Chapter Sixteen
Jem
The day was here.
Michel was ready to leave, as were the rest of the men of the pack. All day, the women had been moping around the house.
Including me.
I felt pretty bad about freaking out on Michel. It wasn't his fault, after all. He hadn't known me when he'd slept with all those women.
The past day, he'd been really busy making sure everything was in place for the attack. We'd barely seen each other.
I missed the idiot.
***
Michel
We had a huge dinner before leaving, because all the wives were freaking out about the guys "keeping up their energy" or something.
Just as we were about to start, Jem surprised me by pulling up a chair beside my seat.
I raised an eyebrow at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, just pass the fucking peas."
I grinned. That's my girl. I knew she was too proud to apologize, but this was good enough.
Passing the plate with one hand, I slung my other arm casually across the back of her chair. Jem shrugged it off, and my heart sank a little.
Then she moved it around her shoulders, pulling my chair a little closer to her.
"If you're gonna your arm around me, put it on my actual shoulders, not the chair," she huffed, avoiding my gaze.
Grinning, I leaned over and pecked her softly on the lips. "Fuck, I've missed you."
She leaned into the kiss, prolonging it, and muttered with her mouth pressed against mine, "Me too. I'm sorry about fighting with you. It was dumb."
"I'm sorry, too," I said honestly. "I'm glad we made up. I really didn't want to leave with you mad at me."
"I'll still be upset," she sighed. "By upset, I mean worried out of my mind. You have to call me every hour or something. Promise?"
I chuckled. "We don't exactly carry cell phones around in our muzzles when we're wolves. If we need to talk, we use our connection." I hesitated. "Um, actually, maybe it's time I explained our connection to you."
"Connection?" she asked, looking skeptical.
I nodded, realizing the eyes of everyone at the table were on us.
"Well, obviously, we're not regular wolves. We're a mythical breed, which is why we're a little stronger. It also gives us certain...abilities," I began. "Things like telepathic communication."
"Telepathic..." she repeated slowly. "Like, in your heads?"
"Exactly," I said. "The connection is strongest between pack members that have a relationship with each other--like mates, or an Alpha and his Beta. Anyone can do it, though. You can have private conversations or address the entire pack all at once."
Her eyes were wide, but it was obvious she was trying to keep her expression under control.
"So, like...you can just talk to Richard in your head? Like, right now?" she asked.
"Yup," Richard said from across the table. "And so can you, actually."
I whipped around to look at him, my eyes blazing angrily. I'd wanted to explain that part to her.
Richard winced. "Apologies, Alpha."
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Jem asked, looking back and forth between me and Richard, her expression panicked. "What does he mean?"
I breathed in deeply. "Since you're the Luna of the pack, you formed an instant connection with each pack member the day we discovered we were mates. Your connection with everyone is very strong, just like mine."
I'd noticed her voice often got squeaky, like a mouse, when she was nervous or freaking out. "What?" Sure enough, her voice was suddenly very high.
Don't freak out, beautiful, I thought, trying to keep my words gentle.
She jumped in her seat.
"What the hell?" Her face drained of blood, her skin turning ashen.
Sh, it's ok. I nuzzled the side of her neck, hugging her against my chest. I'm trying to ease you into it. Short sentences, speaking quietly.
She relaxed slightly, giving me a small smile.
Suddenly, her head jerked to the side. She grabbed her forehead, looking like she was in excruciating pain.
***
Jem
Hiiiiii, Ms Luna Jem!!
Ms Luna omg omg hi!
Hey I can see you, can you see me, I'm waving across the table!!!
Ms Luna Jem, we can talk all the time now!
I groaned, clutching my head and leaning forward. I heard the sound of a few chars scraping as Michel and a few others rushed beside me.
Michel gripped my shoulders. "Jem, baby, what's wrong? What is it?"
"Kids, stop," I begged, ignoring his question. My temples felt like they were about to explode.
When Michel had been talking to me, it was unsettling, but it didn't hurt.
Having five energetic voices all talking in my head at the same time, however, was one of the most painful experiences of my life.
Realizing what was happening, Richard snapped his head up and looked at the kids.
"Stop it!" he growled viciously. "Stop talking right now, all of you!"
Instantly, the voices disappeared.
The pain lingered, but it was slowly fading into a dull throb. I lifted my head, sighing with relief.
"Thank you so much, Richard," I said, smiling weakly.
"I am so sorry, Luna," he said, shaking his head. "The kids--"
"They didn't know any better," I said, turning to face them. They looked close to tears. "Guys, it's ok. It's not your fault."
"S-sorry, Ms Luna Jem," Chase said, his bottom lip visibly quivering.
"It's ok, accidents happen," I said, smiling.
"Don't let it happen again," Michel growled.
"Michel, shut up," I said, rolling my eyes. I stood up and moved away from the table, turning around and facing him. He put his hands on my waist. "Hey, don't you have to go?"
He leaned his forehead against mine. "So eager to get rid of me?"
I grinned. "Obviously."
It was his turn to roll his eyes, but he still looked concerned. "Are you sure you're ok?"
I'm fine, I thought. I had no idea if it would work.
His eyes widened, excitement washing over his expression. "You did it!"
I grinned. "I did? Fuck yes!"
He laughed, picking me up in a way that I was straddling him. He kissed me and I kissed him back, threading my fingers through his hair and leaning completely into him. We made out until we were breathless. He was the one to pull away.
"As amazing as that was," he panted, "and holy shit, it was amazing--" I laughed and he grinned, continuing, "--we really do have to leave soon."
My smile faded. I hopped out of his arms but he kept ahold of one of my hands.
It took about half an hour to gather some last minute things and then we were standing in the driveway.
"I'll be checking on you every hour, including during the night," he said. "You have to answer me otherwise I'll begin to worry."
And then came all the instructions.
"None of the women or kids are allowed to leave the house at all, do you understand? There's more than enough food and everything else you'll need for the next few days inside. You should all try to stay calm. If all goes well, we'll be home by the weekend."
"Stay calm," I snorted. "My mate's going off to get himself killed and I'm supposed to stay calm. Yup. Easy."
He shut me up with a long kiss.
By the time it was over, I was crying silently. Michel pulled back and saw the tears streaming down my cheeks.
He kissed my cheek. "Baby, we'll be fine. I promise."
"Please, please try to stay safe," I begged, my voice cracking. "I just found you. I can't lose you already."
His gaze softened and he smiled gently. "I promise. I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone."
I laughed through my tears. "I seriously doubt that."
Another kiss, a few more tearful goodbyes, and they were all gone.