Page 26 of Unclench Me Softly

“Yo,” comes a voice from outside. “Which dome is for the jaw stuff?”

And then in walks Jax. Shirtless. Again.

Sweat-slick, wood chips in his hair, like he just wrestled a tree for dominance. He flops onto the last cushion with a grunt, spreading his legs wide enough to personally offend my root chakra.

“Is this Unclenching Day?” he asks, already smirking. “Because I feel like someone owes me dinner first.”

I breathe in through my nose so hard I taste sage and rage.

“Welcome,” I say, too sweetly. “You’ve all arrived, mostly, on time. Today we begin the sacred process of releasing the inner tension, letting go of control, and surrendering the burdens we carry…”

Jax raises his hand.

I ignore it.

“…through the ritual of The Unclenching of the Jaw, the Fist, and the Ego.”

Jax raises his hand higher.

“No,” I say without looking at him.

“I just think the first part should’ve come with a safe word,” Jax says.

Asher blushes so hard I worry he’s going to combust.

Miles opens one eye, sighs like a disappointed therapist, and closes it again.

Seb remains still. But I swear he looks a little amused.

I press my palms together and pretend I’m not two seconds from starting a cleansing scream ceremony.

“This is a time for silence,” I say. “For presence. For surrender.”

Asher raises his hand.

I nod at him because he’s trying.

“I added a breathwork app to my phone just in case anyone needs a guided option?” he offers. “It has different settings. One of them’s called ‘Letting Go of the Inner Alpha.’”

Jax snorts. “Pass.”

Seb says nothing.

Miles mutters, “Unsurprising.”

The energy is so not aligned.

I light a bundle of sage with dramatic flair and start waving it around like a priestess in crisis.

“Close your eyes,” I say, desperate. “Breathe deeply. In through the nose... out through the mouth. Release tension. Release thought. Release the urge to say something smartass-y about fists.”

Jax coughs pointedly.

I throw a crystal at him.

He catches it with a grin. “I’m taking that as an offering.”

And still, no Jonah.

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