Chapter 12

Jasper sat on the couch in the dark, staring at nothing. He was exhausted but wide awake, his wolf twitching under his skin until he thought he’d go insane.

He should be asleep right now, and not thinking about Melody or how complicated everything was.

Hell, what he definitely should be doing was tumbling in bed with her the way he’d been dreaming about for seven damn long years. He actually had her back in his life like he’d wanted, but he’d walked away tonight.

He just didn’t trust himself right now. Because what he really wanted to do was make love to her and mark her like he should have done, take her into his arms and tell her he was sorry for leaving her behind. That he should have fucking taken her away despite what Grimes had threatened, and trusted that he could keep her safe no matter what.

But he hadn’t done that, and she’d been left adrift.

They’d both been screwed by Grimes and his antiquated beliefs, and clearly her parents had played some part in keeping them away from each other as well, and he wasn’t sure what to think about that.

Rubbing his eyes, he sighed from the depths of his soul and wondered what the hell he should do.

His phone buzzed on the table.

“Jasper.”

“Hey, it’s Lucius.”

“What’s up?”

“Melody wants to see you. I brought her to the cafeteria topside. Do you want me to take her back to the apartment?”

“I’m not going back there, damn it!” Melody’s voice was heated with anger and he could picture her violet eyes flashing with fury. “I want to see Jasper now.”

Her voice cracked a little at the end, and he could tell that she was near her breaking point.

“I’m on my way.”

He ended the call and stood, then strode from his house. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he got to the cafeteria, but he was glad that she’d come to see him. There really was too much between them to let things go on any longer than they already had.

Seven years was about to end tonight.

One way or the other.

When Jasper came into the employee cafeteria, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but finding a frazzled-looking Melody pacing and staring down at the floor as she walked wasn’t it. She waved her hand dismissively when Lucius spoke to her, not even sparing him a glance.

Lucius looked at Jasper as he walked in. With a nod, the male headed outside and left them alone. Melody froze and spun, facing him with her violet eyes bright with emotion. Her face was red like she’d been crying, and his heart ached at how very beautiful she was, and how much he’d missed her.

She took a step toward him and then paused again, and he could see the uncertainty on her face.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now,” he said, closing the distance between them. The lights in the cafeteria were bright, but no one could see inside because the windows were one-way glass.

She sniffled and shook her head. “I couldn’t sleep. Not after I talked to my parents. I couldn’t even really be in the apartment with them.”

He reached over and pulled a chair out for her, then pulled one out for himself. It was a struggle not to hold her, but he felt like if he touched her, then he might not stop and they wouldn’t really be any better off than they were right now.

Their history was filled with bullshit and lies mixed up with misunderstandings and who the hell knew what else. Focusing on this was more important than his wolf’s desire to haul her over his shoulder and take her to his place.

“Tell me what they said,” he urged after she was silent for a long moment.

She slumped in the chair, and he was aware of how tired she clearly was, but she wanted to talk to him, so he was going to let her.

In a rush, she told him about her parents keeping everything that happened between him and Alpha Grimes from her, and that they’d thrown away the letter he’d sent explaining why he’d left and how he’d come for her when she was ready.

“They just…” She scrubbed her hands over her face with a frustrated groan. “They just thought they knew what was best for me then, and they’re still trying to get me to see their side of things. They knew if I saw that letter, if I knew you wanted to come get me to be with you, that I would have gone in a heartbeat.”

“Why didn’t they want us to be together?”

“Because they didn’t trust you could keep me safe.”

“But they trusted me enough to come set them free.” He leaned back in the chair, his wolf letting out a disgruntled snarl.

“Yeah, it’s bullshit. All of it.” She lowered her head and covered her face with her hands, letting out a deep sigh. “I’m not sorry Alpha Grimes is dead, although I am sorry that his mate lost her life too because she was kind to me. But if this Ludo character hadn’t come into the pack and upended everything, I wouldn’t be here with you right now.” She lifted her head slowly, her violet gaze searing him.

Those eyes were the first thing he remembered noticing about her when they were kids, when he’d known she was going to be his mate someday. They’d grown up as best friends, a family all by themselves when he’d had no family left. Just as quickly as they’d started down the road to being mated, it had all been snatched away from him because Alpha Grimes was an asshole and meddled in everyone’s affairs.

And then there were her parents and the part they played in keeping them apart.

“Are you sorry I’m here?” she asked pointedly. Her eyes were now steely with determination.

“Why would you think that?”

She leaned back slowly. “Because I can’t get a read on you at all. I know you weren’t happy to see me when I showed up asking for help, but despite all the stuff that happened between us, you still put yourself and your friends in danger to help my parents. I just don’t know where we stand; I can’t tell what you’re thinking.”

He pondered her words. “You’re right,” he said. “I wasn’t thrilled to see you because I never thought I’d see you again. You have to understand that when you didn’t answer my letter, when you didn’t ask me to come get you so we could start our life together, I figured you were moving on. It hurt like hell, and I’ve been basically numb for seven years. I don’t want to be numb, but I’m not sure how to fix the broken bridge between us.”

“I’m telling the truth,” she said earnestly. “I thought you left me because I couldn’t shift. No one ever led me to believe differently.”

“I believe you.”

She stared at him as the silence stretched between them, and then she rose slowly to her feet. “It’s been too long. You can’t get past the hurt and anger, and I can’t be with someone who’s mad at me for something out of my control.”

She turned and walked away from him, heading toward the door.

He lurched to his feet, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. He grabbed her arm and jerked her around, slamming her into his body. Her breath gusted from her parted lips as her eyes went wide.

He cupped her face, his fingers pressing into her skin and holding her close.

“You’re not going anywhere, Mellie-mine,” he whispered, his wolf riding him hard as the heat of her body and her sweet scent made his skin tingle.

She didn’t struggle, but he could see the war in her eyes. “What are you doing?”

He huffed, snorting out a breath as he struggled to say what he was feeling. “I’m a fucking mess, Mel, I’m not gonna lie. I spent seven years in hell, missing you with an ache that was like I’d lost a limb, and also hating that you wouldn’t leave the pack to be with me. I might have hated the circumstances, I might have hated the distance between us, but I don’t hate you . I know you weren’t to blame for what happened when I left.” His voice came out more forcefully than he intended when he finished by saying, “You’re mine. You always were and you always will be.”

Her violet eyes darkened, and little striations of amber peeked around the edges. She was genuinely the most gorgeous female he’d ever known with her cherub face and kissable lips, and a body with curves that called to him on a cellular level. They’d been each other’s first, and he’d not really realized just how much he missed her until he was holding her close again.

She twisted her fingers in his shirt and tilted her face to him. “You’re mine too.”