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It was almost midnight by the time the party wound down, and while Father had been tight-lipped about the possibility of Jackson moving back in, he'd softened somewhat when I mentioned wanting to get to know Elena and Saffron better. That hadn't stopped him from pulling Jackson aside and giving him a stern talking-to out of earshot, leaving Jackson looking sullen. I didn't get a chance to ask if he was okay; Mother had a hand on my shoulder before I knew it, and she guided me gently, but firmly upstairs. "Mother, what is going on?" I demanded, as she stopped outside my bedroom. "You and Father have been giving Jackson the hairy eyeball all evening, as if he was a stranger hell bent on raping me."
Mother's lips tightened. "Don't joke about something like that," she said stiffly. She sighed and gently stroked my hair. "I know you're still upset about Jethro, but don't let yourself become hasty and settle for just anyone. The right male is out there for you, and you've got to be patient. Now, you stay right here, miss, and don't let me catch you wandering around the house as you did when you were fourteen. I won't have a repeat of those events." So saying, she turned and left, but I could feel her mind brushing over mine, and I shivered, feeling violated. Mother never used her office as Luna to invade my mind like that, and though the contact was brief, I felt as if she'd just raided me from head to toe. It was not a pleasant feeling.
Chaser shared my sentiment, and the first thing she did once I'd shut the door behind me was slam a block over my mind, cutting me off from my parents. Mother seemed to be in the sort of mood where she was likely to force a deep sleep on me against my will, and as I got ready for bed, I felt sick all over again, albeit with more than a touch of guilt that Chaser had effectively rebelled against my mother. But I was the Theta now, one of the highest-ranked members of my pack, and I was sixteen. Mother had no right to treat me like I was still fourteen, and I brushed off the guilt as I got into bed. 'Remind me not to trust her,' I said.
'I don't trust her as is,' Chaser said grumpily. 'It was just a kiss, for heaven's sake!'
I nodded, but as I drifted into sleep, I felt the memory of that kiss drift to the top of my mind. With Chaser protecting me, I let the image and the memory float with me into slumber, reliving it as vividly as the day it had happened, and tingles passed over me as I went to sleep.
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I squealed as Jackson splashed me, laughing as the water ran down my face. "You look like a drowned rat," he teased, but his laughter was cut off as I lunged at him, pushing him underwater. I didn't expect him to pull me in, and my squeal became a gurgle as the water closed over both our heads. Jackson was smirking, damn him, and I surfaced, gasping as I got my breath back. "Jerk," I said, as his head popped above water.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP6YWhV7h2
"Aww, you know you love me," Jackson said, wrapping me in his arms and kissing the top of my head. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXL7qXgz4h
"Too much for my own good," I groused, but I was too content to stay mad at him. "Next time you do that, make sure I've got enough of a breath so I don't drown, please?"126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pnSOWcrck
"Hold your breath, then," Jackson advised, and, caught off guard as I was, I managed to take a deep breath as he pulled us under again, still holding me. He let go when we were completely submerged, and I held onto his shoulders as he swam along the bottom. He'd taught me to swim in this fashion, going underwater with me on his back, and I felt like a cub again, putting all my trust in him to know when I needed to come up for air, knowing I could tap him on the shoulder to let him know I had to surface.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZO0lIjSUx
But I didn't feel the need just yet, so I held onto his shoulders as he swam along, letting him twist and turn, causing our world to sometimes turn upside down. We did surface after a few blissful minutes, but it wasn't long before we went under again, and I held tightly to Jackson's shoulders as he dove down to the bottom. Halfway, though, he turned, and I let out a tiny, bubbly squeak of shock when he pressed his lips to mine for the briefest of moments. It was over before I knew what had really happened, and I stared at him, wide-eyed. 'What was all that about?' Chaser wondered, as shocked as I.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytoiiTmfMk
Jackson answered that question once our heads were above water. "I might as well call a spade a spade," he said, his gaze intent on me as he reached out and pulled me closer. "Father and Mother want me to find a mate from the Golden Shores pack, so they can have a reason to send me away. I don't want a mate from the Golden Shores pack. I want you."126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwtWIY3CkF
I gasped. "But I'm your --" I got no further as Jackson pulled me closer and kissed me again. Underwater, his arms circled my waist, pressing me full length against him, and before I knew it, I was kissing him back, clinging to his shoulders, lost in a dizzying rush of emotions that threatened to knock me sideways. Reality soon intruded, though, and I pulled back, shaking. "I'm your sister," I protested, pushing on his shoulders to try and make him let me go. "This is crazy!"126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXweHr2BxfJ
"Half-sister," Jackson corrected, mercifully letting me go. "And yes, it is crazy. But I wouldn't be the first male to fall head over heels in love with his sister - or half-sister - and I'm sure I won't be the last. How do you think the first packs started? Back then there weren't a lot of options, and wolves born of brother-sister unions don't suffer the same defects as humans." 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzLzVZjrFu
I shook my head, frightened as new emotions flooded through me at the thought of having sex with him when I reached the legal age two years later. I shoved those emotions down. "Jackson, you can't do this," I said, trembling, fighting the urge to go back to his arms and let him kiss me till neither of us saw straight. "Mother and Father will never let us be mates, and you know I'm in love with Jethro. He and I are going to be mates when I turn sixteen, and there isn't a damned thing you can do about it."126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWMBscHpKR
Jackson raised an eyebrow. That was all the warning I had before his lips came down on mine once more, and I had barely enough time to take a breath before we went underwater again. I tried squirming free, but his hold on me was too strong, and all sorts of complicated emotions were going through me, not strong enough to surrender entirely, but enough to yield to his superior strength, letting him take charge.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uLDLQCdUQ
Our illicit interlude was interrupted rather rudely by our parents after they came home and found us coming up for air after our latest underwater kiss, and in short order, Jackson had been frogmarched to his room and locked in, while Mother sat me down and asked me some very personal questions. Still confused by what had transpired, I answered them as honestly as I could, and each answer made Mother frown, as if I was a girl who'd been raped by a stranger, rather than a confused teenager who'd been kissed by her brother several times, unwilling at first, but oh so willing at the end. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGtdT84LvZ
The next day, Jackson was sent packing, under strict orders to report to the Golden Shores pack under pain of death. Mother locked me in my room so I couldn't go down to say goodbye, and I cried as I watched the taxi take my brother away. He'd confused the hell out of me with his kisses and his declaration of love, but as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks became months, I found myself missing him dreadfully. Most especially did I miss those nights when we'd snuggled in my bed, talking well into the early hours, and, thinking back on what had transpired in the pool, I often found myself wondering what it would be like to have him make love to me. Not once had he behaved inappropriately during our snuggle sessions, of course, but as I grew older, I found my interest in Jethro waning. I was still keen on making him my mate when I turned sixteen, but as the months passed by, more and more did I find myself secretly wishing it was Jackson instead who stood to receive my declaration.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KYoA6mR1H
But it would never come to pass, and the regret burned as the time flew by, along with a very hefty dose of resentment directed at my parents.
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