Chapter 20 - April

After days of waiting, Jasper received a message from Alpha Nile. He didn't tell me what it was, but I could tell from the slight smile on his face that it was good news.

"Want to come with me to make an announcement to the pack?" he asked.

"Of course," I said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as we made our way to the commons area.

"Gather around, everyone," Jasper commanded.

His deep voice carried throughout the area, calling everyone to him. When the pack had assembled, he began his speech.

"Alpha Nile Pinedale of the town pack has sent us a message," he began. A hush fell over the crowd as they awaited the verdict of the neighboring alpha. "The Dark Moon wolves are welcome in Pinedale. Luna April and I will be meeting with him soon to discuss plans for our permanent settlement in town."

A cheer rose up from the wolves as they howled their approval and excitement at the news. After allowing them a moment of celebration, Jasper put up his hands to calm them before continuing.

"Due to the circumstances surrounding us coming forward and alerting Alpha Nile to our presence in the area, he has asked me to maintain a record of when we are in town. I want you all to know that this is a formality, not a restriction. You will not be turned away, but I ask that you let me know if you intend to spend time in or near Pinedale for the time being," Jasper continued.

The excitement from the crowd dulled somewhat. I noticed that he was unsure of how to continue as he looked toward me with trepidation, unsure if he had just ruined their moment by setting a boundary for them.

"Today is a momentous day for all of us in the Dark Moon Pack," I blurted.

It was the first time I had spoken in front of the pack at large since the day I had been brought to them. My hands began to sweat as all eyes turned to me, but I was determined not to lose my nerve. Jasper was looking to me for help, and I vowed that I wouldn't let him down.

"Tonight, we will celebrate the safe haven that you have found in these cabins as we look to the future and home in Pinedale!" I ended, raising my fist in the air.

The wolves returned to their celebrations, and I turned to glance at Jasper. He hadn't asked me to speak—at least, not directly. His only request for me was to stand by his side as he'd made the announcement, and I feared that I had overstepped. But instead of seeing a scowl on his face, I was greeted with a smile.

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. "Being a luna looks good on you," he whispered into my ear. "But unfortunately, we won't be able to stay and celebrate with the rest of the pack tonight. I would rather have you to myself. Would you go out with me?"

It was clear from his request that he had never asked someone to "go out" with him before. The party we'd attended together had been a ruse, but I could tell that this time, he was asking me to spend time with him.

"I'd love to," I replied.

***

Just before sunset, Jasper drove me to a spot near the outskirts of town. It was almost the exact location where we had run into the duo of Pinedale wolves just a few days ago.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, confused. Had I misinterpreted his intentions? "You didn't bring me out here to spy on the Pinedale Pack again, did you?"

Jasper gave a low chuckle and pulled a wicker basket out of the backseat of the car. "No, silly," he said. "I just wanted to bring you here to have a picnic."

I looked around, still confused. This was a rather unconventional location for a first date. The view was beautiful, but I could think of plenty of other beautiful locations he could have chosen if he wanted to have a picnic.

"Why here?" I finally asked.

"Let's sit down, and we can talk," Jasper replied.

We walked away from the car up the hill until we reached the forest. Just inside the tree line, there was a small clearing where Jasper stopped and set the basket down, signaling that I should sit.

Through the branches, we could see the town in the distance. The residents walked the streets, children played in their yards, and dogs frolicked playfully. It was picturesque. Now that we were seated, I could tell that my earlier assumption had been off-base. It would be impossible for Jasper to spy on anything meaningful from this distance.

"So," I said, "why did you choose this spot?"

"What you said to the pack today really resonated with me, and made me think about my own desires," he said. "When you talked about the safe haven we had found here and our chances at a brighter future, I realized just how much I have always dreamed of being able to provide those things for my pack."

"And you have," I reminded him.

"Exactly," he agreed. "It's finally happening, so I wanted to come here with you and enjoy the view of our new home. I wanted us to think about the future."

While he seemed excited about the prospect of moving into Pinedale, something seemed to be missing. There was a sadness in his voice that I couldn't place.

"It's exciting that the pack gets to move into town soon, but you don't seem very happy about it. Is something wrong?" I asked.

Jasper looked out toward the town thoughtfully, and I gave him a moment as he considered his response. Finally, he spoke.

"I'm not really sure," he said finally. "I guess whenever something good happens, I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't have a great history when it comes to having a home. For one reason or another, I've always had to leave."

"That makes sense," I said softly.

Up until the moment I was taken by Jasper, my life had been pretty peaceful. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to grow up with a mother as vicious as his, only to find a home in a pack as cruel as the Moonstone Pack had once been. It seemed like a miracle that he had escaped his past as intact as he was.

He didn't seem in the mood to continue speaking about his past struggles, and instead, he turned his attention to setting up the picnic. From inside the basket, he pulled out containers of berries, cheeses, crackers, sandwiches, and even a small bottle of wine.

"I'm so sorry. I just realized I forgot to bring glasses for this," he said. His cheeks were red in embarrassment, but I brushed it off.

"That's okay," I said, opening the bottle and taking a swig before offering it to him.

He smiled as he accepted it from me and tasted it for himself. His lips pursed together when the liquid touched his tongue.

"Mm," he said in an unconvincing attempt to convey his approval.

"You don't like wine, do you?" I guessed.

"Not at all," he admitted. "I've never even tried it before until now. I'm more of a brown liquor man."

"More for me, then," I said happily. I grabbed the bottle back from him, taking another drink.

He laughed at my enthusiasm, and I realized just how unusual this entire scene was for both of us. I was the woman who had never been chosen, and he was the man who had never really wanted a woman.

Romance wasn't exactly Jasper's forte, but I could tell how hard he was trying. It was endearing to have the attention of a man who had never had a reason—or the inclination—to court a woman before. It was more meaningful, I thought, that he kept trying even though he was struggling somewhat to articulate his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked. I hadn't realized he had been watching me as we ate.

"Actually, I was thinking about how weird it is to be here with you. Not like that," I said quickly when his face fell. "Not in a bad way. I just meant that neither of us have ever had the typical dating life. Yet, here we are on a romantic sunset picnic together. It's unexpected."

"What kind of dates have you been on before?" Jasper asked.

Now it was my turn to feel embarrassed as I realized he didn't know just how undesirable of a mate he had chosen.

"I've never been on a date before," I admitted. "No one ever asked me."

"You're kidding," Jasper said. "Never?"

I shook my head. "Well, unless you count the party you took me to."

Jasper's surprise turned to concern, realizing he had turned my first-ever date into a covert mission without my consent.

"I'm sorry," he said. "If I had known—"

"You would have done the same thing," I reminded him. "You thought you were doing what was best for your pack, and I can't fault you for that."

"But still…" he trailed off, looking discontent.

I sat up on my knees so that I was face-to-face with him and took his hands into mine. "Jasper, I'm fine. I promise," I said. "Besides, I'd like to count this as my first date, if you're okay with that."

He moved one of his hands to my face and caressed my cheek as we looked into each other's eyes. I saw my reflection in Jasper's eyes and felt like this was the perfect end to a perfect first date.

We had finished our picnic and begun to pack up when Jasper had another idea.

"Speaking of first dates, should we let Rae and Storm out to play? I'm sure they'd like to go on their first official date, too," he said. "We can run home together."

"What about the car?" I asked, glancing in the direction of the road where we had left his vehicle.

"Someone can come pick it up later," Jasper said. "It won't be in anyone's way if we leave it there for a few hours."

"And this?" I said, holding up the picnic basket he had brought.

Jasper stared at it for a moment and then smiled mischievously at me as he shifted into wolf form. Storm stepped toward me, and I could see the same look of amusement that had been on Jasper's face as he removed it from my hand with his teeth. He shook his hindquarters playfully, like a dog wagging his tail.

I laughed at his antics and reached up to pet him on his head. The last time I had seen him, I hadn't realized just how large he was, but if he hadn't bent his head down, I would have had to reach up to touch his face.

With his head bowed, we were eye to eye, and I could see that his irises were identical to Jasper's.

"You're a silly wolf," I said. "But you're very handsome, too."

I kissed him on the nose and shifted into wolf form. Rae howled in enthusiasm as she ran toward home with Storm following closely behind her.