JASMINE
"I know it's not fair on you. But, Goddess, Jasmine, I want you to know at least that I do care. I'm not trying to hurt anyone. I wish there was a handbook or something I could read so I knew what to do. But I feel like I'm just grasping at straws, and I keep pulling the wrong one."
I reflected on what he said, and I felt some empathy for him, understanding his struggle. But did he understand mine? I wasn't sure. He let me go and took my hand again so we could walk into the park. He led me over to a bench so we could sit down, and then turned toward me, putting his hand on my leg, rubbing my knee.
We sat there, looking at each other. I wrapped my arms around myself to warm myself as the cold breeze blew. Upon seeing my reaction to the cold, Luke pulled me against him. I snuggled into his warmth and the dulled sparks his body emitted as it touched mine through our jackets. The familiar feeling of calm and arousal came over me, and suddenl
JASMINEOn Sunday morning, I awoke to my phone vibrating next to me. I rolled over to find that Lucy's mother was texting me. I quickly unlocked my phone to see the text messages.Ivy: Good morning JasmineIvy: I hope you are well. We miss seeing you. Haydon and I do not have any hard feelings toward you and we both hope that you and Lucy will one day be able to be friends again.Ivy: I am messaging you as I hope you are still willing to meet my friend Katie and her son. They will be here for Thanksgiving and we made reservations at a restaurant on Wednesday for dinner. I can pick you up at 5. Lucy won't be there so no need to worry.I stared at my phone wondering why Ivy was so adamant about me meeting her old friend and son, especially If she wasn't even bringing Lucy. I had almost forgotten that I had bumped into her in the grocery store almost a month ago. It seem
JASMINE I woke to my alarm on Monday, quickly swiping it off and taking a deep breath. I readied myself for the day and promptly joined my parents downstairs to go to temple service. My stomach rolled and my limbs were weak. Not only would I see Luke at the service, but today was the day he was to verbalize his decision. I knew deep within me what it would be, but it didn’t make it easier to face his rejection so head on and fearlessly. My parents were silent in the car on the way to temple. The tension was so thick you could cut a knife through it. I’d never seen my parents like this in my life. Their bond normally seemed ideal—they agreed on almost everything, their minds an extension of each other’s. I had barely ever even heard the two of them bicker. It was the type of bond I wished for myself, though now that dream had departed. We took our normal place in the pews. Not long after we arrived, I spotted Blake and Luke taking their seats next to Blake’s parents. Blake glanced ov
JASMINEI looked at him and asked, "So what did you decide?""Right to the point, I see," he responded, sighing. "Let's enjoy our drinks first and then we'll talk. Are you hungry? I can also bring out some snacks.""I'm good," I replied, knowing I wouldn't be able to eat even if I were hungry."Let me know if you change your mind. It's not good to drink on an empty stomach.""Mm," I replied."So how was your weekend?""It was okay. How was yours?""Miserable," he took another drink and refilled his cup. I did the same and he topped me off."What was so miserable about it?""Come on, Jasmine, you know this is not an easy decision for me. I've been given an ultimatum and a limited amount of time to decide on the path for the rest of my life. That's a lot of pressure. I can't see the future, so there's no way to know if I'm making the right decision.""But you know in your heart what you reall
BLAKE I watched in horror as Jasmine doubled over and fell off the couch, just narrowly missing the coffee table. I shuddered as she screamed in agony at the rejection. Before I could think about what I was doing, I picked her up by her waist, her whole body convulsing. I quickly glanced back at Luke who was also doubled over on the couch, clearly also in pain, hesitating and wondering if I should try to help him too. His eyes locked with mine, red and brimming with tears. “It’s okay, Blake. Help Jasmine. I’ll be okay,” he wheezed out, grasping at his chest. I’d come back for him later and make sure he really was okay. At that moment, all I could think about was taking care of Jasmine. I swiftly grabbed my car keys from the entryway table and ran to my car, carrying Jasmine over my shoulder. I threw her into the passenger seat, sprinted to the driver’s seat, and was soon speeding toward the clinic. It was a quick drive. I parked haphazardly, pulled Jasmine out of the car, and ran in
JASMINE My parents brought me home on Monday night, picking me up on their way home from work. Dr. Luna told them what happened, so I didn’t have to. My mom didn’t say anything. She just sat in the front seat of the car as my dad walked me to the back seat. He then helped me up to my bedroom and into my bed. He looked at me, not speaking. I turned away from him, feeling shame at how pathetic I was being. I’d always read books and seen TV shows with female characters who withered away from heartbreak, and I hated that I was doing the same thing. But I couldn’t help it. The pain was debilitating. Not that I had personal experience with it, but I imagined it was similar to a bullet being shot through my chest. I stayed in bed for the remainder of the night, only rising to use the bathroom. It was the same all day Tuesday. My parents kept bringing me food that I ignored, not able to stomach it. On Wednesday morning, I received a text from Ivy reminding me of the dinner. I decided to igno
JASMINEKatie cleared her throat and said, "Well, Jasmine, this may be a bit of a shock, but Tyler's actually your half-brother."I practically choked on my apple juice. Both Jack and I stared at Katie."What!" Jack exclaimed. "Jasmine's uptight father knocked someone up in high school?"Katie laughed. "Drew, uptight? I mean, his parents, yes."Ivy joined in laughter. "He's changed quite a lot since you knew him. I think it's his mate.""To be honest, he had already changed significantly before I left. I shouldn't be too surprised."I felt a pain in my chest, and my lungs contracting, not able to speak. Suddenly everyone was looking at me."Are you okay, Jasmine?" Ivy and Jack spoke at the same time."Sorry, this is quite a lot, isn't it?" Katie asked."Will you be okay, Jasmine? Do you need to get some fresh air?" Ivy looked at me, concern on her face."Here, I'll take her outside," Tyler
JASMINE Ivy dropped me at home, and I thanked her again. I speed walked into the house, desperate to get back to wallowing in my misery. I was already imagining how comforting it would be to pull on my pajamas and crawl under my comforter, exiting the demands of the world. Although it was nice to get my mind off Luke for a little while, the sting in my chest wouldn't cease, and I could barely bring myself to feel normal. I swung the front door open to find my parents sitting on the couch. They both looked up at the sound of the door opening and shutting. “Where have you been?” my mom questioned as soon as I walked in, with pursed lips and a sour look on her face. “You left your cell phone at home. We tried mindlinking you and couldn’t get through. I hope you weren’t going outside the territory alone.” “I know about Katie and Tyler,” I simply replied, narrowing my eyes at both of them. My mom gasped and I turned to the stairs, having no desire to elaborate on or discuss my day. I wal
JASMINE Thanksgiving was at my grandparents’ house. I skipped out and stayed in bed, knowing I couldn’t possibly handle another social situation. My dad brought leftovers into my room. I picked at them, barely touching them. I called in sick for both my shifts that week, skipping out on work Saturday. After being the type of person who never called out, I realized I was becoming one flaky employee now. I could add that to my list of things I went from perfect at to bad at. I couldn’t even be bothered to do any schoolwork. I realized I didn’t even care what grades I got anymore. I was completely pathetic. I had no more motivation for anything in life. Maybe I could just decay in my bed slowly over several months until I was dead and didn’t have to suffer anymore. Early in the morning, on Sunday, when it was still dark outside, my dad came into my room and sat down on my bed. He put his hand on my back, gently shaking me awake, and said, “There’s someone here to see you. But I think y
ALEXANDER Well, that was an interesting way to meet my mate, to say the least. It almost wasn’t surprising when it happened. Okay, it was very unexpected and shocking, but I’m also one of those people who attracts drama and crazy situations. Needless to say, it is never a dull day in my life, and I never run out of stories to tell at parties. So, it was almost expected that I wouldn’t meet my mate the normal way. Most people meet their mates at a party or a café, they lock eyes from across a room, they go to the same park one day. You get the picture—there are hundreds of normal ways to meet a mate. Of course, I’m the one that meets my mate at my father’s murder scene, my mate being the number one and only suspect. If it weren’t so disturbing, I’d laugh about it. The Moon Goddess clearly has a sick sense of humor. Granted, my father was not exactly in the running for father or, heck, person of the year. But I’m not quite sure what crime he committed that deserved murder. Okay, okay,
BLAKE One afternoon, well into September, a mindlink for Luke and me came in while we were in the office together. “I smell a rogue in my patrol area.” Jack’s voice said in our minds. Luke and I both looked up at each other and instantly got to our feet. “Be right there,” I mindlinked Jack back. We both rushed outside, quickly shifted into our wolf forms, and sprinted over. When we got to him, Jack led the group in tracking the scent, inhaling the unpleasant aroma that had clung to the dirt and ferns just outside our territory. Rogues usually weren’t a big problem. It was just a matter of making it clear to them that this was pack land and that they should move away from the area. Every once in a while, we’d encounter a problematic rogue, one that had spent so much time in its wolf form that it became feral and refused to shift, occasionally attacking us. Those rogues were dealt with differently. But hopefully, this would just be the standard, run-of-the-mill, confused rogue. We fo
TALIA Upon finally succeeding in taking every last penny from me, Madam Coco came through and handed me a box with four darts inside. I’d deliberated on it for a while but eventually concluded that the darts were a much more efficient tool for infiltration and worth the extra cost. I didn’t even bother thanking her or saying goodbye, relieved that I’d never have to smell the disgusting mix of old lady perfume and cigarettes, or hear her raspy smoker’s voice, again. A few days later, on a warm Thursday in mid-August, Hugo drove me to his pack. We stopped at the entrance and exited the car, then we were brought to a small room. The werewolves who escorted us there wrinkled their noses at the sight of me, and I realized it must be my rogue smell. I let out a deep sigh. When we were waiting alone, I asked Hugo, “Is the smell really that bad?” He rubbed the back of his neck and said, “No, they’re exaggerating. It’s just a little unpleasant.” I nodded and wondered if he was just being po
TALIA The following day, Madam Coco summoned me to her office. As soon as I entered, I was met with the familiar scent of old lady perfume and cigarettes, the smell now more nauseating than it ever had been in the past. I tried not to breathe it in too much, becoming enraged with each breath. I forced myself to stay calm, digging my nails into my palms, barely able to look at her. She was a tiny woman, petite and always sporing a tan—her skin taking on a leathery appearance from spending so much time in tanning beds over the years. I wasn't sure of her exact age. If I had to guess—I'd say late fifties or early sixties. She gestured to a chair in front of her desk, barely looking up at me, flipping her long, platinum blonde hair behind her shoulders as I entered. I took a seat. She casually played with thick rings on her fingers. She loved jewelry and was always draped in it. Bought using my mom’s body and desperation. After dragging the silence out for far too long, she said, “Tali
Thank you for reading Wolfbane. This now begins book 2 of the series, Wolfblood, which introduces some new characters and also continues Jasmine and Blake's story. Please note that this book is quite a bit darker than the first one, and contains some triggers, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway! Happy reading!*** TALIA Dead. Killed in cold blood. The only person in the world I loved was taken from me, her heart ripped from her chest, leaving a gaping hole behind. The red splatter staining the wall of the bedroom indicated it had subsequently been thrown as if it were nothing more than a rotten fruit. Even through the acrid smell of blood, I could still smell him. He was the one who did it. He came almost every week, sometimes several times a week, going back years. In fact, I could not recall a time when he did not exist in my consciousness. He had always been obsessed with my mother. Now his smell invaded her bedroom; he couldn’t have left long ago as his rancid stench lingered,
JASMINE After getting home Saturday morning, I rushed to take a shower and change into new clothes. I was extremely late for work, having completely forgotten about my shift that day. I checked my phone as soon as I walked through the door of my house to find frantic messages from Valerie. I was supposed to be there at seven thirty and I ended up walking in at eleven to come face-to-face with Lucy. “Looks like Perfect Jasmine finally decided to grace us with her presence,” Lucy taunted me as I walked past her to drop my stuff off in the back and throw on an apron. “Where have you been?” Valerie asked, coming over to me. “Sorry. Late night,” I replied. “Got stuck far away because of the blizzard.” “Far away?” Valerie raised her eyebrow at me. “Never mind, you can tell me later. We have a line of customers. Get to work.” I went up front, taking my place to prepare orders as they came in, trying my best to avoid interaction with Lucy. I noted that she now had a proper baby bump, ver
BLAKE It was an amazing night. We had round two and round three after the first round, barely sleeping. Then, the next morning, after we woke, we had round four. I was practically singing as I drove Jasmine home and dropped her at her parents' house. I snuck into the packhouse and quickly showered and got dressed. Then I made my way downstairs to the office where Luke was already at his desk, concentrated on his laptop. "What's up, what's up!" I said as I walked in, a big smile on my face. "You're in an oddly good mood this morning," Luke looked up at me. "Too much coffee. Maybe I should get some more," I said, getting up and heading to the kitchen. I quickly poured myself a mug. "Good morning, Connie!" I shouted, looking over at her preparing some food. "Good morning, Alpha," she looked at me oddly. "Would you like me to make you some breakfast?" "Yes, that would be great!" I smiled, taking my mug and heading back to
JASMINE After Blake paid and signed the check, he took my hand and led me to a bank of elevators. I was surprised we managed not to break into a run as we made our way to our destination. As soon as we stepped inside the empty elevator and the door shut behind us, his mouth crashed against mine, kissing me urgently, nibbling on my lip, taking my tongue into his mouth. His large hands slid down my back until they found and cupped my ass. He swallowed the needy whimper that escaped my lips and I jumped into his arms. My thighs instantly found his hips, and he easily supported me when I wrapped my legs around him. My back collided with the wall as he pressed his whole body against mine. We were both desperate to be as close to each other as possible. I lost myself in the kiss, aroused with anticipation, fireworks exploding behind my eyes. My thighs were burning, my panties so wet I was sure Blake could feel it through my dress as his erection throbbed against me. The apex of my inner th
JASMINE Blake’s scent entered my nose. I turned to see him sitting down next to me. “Hey,” he said. “Hey,” I replied, looking at him. “Nice speech.” “Thanks.” “Sorry again about your dad,” I said, feeling emotional, touching his leg. “Thanks.” He looked down at his hands. “I see you recovered finally.” “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to text you, but I got caught up in pack duty stuff. I had to visit all the families of the fallen warriors and meet with the priest. It’s honestly been a lot.” He sighed. We sat silently together for a bit and then he spoke again. “Do you want to do something tonight?” “Like what?” “Just hang out. I’ve missed you. I’d like to spend some time with you.” “You know how my parents are.” “One second,” he said, getting up and walking toward my parents. I stood up, shocked by him approaching them so suddenly. I watched as he shook my father’s hand and spoke with him. After about a minute, he returned. “You’re a free woman. Let’s go!” “What did you say to h