Page 27 of Alpha Jax

“Honestly?” I lean in a little and look her in the eye, steadying my expression. I wet my lips with my tongue, dropping my voice low. “Everything.”

For once, Quinn doesn’t have a witty comeback or a fiery response- her smile fades from her face and she just stares back at me with those big hazel eyes, blinking.

If I don’t get out of here right now, I’m going to do something I’ll regret. Because with the way she’s looking at me, all I want to do right now is grab Quinn, throw her over my shoulder, take her back to my room, and have my way with her.

Again.

I know I can’t do that for so many reasons- the most important being that she’s Theo’s fucking sister. No matter what I do or say, that fact won’t change. So instead, I do the only thing I’m able to… I turn and walk away, while I still can.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Quinn

Everything. That one word, spoken in that deep, gravelly voice, has sent my entire world into a tailspin. It was all fun and games when I was just trying to get a rise out of Jax, making him suffer a little bit for saying he regretted our night together. Now that I know it was special to him, too, all bets are off.

It doesn’t seem fair that he’s suddenly the Romeo to my Juliet, the two of us tragically star-crossed and unable to explore this connection we seem to have, neither of us willing to sacrifice our relationship with Theo to see what this thing between us could be. It’s probably for the best- relationships only lead to heartache, after all- but that forbidden fruit is looking awfully appealing right now. I totally get why Adam and Eve gave in and ate the apple.

A little flirting never hurt anybody, though… right? Is it so wrong that I want to keep flirting with Jax even if it can’t go anywhere? It’s fun, it’s completely harmless, and it’s kind of unavoidable with him looking at me the way he is on the practice field this morning. Theo’s out here talking us through what the first day of wolf training is going to be like, but I’m focused instead on Jax standing a few yards away from him, looking so good in a cut-off t-shirt and workout shorts that it should be illegal. Oh, andtotallyundressing me with his eyes.

Theo claps his hands together. “Alright, pair off and let’s get started!”

Crap. I definitely missed his whole intro- but to be fair, it can’t be that complicated. Pair off, shift, and spar as wolves, I’m assuming? I turn to Brooke beside me, giving her a nudge.

“Wanna be partners?”

Brooke just stares at me for a moment, looking uncomfortable as hell before she slowly nods. “Sure.”

I know she’s afraid of her wolf- she’s told me as much, in the past- but I’m sure it isn’t anything I can’t handle. I’ve got good control of my own wolf and she’s a badass, if I do say so myself. Plus, I’m sure Brooke will be way more comfortable partnering with someone she knows, given her insecurities, so I’m trying to do her a solid here.

The other recruits pair off and start to spread out, and I wander to the sidelines to drop off my water bottle, passing close to Jax on my way back to Brooke.

“Are you here to help with training, or just to see me strip?” I ask quietly as I pass, tossing him a wink.

My question gets a rise out of him- I glance over my shoulder to see silver shimmers swirling in Jax’s blue irises, a telltale sign of his wolf pushing to the surface, and I’m smugly satisfied.

All around me on the practice field, the other recruits are starting to strip off their clothes and shift. Nudity is something all of us shifters are accustomed to, but stripping down in Jax’s presence feels a little naughty for some reason. Maybe because I already have, and the memory of what happened after I stripped for him the first time is so fucking delicious.

“You ready?” I ask Brooke as I approach, toeing off my gym shoes.

She nods, looking determined. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

I smile encouragingly, pulling my t-shirt off overhead and tossing it aside. I swear I feel Jax’s eyes on me before I dart a glance over my shoulder, confirming that he is, indeed, watching. So I might as well make it good, right? I shimmy out of my workout shorts, bending over at the waist, making a show of it. Slide my panties down my thighs. Twist a little as I pull my sports bra off overhead to give him a nice shot of side-boob. Then I call my wolf forward, feeling the familiar tingles all over my body, starting in my chest and radiating out through my limbs, my fingers, my toes.

My bones snap and rearrange; my vision tunnels, then sharpens. Suddenly I’m on four paws, shaking out my fur, lifting my nose and inhaling the rich smells of the forest surrounding the complex. As a shifter, I’ve already got elevated senses, but in wolf form, they’re heightened even more- colors are brighter, sounds are sharper, smells are stronger. I lower my head, looking across from me just in time to witness Brooke’s shift, the air shimmering around her as she transforms into a beautiful tan wolf.

When we’re in wolf form, we can communicate with other members of our pack through a mind link. I focus in on it, speaking to Brooke through the link, asking‘are you ready?’

A moment later, Brooke’s voice slips into my mind in response, though it sounds far away.‘Yeah. Let’s do this.’

We start circling one another, settling into our wolf forms, preparing for our fight. She seems to be on the defensive- it doesn’t look like she’s going to make the first move- so I sink into a crouch, growling to signal my intent before I spring forward, launching myself at Brooke.

I connect, leaping on top of her, and the two of us go rolling in the dirt, a mess of snapping jaws and thrashing limbs. We break apart and I jump away, skidding in the dirt and whirling to face her again. She’s a stronger opponent than I expected her to be, so I mentally adjust my strategy, sizing her up before we connect again.

This time, it’s her that comes at me- her body colliding with mine with such force that it nearly knocks the wind out of me. I try to roll away, dodge her, but Brooke’s wolf is quick- and she’s relentless. It feels like she takes a chunk out of my hindquarters before I can wriggle away from her, scampering a few paces away and turning back to face her.

Game. On.My own wolf is riled up now, pissed off, and a low growl starts in my throat as I crouch, preparing to launch myself at Brooke. When I do, I snap at her face and briefly sink my teeth into her neck- a warning to stop being so rough.

It backfires. We break apart, but before I can even blink, she’s coming at me again. There’s something wild in her eyes, something feral. She leaps onto me, sinking her teeth into the scruff of my neck. I cry out in pain, which should tell her to stop- but she doesn’t. She bites down again, harder. The pain is searing, blinding.

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