Layla's Lovers

Chapter Five: A Long Night Indeed

Julien managed to get Jaxon up to the Alpha floor of the packhouse without being seen by any of the searching shewolves still at the party.

Things were still in full swing with the alcohol flowing freely and the music blaring loudly.

Nik and Theo had been 100% correct- the pack needed this night of fun. That much was obvious, as the festivities showed no signs of slowing down.

Julien must have linked to Jamie what was happening because he was already in Jaxon’s room waiting by the time Jax got the door open.

Julien followed him in and shut the door. He waved his hands over the knob and Jaxon watched as a blanket of light blue light surged quickly through the space- sealing it from the preying ears and spells of any others.

Jamie sat relaxed in a chair in the far corner of Jax’s room, a glass of whiskey in his hand and a knowing grin on his face.

“So I hear our daughter is now yours to handle Jaxon- welcome to chaos, son,” Jamie finally said as Julien poured himself and Jax a drink.

Jaxon downed the whiskey the second Julien handed him the glass. He had already pulled off his suit jacket and thrown it on the floor. He didn’t even bother to unbutton his shirt, he just ripped it open and threw it on the pile of his bloody clothes.

Once free of the constricting material, Jaxon finally took a deep breath and turned to face Jamie and Julien, who were barely able to contain their laughter at the whole situation.

“It’s not funny,” Jaxon said in the most serious tone he could muster.

Jamie was the first to break, then Julien joined as they shook with laughter.

“It really is Jax. We should have known it would be you. The Goddess loves to play with us wolves like this,” Julien said.

Jax pulled at his hair, “She called me an i***t and a dumb ass within the first 5 minutes of seeing me for the first time in four years! How am I going to get her to see who I am to her!?” 

Jamie finally schooled his laughter back enough to reply, “Jaxon, I swear she is not always like she was tonight. I mean, she’s always a handful, but she was extra enraged with Julien and I for dragging her out of Germany. So cut her just a little slack,”

Jaxon fell face first onto his bed with a groan, “She wants to kill me already. I can feel it,”

“She probably could if she really wanted to. She’s still upset that she wont be Alpha, although she wont admit it. She understands that a fae with no wolf abilities at all could not possibly be Alpha, let alone the fact that she is a female. It’s not been an easy adjustment for her as her younger twin brother gets ready to start taking things over from me. Hence, she refused to come home after she graduated,”

“How did she think she could be Alpha?” Jax asked as he rolled onto his back and stared up at his ceiling. 

This was certainly not how he expected to spend his birthday, but he couldn’t deny he was loving it. He wanted to know everything about Layla. Her quirks, her fears, her triggers- all of it. 

“She is first born in a time where females and males are more equal in society than ever before. Alphas very rarely have first born females, it is almost always a male who is set to be the next Alpha of that pack. It’s just how our species works. It is essential to the continuation of our pack structures. The idea that Alpha is reserved for male wolves doesn’t sit right with her. We’ve explained that a Luna is the equal of an Alpha, but until she feels it, she won't really believe it. The fact that she is resilient to my Alpha tone and Charlie’s Luna tone doesn’t help us make our point either,”

Jaxon nodded his head as he considered all the information Layla’s fathers were giving him.

“Wait- so, if she has no wolf, can she, uhhh, I mean-” Jax stumbled with his words as he remembered these were not just his supportive older male wolf friends- Jamie and Julien were indeed Layla’s fathers, so he needed to find his filter again.

“She can mark you back when the time comes for that, she has fangs. Her true form is very similar to Charlie’s fae form. Claws, fangs, etc. Only she seems to be stronger than Charlie. Her magic is still volatile and untested as she doesn’t like to use it around the pack much for fear of scaring them, but she’s a force Jax. You have quite the Luna on your hands,” Julien interjected, sensing the hesitation in Jaxon’s voice.

Jaxon nodded.

This was a lot to take in. 

“Look, we are thrilled it's you Jax. Truly, I'm not sure anyone else could survive Layla. She is going to infuriate you and test you in ways you’ve never been tested. She has a chip on her shoulder about her brother and she’s pretty good at keeping people out of her heart and mind,  but once you get through her hard exterior, she's the most loyal and loving little girl- excuse me, I guess I have to concede and call her a woman now,” Jamie added with a laugh. 

“Jamie, don’t sugar coat it! She’s as stubborn as Charlie and as hot-headed as Jamie. That’s how I know we are somehow both her father. She has pieces of my magic but watch her get worked up- that’s alllllll Jamie. Truth be told, her temperament would actually do well as a pack Alpha if the world would allow it,” 

Jaxon rubbed his eyes and finally sat up on the bed. 

“So what do I do now? I will go insane if you take her back with you, but I can’t leave my pack right now. Would she even stay if I asked her to?”

“Probably not,” Julien said with a snort.

Jamie shook his head at his best friend, “We are trying NOT to scare him Julien!- Jax, I’m way ahead of you. We have a new, very high-profile client coming to us for personal protection. Given some of the details, it’s best you and your teams are kept in the dark on who they are exactly, but she needs a place to go to lay low for a bit. Your pack has already been identified as the best possible place for her so we will be sending her to you within the month. Layla has already agreed to help with the business since she is so desperate not to help her mother with Luna tasks, so she will be on board to stay here and prepare for the new client's arrival. Honestly, she will want to stay here just to stay clear of her brothers for a while more, so I don’t think she will put up any protest,” 

“What is her role going to be once the client arrives?” Jax asked.

“That’s for you to decide Alpha Jax!” Julien said with a smile, “She is your responsibility now and while you wait for her to figure out who you are to her, you two will need to learn how to work together, so when she does become Luna, you two are already in lock-step with each other. It will take a lot of work but you will figure it out,” 

Jax nodded again as he finally started to button up a new, clean shirt. They had been away from the party long enough. Soon, Anna and Charlie would start looking for them. 

"Can we keep this among us for now? If you tell Aunt Charlie she will tell my mom and if my mom finds out, it's only a matter of time before she lets it slip to Layla," Jax said with a pleading look in his eyes.

Jamie and Julien looked at each other, then back to Jax.

"Well, its not ideal, and Charlie will be pissed when she does find out, but in this case, given Layla's known hate for the Luna role, we think that a smart idea. We wont say anything until you decide to tell people,"

Jax exhaled with relief. This was going to be hard enough without his mother and Aunt meddling from the start.

Jax needed to link up with Nik and Theo asap to get them read into the situation at hand. It was going to be hell trying to keep this a secret from the rest of the pack, but he knew he had to bring his Beta and Gamma in, so he had someone to talk to or he would lose his mind. 

Jamie and Julien stood and walked towards the door.

“Remember, she has to come to you for this to go well, Jax. You are going to want to murder some wolves tonight and likely every moment from now until you claim her, but you have to stay in control,” Jamie said as Jax closed his room and followed his two mentors down the hall and back to his party. 

Jax took a deep breath as he rounded the corner and reentered the party. His nostrils immediately filled with the sweet and spicy scent of Layla, causing his eyes to frantically search until they found her.

A growl grew low in his throat, and would have burst out along with his wolf had Jamie not placed a firm hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Keep it together, Alpha. She is going to push you to break, but you can’t let her,” 

Jax nodded a stiff agreement and followed Julien and Jamie back to the main table.

Charlie and Anna were well drunk and enjoying the time together and had hardly noticed the males had been gone.

But Corey did.

He c****d an eyebrow at Jax from across the table where he sat beside Anna. 

Its her, Corey. Jax linked to him.

Corey knew immediately what her Jax was referring to.

Her as in your mate!? Who?? Corey replied, unable to contain the excitement in his tone.

Jax nodded ever so slightly and Corey tracked his stare all the way through the dance floor and over to where Layla was, in all her perfect glory- sandwiched between two of Jax’s pack warriors dancing dangerously close to the line of Jaxon’s patience already.

Her skirt was sliding up again as she girated on the two males who were clearly both under the impression they were about to get lucky that night.

Over Jax’s cold dead body would they get anywhere with his mate that night or ever. 

This was nothing out of place for a werewolf party. Werewolves were as sensual and s*x-crazed as they were violent and blood-lusting when provoked. Get a group of mostly unmated wolves together, and it was going to get scandalous fast. 

But this was different.

Layla wasn’t theirs to grind on. She wasn’t theirs to enjoy in any way. She was their Luna and the idea that they were sliding their gruby paws up and down her perfect body made Jaxon see red.

Oh s**t. Was all Corey could muster in response to this new discovery.

Jamie and Julien know, but don't tell mom. Not yet.

Corey nodded. Jax trusted Corey more than anyone after all they went through together.

Jaxon pulled out a chair at his table and took a seat with a view of Layla and her little show. Then he downed the drink in front of him.

This was going to be a long night for him and a longer night for his wolf.