Mate To The Queen

Jaxon

I watch Kaine walk away from his bartender growling under his breath. He storms through the crowd and disappears into his office.

I look down at the glass on the table, half-full. I watch the condensation roll down the sides and drip onto the wood.

"Okay—either you're hammered or thinking deeply about something."

I glance up at the beautiful blonde standing beside me. She raises her eyebrow at me.

"Maia turns 16 next week," I say. 

She nods and slides into the other side of the booth. "And you're worried that her mate will leak your family's secret?"

"Yeah."

Taylor grabs my drink, quickly downs the rest of it, then makes a face at me. "Why the fuck are you drinking firewhiskey?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I just can't stop picturing what would happen to our family if someone learned what shifters we are," I mutter.

"Well moping around here isn't going to help. Come on," she says. She stands up and grabs my hand.

She pulls me to my feet and the floor immediately starts to sway. I hear Taylor curse then drape my arm across her shoulders. "Shit Jax, how much did you drink?" She asks.

"Only a few glasses," I mumble. I squeeze my eyes shut with a groan. My head is throbbing and weird spots fill my vision.

The next thing I am aware of is Taylor helping me into my bedroom. I fall onto the bed on my back.

She leans over me with a small chuckle. "You are going to hate yourself in the morning. Goodnight Jax," she says, then disappears.

The swaying and spinning stop after a few minutes and the throbbing slowly fades. Only a few minutes more and I pass out.

*********

"Jaxon!" A voice yells making me sit up quickly. I instantly regret it and make a dash for the bathroom.

I empty the contents of my roiling stomach into the toilet. My throat burns and my head aches.

"Did you get drunk last night?"

I look up and see Maia. "Ever heard of knocking?" I snap, moving to the sink to rinse the taste of bile from my mouth.

"Gods Jax you smell like a bar," she says, wrinkling her nose. "And I did knock, but you didn't answer."

"Whatever. What do you want Maia?" I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Dad wants to talk to you and Kaine," she says, then leaves without another word.

My eyebrows furrow in confusion, what could he want?

Maia is my dad's favorite while Kaine and I are much closer to our mom so it's unusual for him to ask for us.

I shrug and tear off my clothes before climbing into the shower. I wash the alcohol smell off me and throw on a clean shirt and shorts.

I run a hand through my hair before leaving my room. Immediately my eyes move to the gorgeous black-haired girl walking out of Kaine's room.

She grins at me then saunters down the hall to the stairs. I watch her vanish down the steps.

I turn back to see Kaine walking out of his room, only wearing a pair of shorts. He raises his eyebrow at me.