Chapter 8

Jasper stood at the apartment door and panted, his wolf rolling under his skin and demanding to go back inside.

The last thing he needed to do was go into the apartment again. If he saw Melody, he’d want to haul her over his shoulder and carry her to the bedroom to mate her like he’d always wanted to. Sinking his fangs into her neck and marking her as his for everyone to see.

He’d never gotten a chance.

And now he wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden appearance, the danger in his former pack, and the truth that they’d just shared.

None of those issues were going to be easy to deal with.

He looked over his shoulder at the closed door.

Had she really thought he’d simply walked away from her?

Had something happened to the letter he’d sent and she’d not realized he would have come for her?

All these years he’d walked away to protect her, but he’d been willing to face any danger to have her in his arms again, if only she’d reached out.

Hell, maybe she hadn’t even known where he was.

Shit.

He purposely strode away from the apartment because he needed time to think.

The park wouldn’t open for a few hours, so he wandered, stopping at the carousel and staring at the gleaming horses, golden in the morning light. The park was quiet, but he could hear some sounds from the bird sanctuary and petting zoo, and the squeak of wheels as the custodians began the rounds to clean the park before guests arrived.

As he made his way back to the employee cafeteria, he was no closer to figuring anything out than when he’d left the apartment. All he knew was that he wanted to go back and be with her, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that feeling.

Once he was inside the cafeteria, he headed down the stairs to the wolves’ private living area where he showered and dropped onto the bed to rest. It was going to be a long night ahead, and he wanted to be at his best to help set Finn and Viola free.

What happened after that was anyone’s guess.

Jasper slept fitfully, feeling more tired after resting than he had when he’d laid down. His wolf wouldn’t settle, anxious to see Melody again.

He wanted to see her too, but he still wasn’t sure what to do with all he’d learned.

Could they just pick up where they left off even though nearly a decade had passed? He was still resentful of the separation, and angry that she thought he willingly walked away. But he wasn’t sure if he was more pissed at her or himself.

Why the hell hadn’t he just gone back and gotten her once he’d settled in the park? He could easily have snuck into the pack and gotten her out of there, but he hadn’t. He’d been plagued with insecurity, wondering if she’d decided he was the one who wasn’t worth the effort.

All those years wasted.

Shoving the thoughts away, because he needed to focus on making the plan for the mission and not on the gooey, woo-woo feelings of his wolf, he dressed in dark jeans, a black shirt, and hiking boots.

Leaving his home in the private living area, he knocked on Joss and his mate Jeanie’s door.

His alpha called out to come in.

“It’s me,” he said as he walked in.

“In the kitchen,” Joss said.

Jasper found Joss and Jeanie at the kitchen table, empty plates from lunch in front of them. Jeanie stood and smiled at Jasper. “I’m going to leave you two to the planning.” She bent and kissed Joss on the cheek, and he let out a low purring growl. “See you later, Alpha.”

“Count on it.”

Joss kept his gaze on Jeanie until she was out of the kitchen, then he gestured to the empty chair. “Hungry?”

“No, thanks.”

The alpha leaned back in his chair and it creaked under his weight. “Tell me what’s going on between you and that she-wolf.”

Jasper’s last heart-to-heart with Joss was when he’d come to the park seven years ago. That night, he’d spilled his proverbial guts as he tried to deal with the separation from the only female he’d ever loved.

His family was gone, and she was all he had in the world.

He’d felt like the center of his body was empty without her, and he’d never really recovered from the loss. He’d just…shut off that part of himself. While the other shifters couldn’t wait to find their soulmates and hoped the VIP tours would bring them together, he just wanted Melody.

Rubbing his face, he let out a groan. “I don’t know what to do.”

Joss gave him a critical look, then said, “The time apart doesn’t change that she’s your soulmate. You’re feeling conflicted because you were so badly hurt by what you thought was her essentially abandoning you. Not only did you lose your pack, but you lost your mate. Males don’t recover from that easily, if they do at all. The question is, what do you want to do?”

“Mate her.”

Joss snorted. “So why are you here with me?”

“Because I don’t know what happens after that.” At Joss’s arched brow, Jasper added, “I mean, assuming that I can actually get past the walls I’ve put around myself to keep all that emotional bullshit away and I take her as my mate, then what happens? Her pack is in turmoil and there’s danger everywhere. She won’t want me to leave her parents to their fate without intervening, but when I help? What the hell am I supposed to do then?”

And what if she’d moved on? She didn’t say she had, but he hadn’t actually asked and she wasn’t wearing anyone’s marks. His blood boiled as he thought about her fucking around with other males.

She was his mate.

“I can tell that you want to be with her. Whatever happened after you left, you both clearly don’t know the whole story. You left to save her life. I have a feeling her parents know more than they told her, and that means she was working with faulty information. It must be hard as hell to have a wolf inside you and not be able to shift.” Joss’s eyes focused somewhere over Jasper’s head for a moment, then Joss continued, “I can’t tell you what happens after you take her to her pack and help free her parents. I can only tell you that as your alpha, I highly recommend you do not get involved in the pack politics. Our people are aggressive by nature, and coups happen, and high-ranked males and their families pay the price. Set them free, bring Melody back here to safety—and her parents if they’ll come—and then talk to Melody about the future. She’s probably too worried about her parents to make any kind of decision anyway.”

“True.”

Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes, he pushed everything out of his mind but the tasks ahead: get to Northbelle, set her parents free, and get the hell back to the park. With her.

“I’m going to meet with the guys who are coming with me to start forming a plan. I need to get Melody too because I need her to know what we’re doing—but she’s going to stay the hell in the vehicle away from danger.”

“I’ll join you guys at the meeting. Even though I’m not going with you, I’ve got tactical experience. So does Caesar; I’ll call him.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll meet you in the cafeteria in ten.”

Jasper thanked his alpha again and left, walking across the big private living area and making his way to the surface to get Melody and then meet his friends to plan the night.

He wasn’t sure what he’d say to Melody because he knew she wanted to talk more, and he sure as hell wanted to talk too.

And kiss.

Shit, he could still feel her against him, her soft curves melting so perfectly against him.

Focus, damn it.

Letting out a half-snarl, half-sigh, he jogged across the park after he group-texted his friends to meet him, Joss, and Caesar in the topside employee cafeteria.

There were plans to be made.

Later, he could talk to her about the future.

Because he genuinely didn’t know where he stood with her. She was angry and defiant, and heartbroken still.

Not at all like he’d expected her to be when he saw her again.

Hell, he wasn’t sure what he’d thought would happen. It certainly wasn’t her showing up at night asking for help setting her parents free, that’s for damn sure.

First things first: set her parents free.

Then they’d see what happened.