Chapter 11 - Jasper

The next few days were busy, allowing me to put my flashbacks out of my mind. After hearing about the upcoming pack event for the Pinedale Pack, I had managed to learn where they would be meeting. Today was the day, and Killian and I were planning how best to go about infiltrating the group.

"You're going to have to bring April," my second pointed out. "At least three of them know that you're recently married. It'll look incredibly suspicious if you come alone."

My mate hadn't attempted to engage me in conversation since I had told her the story of my past. In fact, I had done everything I could to avoid her. I couldn't admit it to her, but I was ashamed of how I had acted that day. My emotions had always followed a similar pattern: keep everything bottled up until they reached a boiling point, making me explode with anger. It hadn't caused any serious problems before now, but having April witness it had changed something between us.

I had accused her of pitying me, but that had just been a way for me to lash out at her. There hadn't been any pity in her eyes, only concern. Part of me wondered if that was worse.

"I'm not sure if she'll be willing to go with me," I admitted to Killian.

Now that April had been allowed freedom within the pack grounds, she had rarely been in the cabin. Most of her time was spent tending to the children, but she had also been making some improvements to the cabins. I had even overheard her talking about planting a garden with the women.

"Are you still not talking?" Killian asked.

I shrugged. I didn't actually know if April and I were on speaking terms right now. "I guess I should go find out," I said. "Can you have the guys ready to go in an hour?"

Killian nodded and headed off to inform the selected wolves of our plan while I went in search of April. I found her in the kitchens, helping the women prepare dinner while the toddlers colored at the table.

"That's so beautiful, Maeve," April said to a little girl as she held up a picture of a bird. Or was it a dinosaur? It was hard to tell.

When she spotted me standing in the doorway, she put down the knife she had been using to slice potatoes and wiped her hands on a tea towel before coming over to greet me.

"Alpha," she said deferentially. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tonight," I asked.

The invitation came out more awkward than I had intended. It had been a while since I had asked a female to accompany me anywhere. I was much more used to demanding that people go where I told them to go.

"Out?" April asked. "Like on a date?"

"There's a party in town, and I was hoping you'd come with me," I explained.

April grinned, and I suddenly noticed how perfectly straight her teeth were. "That sounds like a lot of fun," she said. "When do we leave?"

"Pretty soon, so you might want to go get ready," I said.

She said goodbye to the women and children, and I walked with her back to the cabin. She disappeared into the bedroom to change, and I slipped on a clean shirt as well.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I experienced an emotion I wasn't familiar with—guilt. April knew nothing of my plan to take over the local werewolf pack. If it weren't for the fact that she had told the wolves at the store we were newlyweds, I probably wouldn't have asked her to come with me at all tonight. Her own kindness had made her an unwitting participant in my plan.

I was deceiving her. At some point, she was bound to uncover my betrayal. I hoped she would be understanding when the time came.

"I'm ready," April said as she came into view wearing a sleeveless, sapphire-blue dress.

"Wow," I said. I hadn't intended to comment on her appearance, but she had caught me off-guard. The dress hugged her curves and flared out slightly at the bottom, drawing my attention to her thighs.

She brushed one hand through the soft waves of hair that cascaded past her shoulders, clearly self-conscious about my lingering gaze.

"Should I wear something else?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," I said.

A bright smile returned to her face as we went outside to meet the wolves who would be joining us.

"Ready?" Killian asked as we approached the car.

"Let's go," I replied.

I opened the passenger door for April while Killian and three other wolves piled into the back seats of our black SUV. April sat quietly, appearing content as I drove to the address of the home that belonged to Alpha Nile Pinedale.

When we arrived, the street was lined with cars. The pack had clearly come out in force to celebrate with their alpha.

Before opening April's car door, I pulled Killian aside.

"Remember, we're looking for weaknesses," I murmured softly. "Keep your eyes peeled and mingle with as many people as you can."

Killian nodded and passed my instructions on to our companions while I helped April out of the car.

As we began walking toward the front door, I grabbed April's hand, entwining our fingers together. She frowned at me in confusion.

"We're newlyweds, remember?" I said.

Her questioning expression turned into a smile, and I felt my guilt creep back up. We needed to keep up appearances or we'd risk arousing suspicion, but I found myself increasingly uncomfortable with the position I was putting her in.

"You guys made it!" a voice boomed as we walked into the house. Through the packed hallways, I saw the trio of wolves we had already met heading toward us. Ashley pulled April into a hug when they reached us.

"I'm so glad you're here! Who are your friends?" she asked, indicating Killian and the other two men.

"These are my husband's childhood friends," April answered.

She had stumbled slightly over the word "husband," but I didn't think Ashley had noticed. Even if she had, it could easily be explained by the fact that we hadn't been married for long.

"I hadn't seen them for a while, and since we were in the area, we wanted to have a night out with them," I added. "I hope that's alright."

"Of course, we're happy to have you," Mike replied.

"Food is through there," Terry said, gesturing to a room at the end of the hall. "There's music and dancing in the backyard. Make yourselves at home!"

April grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the back of the house. I grabbed a drink as we passed through the kitchen, but I could tell she was searching for the music. When we got outside, a DJ had set up a table in the far corner. There were at least a hundred people moving around in groups. Some were sitting at tables along one side of the yard, but the majority were dancing in a large open space.

April immediately went to join them, joy on her face as she let loose. I was fascinated by how carefree she was. Shouldn't she have been miserable? I had kidnapped her and taken her from everything she had ever known, forcing her to join my pack and my family. How did she manage to have fun in these circumstances?

Given I had no desire to dance, I found the tables were a much better vantage point from which to watch April and listen to the conversations around me. My attempts to eavesdrop were sidetracked by the attention I was paying to my mate.

As she danced, her hair brushed against her neck, and I found myself wondering what it might feel like to kiss her there.

I was eyeing her exposed shoulder and the line of her back when another man began to dance with her. He placed his hands on her waist and leaned in to whisper something in her ear. As she laughed in response, I leapt to my feet, striding toward the couple.

"April, a word," I said tersely, grabbing her arm and leading her off the dance floor and back into the house.

"Jasper? What's wrong?" she asked.

I continued walking up the stairs, finding an empty room where we could speak in private.

"You broke your word," I said. "You promised to do as I commanded. I don't think I gave you permission to dance with another man."

Her face was incredulous as she listened to my speech.

"You're kidding me, right?" she asked.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

April pinched the bridge of her nose, as if to contain her emotions. "You have been ignoring me for days," she said. "Then you brought me to this party, didn't come dance with me, and are upset that someone else wanted to? We both know you want nothing to do with me, so what's the big deal? It's not like I slept with him."

"Seems like you would have, if you had the opportunity," I grumbled.

"Just because you don't want to sleep with me doesn't mean no one else does," she said with a shrug. She moved closer, drawing her hands up to rest on my chest. "Isn't that true? That you hate it when I'm near you?"

My heart beat faster as she began to caress me. She looked up at me from under her eyelashes, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" I asked in a low voice.

She laughed lightly. "Is there any point in seducing you when I have no chance of opening your heart?"

Her answer shook me, especially because of how forthrightly she'd said it. There was no way I could open my heart to her, but I couldn't deny that I wanted to explore her body—and allow her to explore mine.

"My heart will never be a part of the equation," I said coldly. "I will never have an emotional relationship. However, I would be open to a physical one, if you're open to it."

"Hmm," she said, pursing her lips together as she considered my proposal. She began to run her fingers through my hair, and I felt myself growing tense with desire. "I might be open to that."