Chapter 5

Melody couldn’t get over how sexy Jasper was. It was hard to do anything but stare at him.

She’d always found him handsome, the sexiest guy she’d ever known.

Dark brown hair with natural coppery highlights, dark green eyes like the forest at night, and seven years ago he’d had muscles to die for that she’d loved tracing with her fingertips. But now? He was even more built, stacked with muscles upon muscles that strained against the fabric of his black uniform.

Holy hell.

Her wolf wanted him so badly that it was all she could do to focus on his words and how kissable his lips were.

He was her first everything. First kiss, first love, first first-time.

Even though there was a gulf between them of bad memories and betrayal, she couldn’t stop the base reaction of her body from wanting to touch and hold him.

Pushing away the lustful thoughts even though her skin was flushing and she knew the shifters in the room would be able to smell how affected she was by being near Jasper, she focused on why she was there.

But it bothered her that she had the feeling that Jasper was pissed. At her.

Why was he the one who was pissed anyway? He was the one who’d walked away, not her. She’d had dreams of a future with him and it had gotten destroyed.

She ignored his furious look and told them about hiding out in the root cellar and finding her parents in the prison.

“Dad told me where you were and that you could help him,” she said, meeting Jasper’s dark gaze.

“Your dad wants me to help him do what exactly?” Jasper asked.

“Set him free and fight the asshole who killed the alpha and imprisoned the high-ranked males.”

Jupiter said, “But why would Jasper get involved? He’s not in the pack anymore, he was exiled. That means that while the problem is upsetting for you, it doesn’t really involve him.”

“But…” she said, feeling the press of tears again. “You have to help. Dad said you were the only one who could.”

Jasper stared at her, arms folded, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Silence filled the empty cafeteria.

Three males stared at her without speaking and she wanted to scream.

“Did you think I wanted to come here? You’re the last person I would come to for help, but Dad said you were the only one he trusted to help. It’s not about me, it’s about getting them free.”

Jasper’s brows furrowed.

“I need to speak to my alpha.”

He turned and walked out of the room.

“We’re going to stand watch outside,” Jupiter said. “There are drinks and food in the refrigerators, and a bathroom down the hall too.”

She nodded in silence and waited until the males left her alone in the cafeteria. Then she made her way to the bathroom at the back of the large space and had herself a good, long cry.

If Jasper wouldn’t help her, she didn’t know what she’d do.

What the hell did Melody mean he was the last person she’d come to for help? Why was she so pissed? He was the one who should be pissed. Hell, he was pissed.

Pissed that his wolf wanted to snuggle up to her.

Pissed that she looked even better now than she had seven years ago.

Pissed that her dad, who taught Jasper how to hunt and fight in his shift and his human form, was in trouble and clearly thought he was the guy who could help him.

“What are you going to do?” Amadeus asked.

“I don’t have a fucking clue.”

“Joss is on the way,” Jupiter said. “Run it by him and see what he thinks.” He paused, then said, “Do you want to help her?”

The part of Jasper that knew she was his soulmate wanted very desperately to help her in any way. But the jaded male in him wanted to steer far clear of whatever fuckery had happened to his old pack, even if it did involve her dad, Finn, who he respected a great deal.

“I don’t know.”

Footsteps drew close and Joss came into view with Caesar the lion alpha. They’d obviously come up to the surface from the private living quarters and paddocks, so they didn’t come into the employee cafeteria where Melody was. Even though she was a shifter, they didn’t share any details about the park with outsiders.

“I understand you’ve got a blast from your past in there,” Joss said.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to make of it.”

“I’m going to take your place on the security team while you get things straightened out,” Caesar said. “Keep me posted.”

“Thank you,” Jasper said.

Joss put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Let me hear her story and then I’ll give you my honest opinion. We can talk privately afterward.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t want to see her again. It was hard enough to keep his hands to himself as it was, without walking back into her presence where her sweet and spicy scent was seeping into his brain.

He steeled himself against her wiles, not wanting to fall prey to her pretty violet eyes or the way her hair had turned lighter gold with the summer sun.

Nope. He was going to be a rock around her, and not let her know just how much he still hurt from what happened.

He knew he wasn’t really over her, but he hadn’t known just how much it would hurt to see her again until he was in her presence.

It hurt like hell.

Melody met Joss the alpha wolf of the pack. She still didn’t understand how there was a wolf pack at a safari park, but she had other things on her mind at the moment. She was exhausted to the core and scared out of her mind.

Joss asked to hear her story, and she told it again.

“Dad said to come here to get Jasper’s help,” she said at the end of the tale.

“Why?” Joss asked.

She rubbed the space between her eyes. She was so tired.

“I don’t know. He said he could help.”

Joss hummed, then looked at Jasper and nodded toward the door. She was left alone once more.

She finally sat down in a plastic chair at a round table. Her stomach gnawed in hunger, but she was afraid she’d throw up if she ate anything because she was so stressed out. Were her parents okay? She’d been gone for hours and had no way to get in touch with anyone. She didn’t want to reach out to Ellie and put her in danger in case people were watching her friend’s phone.

After what felt like an eternity, Joss and Jasper came back into the room.

She stared at them wearily.

Joss cleared his throat. “I’m not in the habit of intervening in the politics of another pack. Our people can lead brutal lives, and what happens in another pack is really not my concern.”

Her eyes stung and she took in a shaky breath.

“However, Jasper is free to help you if he wishes. I’m going to leave it up to his discretion. I’m sorry for what you’ve endured, Melody, but I’m not going to get involved.”

“I understand,” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling but failing.

Joss whispered something to Jasper that sounded like apartment and Jasper nodded.

When they were alone, when it was just the two of them in that big cafeteria with the round tables and plastic chairs, the hum of the refrigerators the only sound, he let out a low growl.

“I’ll help you. But you’ll do things my way, and after I help your dad, I’m walking away again. Period.”

She was simultaneously thrilled and disappointed.

“Oh-kay?”

“I’m going to make a few calls. Did you eat anything?”

She shook her head, not trusting herself not to ask why he was so mad at her.

“Get something to eat before you pass out; you look like you’re about to drop.”

He stalked to the door of the cafeteria, glanced at her over his shoulder for a heartbeat, then stormed out of the building, lifting his phone to his ear.

She didn’t want to eat, but she didn’t want to get yelled at, so she walked over to the kitchen area and took a yogurt parfait from the large commercial fridge, along with a bottle of chocolate milk.

As she sat back down at the table, she hoped again that her parents were okay.

And she hoped that whatever bug had crawled up Jasper’s ass would get taken care of. She was the one who’d been left behind, abandoned to a pack that didn’t want her defective non-shifting genes. She was the one who should be mad, not him.