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Mother was tight-lipped when I came downstairs for breakfast, and her face soured further when Jackson rose to greet me. "Don't you think you should be attending to your mate and child?" she said, winning a sour look from Jackson.
"Mother, stop," Elena said, frowning as she favoured Mother with a sour look of her own. "Jackson's allowed to say hello to his sister."
Father intervened before things got out of hand. "Jackson, sit down. You can say hello to your sister from your seat."
Jackson sullenly did as he was told, and my burgeoning bad mood grew worse when Mother directed me to the chair next to her. Not wanting things to descend into outright chaos, I obeyed, seething silently as Chaser growled in my head. Mother's face promised a very long talk about my blocking of her the night before, and I intended to give her just as much of a bollocking as she planned to give to me. Most of all I wanted to yell at her and Father for being so overprotective of me. My brief interlude with Jackson had gone nowhere, and he had a family of his own now. There'd be no more stolen kisses, or anything else, but though I was relieved, I was also saddened. I chastised myself for feeling this way; Jackson was my brother, and our parents couldn't keep us from sharing our affections as we'd always done.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSK68dvsn0S
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After a very silent and uncomfortable breakfast, Father took Jackson hunting, while Elena asked me to show her and Saffron the woods where I'd grown up. I was more than happy to do so, until Mother insisted on coming along. I finally snapped.
"Stop it!" I said, glaring at her with all the power of the Theta behind it. "Nothing can happen to us in the woods, and Jackson is my brother! He's not going to try anything on, and if he did, Elena would have to fight me for the priviledge of ripping out his fur! Stop being so bloody overprotective and let me have a few hours of peace without you breathing down my bloody neck every time Jackson so much as looks at me!"
Mother's eyes were wide by the time I'd finished, but she didn't let that stop her. "I'm looking out for you," she snapped. "Jackson did try and force himself on you two years ago, remember? That's why your father and I insisted on sending him to the Golden Shores pack; to stop him from raping you. I've seen the way he looks at you; that's no way for a man to look at his sister."
"Give it up, for god's sake," I groaned. "It was a kiss! That's all. Just a kiss. Nothing came of it, and he's happily mated, with a beautiful little cub. Why he'd want to give that up for a fling in the sheets with his sister is anyone's guess, and if he tries it, I'll personally rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat. Pardon my language," I added to Elena, blushing.
She waved it off. "I try to moderate myself around Saffron, but sometimes the occasional ripe language comes out," she said. "It's teaching her that sometimes, you've got to express yourself more crudely, but also reminding her that there are far more creative ways to blow off some steam. But seriously; Mother, stop it. Jackson is quite happy with Saffron and I. He's not going to smash our happiness apart."
Mother was finally forced to back down, but her eyes promised she wasn't letting this go any time soon. I sighed in frustration. "Naff this for a laugh," I muttered, as Elena and I got ready.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpE5k94uBl
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The woods were just the balm I needed, and Saffron couldn't get enough of all the new sights, sounds and smells. Her eyes were wide with excitement, and she cooed happily whenever a butterfly fluttered past, or whenever a leaf floated down to land on the lake. The air was warm, the sun was shining brightly, and the sky was a perfect blue. All in all, it was a good day to be alive, and I forgot my cares as I taught Saffron how to play pattycake. She picked it up very quickly, and Elena smiled. "You're a natural with cubs," she commented. "You're going to make a wonderful mother some day."
"That's a ways off, but I'll take it in the spirit it's intended," I said, smiling back. I was growing quite attached to Jackson's little family, and Saffron had taken to me like a duck to water. "Saffron's good practice, though. I'll bet Jackson was over the moon when you told him you were with cub."
"He couldn't do enough for me," Elena admitted. "I almost felt smothered at times, but I knew he meant well, and he fell in love with Saffron the moment he laid eyes on her. He's promised to growl at any and all suitors when she grows up and starts noticing boys, but he's said that's all he'll do." She hesitated. "I don't mean to pry," she said at last, "but is it true?"
I knew what she was referring to. "The kiss happened," I said. "But Jackson never tried anything else. And he certainly didn't force himself on me. I was a bit surprised, to be honest, but if you don't mind my saying so, I ended up enjoying it." I sighed. "But it never came to fruition, and he's got you and Saffron. I'm just happy he and I can still be close as we always were, though my parents insist on getting in the way, as he's going to tear my clothes off and have his way with me. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Elena assured me. "I could never believe anything bad of Jackson; he's never struck me as the type to persist when someone says no, and he was very respectful of me when we got together. Maybe a little too respectful; I believe I was the one who seduced him, not the other way around. And he's devoted to Saffron and I; I can see it every time he looks at us, as if he can't quite believe we're real. So really, I've nothing to fear. And I think it's very sweet he's stayed so close to you after two years of being apart. It was breaking his heart to be separated from you for so long, and when Saffron and I arrived yesterday, I could see the weight had been lifted from his shoulders. So don't you be afraid to show your affection for him; his love for you is just as important as his love for Saffron and I, and I don't want to see either of you stifle that love."
I smiled, my heart warmed at this endorsement. "Thanks," I said. "Not that we've had much chance to show it, apart from the one hug we managed to squeeze in before our parents decided to play guard wolf." I sighed and shook my head. "We're as close as two sides of the same coin, which maybe explains a little of what happened two years ago. But there was no restraint between us yesterday, and I got the sense our little interlude hasn't spoilt our bond."
"It hasn't," Elena said. "I'll nail it into my in-laws when we get back, even if I have to push Jackson into your arms - which won't need much encouraging, I might add." She winked as she said this, and I grinned, suddenly feeling much closer to her than I had when first meeting her the day before.
"I think you and I are going to get on rather well," I said, and Elena's smile was as wicked as my own.
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