Chapter 13 - Jasper

We didn't stay long at the party. It turned out that Ashley had taken a liking to Killian, and between bouts of them making out and taking shots, my second managed to find out more about the alpha of the Pinedale Pack. And, most especially, his weakness.

"Her name is Penelope," Killian told me after we had arrived back at the cabins.

April had gone to bed as soon as we had returned, and I had gone with my advisors to Killian's cabin next door to discuss our findings.

"Did you find out who she is to Alpha Nile?" I asked.

"Ashley described her as his ‘most precious loved one,'" Killian continued. "If they aren't mates already, I'd wager that they will be soon."

"Too bad you already have a mate, Alpha," one of my wolves said. "Force-marking Nile's woman would be one way to bring him to his knees in surrender."

He was right. If I hadn't run into April, Madi, and the other Sparkle Hollow she-wolf in town, I would have the opportunity to take this one as my mate. I'd have to come up with another plan.

"There's more than one way to tame a dog," I pointed out.

"What would you like us to do, Alpha?" Killian asked.

My men were quiet as they waited for my orders.

"If Penelope is the key to the alpha, then we need to steal that key," I said. "We'll need to find out where she spends her time and how we can access her as soon as possible. Killian and I will kidnap her and bring her back as a hostage. If Alpha Nile wants to keep her safe, he'll abdicate his territory to me."

The men nodded in agreement and looked excited for the next phase in our plan. But the happiness disappeared from their faces as I heard the door open behind me.

I turned around and found myself face to face with my mate.

"You have got to be kidding me," April said.

She looked horrified, and I realized she had just overheard my plan. Of course, as my most recent kidnapping victim, she would be upset at the thought of me doing the same thing to another woman.

"April, you're supposed to be asleep," I said harshly. "Killian, finish things up here. I need to deal with this."

"This? Am I an object now?" April replied condescendingly.

I grabbed her roughly by the arm and marched her out of the cabin, heading back to my own.

"You can't be serious, Jasper," she pleaded with me as I pulled her behind me. "This plan of yours is beyond stupid. When is this going to end?"

"It ends when I say it does. When I have what should be mine," I answered, closing the door to the cabin behind us.

"So what? You're going to keep kidnapping a new mate each month until you've taken over the world? Is that what I am to you, the first of your many conquests?"

She had dropped her head as she spoke, and the fire in her voice was gone. She sounded both angry and defeated. I tilted her head up so she was looking at me, and I saw hurt in her glimmering eyes.

"What exactly about my plan is upsetting you?" I asked, more gently than I had ever addressed her before.

"Everything," she said. "Beyond the fact that kidnapping people is wrong, what do you plan to do with her once she's here? Will you cast me out and give her my bed?"

"April," I said, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. "Are you jealous? Just because I'm taking her doesn't mean she's going to be my mate."

She shook her head, but I couldn't tell if she was disagreeing with me or trying to get the intrusive thought of me taking another mate out of her head.

"I'm your mate," she said quietly.

The only way she would drop this and let me get back to work was if I reminded her of our tryst earlier this evening. I was going to have to seduce her.

"Mate," I muttered, bending my head down toward hers.

"Jasper, what are you—"

I cut her off as I placed my lips on hers, eliciting a surprised and excited moan in response. My hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her body into mine as I parted her lips with my tongue.

She responded with gusto, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I moved my hands down to her bottom, squeezing her ample cheeks with my hands. As we kissed, our hands explored whatever surface they could find.

I withdrew slightly to allow us to catch our breath, then turned her around so her back was to my chest. More gently than before, I kissed her neck on the place where I had marked her. I heard her breath hitch as my lips caressed her skin.

"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly.

"Reminding you that you belong to me," I told her.

I reached my hand around in front of her and lifted up her dress. Without a word, I inserted a finger inside her, rubbing the length of my digit up and down her clitoris as I drew the finger in and out.

When her legs began to shake from her pleasure, I wrapped my other arm around her torso to support her. I took her breast in my hand and rubbed her nipple between my fingers. She moaned loudly in encouragement.

"Come for me," I whispered in her ear, still drawing my finger in and out as I felt the wetness from her arousal. "Tell me you're mine."

"I'm yours," she said. "And you're mine," she added quietly.

I hadn't yet processed what she'd said before I felt her shudder as she orgasmed, letting out a low moan of satisfaction.

I inhaled sharply as the meaning of her words became clear. I hadn't belonged to anyone since I was a small child, when I had been at the mercy of my mother. Not once in my three decades of life had I considered that belonging to someone could be a good thing.

Her words left me feeling confused and vulnerable, so much so that when she knelt down and began to unbutton my pants, I gathered her hands in mine to prevent her from continuing.

"You don't want me to return the favor?" April asked, looking up at me seductively.

"That's okay, it's not necessary," I said quickly. "I'm actually feeling pretty tired. You should get some sleep, it's been a long day."

I didn't want to ruin her good mood by explaining that I didn't want to belong to her. I didn't want to belong to anyone. As much as I would enjoy what she was offering, I couldn't have sex with her right now. Not when I felt suddenly vulnerable and unsure of my own emotions.

"I'll see you in the morning, then," she said as she returned to her feet.

As she shut the door to her room, I readied myself for bed and turned off the light.

"Get a grip, Jasper," I said quietly to myself. "It's just sex."