Who is Magpie?
Chapter 113- A foundation for the future

As promised they explained everything to their pack. Starting with everything Azural’s father did; killing Jessamine’s family, the role the Gilans played, and everything between the former rogues and the Fae. They continued on to discuss Azural and Keizer’s new positions in the pack and the Fae officially leaving their territory.

Jessamine remained uncharacteristically quiet, listening through one ear while playing with the kids off to the side. Multiple times the conversation rotated through Ezekiel, Bronx, and Azural as one of them became distracted by her; by her smile or laugh or the sound of her voice.

Everyone listened intently while they ate. It helped that they had been co-existing with Azural’s pack for the week and had already heard bits and pieces from them. They knew this was how it should have been before, talking openly, but every time something came up they put it off until it was too late.

Near the end, Jessamine brought the kids, now tired enough to sit still at the tables, and rejoined her mates who stood at the front while they spoke. She moved between them and, as they stood on opposite sides to their usual positions, she was in place to kiss the marks she had made instead of them.

A special appreciation round of howls and hoots was gathered for Kai, and he was given a promotion on the special forces team for going over and above for the Luna. Jessamine smiled at him, knowing he would have his hands full working under Fiona.

Their feast ran into the morning so the youngest of the kids were brought to an entertainment room for a sleep over, allowing the adults to stay up together and celebrate. Cups never emptied and the music never stopped. By the end of the evening, Jessamine and Kai forgot the pain of their injuries over the hurt in their feet from dancing and the ache in their cheeks from smiling.

This is what everyone fought for; for love, for their pack, for safety, and for family.

After many drinks Jessamine spun into Ezekiel, planting a solid kiss on his lips, then backed up into Bronx and kissed him as well. They were smiling and laughing as she spun between them but she stumbled on her bare feet and fell into Azural. She felt the pull and turned to kiss him before catching herself and laughing.

“Ope almost got you Az-“ she straightened his shirt and Bronx pulled her back into him possessively.

Keizer boomed a laugh and clapped his hand on Azural’s back. “How does it feel Azural? You fight forever for your woman, only for her to have two mates and neither one are you.” Another loud laugh left him and the only thing keeping Bronx and Ezekiel from chiming in was knowing Jessamine would smack them.

Before she could clap back, Azural chuckled as well. “She was never my woman. Jessamine was someone my father wronged, and I grew feelings for. It was never about sex; all I ever wanted was for her to be safe, happy, and close, for Oakley. Now, she has it all.” Jessamine felt a fondness in her chest that later she would blame on the alcohol as Azural continued, “sleeping with her for that week was pure bliss, but her bed is already plenty warm without me. Besides, that puts me back on the market-“ he gave a wry smile, “as a Lieutenant I have way more free time than an alpha or beta, and if Jessamine gets lonely she can go drinking with me as my wingwoman.”

“Like we would ever leave her lonely enough to think going out with you was a good idea,” Ezekiel scoffed.

Jessamine backed away from the boys as they continued the squabble, and wondered which one of them would shift first.

A drink made it into her hand, another Long Island, and she accepted it without turning her head and clinked it against there own two fingers of whiskey. “I think it’ll be Ezekiel, he’s had a long few weeks,” Kai guessed, watching them as Bronx and Keizer joined in.

“I’m thinking Keizer,” Chey announced from the other side of Kai. “Not from losing control, I’m pretty sure he’s doubled my drink count and still isn’t drunk, but because he wants a fight.”

Jessamine draped her arm over Kai’s shoulder and leaned against him. “No, it’ll be my forest, Bronx. He doesn’t incessantly mouth off to release some of that anger like the rest, he holds it until it’s too much. And Azural isn’t bothered by anything anymore. He only shifts when he decides to.”

“Want to bet?” Kai smirked.

He knew she loved guessing the odds, and the three plus Delano and Fiona began placing bets on the order that the four would shift in. Napkins were scribbled on as they each locked in their guesses and shook on the bet.

When the party ended at five in the morning, Jessamine had guessed the order correctly, which they all agreed was unfair since she could sense 3/4 of their’s feelings. That in mind, Fiona won, followed by Kai and Delano, with Chey miserable in last.

One month later on the day before the full moon, Ezekiel and Jessamine retried their run in the woods. The day after the full moon, Bronx and Jessamine had their run together. Ezekiel would brag about catching her quicker, but Bronx had enjoyed stretching it out, letting her hide and taunt him.

The following month she took their last name. They had spent the whole two months planning the occasion from the black suits with green touches, to the elegant short in the front and long in the back, green dress Jessamine chose.

By this point everyone was healed, and there was no remaining physical evidence of the Fae. The pack house had been repaired and expanded and the Fae base of operations had been completely demolished.

Kai was Jessamine’s person of honour, and her half-brother represented the family handing off her safety and care to them. Ezekiel and Bronx ask Willow to represent their family in handing over their safety and care to Jessamine, as her advise had gotten them out of the hot seat frequently. They begrudgingly let her have Kai, and chose Delano and Fiona as quick seconds.

The party that followed had been like the feast when they were first all together again. Late nights, heavy drinking, and placing bets on which alpha personality would shift first.

This time Jessamine was sure it would be Keizer. The day before she had been in the gym when someone challenged her, knowing she’d never say no. She had been distracted with wedding nerves and got a set of knuckles over her cheek bone.

Keizer was furious at the challenger, who felt bad but would never be as terrified as he was when his General strode over, even after he lost.

Soon Jessamine was back on her schedule, and falling into her role as Luna. She was a firm leader, but she was also kind, taking it upon herself to work with all the youngest pack members to strengthen the next generation.

Everyone knew who it really was running the pack, and Ezekiel and Bronx kept nothing from her. Over time, Bronx would share things with her that he knew through their times together, even Azural giving her little things from the times they’d spoken.

“I don’t even remember why you went down to the docks at four in the morning, but when I saw you out there and that boy pushed you in… I lost it. Thank the Goddess no one was around because I must have thrown him twenty feet into that lake,” Bronx chuckled, remembering yet another story.

Jessamine chuckled, almost able to invision her big protector storming down the hillside to the water to yeet another fully formed person like a javelin. Although, her stomach grew tight with him sharing even more with her.

She and Kai talked often about their experience, having someone who understood first hand made her feel more comfortable sharing things that had happened before. Kai still believed she should tell her mates, and now after Bronx’s story she was swallowing harder.

“I’ve been drowned,” she said suddenly before she could rethink what she was doing.

They both looked at her from where they had sprawled on the bed in their room with a snack plate between them. They tried desperately to recover their emotions and not show their confusion and anger at hearing those words.

“Pardon, my love?” Ezekiel asked after a minute.

“I’ve been drowned,” she said again. “And burned. I’ve been shot in the back at close range with a gun just stuff with gun powder and no bullet.”

Bronx was nodding and they both shuffled slightly closer to her. “What do you need Jessa?”

She gulped down some of her drink but her mouth still felt dry. “I can’t keep it to myself anymore, everything that happened to me. I need to tell someone. Being put back in the same room I started in, and what they put me through, brought a lot of memories back.”

“We are here for you,” Ezekiel assured. “However you need.”

Her voice came out rattled. “I think I want to be held? To be in your arms while I say it.”

“Of course,” Bronx easily agreed, moving their tray to a table and they both slid up to their pillows and allowed her to guide all of their limbs to where she wanted them.

They settled in around her, projecting as much love and acceptance as they could. Already planning their lived and futures together was easy, but they understood just how hard it was for her to talk about her past. Nothing made them happier than being able to support her through taking this weight off her soul.

Four hands rest over her growing belly as she took one long breath in and out. “I’m ready to tell you what I didn’t say in the counsel meetings. I’m ready to tell you, my mates, who Magpie was.”

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