Jasmine’s POV I woke up to the feeling of the Sun in my face. Knowing not to open my eyes immediately, I gradually blinked them open and turned my head away from the glare of the Sun rays shining through my open window. I looked around at the familiar sight of my room, wondering how I had gotten there for a moment before the memories of the previous day began to flood through my head. I remembered everything. Up until I had lost consciousness in scary Alpha’s study. I remembered even the dream I had about him. I had dreamt that he had been in my room and had somehow apologized about hurting me. I remembered how guilty he had looked in my dream and how he couldn’t look right at me. That was what made me sure that it was a dream. His entire being radiated power and confidence. There was no way he had felt guilt and had come to make sure I was okay. That reminded me of something else. Compared to the pain I had been in yesterday, I surprisingly felt good. I looke
Regan’s POV After what had happened in the training ground, I made sure to double my efforts in avoiding her, as well as Nana and Lena. It should not have been a big deal. And it wouldn’t have been if my major reason for avoiding her was simply because I felt guilty for hurting her, even though it was not intended. However, I had gotten a more profound reason to avoid her. And that reason was because of the fact that I had felt her gaze on me. It would not have been a problem if I had felt it in the way one could just feel someone watching or staring at you. That was not the case this time. The case - and herein laid the problem- was that I could feel the movement of her gaze in particular as it trailed over my body almost as if she was physically touching me. And she had not been the only one watching me. What had bothered me more was Rage’s reaction to the sensation she caused. He immediately became distracted and restless, trying to take a little control and get m
Jasmine’s POV In all my life, I had never seen such a sight. Lena’s words suddenly came to mind as I stood frozen in fear at the creature before me. Creature was the best word to describe him. A terrifying creature from nightmares. Lena had not been exaggerating when she had described him as terrifying. Rage, I remembered her saying, was his name. I had no idea how I knew it was him. Yet there was something inside of me that was left without a doubt that the terrifying creature that stood before me was the scary Alpha’s wolf. He was bigger than any wolf I had seen or even imagined. His fur was black as night with not one spot of color, and from the look of him alone you could just tell how dangerous he was. But what made the blood freeze in my veins, more than his form, were his eyes. His blood red eyes. Those eyes watched me, as if being able to see into my soul and predict my next move. It dared me to run in fear knowing that it would make no difference.
Regan’s POV If I had been avoiding Jasmine before, now I was completely ignoring her existence. And with good reason. Ever since our encounter in the woods with Rage, I was determined to not be anywhere close to her. Not that I was complaining, but the fragile she-wolf had turned my killer wolf with a deadly reputation and terrible temperament into a purring pup. I had never seen Rage act that way before.He had always been wary of interacting and always kept to himself, only coming out when I wanted him to. Whenever he did come out, he left destruction in his wake. I had felt a little guilty about how I had spoken to her in her room the last time. But I needed her to understand the kind of danger she could have been in. Not that I thought Rage would hurt her now after he had acted like a needy pup. But what scared me more than anything was that during that time in the forest, I had had absolutely no control over Rage. He had never taken complete control before
Regan’s POV Luke had been right about two things. The first being that telling Nana the truth was the best way to win her over, and that gifts would make my apology more appealing. However, he had been wrong about Lena. She had not been impressed about me trying to win her forgiveness by getting her dresses and pearls. Perhaps Luke didn’t know his cousin as well as he thought. Or perhaps I had hurt her more than we had both thought. Unlike Nana who had wrapped me in a hug after I had made my apology, promised not to do it again and presented my gifts, Lena had simply shot me a glare cold enough to turn me to ice before walking away from me. I had promptly gone back to my advisor to report about my half-successful plan. After expressing his exaggerated surprise at being wrong, he had simply sprawled on the bed in his room -where I had come to seek him- and said. “Simply do exactly what you did to Nana”, he said. “They are disturbingly similar, after all”, he h
Chapter 15Jasmine’s POV I stared at the scary Alpha in surprise, not quite believing I had heard him right. He had resumed coming for supper at the pack’s dining hall and from the attention he had gotten on arrival, it was clear to see that his pack had missed him. It seemed that his misunderstanding with Nana had somehow been resolved since she had seated herself to his right, rather than at her usual place on the other end of the table, in the other head seat. Instead, while she took his usual place, Luke occupied her seat at the other head chair and engaged both me and Lena in conversation throughout the meal. While I was not seated right beside him, I was seated beside Lena who was to his right. I had been slightly surprised when he had turned his entire focus to both me and his cousin, hardly relating at all with the werewolves seated to his left. He had regaled us with tales from his journeys to different places, including his visits to the werewolves in the West.
Regan’s POV I had meant it when I said that I wanted an answer from her by breakfast the following day. Rage’s behavior had helped me prove my point. I still could not believe Rage had made us do that. I ran I hand through my hair in frustration on remembering what had happened. He had taken control and grabbed her into a hug despite my warning. However, what had surprised me more than Rage’s actions was her response to his high handedness. I had expected her to freeze up in fear but her reaction was the exact opposite. Instead of being scared, she had buried her small hands in my hair and I could have sworn that she had taken a good whiff of my scent. That was enough to snap me back into taking control from Rage. That was the second time I had held her in my arms, the first being that day in the woods. I had already understood that the intoxicating scent of blueberries and vanilla belonged to her and could even track it if I wanted to. I did not want to. Rag
Jasmine’s POV I rode on Luke’s wolf to get to the unknown destination. For some reason, I had hoped that whatever meeting I was to have with the terrifying wolf would be at the place of our last encounter which wasn’t so far from the pack house. My hope was dashed the further Rage led us into the woods. We were going fast, but even I knew that neither of them were going as fast as they normally would because of me. Not for the hundredth time, I wished I had a wolf like everyone else. They ran for a while before we broke into a serene clearing and came to a stop. It was so peaceful that it felt like time had suddenly come to a stop. Everything seemed to either stand still or move in slow motion. I immediately took a liking to the place. Luke laid down on his belly so I could climb off him and moved to a corner under a large tree to lay there and watch us. I knew his presence was for my safety. Just in case Rage lost it and tried to harm me. Though a part of me
Jasmine’s POV It was a surprise to everyone at breakfast the next morning to see Luke seated to Regan’s left, and the two thoroughly engaged in conversation. I am sure Luke’s mate was surprised as well because we shared a glance of astonishment before turning back to watch our mates interact. It was as though Luke had never left. The only difference was, when before it would be very obvious that they were both mind linking the other, it had now become that they would openly speak to each other. I secretly believed they did that so that Lena could see. If she saw and was affected by it, she hid it well, keeping a blank and almoubored expression on her face and only interacting with the ladies and her mate throughout the meal. It was the bored expression that let me know that she was indeed affected. Lena was never bored. If she was, she created something to entertain herself and others. On the other had, the two friends who had obviously resolved whatever issues the
Regan’s POV It had been three days since Luke came home and I could still feel the awkwardness between us. Lena had still not relented in her mission to pretend he did not exist and for the most part, I felt sorry for him. Lady Zara was getting along famously with the ladies, who went out of their way to include her in every activity they performed. They had even taken her to their favorite place at the stream and it was clear to see that Lady Zara was thoroughly enjoying her stay in our pack. For my part, I was mostly confused. I did not know whether to have Luke perform duties around the pack, just as I normally would. But it was not the same. I did not even know if o could still refer to him as my Beta. We had not had a single meaningful conversation since his return. On one hand, his mate was the last relative of the deceased Alpha of Redclaw pack, which meant that he could take up the leadership of the pack as its Alpha if he chose to remain there with her. O
Jasmine’s POV If I had expected Lena to have forgiven Luke once she sore him, I and everyone else who had had similar thoughts were proved wrong. I had been surprised to look around and find her absent, only to return to the house to see that she had never left in the first place. I had known that Lena’s feelings had been hurt by Luke’s refusal to respond to the several letters she had sent him while he had been away. However, I had assumed that all would be forgiven once he returned home. I had assumed wrong. She had avoided seeing him all day and had remained in the privacy of her room until it was time for Supper. Then, she had emerged in all her cold beauty and proceeded to sit as far away from Luke at the dinner table in the pack house. Despite her avoidance of Luke and her ignoring of his existence, her cold treatment was never given to Luke’s mate, who she had pulled into a hug and gushed over how beautiful she was the moment Nana had introduced her. She had g
Regan’s POV It had been more than ten days since my warriors and I returned from our successful journey. I had received several letters from the Alpha and Luna of Nighthowl pack. Alpha Regan kept me informed on his progress with the Council of Elders while his Luna wrote to ask about my well being as well as that of my mate and our unborn pup. She also wrote to inform me that she had written to her distant nephew, the Alpha of Moonrock pack, and encouraged me to write to him, assuring me of his acceptance to hear of my request. After receiving that particular letter, I wasted no time in writing to the Alpha of Moonrock pack, convincing Alpha Gaiu to do the same on our behalf. He readily agreed, if for nothing else but for his mate sake, I suspected. However, despite writing and receiving letters, I had yet to receive a letter from the one person I had not realized I had wished to hear from the most. Luke. I had written and destroyed several letters I had meant to send
Jasmine’s POV Regan’s return brought a new light to my days. Once they had been welcomed and fed, each warrior returned to their respective homes. With his arm around my waist, my mate led us back to our home after our evening meal with the rest of the pack to welcome our warriors back. Mira had done an absolutely marvelous job at cooking up the most sumptuous meal for our supper. Everyone had eaten their feel and the mood was very merry. However, throughout the meal, Isla remained quiet as usual, only lightly conversing with Lena or other wise quietly watching and smiling to some antics the warriors did. Most of them were somewhat drunk and were obnoxiously loud. One thing that was clear to anyone with eyes was how much and how often most of the warriors who had returned -most of which were unmated - tried to gain Isla’s attention. At first, they had simply stared at her or passed her admiring glances. But once they started to drink, they grew bolder with trying to g
Regan’s POV Not long after we had taken our morning meal, after we had put Alpha Zolan to rest under the full moon the night before, my warriors and I were ready to continually our journey home. Lady Zara came to bid us farewell, expressing her gratitude for our presence and assistance. And though she did not say it, I could see her gratitude for me allowing Luke remain with her. I waved away her thanks, taking her hand and bowing over it before bidding her farewell. Then I turned to Luke. Our goodbye was a very casual affair as we both knew each other well enough to know that we did not want to get affectionate or create a scene. So we limited our goodbye to a nod and a brief handshake and patting of shoulders. As I turned around and began to walk away to join our warriors who were already gathered and waiting with our horses and supplies for our return home, I caught sight of Emry break away from the group and run past me to Luke. I did not turn around to watch what
Jasmine’s POV When I received another letter from Regan soon after the one telling me about his journey home, I knew it was not good news. The ladies and I were seated in Lena’s room, taking a much needed break from our daily activities when I received the letter. As I tore it open and began to read, I could feel the curious silence that took over the space. Disappointment settled in my stomach when I heard that their journey home had been delayed once more. But when I heard the reason, the feeling of disappointment instantly changed to that of concern and worry. As I finished reading the letter, I lifted my head to face the three pair of eyes already on me, no that eager to hear the news. “Their journey has been further delayed”, I announced. Both Lena and Amy sighed in disappearing but Isla did not look the least upset or even affected about the news. I could not blame her, it was impossible to miss people you had never even met. She did rest a sympathetic hand o
Regan’s POV No matter how eager I was to go home, I did not have it in me to deny Luke’s request to see his mate one more time before we went home. After all, it was still on our path home and would cost us no major discomfort or set back. That had been the right choice to make, for as we approached the entrance into the pack, a white cloth was spread across the entrance. Seeing that could only mean one thing. That Alpha Zolan of the Redclaw pack had passed into the world beyond. Upon seeing this, Luke pushed his horse to go faster, disregarding the normal protocol and I did not have it in me to stop him. I understood how he felt. He had thought only of his mate. I followed closely behind him, and once their pack warriors saw that the intruders were us, they did not make any further move to stop us. I watched as Lady Zara come out of the pack house alongside other pack members. Upon seeing Luke hastily dismounting from his horse, she ran towards him and straigh
Jasmine’s POV Considering how worried I had been about her being accepted into my pack, Isla had fit in quite well. She and Lena had finally started to get along, seeing that they had some things in common. I would even go as far as saying that they had become close friends. Well, as close as one could be as a friend to someone who was used to being alone and valued her alone time over all else. Isla and Lena could not be more different if they were light and day. With Isla’s cool beauty and reserved demeanor, and Lena’s bright attitude and attractive features, they were very different. But somehow, thanks to efforts from mostly Lena who was determined to find something in common with my cousin, they had become good friends. Isla still disappeared to my garden or Nana’s garden whenever Lena became too much for her to cope with, but other than that, she seemed to have gotten used to Lena’s company and even seemed to have grown fond of her. Nana and Gaia had also gro