JASMINES POV The shock in Caines's eyes was almost comical and I could feel my roof chuckling inside me. Caine blinked rapidly, trying to process what I just said. “Wait…Imani and Harper? Since when? Damn, I knew I should have trusted my guts. Is that what all those shady link-ups have been about? How did you find out?” He asked, running his hand through his hair as he made his way to the window. “There was this night they kidnapped me…” “Kidnapped you?” “Yeah… but nothing happened…no need to freak out,” I said sharply after seeing the look of concern on his face. I leaned against the wall with a shrug. “I don’t think they’ll be much of a struggle now nor will they be a problem now,” I added. Caine’s face was still lit by his smile, his head shaking gently in disbelief. He let out a low whistle and returned to me. “Well…that makes things interesting,” “Interesting? Well, that’s one way to put it?” I replied, crossing my arms. What kept going through my mind was how I was go
CAINES POV “I’ll meet you in a few hours,” I told Jasmine just as she was about to leave. My brother lurked behind my father, hands in his pockets like he was some sort of personal assistant. “Don’t you have assignments to do?” “They’re all done,” he replied. “And training? Aren’t you supposed to join the next batch to train today?” “Dad asked me…” “Dad, Dad, all the time. Dad, when are you going to let your favorite son join the system of how things are being done here? You can’t just let him keep skipping and using your influence as an excuse. He’s lucky I’m not the alpha,” I snapped, walking to my father's desk. “No he is lucky to have you as a brother,” my father followed behind. I sat on one of the chairs facing his table and she kicked the other in. “Find someone else,” I told my brother. “Let him sit, Caine,” my father warned. With a grunt, I let the chair go but with a little kick away from me. “That is what we have come to discuss,” my father took his seat, legs cr
CAINES POV My voice echoed in the hallway, drawing more than the desired attention. I froze just a few meters away from my door, staring blankly at Jasmine who turned to face me. Her sweat-dampened hair clung to her forehead, and the intensity in her eyes made my heart ache. “Yeah?” She asked softly, covering the gap between us. I was doing the same, taking one step with a breath of courage. We stood a few feet away from each other, and everything you had thought about vanished. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words that came out weren’t those I planned on speaking. “I’m in,” I blurted, feeling my wolf kicking angrily against my head. “What?” She asked with a faint voice and a small smile pulsing around her lips. “I said I’m in. Let’s go serve Imani her meal,” I added with a thudding heart. The way she stared into my eyes, I feared she knew better than I was giving off like she could see through my pretense and struggle to keep the truth to myself. But even if this wa
JASMINES POV My heart leaped out of my chest the moment I was pulled down by Caine. The glasses of the diner shattered, spreading screams around as the people inside scurried for safety. “What was that?” I asked, panting heavily with my head buried on Caine’s shoulder. “You mean who,” he corrected, stealing a glance at the scene. “School tugs?” He said questionably. “Stay here,” “Caine, wait,” I tried to hold him back, but he was too swift, walking out of our hiding through the chaos in the diner until he was outside the door. I peeped from an opening on the table I was hiding behind. It looked like it was escalating. Two groups threw bottles at each other while a few on both sides were beginning to morph into their wolf. Caine wasn’t moved by their snarls or threats to each other. He walked in between both of them and ordered them to stop. I wasn’t able to hear him from inside, but their refusal was obvious. They charged at him, the first wolf lunging at him from behind.
JASMINES POV Caine pulled me away from the scene after we heard the footage steps approaching. We squeezed ourselves into a tight corner, our bodies pressing hard against each other while we struggled to filter the air we took in. “Someone was here before us,” Harper said. He and Imani were standing right above the bodies, staring at them in deep confusion and fear, just like we did. “This is bad,” “What do we do?” Imani asked. She maintained a close distance between her and Harper, clinging onto his shirt as he started examining the bodies. “Vampire bites,” he blurted, turning towards our direction. I inhaled sharply, looking away from the hole I was spying on them through. Caine’s palm covered my mouth instantly. “They can’t see us,” I heard his voice in my head. I nodded, and he slowly took his hand off. “Could this be Lucy’s brother?” Imani asked with a quivering tone. “If it is then I don’t think we can hold this little secret any longer. We must report this to the right
JASMINE’S POV The silence that followed my question was deafening. Caine’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he stared straight ahead. My heart pounded so loudly that I was sure he could hear it from where he was sitting. The words had tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, and now there was no taking them back. “Jas…” “No,” I cut him sharply. “Don’t start giving me excuses now. I know that’s what’s about to happen”. There was a delay in his speech. His mouth was shaking like he was searching for the right words. I sighed, leaning a little closer to him. “Just a yes or no answer, Caine. Do you have feelings for me?” “Why will you ask me that?” He returned, finally staring back into my eyes. I could feel the hurt in my chest, even before he said whatever was going to make my heart feel like it was being squashed by the walls in my body. “What do you mean by why will I ask you…” “You know I am dating Lucy, yeah. She’s your best
JASMINES POV The sun had stayed its descent, painting the sky with streaks of orange and red as the surfing party came together. I was helping set up the drinks, carefully arranging the bottles on the makeshift bar under the swaying palm trees. The sound of waves crashed against the shore, filling it with fresh air that mingled with the laughter of the pack as they worked around me. Yet, my focus kept slipping. My gaze drifted towards the shoreline, where Caine was surfing. His body swayed effortlessly against the waves, every movement controlled and graceful. The way the water gleamed against the tan of his skin made my heart race against my better judgment. “You’re staring,” Isha nudged me, tossing me with bottles of beer. I scoffed, burying my head in shame before turning away from the ocean. “I’m not,” “I saw you, Jasmine,” she said softly, returning to my spot with both hands resting on her waist. “If I were you I’d stare too,” she added, her face drifting back to the o
JASMINES POV Caine’s eyes held mine, steady and serious, a stark contrast to the carefree attitude he’d carried earlier. I tried to gauge whether he was serious or if the alcohol had gotten the better of him. The weight of his gaze pressed pinned me in place, and the soft rustling of the leaves around us only added to the strange intensity of the moment. “Caine…are you being serious?” I asked, pulling away from his face after we’d unintentionally gotten so close to each other. He leaned back slightly, his head tilted to the side as if contemplating how much he should reveal. “Pardon me, I should never have brought that up,” he pulled away and tried to stand. I grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the ground. “You were assigned to me to teach me how to take control of my wolf. If you know a way I could do that then why keep it a secret from me?” “Because it’s never been practiced after the last incident, and my father banned it,” he said, avoiding my eyes. He lifted the bottle
JASMINES POV“Leaving…why?” I asked my father who hadn’t sat since I walked into the office. He just filled me in on the plans of Alpha Morgan leaving the pack with his family. My heart raced with fear of Caine being along that relocation. “Is Caine going too?” He stopped pacing about, shaking his head in negation. “No, he’s staying,” he didn’t look comfortable with his answer. He finally turned to face me, his eyes heavy with an emotion I couldn’t describe. “In fact. Morgan plans on making him the next Alpha,”My heart sank at his words. Caine?Next Alpha?It was happening too soon. Even if we did expect it, none of us expected it to happen this soon. Why the sudden change of plans?I swallowed, rearranging the look on my face to hide my concern. “And? Does that bother you?”“The boy is young,” my father hosed. That was when I understood his pain and where all his restlessness was coming from. He’d probably expected Alpha Morgan to make him the next Alpha. He served the pack for
CAINES POVI stood at the end of the hallway, staring at Jasmine as she walked into her father's office. She stole one last glance at me, her eyes filled with anger and deep seething resentment towards me. If I was her, I would have felt worse. She went in, slamming the door behind her and leaving me standing in the silent corridor. “Are you just going to stand there staring at a door or will you come in?” My father's voice called from inside his office. I sighed, turning the doorknob and pushing the door in. Dave was already seated at his table, legs, and hands crossed as they awaited my arrival. I shut the door behind me and went further into the office, taking my seat on the couch far from the table. “I want you closer,” my father instructed as he took his seat. “There’s a lot to do in the pack, father. I would very much appreciate it if you just summarized whatever this little family reunion is about,” I blurted, stealing a glance at his wife, Dave’s mum, who was standing at
JASMINES POVThe next time I opened my eyes, I was lying on my bed, blinded by the lights coming from the bedside lamp. I groaned, turning to the other side to face the door. My head throbbed with pain as I sat up, mustering every strength in me to not fall back on the bed. Every breath I took felt like dragging air through shards of glass. “Jasmine,” a familiar voice called. Caine. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, which made it impossible to notice his presence because the bedside lamp only illuminated the head of the bed, leaving that part of the room dark. His usual stoic demeanor softened by concern, and he slowly stood up. “You’re awake. I waited all day and was already losing hope,” a scoff was laced with his voice. My lips parted to say something to him, but sharp pain seared through my head, closing my mouth immediately. Memories of what happened in Lucy’s house flooded my mind in fragments—the pain, the blood, the desperation…my claws slicing through Lucy’s fathe
JASMINES POVMy head throbbed with dull pain as my eyes stirred open. My body felt weak and my wolf was silent in my head, like she was never even there to begin with. I blinked away the fog clouding my vision and finally got a chance to see my environment.A fully white oak tad room, with a white ceiling hanging above me. The lights were white as well, at the center hung a thin silver rod. I tried to reach for it, but my hands didn’t move. They were strapped to the bed—I just realized. My legs too, and there was a leather strap wrapped around my waist. “Where am I?” I blurted, panic setting in as I scanned the other sides of the room. “Luce?” I called my voice suddenly getting shaky. My head was empty despite how hard I tried to reach for my wolf. “Lucy!” I called again, louder this time. Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the door. Slow, deliberate, with each step sending a chill down my spine. The door creaked open, and two elderly figures walked in. The man had a strik
JASMINES POVMy head throbbed with dull pain as my eyes stirred open. My body felt weak and my wolf was silent in my head, like she was never even there to begin with. I blinked away the fog clouding my vision and finally got a chance to see my environment.A fully white oak tad room, with a white ceiling hanging above me. The lights were white as well, at the center hung a thin silver rod. I tried to reach for it, but my hands didn’t move. They were strapped to the bed—I just realized. My legs too, and there was a leather strap wrapped around my waist. “Where am I?” I blurted, panic setting in as I scanned the other sides of the room. “Luce?” I called my voice suddenly getting shaky. My head was empty despite how hard I tried to reach for my wolf. “Lucy!” I called again, louder this time. Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the door. Slow, deliberate, with each step sending a chill down my spine. The door creaked open, and two elderly figures walked in. The man had a strik
JASMINES POV “Urm…I was in the…in the…” “Are you okay?” Lucy interrupted, running her fingers down my cheeks. “You’re crying, what’s wrong ?” She pulled me into a hug without waiting to hear what I had to say. I’m sure if I told her, she wouldn’t be holding me this close. “I’m…I’m fine,” I stuttered, cleaning the rest of the tears from my face. We pulled away from each other, and I saw the request boldly written on her face. It was the morning after the surf party, and as promised, I was supposed to follow her. “Are you sure you can still do this?” She asked, taking my hand with deep concern etched on her face. I nodded with a forced smile. “Of course. Why not? I’ll just quickly grab a bag,” I went to my wardrobe to select something better to wear. My door swung open, and Caine strode in hurriedly with my name in his mouth. He froze upon seeing Lucy. “Lucy…you’re…here,” he drawled questionably, stealing a glance at me right before they hugged and kissed each other. “Yeah
JASMINES POV The first rays of sunlight pierced through the shades of the branches surrounding us, waking me with a soft warmth that did little to ease the pain between my thighs. I shifted, wincing slightly at the pain—a sharp reminder of the night before. The memories flooded my head—his toughness, his whispers, the intensity of our connection, and the taste of his lips. But alongside the warmth and memories, came a heavy weight in my chest. Guilt. I stirred on the floor, glancing at Caine who was still asleep. He looked at peace, unburdened by the storm that ravaged my heart. I couldn’t stay—not with the kind of guilt that riled up in my chest. I slipped out of his hand, got dressed, and started making my way out. “Leaving already?” Caine’s voice halted me in my tracks. With a heavy exhalation, I turned to face him. His eyes were still heavy with sleep and locked into mine. “I…I,” I stuttered, still adjusting my bra hook which I think I may have mismatched. “I just neede
JASMINES POV “I…” I tried to say something else, but my knees went jelly, trembling as I fell. Caine caught me before I could make contact with the ground, gently placing me on the floor. He sat by my side, letting me use his shoulder as a resting board. But my wolf stirred in my head, restlessly wanting answers. I pulled away from Caine and stared into his eyes. “How is that even possible?” I asked, fear crawling into my body. He looked as shocked as I was, and then he shook his head with doubt. “I have no idea, Jasmine, but…urm…” “You didn’t know?” I cut him short. He gave no response, just staring into the wild. The cold air seeped into my skin, sending goosebumps around my body. I squeezed myself in and leaned closer to him. “But…” “You did well,” Caine interrupted. The sound of his voice was different this time—like he was excited. I smiled, fighting the thoughts of us being mates to the back of my head. It felt impossible to keep it aside, especially when he was sitti
JASMINES POV Caine’s eyes held mine, steady and serious, a stark contrast to the carefree attitude he’d carried earlier. I tried to gauge whether he was serious or if the alcohol had gotten the better of him. The weight of his gaze pressed pinned me in place, and the soft rustling of the leaves around us only added to the strange intensity of the moment. “Caine…are you being serious?” I asked, pulling away from his face after we’d unintentionally gotten so close to each other. He leaned back slightly, his head tilted to the side as if contemplating how much he should reveal. “Pardon me, I should never have brought that up,” he pulled away and tried to stand. I grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the ground. “You were assigned to me to teach me how to take control of my wolf. If you know a way I could do that then why keep it a secret from me?” “Because it’s never been practiced after the last incident, and my father banned it,” he said, avoiding my eyes. He lifted the bottle