Chapter Three

TWO MONTHS LATER

Climbing off the car, I swallowed deeply, the pack house in front of me was almost two times the size of the one back home and I felt my palms sweat. 

When Luna Yasmin proposed the idea of moving to America for a while, I agreed very hesitantly, after all, we were at her mercy, but the last thing I expected was to be brought to one of the biggest, most notorious packs in werewolf history. 

Stories of Alpha Allison’s victory over the rogue uprising spread far and wide, she was a legend. After our pack had been devastated by the rogue attacks that took place five years ago, none of us ever expected that we would recover from that, but after a trip to the Blue Moon pack, Luna Yasmin returned to Gwydir with her mate and born Alpha in tow, ready to fix what was broken and our fate was restored. 

“Oliver, Yasmin, welcome back!” A handsome young man approached us with a wide smile on his face. 

“Jacob it’s very good to see you both!” Alpha Oliver embraced the man while his wife timidly greeted Luna Yasmin with a hug. 

“You remember Harry and Lucas,” She pointed to the Theta and head guard that joined us on the trip, “this is Sophia and Ben Hastings, Allison has invited them to stay with you guys for a while.” Luna Yasmin pointed out making Ben and I shift awkwardly on our feet.

“Hi.” Ben voiced and I waved timidly.

“Hi, I’m Beta Jacob and this is my mate, Rosie. You all must be exhausted after the long journey, Rosie has prepared rooms for all of you in the pack house.” The Beta smiled at all of us and winked at Olsin who hid shyly behind her mother’s leg. 

“Thank you, Jacob.” Alpha Oliver thanked him and motioned for us all to follow them inside, “If I may ask, where are Devin and Allison, I hope everything is okay?” 

Beta Jacob grinned widely, “Everything is perfect, Allison went into labour early this morning and just a little while ago Devin announced the arrival of their healthy baby boy.” Luna Yasmin’s face lit up at the mention and everyone congratulated them. 

“That’s wonderful news, I cannot wait to meet them.” Luna Yasmin gushed, it was evident on her face how happy she was for her friends. 

“She had a difficult labour, but thank the Moon Goddess she pulled through, she’s resting now.” Beta Jacob supplied. 

“The six rooms on the right are all yours. Please let us know if you need anything” The beta female pointed down a long hallway. 

“Thanks, Rosie, we will do so.”    

~~~

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Jas asked suddenly breaking my concentration and I looked up at him. 

“I want to be a midwife like my mum,” I answered without a moment’s hesitation, I always admired what she did and I could only wish to be as good as she was. 

“Eew, babies.” He pulled his face, but a smile broke through his demeanour.

“What, they’re cute!” I defended, slightly offended by his comment and he threw his hands up in surrender. 

“Nothing, nothing.” He chuckled and I rolled my eyes. 

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I tilted my head at him, watching how his eyes lit up with possibilities. 

“A great explorer who travels the world looking for hidden treasures and discovering abandoned castles in dark, unexplored caves.” I couldn’t help but smile at the passion with which he spoke, he was so sure of himself. 

“Our very own Indiana Jones.” I teased and he grinned. 

“Don’t worry Fia, no matter how far my travels take me, I’ll never forget you.” He nudged my shoulder and stared ahead, no doubt planning his first adventure already. 

Sometimes I wondered what he was doing sitting beside me, the same adventurous boy who wandered into rival pack lands and sought danger simply to risk finding something amazing was silently sitting beside me as I drew, seeming completely content.

“It’s okay if you do, I’ll always remember the days you spent with me instead of being off on your next greatest adventure.” I continued to scribble on the page, unable to meet his eyes and show him the vulnerability in them. 

“Fia, do you know what an adventure is all about?” He asked and I looked up, shaking my head. “As much as it’s about the journey and the struggles to making your discovery, it's the final treasure you find that holds true value and I don’t mean a treasure you’re content seeing only once,” Jasper said and shuffled onto his back so his head lay in my lap. 

Staring down at the boy with my hands buried in his hair I felt my heart beat wildly in my chest. I didn’t know what he was implying, but his words had me wishing for a future the way he pictured it.  

“Are you sure you really want to become a great adventurer then?” I smiled slyly, rethinking his words. 

Jasper pondered on the idea for a short while before scrambling up, “Will you wait for me?” He locked eyes with me, staring me down with such intensity, goosebumps raised on my arms. 

“Do you promise you’ll always come back to me?” My heart thudded in my chest. 

“As long as I live, I’ll always come back to you.” Jasper stroked my cheek with his knuckles, leaving a trail of tingles beneath his touch. 

“Okay, I’ll wait.” My voice was barely above a whisper. The effect of his touch was too much for my poor little heart to handle. 

We were young and naive and our promises would probably amount to nothing, but as Jasper leaned in closer, never breaking eye contact with me, I prayed they would turn out to be true. 

My eyes fell shut just as Jasper’s lips landed on my cheek, just barely brushing the corner of my lips and my whole body erupted in butterflies. 

“What was that for?” I blinked up at him. 

“Think of it as my pinky promise.” He winked and again my already wild heart pounded faster. 

“A normal pinky promise would have sufficed.” I dropped my gaze, wishing away the intense redness on my cheeks. 

“Then I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to see you blush.” He smirked. 

“Meanie.” I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest as I looked away from him. 

“One day, Fia. One day.” He promised, pulling my back into his chest. 

Is this what love feels like?