Chapter 43 – JAX
ONE WEEK LATER
JAX
The pack dining room hums with conversation and laughter. Someone dragged out the good whiskey from Dean's private stash, and he's pretending not to notice as glasses get refilled.
The whole pack turned out, even the ones who usually keep to themselves.
"Can't believe you're finally leaving that cave," Callum says, dropping into the seat next to me. His head still has a mark from that nasty cut he got. "Does Kain know he's getting a medic who lives like a mole?"
"The basement has everything I need," I reply.
Kain’s well aware of all of my issues. He’s been giving me exercises to do, ways to dampen down my overreactions to threats, imagined and real, and tips on leaning into my pack connections to ease my wolf's concerns when he gets overwhelmed.
And it’s working. That, and having my mate to focus on.
"Yeah, if you're a vampire." He grins. "Bet Camille's looking forward to having some windows, too."
"Windows are overrated." But through the bond, I feel Camille's amusement from across the room where she's talking with Lynn and Jamie.
"So, Riverside pack." Callum continues, lowering his voice. "That's got to be rough. Taking over after what happened there."
I know what he means. Jamie's old alpha was cruel, ruling through fear and punishment. The pack that remains will be damaged, and suspicious of any authority.
"Kain knows what he's walking into. There’s nobody better suited."
"And you?" Callum asks. "Are you ready to help him deal with that?"
Yes, I think, surprised at my own confidence. I think I am.
Before I can answer, someone clinks a glass loudly. The conversations surrounding us die down as people turn toward the sound.
"Speech!" Lynn calls out from near the kitchen. "Come on, Jax. Can't leave without embarrassing yourself."
"Pass," I say.
"Get up there," Camille says suddenly from beside me, her encouragement mixing with mischief. "Or I'll make a speech about you."
That threat gets me to my feet.
The pack chuckles as I stand awkwardly at the front of the room.
"I'm not good at this," I start.
"No kidding," someone calls out, earning me laughter.
"But thanks. For trusting me with your medical care. For giving me space when I needed it and pushing when I needed that too." I look at Dean, who's leaning against the wall with Jamie. "For being my pack."
"To the pack," Dean says simply, raising his glass.
"To the pack," everyone echoes.
I sit back down quickly, glad that's over.
Camille's hand finds mine immediately. "See?” she murmurs. “Not so bad."
"Terrible." I correct, but I'm fighting a smile.
The meal continues with the ease of pack gatherings.
Stories get told and retold, each version more embellished than the last. Someone brings up the time I had to stitch up three wolves after they decided to race through the bramble patches on a dare.
Another recalls the emergency delivery during the worst storm in years.
"Remember when those youngsters came in with poison ivy in places poison ivy should never be?" Maggie laughs. "Jax's face when he realized where they'd been rolling around..."
"Medical confidentiality." I protest, but everyone's already laughing.
"What about when he reset Tom's shoulder?" someone else chimes in. "The crack echoed through the whole clinic."
"It echoed because Tom screamed like a pup." I clarify.
"Did not." Tom protests. "That was a manly yell of surprise."
More laughter. These are the moments I'll miss—especially now that I’m joining in more and more—these wolves who’ve stuck with me despite everything.
Brief conversations, genuine but not overwrought, continue as the evening wears, with a steady stream of pack members stopping by our table.
Tom thanks me again for saving his leg after the hunting accident. Sarah mentions she'll name her next pup something terrible in my honour. Even the wolves who used to cross to the other side of the path when they saw me coming offer firm handshakes and simple well wishes.
"Take care of yourself," old Matt says gruffly. He'd been one of the most vocal about not trusting me when I first came back. Now his handshake is solid, real. "And take care of her."
"Planning on it." I assure him.
Lynn slides into the seat Callum vacated, bringing a fresh beer for each of us. "So, nervous?"
"About?" Camille asks.
"New pack, new dynamics, wolves who don't know you." She shrugs. "It's a lot of change at once."
"Change is good," I say, and meaning it. Through the bond, I feel Camille's agreement.
"Plus, we'll have each other," Camille adds, her fingers tightening on mine.
"That helps." Lynn grins. "The mating bond is still new. You'll be useless for weeks, completely distracted by each other."
"We're professionals." Camille protests.
"Sure. That's why Jax has been staring at your neck for the past five minutes."
I force my gaze away from where my mark sits on Camille's skin.
Lynn laughs at my expression. "Called it. You two are going to scandalize Riverside."
"We'll be perfect pack members," Camille says primly.
"Bullshit," Lynn counters cheerfully. "But that's what they need. Wolves who are so wrapped up in each other that they remind everyone how to be happy."
Dean appears at our table as the gathering starts to wind down. "Walk with me," he says.
I squeeze Camille's hand then follow my brother outside. The night air is cool after the warmth of the dining room. Instead of heading to the parking lot, Dean turns toward the back of the packhouse.
The old oak looms in the darkness, its massive trunk scarred from generations of young wolves learning to climb. Its branches spread wide enough to shelter half the yard.
"Figured we should end where we started," Dean says.
I look up at the tree that holds so many memories. Learning to climb before we could properly shift. Racing to see who could reach the top first. Hiding in its branches when the world got too heavy.
"I was pretty far gone."
"You were hurting." He turns to face me. "But you came back. Fought for it when most wolves would have given up."
"Had help," I point out. “You never gave up on me. Kept the world away when I was at my worst.”
Dean shrugs, but I know I cost him and the pack a lot, even if he’ll never admit that was the reason he kept our borders shut.
He grips my shoulder. "Now you get to help others do the same. Riverside pack needs someone who understands what it's like to be hurting."
We stand quietly for a moment, looking up at the tree that watched us grow up.
"I'm proud of you," Dean says finally. "For fighting through it. For finding Camille. For taking this chance with Kain."
The words catch in my throat. Through the bond, I feel Camille's gentle encouragement from inside.
Dean pulls me into a hug, the kind that cracks ribs and says everything words can't. "Call when you get there. And visit. That's not a request."
"Yes, Alpha."
"And if you need anything..." He doesn't finish, but I understand.
"I know."
We head back to find Camille and Jamie by our car, and Jamie, somehow, producing more containers of food.
"It's a three-hour drive." Camille laughs. "Not a three-day journey."
"You'll be hungry. And who knows what kind of kitchen setup you'll have at first." Jamie pushes another container into her hands. "This one's the roast from tonight. It'll keep."
"Let them go," Dean says, hooking an arm around his mate's waist. "Or they'll never leave."
Final hugs are exchanged. Jamie whispers something to Camille that makes her laugh, and Dean grips my shoulder one more time.
"Drive safe," he says. "The roads get tricky near Riverside."
"We'll be fine."
I start the engine, very aware that this is it. Leaving the place that's been home, safety, prison, and sanctuary, all at once.
"Ready?" I ask Camille as she settles in beside me.
"With you? Always."
We drive slowly through pack lands one last time. Past the clinic where I found purpose again. Past the training grounds where control came back, piece by piece. Past the homes of wolves who gave me a chance when most wouldn't.
At the border, I pause. Behind us, Silver Creek territory spreads, familiar and safe. But ahead, the road leads to uncertainty.
"Second thoughts?" Camille asks gently.
"No." I press the accelerator. "Just saying goodbye."
Miles pass under our wheels. Camille tells me about her conversation with Lynn, sharing gossip and jokes from the evening, her excitement building.
"Jamie thinks we'll need our own cabin," she says. "Something private, away from the main pack buildings."
"Why?"
She gives me a look. "Because newly mated pairs are notoriously loud."
"We're not loud."
"You literally howled last night."
"That was... different."
"Three times, Jax. The whole pack probably heard."
Heat crawls up my neck. Through the bond, I feel her amusement and something else. Anticipation.
"Just wait until we have our own place," I murmur. "No audience."
"Promises, promises." But her hand finds mine across the console, and the heat in our bond intensifies.
"How much longer?" she asks after a while.
I check the mile markers. "Maybe an hour."
"Good." She shifts in her seat, and I catch her scent changing, warming. "I'm ready to see our new home."
Home. Not just a new pack or territory, but a real home. With her.
The road curves through dense forest, climbing into hills. Riverside territory is beautiful, even shrouded in darkness, all tall trees and clean water.
Perfect for running. Perfect for starting over.
"There." Camille points ahead.
Lights flicker through the trees. The Riverside pack compound waits for their new leadership. Waits for wolves brave enough to help them heal.
I squeeze Camille's hand as we take the final turn. Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.
Mates. Partners. Pack.
The gates come into view, and with them, our future.
Time to see what we can build.