“Wake up, sleepyhead. You can’t hibernate for a whole season on this plane,” I say, rousing him awake.

Grumpily, Logan opens his eyes and stretches. “And why not?”

I point out the window and grin. “Look outside. Do you see it?”

Logan squints and sees the set of homes buried in between the trees. “The old neighborhood,” he whispers. “Goddess, I’ve missed Frisky Pines so much.”

I nod, gleefully. “Yup!”

“Makes me long for it. All of the old times. Do you remember?” His palm rests against my upper thigh. I remember it very fondly. We had some really hot nights together.

“You used to slide your hand on my thigh just like this when I was dead asleep. You horn dog.” I smirk and feel my slick hole warm up with pleasure. “I loved that. You had no idea how I’d react. But I always knew it was coming. The faint kisses on my neck. We never really pushed it much further than that. There was so much anticipation.”

“It was our secret,” he says.

“In a way, I feel like we’re breaking a sacred seal. Trust me when I say this, Logan. I want to tell my dads, and I know that we have to. But a part of me doesn’t want to,” I say.

We both grab our bags from the compartment and begin walking the aisle, toward the outside of the plane. Logan’s big arms press against his sleeveless shirt.

“I know it. We’re growing up. A part of me hates letting the past be the past.”

“The past is just one aspect of the present.” A booming voice beckons at the end of the aisle. I recognize it immediately as Jergen’s voice.

“Welcome back, Logan.”

Logan stands upright and tall. He embraces my father, as if they had never parted ways in the first place. “Jergen. It’s an honor to be in your presence again.”

“Papa,” I whisper, completely freaked out. I had no idea he would be waiting for us at the entry of the plane, but I should have known. “You knew the whole time, didn’t you?”

“Of course I knew! We all use the gift in our family. You’re not any more special than us. Why all the secrecy son?”

Dad wraps his arms around my shoulders and walks us to the vehicle parked off to the side. We step inside and begin driving toward the pines. Logan looks at me and laughs, completely amused by all of this.

“It was my fault, sir,” he says. “I didn’t want any conflict. I know our families have had a falling out because of what happened back in the day. I was just trying to protect Jackson.”

There’s a strange silence that inhabits the car. Then, my papa lets out a hearty laugh. “Wow,” he says.

“Uh, dad?”

“Stop worrying so much, my omega. I’m saying ‘wow’ because he’s perfect for you. You’ve found yourself a complete alpha,” he says.

A rush of relief and euphoria floods right through me. As we drive through the camp’s borders, the ceremony’s poles can be seen holding the Jaguar flags proudly.

“As for the fires. We don’t normally like to mention them. It was a disastrous time. You’re right, Logan. Some of our people like to blame your race for what happened. There are so many tales, as you probably already know. But if they are keen to our history and have read the textbooks, they know that this was all meant to be,” he says.

Logan nods confidently. “I know. This was said in our books as well.”

“Yes. I blame no one. It’s pointless to carry that kind of hatred. These things just happen. Time moves us forward. It is up to the goddesses to decide what happens in our world,” my papa says.

Jergen finds a new train of thought. He hands Logan a small bag of herbs. “By the way, I heard the news, Logan. My ears have gotten worse with age, but I can still hear when people talk in the main halls. Your father is a great man. I’m sorry that time has begun to catch up to us. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. I know this is just some hogwash of the shamans, but I made you this scent-bag. I hope it can remind you of the good times.”

“Thank you, sir,” Logan says. He glances over at me, hurriedly, and smells the bag. “It smells exactly like him. Thank you again.”

“Does dad know where I went to?” I ask, as the car comes to a halt. Outside of the window, I can see Alste setting up chairs. He turns and checks out the car’s tinted windows, before going back to work.

“Does he know that our eldest son has found his mate?” He laughs loudly again. I feel totally embarrassed, but I manage to keep my cool.

“Well, we haven’t exactly…” Logan’s voice trails off, awkwardly. I see him sneak a peak of my ass.

“He doesn’t know. I figured you would be the one to break the news. Logan, you might want to wear this,” he says.

Reaching into a dusty, suede bag, father pulls out a large ceremonial garb. “Hopefully it fits,” he remarks to himself. “You’ve grown much since I last saw you.”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you, Jergen.”

Logan steps out of the car and pulls his shirt over his head. I feel my jaguar urges kick in when I see his washboard abs directly in front of me. I can’t look away until he puts on that ugly ceremonial shirt on.

“What?” Logan asks.

“Are you going to take off your pants now too?” I raise an eyebrow.

“That’s for later. In your room,” he says.

“Alste!” Jergen calls. “Your son has a little announcement. Well, a big announcement, actually.”

My papa actually keeps his eyes on Logan’s muscles when he says it. I can barely hold back my embarrassment.

“Papa, come on. Please. Not here, in front of everyone,” I plead.

“This will be fun.” Logan wrings his hands together. His muscles are barely fitting into that shirt right now.

“See, your alpha knows the deal,” Jergen says.

My cheeks are as red as cherry pie. My dad and brother walk over, dusting their hands off.

“Logan!” Jonas exclaims passionately. “I haven’t seen you in ages. How’ve you been, brother?”

My dad, Alste, smiles lovingly. He’s a hard worker and sometimes he can be a little pushy, but I can tell that he’s in a good mood for the ceremony.

“Well, this is a surprise. What brings you to the Ceremony of the Jaguar Independence?” Alste asks.

“He’s shacking up with our son,” papa rudely interrupts.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” I mutter.

My dad cracks up. “Cute. Is this true, Jackson?” A sly smile forms on my brother’s face as well.

“Okay, okay,” I say. “Let’s just get back to setting everything up. We’re all friends here. Nothing new.”

Logan pets my hair tenderly and pushes my head into his chest. “He’s embarrassed,” he says. “I’m not sure about Jergen’s choice of words, but we’re connected by fate. I didn’t expect to come here so soon. There are some things I wanted to take care of first. But here I am. I’m honored to be back for the festivities.”

“I heard about Genesis. I’m so sorry,” he says.

“No worries. We’re here to celebrate, right? Let me help you with things,” he says.

While Logan helps out Alste and Jonas, my papa turns to me and squeezes me shoulder. There is an understanding between us Jaguars, and I know exactly what this talk is going to entail.

“So, my omega. All grown up, eh?”

I shrug. “I guess so. Are you angry with me for keeping it such a secret?”

We walk together, past the old tree stumps from his time. “Sit down, son,” he says. I do and I listen because he has always given me sage advice when I need it.

“I can never be truly angry with you. You’re my son. Technically, you’re the oldest. I knew you were going to meet Logan. I heard you talking in the clearing nearly every night.”

I almost run away in embarrassment, but he holds up a steady hand. “Don’t worry, I tuned out within seconds. I’m proud of you, Jackson. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. What worries me, however, is this quest Logan is on. I believe it’s much bigger than he realizes.”

“I… I don’t know,” I whisper. “I don’t think he knows either yet. He has an uncanny ability to dream past this world. In his hibernations, he gets these visions.”

“Of what exactly?” he asks, turning very serious.

“A goddess, I think. Astra. And the council of the fates. It’s the same dream every time. He receives these transmissions in certain places more than others.”

I hold back the urge to tell him about the arrowhead that Jonas found, realizing that it is most likely a huge piece to the puzzle.

“We are a group of proud people. We have a strong purpose in this complex maze of mystery,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry for you. Your era has lived in times of relative calm, but it is obvious something is coming.”

I nod, understanding. I’ve felt it. Everyone my age can sense it coming. “So what do I do?”

He closes his eyes gently. The wind rushes against our faces. For a split second, I can see the images of the old times, back when we were young. The fire and the fury. The chaos that moved us toward peace. When he opens them again, he has answers.

“Be there for Logan. And don’t tell your brother anything. Not yet. His abilities are too corrupted from what happened inside those flames,” he says.

“There were specters inside them. I remember now,” I say.

My brother, as a cub was crying near the flames. He held out his hand, reaching for the bright orange inferno. In the center were the faces of the goddesses. It was almost as if they were beckoning for him.

I don’t remember much else, really. All I know is that I woke in the shaman’s room. The man laughed and said everything was going according to plan. Then, he ushered me back to Jergen.

Everything was different after that. The Jaguars rebelled against the peaceful order made between the races. Both sides were passionately venomous. I knew Logan and I would be barred from seeing each other, so when his family left the area, I made a promise to sneak out of the camp to see him once a month.

It was the only way.

“Your brother’s gift was transferred to something entirely, something very different. He owns the connection of time now. Yes, the fates have done a number on him. He has an innate sense within him, so strong I don’t think he’s even aware of it yet. It’s rare that someone’s intuition can be so powerful. But it’s also somewhat of a curse,” he says.

He takes in a deep breath and pats me on the back. He smiles, remaining strong and wise. “Something tells me that I need to let go. I’ve been chieftain for a long time now. I’ve participated in these kinds of ceremonies all my life. This year, everything feels different. Maybe that’s a good thing.”

I know exactly what he’s saying. Everything feels different. Even the air feels strange. I look over at Logan helping my dad light the torches for tonight. He sends a wink my way and a sly smile. His strong arms push up in the air as he lifts the giant flame.

My father purrs loudly and squeezes my neck. “Stop drooling and go to him. You both can’t stop sending glances. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. My omega, in love.”

If there was a mirror in front of my face, I’d surely be seeing my cheeks turn flush. I dart up from our seat and pounce over to Logan. I take his hand and kiss him right on the cheek. Tonight is going to be about us and I’m as proud as I could ever be.