Page 97 of Alpha Jax

Quinn

I wish we could stay at the Westfield packhouse with Jax’s family and just forget the world for a while. Forget about the security squad and the shadow pack and Denver and just be together. But life doesn’t stop for anyone, and we’re already running late as we say our goodbyes to Jax’s parents and sisters, promising that we’ll be back for dinner on Sunday.

I’ve always wanted a big family, and now I’ve got one. Jax’s family fits me like a glove- from the moment I met them, I know they were my kind of people. Guess it makes sense now, in hindsight. This is how fate designed it; the way that things were always supposed to be.

Rather than heading straight back to the complex, we take a detour to Summervale to retrieve my stuff. It makes us even later, but I can’t return to the complex without my phone and computer, can I? Theo and Brooke have already left, but Dad’s glad to see me once more before I head back. He’s got a busy week ahead of him with Cory and Ellie moving into the packhouse, and I’m glad they’ll be there to keep him company now that Theo and I have both left home.

Gray asked Jax to try to be back to the squad complex by 10 a.m., but punctuality has never been my strong suit. We’re a half an hour late by the time we roll into the parking lot, hopping out of the truck and making our way around the building to the gate. Once it comes into view, what I see is reminiscent of the first day I arrived here- only on a much larger scale. The practice field is completely packed with people; the whole squad must be out here, along with IT and the reserve squad. Looks like they’ve gathered everyone to bring them up to speed on the situation with Denver.

“Quinn!” Kyla calls out when she spots me, holding up an arm and waving at me to get my attention.

While it has only been a few days, it feels like forever since I’ve seen Kyla. My face splits into a wide grin as I make my way over to my friend, barreling into her and throwing my arms around her small frame.

“Hey!” I squeal, hugging her tightly.

“Can’t… breathe…” Kyla chokes, wriggling in my grasp.

I laugh, letting her go and taking a step back, bumping into Jax’s hard chest. I glance up at him over my shoulder as he wraps an arm around my waist and I melt back into him, looking to Kyla again. “I should probably introduce you to my mate,” I say, still smiling like a fool.

Kyla’s brown eyes are mischievous as she runs a hand through her short blonde hair, waggling her eyebrows. “And I should probably introduce you to mine.”

Wait, what?My jaw goes slack as Kyla turns and crooks a finger to someone nearby, my eyes flying in that direction to see who it is.

“Boyd?!” My eyes widen as he steps up beside Kyla and pulls her into his arms, leaning down to plant a big ol’ kiss on her pouted lips.

“Wha…” I’m at a loss for words, gaze bouncing between the two of them. I knew they had flirted a little bit, butmates?!

Kyla looks over at me and giggles, shifting in Boyd’s arms. “I know, right? Guess it explains why we wanted to jump each other’s bones.”

Boyd looks down at Kyla adoringly. He’s a foot taller than her, but they still somehow look right together, and so damn happy. Boyd’s from my pack in Summervale; I’ve known him my whole life. While he may be a little rough around the edges, he’s a genuinely good guy, so I know he’ll take good care of my friend. Kyla deserves it, especially after everything that douchebag Tony put her through.

Even so, I’m still blown away by this revelation. “This is crazy,” I stammer. “The two of you, and… wait, why are you not having the same reaction I am right now?!”

“Please,” Kyla scoffs, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Someone let the cat out of the bag about you two already, the whole complex has been talking about it all morning. Can’t say I was that surprised, though. You guys make sense together.”

“Damn,” I breathe. “I knew news traveled fast here, but I thought I’d at least be the one spreading it.”

Jax presses a kiss to my temple, leaning down to murmur in my ear. “I’ve gotta catch up with Gray and the guys, babe. You wanna come with or hang out?”

As much as I’ve enjoyed having a front row seat to the inner workings of squad leadership over the past day, I’d rather hang with Kyla and pretend for five more minutes that the sky isn’t falling.

I grab for Jax’s hands, peeling them off of my body and spinning around to face him. “You go ahead. I’ll come find you in a bit.”

He leans down to give me a quick kiss and when he takes off through the crowd, I notice that several people are staring in my direction. I guess Kyla was right- we’ve been the hot topic of conversation this morning. Rather than being embarrassed, though, I’m actually a little relieved that everybody here knows about us. Now that an alpha has a claim over me, it’ll prevent feeble attempts at flirtation from other males, and, most importantly, the females on the squad now know that Jax’s bachelor days are over. At that thought, a wave of possessiveness rolls through me, my wolf pushing her way to the surface.Mine.

I shove her down and start to spin back toward Kyla when a pair of arms wraps around me from behind, pinning my own arms to my sides and lifting my feet off of the ground. I immediately recognize his familiar scent and inked forearms.

“Logi!” I yelp, kicking my feet. “Put me down!”

Logan’s laugh rumbles in my ear as he lowers my feet back to the ground and relinquishes his grip around me. As soon as I’m free, I whip around to face him, shoving his chest playfully with both hands.

“So it’s true?” he asks, eyes pinned to the spot where my neck meets my shoulder. The spot where Jax marked me, and I now bear two small white scars that show it.

I nod triumphantly, sweeping my hair over my shoulder to give him a better view of my mark. “Mhmm… totally locked that down.”

Logan smirks, offering me a fist-bump. “Niiiice. Good for you, Q. Glad things worked out.”

I glance around, spotting Vienna nearby chatting and laughing with the twins. “What about…”

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