Chapter Four: Jaxon

I watch Kaine walk away from his bartender growling under his breath. He storms through the crowd and disappears into his office.

I look down at the glass on the table, half-full. I watch the condensation roll down the sides and drip onto the wood.

"Okay—either you're hammered or thinking deeply about something."

I glance up at the beautiful blonde standing beside me. She raises her eyebrow at me.

"Maia turns 16 next week," I say.

She nods and slides into the other side of the booth. "And you're worried that her mate will leak your family's secret?"

"Yeah."

Taylor grabs my drink, quickly downs the rest of it, then makes a face at me. "Why the fuck are you drinking firewhiskey?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I just can't stop picturing what would happen to our family if someone learned what shifters we are," I mutter.

"Well moping around here isn't going to help. Come on," she says. She stands up and grabs my hand.

She pulls me to my feet and the floor immediately starts to sway. I hear Taylor curse then drape my arm across her shoulders. "Shit Jax, how much did you drink?" She asks.

"Only a few glasses," I mumble. I squeeze my eyes shut with a groan. My head is throbbing, and weird spots fill my vision.

The next thing I am aware of is Taylor helping me into my bedroom. I fall onto the bed on my back.

She leans over me with a small chuckle. "You are going to hate yourself in the morning. Goodnight Jax," she says, then disappears.

The swaying and spinning stop after a few minutes and the throbbing slowly fades. Only a few minutes more and I pass out.

***

"Jaxon!" A voice yells making me sit up quickly. I instantly regret it and make a dash for the bathroom.

I empty the contents of my roiling stomach into the toilet. My throat burns and my head aches.

"Did you get drunk last night?"

I look up and see Maia. "Ever heard of knocking?" I snap, moving to the sink to rinse the taste of bile from my mouth.

"Gods Jax you smell like a bar," she says, wrinkling her nose. "And I did knock, but you didn't answer."

"Whatever. What do you want Maia?" I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Dad wants to talk to you and Kaine," she says, then leaves without another word.

My eyebrows furrow in confusion, what could he want?

Maia is my dad's favorite while Kaine and I are much closer to our mom so it's unusual for him to ask for us.

I shrug and tear off my clothes before climbing into the shower. I wash the alcohol smell off me and throw on a clean shirt and shorts.

I run a hand through my hair before leaving my room. Immediately my eyes move to the gorgeous black-haired girl walking out of Kaine's room.

She grins at me then saunters down the hall to the stairs. I watch her vanish down the steps.

I turn back to see Kaine walking out of his room, only wearing a pair of shorts. He raises his eyebrow at me.

"Were you drunk last night?" He asks and I curse under my breath.

"I thought I got rid of the smell," I mumble.

"You don't smell like liquor, but your room does," he replies, glancing pointedly behind me.

"Ah okay. So, what's with the girl?" I ask.

He smirks. "Seriously? Do I have to spell it out for you?"

I shake my head. "No, never mind." I head downstairs to where Maia is eating breakfast, my mom and dad conversing heatedly in the corner of the kitchen.

"Kaine do you have to bring a girl here every fucking night?" Maia asks as we walk in.

"Yes Maia, I do. And you want to know why? Because it gives me something fun to do and it irritates the fuck out of you," he sneers.

"Oh, that's VERY mature Kaine—"

"Will you idiots shut up?" My mom snaps in annoyance.

I sigh, why does this happen every single day?

You guys are siblings, siblings fight and annoy each other. It makes sense, Azazel tells me.

That was a rhetorical question, I mutter.

Whatever, she huffs before going silent. She is usually pretty quiet, except when she gets mad. And when Azazel gets mad, even Kaine and my mother will stay back.

"Jaxon! Let's go!" my father growls. I snap out of my thoughts to see him waiting in the doorway with Kaine.

I leap to my feet and quickly follow behind them to my dad's office. My eyes widen as I look between Kaine and my dad. Kaine is now taller than my father and more muscular than both of us. I have to constantly remind myself that he is the younger brother at 15—well, 16 next week.

My dad sits down in his desk chair with a sigh, then he frowns. "Why the hell does your mother keep adjusting my chair?" he growls under his breath, fiddling with the seat back.

After a few moments Kaine lets out a huff of annoyance. "What is this about exactly?" he asks, leaning against the wall.

"Maia's birthday party," he says and Kaine whips toward me.

"This isn't the fucking mate thing again is it? Because if it is, I'm going to kill you Jax!" he spits making me hold my hands up in surrender.

"Woah no! I have no clue what this is about," I defend.

"Kaine I am putting you in charge of security since it’s at the club, and you better make sure Maia and her friends stay out of the ring," my dad warns.

"We keep a list of all the females that are allowed to fight, as well as who they are allowed to fight. Maia is not on that list and everyone knows she isn't allowed to fight so don't worry about that," Kaine says with a shrug.

"Jaxon, you are in charge of watching Maia," my dad says, and I gape at him.

"I'm not watching her! Are you fucking insane? She's going to kill me!" I shout.

He glares at me, his golden eyes filled with anger. "Watch your mouth Jaxon, you may be my son, but I am still your alpha," he snarls in his alpha voice. I can feel Azazel submit to his wolf almost immediately.

"Please accept my apologies Alpha," I mumble, ignoring Kaine's sneer.

"That's better. Now I expect you to keep a close eye on Maia and make sure she isn't getting herself into too much trouble. And more importantly, if she finds her mate, you are to bring her to us immediately. Do not let them speak and inform Kaine so he can contain her mate until we have figured out what to do."

I clench my jaw tightly and simply nod, not trusting myself to be respectful toward my father. I don't think he realizes the kind of hell he is unleashing by making me follow around my psycho little sister, I growl.

And I do not think you really understand the kind of hell that will be unleashed if she finds her mate and you are not there! Azazel snaps. You know she is not responsible enough to keep a secret. After a few moments I realize she is right.

"Fine. Now I have a question, why aren't we celebrating Kaine's birthday again?" I ask when I remember that Kaine and Maia are twins.

Dumbass, how could you forget that? Azazel snorts. I push her to the back of my mind.

"Two reasons. One, I was born more than 24 hours before Maia, so my birthday is actually the day before hers," Kaine says, holding up a finger. "And two, I don't want to."

"Ah," I mutter. I listen to my dad explain what is going to happen at the party twice more before I finally can retire to my room.

I fall face first onto my bed, fully exhausted. Just before I drift off, I hear Azazel muttering incoherently.

What's bothering you? I ask.

She is quiet for a few moments, but then speaks in a low voice, Everyone is so concerned with Maia turning sixteen, but I think they should be more concerned about Kaine turning sixteen.

Why do you say that? I ask, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Because we do not know if he is going to be like you or not. And that possibility is scarier than Maia finding her mate.