4.

Jasper

The events of the previous day were still fresh in my mind. I jerked awake feeling a dull yet excruciating pain in my chest. It felt like my heart had been ripped from its place and all I could feel was emptiness —a deep, deep void.

As much as I tried to function I soon realized just how difficult it was going to be. Some hours ago I couldn't realize my life without Bridget and if someone had said I'd go through it sooner than later I'd have called them crazy.

I lost the will to get out of bed which was strange because I was naturally an early bird. Now I was just a mess. A shell of the man I once was.

My eyes were droopy with bags under my eyelids. I hadn't been able to sleep all night as Bridget's words haunted my every thought.

I tried to think of a logical explanation as to why she had said what she did but there was none. There was no way around it.

Time went by fast while it moved slowly for me. I felt like a specter— an observer, yanked away from the activities of reality.

Leaving my room wasn't an easy task but I managed to achieve it— a move I soon regretted. The faces I saw in the hallway looked at me with eyes full of pity. Their concealed snickers and hushed whispers cut through me painfully and slowly like the blade of an amateur. Even the servants were talking about it.

Never! I promised myself. I'll never let any woman toy with me. Never again.

Halfway through my stroll, I was inclined to run back to the safety of my room. A guard approached me, keeping his head bowed he said, "I'm sorry, sir. The Alpha summons you."

He stepped aside.

I passed him and made my way to my Father's quarters. I could only imagine what he wanted to talk to me about.

He sat behind his big oak desk in his study with a wine glass in front of him. He was an imposing figure and his strength and might made me feel small.

I greeted him and bowed.

He studied me for a moment without saying a thing. Just when I thought the silence couldn't get worse he said, "How are you?"

I thought about his question for a moment unsure of how I was going to answer him.

"I'm fine," I said, shrugging.

He sighed. "You don't look fine. Hell, you don't sound fine either."

It irritated me to know he could read me so easily. His cold steel eyes never left my face.

I took the seat in front of him. "I'll be fine."

He watched me for a moment and without saying a word, he nodded. There was understanding and a bottomless pool of wisdom etched in his eyes.

"You'll be fine. I know it," he said in a gravelly voice. "I know because you're my son. My heir."

Pride twinkled in his eyes as he watched me but I was too numb to feel the impact.

"I want you to do something about the talks. They're all talking about it." His eyes were suddenly serious. He edged closer from his chair and said, "It's time for you to make a move. Silence their venomous talks."

"But—"

"There's no buts, Jasper." He said shaking his head. "You have to do this for the pack to run smoothly. There's no way around it."

I wanted to tell him how I didn't care about what they were saying. I wanted him to know how I no longer cared about anything but I knew saying that was only going to open another can of worms.

"Alright father," I said without conviction. "Can I leave now?"

He regarded me for a moment and without a word, he nodded.

I left the room feeling exactly as I'd felt before our talk— empty and void. The point he made was important yet somehow it didn't matter to me. Nothing mattered to me anymore. The pack, what they were saying about me, my life— none of it mattered anymore.

My memories with Bridget haunted me as I made my way back to my room. I could almost smell her scent, her irresistible scent.

I tried to shut the memories completely from my mind. The internal struggle was tearing me apart and it put my emotions in a twist.

As I reached the hallway leading to my room the phone vibrated in my pocket. Bridget!

My heart raced as I fumbled inside my pocket for it. I tried to be casual but my fingers were shaking badly. Relax. Get it together.

I sighed in relief when I saw the caller ID. It wasn't Bridget. How could it be? There was no reason she should be calling me after all she said.

"Hey," I said numbly into the phone.

"Hey, buddy. How are you doing?" Chester asked, his voice cheerful.

I was getting sick of having to answer that same question over and over. How are you doing? Suddenly I'd turn into a sorry pity case for everyone around me.

"I'm okay, man." I managed to say after a moment.

"Bullshit. Look, I know how you felt about Bridget. I know you would have pulled down the damned moon for her if she asked. What happened yesterday was— unexpected. It was diabolical."

I took a deep breath and tried to sound unaffected but I felt like my heart had been ripped apart all over again when he mentioned her name. "It's okay," I said in a choked voice.

Chester was the closest thing I had to a best friend and he always looked out for me since we were kids. It warmed me to know I had his support especially now.

"I need a solid." He said after going through the process of having his definition of 'small talk'.

I hesitated before saying, "What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?"

He chuckled nervously. I could hear the mischief in his voice as he said, "You know how they say it's dangerous playing with fire?"

I sighed. "I remember saying those exact words."

"Well." His breath sounded like static through the phone. "Now I know what you meant."

I didn't need a psychic to know what happened. Chester loved performing dangerous experiments from time to time that always failed resulting in accidents that ranged from minor sparks to full-blown atomic-level blasts.

"How bad is it?"

There was a brief silence. "I'm not sure but the doctor keeps making a fuss about it. I need you to do me a solid and pick me up."

"From the hospital?"

"Yes. From the hospital."

I cursed silently. I had planned to waste away behind the walls of my room and wait for oblivion to swallow me and everything until there was nothing left but the sweet peaceful void. But—

"I'll be there," I said finally and ended the call.

Despite feeling like crap, I left the pack house just as the moon made its way over the starless sky. I was grateful for the drive because it helped ease most of the bitterness encircling my heart. Even though I was far from okay I felt better as I walked to the entrance of the hospital.

Suddenly I froze unable to move as a girl stormed past me. She didn't notice I was staring at her as she rushed out. There was something about her that pulled at my entire being. It was a strong magnetic tug that left me breathless.

No! Don't forget what Bridget did. It hasn't been 24 hours. How do you know she's not any different, I thought, gritting my teeth. Yet I found myself following her.

The girl rounded a corner and broke into tears. She collapsed onto the pavement and looked up into the night sky. "Moon goddess, why must you test me like this? Why must you subject me to such suffering?"

The pain in her voice crushed me. It was deep and I could almost feel what she felt. She yelled saying, "How could I possibly gather a million dollars in such a short period for my sister's medical expenses? Tell me!" 

Her voice echoed and it reached the depths of my soul. She was in so much pain and anguish. It wasn't my business but I couldn't sit back and watch her suffer without doing anything.

Suddenly it hit me. An idea so crazy and yet it felt like the right thing to do. I approached her cautiously and said, "Maybe I  have a solution to your problems."

I approached her and stood in front of her. Her eyes went round as she gasped in shock. Everything around us faded away and the only thing left were her eyes. A jolt ran the length of my spine and I felt a tightness in my throat.

It was only now I realized just how absurd my offer was going to sound to her once I said it out loud. Taking a deep breath, I said, "I will pay for your sister's treatment and every other bill if you agree to be my Luna for a year."