherine opened her mouth, waiting for the words to come. That was one of her things.

While Quinn could be stubborn, holding her thoughts back and then letting them out all at once, Katherine was always calmer.

When she had a thought, she shared it with me. Just like that.

~Oh my God.~

Was I really comparing the two women I loved?

~Stop it, you jerk,~ I scolded myself.

“I can’t say, Jax,” Katherine finally said, her cryptic answer surprising me. “I’m sorry. Not yet.”

“Well, when?”

“When we meet again, I’ll tell you then,” she said. “Now, let’s get you back to sleep, shall we? It’s still early. And if I remember correctly, you’re not a morning person.”

“You were.”

“~Were?~ I still am.”

“Right. I mean, you are,” I corrected myself, still in disbelief that she could be alive.

Katherine nodded with a smirk. “Yes, I used to be your sun, remember? Your good morning, every morning. And you were my good nights.”

At that, my heart shattered.

This was too much.

~Wake up, Jaxon. Wake up… Now!~

Nothing.

But Katherine didn’t push it. Instead, she gently guided me back to the tent.

“When will I see you again?” I asked, whispering.

Quinn was sleeping just a few feet away.

“Soon,” Katherine said, “I promise. Now go back to sleep.”

With no other choice, I crawled into the tent and lay down next to my mate. Katherine lingered at the entrance.

“Good night, Jax,” she whispered.

“Good morning, Katherine,” I replied, falling back into our old routine.

A little inside joke. One of many.

She smiled at me. Her eyes sparkled.

Then, in an instant, she was gone, disappearing into the forest.

***

Sky

We’d worked nonstop all day yesterday to prepare the palace for lockdown. Everything had gone smoothly.

Bunks were set up. Daycare was running. The kitchen and food storage were secure.

And Raphael was loving being in charge of the meals. Right now, he was overseeing breakfast, which was French Toast, fresh fruit, and coffee and juice. Yum!

We all agreed to ration our food, making sure we had enough to last us for a while if needed. The plan was to wait until the rogues moved on, then we could all leave.

I was sure this was just a temporary situation.

And in the meantime, thanks to Alpha Anthony’s hard work and organization, everything was running smoothly.

He was proving to be a real asset to the team.

I was sitting at the breakfast table with my brother, Harper, and Zara, who had started to hang out with us more.

She was a bit of an introvert, and seemed to carry a lot of darkness inside her. It was clear she’d suffered some serious loss, which had left a lasting impact. But she was kind, especially to the children.

I liked spending time with quieter people. It meant I got to talk more.

Anthony was talking to Raphael. When he saw me looking, I waved him over.

With a coffee in his hand and a big smile on his face, the Alpha joined us. “Morning, everyone.”

We all greeted him back as he pulled up a chair. He took a sip of his coffee and then cleared his throat.

“So, I was thinking…” he started.

~Oh boy.~

I carefully put down my spoon.

It was a good thing Quinn and Jax weren’t here for this. Alpha Anthony was always full of ideas, which I appreciated, but Quinn and Jax didn’t seem to feel the same way.

“I was thinking, we should throw a little party or something,” he continued. “Nothing fancy, just a chance to get to know each other. All the packs.”

A party!

“Oh my God, that’s a great idea!” I exclaimed.

“Thanks, Sky. I thought we could play some cards and board games, maybe make a nice dinner. It’ll be a chance for everyone to mix and mingle. This lockdown might actually be good for our packs’ relationships,” Anthony added.

I couldn’t have agreed more.

The others nodded their approval.

“What do the other Alphas and Lunas think?” Alex asked. “From the other packs?”

He was trying to play the role Jax always did: cautious and diplomatic.

“They love the idea,” Anthony said. “I’ve already checked with them. Just a small, intimate gathering.”

I looked at Harper, excitement building. Naturally, she didn’t share my enthusiasm. While everyone else started talking about the party, she just kept eating her burnt toast.

But I knew that once things got going, she’d get into it.

I mean, who doesn’t love a party?

Or… an ~intimate gathering?~

What could possibly go wrong with a little intimacy?

***

Quinn

~Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!~

I woke up.

Ugh. The alarm. I hated alarms.

~Beep! Beep! Beep!~

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, turning off my phone. We’d set the alarm for eight o’clock.

There were a few texts from my mom on my screen, but I wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. We were going to see her, whether she liked it or not.

I looked at Jax, who was also just waking up. He looked a bit rattled.

More than usual.

Neither of us liked waking up to loud alarms, but this seemed like something else.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

Jax shook his head. “Yeah, fine. Just a weird dream.”

“Aw. Sorry to hear that.” I reached out and rubbed his shoulder. He was wearing his t-shirt again, even though we’d gone to bed naked.

I noticed a long, thin strand of hair stuck to the fabric.

A long, thin strand of red hair.

~Where did this come from?~ I thought, pulling it off.

Jax looked surprised when he saw it.

But when he saw me watching him, he raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

“No idea,” he said.

~Huh.~

~Weird.~