Raw Exposition

Jaxon

“What the hell are you doing, Katherine?” I demanded, slamming the door to my room behind me.

Katherine was sprawled across the bed, provocatively massaging her pale breasts, her lips moist with anticipation.

“Something wrong, Jax? Don’t like what you see?”

“I… I… This isn’t you. It never was you.”

~She was always so shy, so modest.~

“Living with the rogues has changed me. I’ve shed my childish shyness. I’m a woman now. The kind you can really…sink your teeth into.”

She bit her lips as her fingers traced a path from her chest down to her thighs.

I shook my head in disbelief and turned towards the door, “I…uh… Damn it! I don’t have time for this, Katherine. I’ve got to find…”

“Quinn?” she laughed. “You’re chasing a lost cause, Alpha. Jodie has your little sweetheart set to join her as co-Alpha of Vulpes.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I shouted.

“You can’t be surprised, can you?” she asked, her voice laced with bitterness. “It’s obvious she’s been drifting away from you and your Shadow Moon ways this week.”

I felt my blood start to boil.

I had a feeling that Katherine was involved in all of this.

That beneath her sweet, flirtatious exterior that had stirred up old feelings, she was part of the planning of this entire scheme.

“What the hell do you know about all this? About Quinn? About this whole damn Vulpes operation?”

Katherine rose from the bed and began to saunter over to me, her hips swaying suggestively.

“Come on, Jax. You don’t think I can just spill all of our pack’s secrets to an enemy Alpha. We have history, but as you can see,” she stretched her arms out, showcasing her perfect body, “I’ve embraced my new life here.”

I let out a furious growl.

I was done with this runaround.

That’s all I’d been getting from everyone here for the past week and a half, and I wasn’t about to take it from her.

I was going to get some damn answers.

I lunged at Katherine and pinned her down on the bed.

“Ahhh! Now, this is the Jax I remember,” she purred.

“Cut the crap, Kat! Tell me what the hell is going on here or I’ll—“

“You’ll what, Alpha?” she spat back at me. “This isn’t your castle. You aren’t king.”

“No... No, I’m not king. I’m an enemy. You’re my enemy, Kat. And if you don’t start giving me some answers, I’ll treat you like I treat my enemies.”

The seductive look in her eyes vanished.

She started to cry.

It was like a barrier had been shattered.

Some strange facade that hid the person I knew.

I loosened my grip on her.

She slid off the bed and onto the floor, sobbing loudly into her arms.

“God... Kat... I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just...” I stammered.

I pulled the comforter off the bed and wrapped it around her naked body.

Her tears kept flowing as I knelt down beside her and tried to speak softly.

“Look... I’m just really at my wit's end, Kat. My pack, my mate, my entire life... all gone in the blink of an eye. I just don’t know what’s happening. It’s like... there’s some sort of strange chaos taking over this place. Almost like...”

“Magic,” Katherine interjected. “Like magic?”

I nodded slowly.

Katherine sighed, “Vulpes is full of illusions, Jax. It thrives on them. Sometimes, the pack itself seems like one.”

“Yeah...” I responded, puzzled, “I guess you could say that.”

She took a deep breath to try and calm her crying, “Jax... there’s so much I want to tell you. So much you need to know...”

I took her hand and held it in mine. Then I looked into her tear-filled eyes.

“Then tell me. I promise, whatever Jodie or anyone else has threatened you with, I will protect you from it.”

“Oh, Jax,” she managed a tearful laugh, “always the hero. I... I just wish I could have been.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She paused, choosing her words carefully.

This was the Katherine I knew. Thoughtful and incredibly introspective.

“What I said earlier. About Jodie giving me life... it wasn’t exactly true,” she began.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“That day of the battle, when you found me in the woods. Jodie approached me before you ever got there. Yes... she offered to save my life. But at the cost of my soul.”

“Your soul?”

She continued solemnly: “Yes. I soon realized that I had actually sold my soul into slavery. I became a puppet of her will. A sorcerer’s puppet to use as she pleased.”

I was stunned, trying to understand what she meant.

What she was describing sounded like some twisted form of witchcraft.

“So…. You’re saying that you’re not actually alive?”

“Listen, Jax! I don't have much time!“ she said urgently.

She didn’t have much time…until what?

“Jodie’s been tricking your mate,” she went on, “pretending to be her father’s spirit. Making her believe she’s summoned him. She’s got her completely fooled, Jax.”

“What the hell does Jodie want with her?” I asked.

“She wants to use their combined powers to summon the spirit of the demigod Matheius, the founder of Vulpes. Ultimately…she wants to control his spirit, she wants to…”

Suddenly, Katherine started to fade right in front of me.

She was becoming more and more transparent with each passing second.

“Katherine!” I cried out in shock.

She gave me a bittersweet smile, “The price of a broken deal.”

I tried to hold her, but my arms went right through her.

“Go, Jax. Save your mate. Take her. Go home. This isn’t a place for her. Or you.”

“Katherine… I… I love you.”

I saw the hint of a loving smile as the last traces of her face disappeared into nothingness.

Katherine had sacrificed herself for me, again.

In the end…she loved me, too.

I got up, tears streaming down my face for my former mate.

The pain of losing her a second time was just as intense as the first.

But I didn’t have time to grieve.

I had to act quickly to prevent losing another mate.

Harper

Hours had gone by. I was still sitting by the chattering creek in the forest.

My body was restless, knowing it should be escaping from Fort Vulpes.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get Sky out of my mind.

She had immobilized me.

She had shaken my world in a way I never thought possible.

But my thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes.

I jumped to my feet, ready for a fight.

I was prepared to shift at any moment.

The hairs on my arm stood up.

That could only mean one thing.

Another wolf was close.

Ever since I was a pup, I had the ability to sense a wolf before anyone else.

It made me a good tracker.

But the question was:

Was this intruder a friend or an enemy?

I saw a bush move out of the corner of my eye.

“Come out! I know you’re there!” I yelled.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared from behind the bush.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

It was Alex!

“Alex!” I cried, running over to hug him. “What the hell are you doing here? Did Anthony let you go?”

“Hah!” he laughed. “Not exactly, my friend. But his guards were no match for me.”

“You mean…you escaped?” I asked.

He nodded.

“But…what about all that stuff you said about duty?” I asked, remembering his words before we left.

“I realized I had a bigger responsibility than to the pack. A responsibility to my friends.”

I smiled at him.

It was good to see the old Alex again.

“I’m afraid I have bad news,” he said. “Alpha Anthony is already on his way. His first target is Vulpes, but I doubt he’ll stop there.”

“Shit!” I cried. “We have to get back to Fort Vulpes and help them!”

“Help who? The rogues?” Alex asked, confused.

“No! Jax, Sky, Quinn—everyone! They all need our help!”

“Jax and Quinn are alive?” A hopeful look appeared on his face.

“Not for long if we don’t hurry…”