Page 21 of Jasper

“Okay.”

“Stay put. Don’t leave under any circumstances.”

“I hear you.”

They both got out of the SUV and she shivered, not that it was cold—it was warm and humid—but because she was nervous about everything that was going to happen.

Jasper put his hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be fine. We’ll get your parents and get back here. Then we’ll head back to the park as fast as possible.”

“We?”

She gazed up at him, wishing she could really see him clearly.

He waited a beat, then said, “I want you to come back to the park with me because we need to talk, and I think your parents need to be part of that conversation too.”

“They might not come, they might stay and fight.”

“That’s on them,” he said with a shrug. “This isnotmy fight. Your parents were always good to me, and I owe your dad.” He gave her a narrowed look. “Stay the hell put.”

“Iwill, geez.”

He gestured behind the wheel, where the engine hummed quietly. Behind her was another vehicle with someone behind the wheel. She climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled it forward.

“Listen,” he said gently, “I’m trying to stay focused on the job ahead. By all accounts, this Ludo character is unhinged and dangerous, and that puts my friends at risk. But I’m not mad at you because I think we were both coming from a place of misunderstanding earlier. We didn’t talk, we kind of shouted at each other, and nothing was resolved because we didn’t have time. So just trust that I do want to talk about our past and I do know that you’re my soulmate, no matter that seven years have passed. Just give me time to get there, okay?”

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

She very much wanted to hug him, but instead she nodded. “Thanks, Jasper. You’re mine too. Be safe.”

He nodded and shut the door quietly. She put the window down and said in a loud whisper, “Be. Safe.”

“Iwill, geez,” he parroted back at her, and she grinned.

He disappeared into the trees with his friends.

She put the window up and adjusted the seat so she could get close to the pedal and steering wheel since he was quite a bit taller than her, and then she settled back in the seat.

Be safe, she urged silently, as she stared into the darkness and waited.

It wascloudy when they passed through the woods, so the moonlight didn’t filter through the thick canopy of trees. But Jasper didn’t need much light to see because of the enhanced eyesight of his wolf. Alfie had gone ahead to scout the prison, which was a concrete building with cells and only one entrance. He’d never been put in the prison, but he’d been shown it as a teenager with others his age as a deterrent to pissing off the alpha.

Some people learned the lesson quickly, others didn’t. Jasper never wanted to be imprisoned and at the mercy of the temperamental alpha, so he’d toed whatever line the alpha wanted him to. Up to and including leaving to keep Melody safe.

He heard footsteps in the quiet of the woods and paused, along with Indio, Lucius, and Patton. Alfie came into view.

“One guard outside the door and one walking the perimeter,” Alfie said.

“Anyone patrolling the woods?” Jasper asked.

“Not that I could smell or hear,” Alfie said.

The plan was pretty simple because simple worked best in these situations: strike fast and silently, take out the guards, find Finn and Viola, and set them free. Then get the fuck out of Dodge.

“Let’s do this,” Jasper said.

They moved through the woods as a unit, using the trees and shadows for cover. Jasper didn’t scent anyone patrolling the woods either, which told him that Ludo didn’t think there were any threats from outside the pack’s territory.

The prison came into view. Spotlights along the roof cast bright yellow light along the stone walls. There were lights on inside the prison, visible through the barred windows that were a good six feet above ground.

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