Jaguar Moon ; Redemption

Settling In

Things settled down in the office after the meeting in the boardroom. Axel finally got to show Layla his office, and he, true to his word, took her on his desk. By the time they were done playing Aztec prince and princess, it was well beyond time to go home.

Lacey and Alex had already left, as well as everyone else in the office, who surely heard their growls and howls as they anointed every square inch of his office with their love.

“Don’t worry, kitten,” he growled in her ear as they left, “That won’t be the last time I have you in my office.”

“I’m not,” she purred, “I just don’t want to see the looks on everyone’s faces when we come out of there looking like we’ve been in a wrestling match!”

“f**k them!” he smirked, “You are my mate! Anytime you are willing, I will make love to you! No matter where we are, I want to show you how much I love you, and I do love you, Layla.”

He reached out a hand and gently caressed her cheek. ”My beautiful jaguar Princess, my sweet, mischievous kitten, I can’t live without you.”

“Nor I you,” she popped her toes, stretching to kiss her strapping, copper haired wolf.

Layla spent the next few weeks adjusting to her new life. She and Axel spent their mornings, when not at the office, deep in the woods, practicing their magic together, often with the help of her brother Roan. 

There was a swath of downed trees, from where they missed their marks, as well as several dummies that were either beaten to a pulp, or blown to smithereens from their repetitive practice strikes, but other than that, everything was going as well as could be planned.

Axel was strapping when he turned into his avatar, Axtotl, with his long copper hair flowing in the wind, and his club at his side. Armour, his huge red wolf played with Chalci while they sat in a circle, connecting with each other through their mind link.

As it turned out, Axel was much stronger when it came to throwing energy around, while Layla was better at teleporting and deflecting. She was still attempting to master the clothing change, which was getting easier, with the exception of the time when she accidentally turned Axel’s suit into nothing but a speedo in front of his whole office. Yes, she may have gotten into a little trouble for that one!

Both of them could lift almost any object, and teleport them, which was a source of amusement for them, but not anyone who might end up a victim of their pranks. Once, Miyo woke up cuddling  Papa Bear, and Alex woke up on the roof of the pack house.

Roan had to step in, and put a stop to Layla and Axel’s fun, reminding Axel that he was the Alpha of the pack and he should know better. But Layla, being the good fela that she was, stepped up and took the blame for it, which ended up with her having a particularly rough training session with Miyo and the other warriors.

This didn’t phase the resilient kitten though. She may have learned her lesson, but so did Miyo and the wolves. Don’t mess with a Jaguar Princess with a side of Celtic witch, who has the skills of a cat and a ninja rolled up in one. Everyone except Miyo wound up on the ground groaning in pain, while Layla perched in a tree laughing her ass off.

Yes, though she was young, Layla was a tiny force to be reckoned with, and the only people she listened to on a regular basis were Roan, Miyo, and Axel.If only the latter wasn’t so jealous. Axel had settled down somewhat since they came back from Highlander territory, but would completely freak out if Layla didn’t answer their mind link immediately.

He would stop whatever he was doing, and mind link the whole pack until someone could tell him where she was. Most of the time, she was training with the warriors or her brother :but sometimes she could be found with the other she-wolves in the pack, trying to learn how to cook, and be a good fela to the pack. She was never into anything remotely dubious, so she couldn’t understand how Axel could be so overprotective of her.

Sure, she ran away from him, once, but at the time it seemed like the only option that she had. It resulted in the best days of her life, and finally consummating her relationship with her mate, as well as finding herself. 

It certainly didn’t help matters though, when Ian tried to frame her, with he brown brother, no less.

Confiding with Alex helped a little, but the best advice he could give her was “Give it time.”

It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, she loved him after all, but she just wished he wouldn’t get so worked up over her. He had a pack to take care of, among his many responsibilities, and

Layla didn’t want to add to any of his burdens.

By going to the Law Office with him, and sitting in on pack meetings, she was starting to realize just how much carried on his broad shoulders. It was so much more than she could have imagined. Between settling small disputes, to taking care of the elderly wolves and protecting their borders, to the business with the law office, Axel’s schedule was full, yet he always worried about her.

This is why Alex advised her to stay by Axel’s side as much as she could, which she was more than happy to do. But at the same time, her new responsibilities made her a nervous wreck. She was still, after all, only an eighteen year old girl in her own eyes. Being the jaguar princess was still relatively new to her, along with all her other witchy powers. Stealth and skill were her strong points, not business negotiations and problem solving.

However, Layla decided she knew what she was getting into when she stumbled into Wildwood territory that fateful day. She would be where she was needed the most, and if that was at Axel’s side 24/7, even just to keep him calm, she would rather do that than be sneaking off on some covert mission that Miyo, Jax, and the other warriors could handle without her help.