CHAPTER 8

JASMINE

The silence that followed was deafening, almost scaring me out of my position. Caine stood before me, eyes seeing around like he’d just found a lost treasure.

“I’m searching for Lucy. Any idea where she might be?” I asked, exchanging glances with the rest of the group.

“Errands,” Caine replied. His voice sounded thicker and deeper than the last time we spoke.

“Ohh…when she returns please tell her I stopped by,” I said to him and turned to leave.

“Jasmine,” he called. I halted in my tracks and turned to him. He seemed to be contemplating approaching me. At first I thought he was seeking approval from the rest of the gang. Hell no. He was freaking Caine Creek. He didn’t need anyone’s approval.

He gestured for them to leave, which they did.

“You…just show up from nowhere after how many years?” He asked, covering the gap between us. There was no need to be scared this time. I was better than the last time we stood this close.

The closer he got, the harder my heart raced. I forced a small smile to hide the anxiety growing in me and stood firm.

“Not like you care, Caine. Look, I'm just here to see Lucy. Since she’s not here, then tell her I’ll be back,” I said and turned to leave again. But this time, his palm wrapped around my arm and pulled me back.

“You just got here, Jasmine. Why leave so soon?” He asked, staring into my eyes. I couldn’t find the words to describe the feeling coursing down my nerves.

“Take your hands off me, Caine,” I muttered, trying to keep the drama low between us. Unfortunately, the rest of the group saw the way he pulled me and hurried their way toward us. Harper led them, looking like he was going for war.

“Yo, Jaz! You show up from nowhere and choose to assault the next alpha,” he blurted, but his words sounded like a comedy to my ears. Whosoever let Caine go down the lane of that title must really have been asleep when doing it.

There was nothing different about him. The little praises showered on him by my father were all absent. I scoffed, turning to Harper after Caine let go of my hand.

“Let her be, Harper. She’s here to see Lucy,” Caine broke the growing silence. My heart leaped in surprise. Did he just ask them to leave me alone? I fought the urge to turn back to him and decided to walk away.

But Harper stood in my way.

“It’s Jasmine for Christ sake! The little, red haired medium rare! Why are we acting like she’s some different person? Or is it because of the hair?” Harper asked, reaching for my hair.

I tilted to dodge his hand, but he aggressively pulled my hair. Instinctively, I kneed his crotch and pushed him away, leaving him wincing in pain as Imani attended to him.

Jerry, Jojo and Spencer burst into a peal of laughter, mocking Harper. I glanced at Caine, a hint of impression lurking behind his small smile. When he noticed I was looking at him, his smile vanished and he cleared his throat.

“You’ll know when Lucy returns. I’ll make it. Leave now before Harper recovers,” he advised. I still had more to say. Maybe challenging Harper. But that was too soon. By the way, I wasn't good at controlling my wolf yet.

I left and made my way to the diner to visit Maria. Unfortunately, it was locked. Very unusual. Maria never closed before six pm, and it was just past six. I walked up to the teens playing by the side of the diner.

“Hey,” I drew his attention politely. “What time was the diner closed today?” I asked.

“They never opened today,” he replied and returned to his ball. I sighed, taking in the newly decorated view. It was the only thing that seemed to have changed around here. Everything was the same. Everyone, inclusive.

I made my way home only to find my father deep asleep on the couch. He was almost out of the chair when I walked in. I helped him lie properly, covered him up and sat on the chair opposite.

Was this his karma?

I mean this was the exact state my mother found herself after the divorce. She became someone I couldn’t recognize. Luckily for her, she found another Mr.right who took her out of that misery.

If this was what the mate bond did to people, or a divorce, or heartbreak, then I sure wasn’t ready to find the true one. My breakup with Bryan was something I foresaw and prepared myself for. It happened faster than I expected.

I returned to my room and began unpacking my bags when my phone rang. It was my mother.

“Sweetie,” she called.

“Mum,” I answered. There was a minute of silence, and I knew what the delay was about. “Just go ahead and ask mum,” I said, putting the phone on speaker and continuing my arrangement.

“How’s he?” She finally asked.

A deep sigh escaped my mouth, unsure of the words to describe my fathers’ situation.

“He’s…keeping up. He’ll be fine. I…”

I was interrupted by her calling her new child who seemed to be doing what he wasn’t supposed to.

“I’ll talk with you later hun, take care,” she hung up before I could say another thing. That’s how it’s been since she moved in with her new man.

I came across a wolf guide in the course of arranging my bag, gifted to me by Bryan on my last birthday—The day before we broke up after I caught him cheating. We’d always practiced together every night, trying to awaken the wolf in me and teach me how to control it.

Now he was gone, I was left to do it myself. I was about to begin when my phone beeped. A text from a familiar number.

Caine? I muttered after seeing the sender's name.

“Lucy’s back. Come over,” it read.

I wasn’t sure where my growing excitement was coming from.

The fact that this was Caine’s first time texting me after having each others’ contact for years. Or the fact that Lucy was back.

I grabbed my bag, arranged my hair and set out to the pack house. It was just a stone throw away from mine. Weirdly, it was silent. Too silent for an environment where the group were found together.

I knocked twice on Caine's door and it flung open immediately, like he was waiting for me.

“Is she in?” I asked, stretching to look over his broad shoulder.

“She’ll arrive in a few minutes. Until then, it’s just the two of us,” Caine answered, causing me to swallow harder than I ever had in the past six years.

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