Page 25 of Jasper

“What’s going to happen to the pack?” Melody asked.

“Well,” Finn said, “hopefully Cray hid the keys and can get himself and the others free at some point. Once we get to the park, I’ll need a vehicle so I can get back up there and help.”

“Dad,” Melody said, “by the time we get to the park and you get back, it’ll be daylight.”

“She’s right,” Jasper said. “You should wait to time it until dark. You need to eat and rest, anyway. You two look like you’re about to drop.”

“They didn’t feed us, but it’s only been two days,” Viola said. “Feels like longer, though.”

“I’m sorry you were both taken,” Melody said.

“We’re glad you weren’t home,” Viola said. “Did you hear from Ellie? Are she and her mom okay?”

“They’re fine,” she said. “I didn’t tell her where I was because I didn’t know if someone might look at her phone.”

“That’s smart,” Jasper said. “I’m sure she and her mom will be safe. It sounds like Ludo only went after the high-ranked males to make sure everyone would stay in line and not challenge him.”

“He only came in with somewhere around ten males,” Finn said. “I still can’t believe he got through the patrols and did so much damage, but we definitely were not prepared for an attack.”

“It’s rough out in the open like that,” Jasper said. “The park has high stone walls, security around the clock, plus motionsensors and cameras everywhere. We’ve had some issues in the past, but we always upgrade whenever we find a deficit.”

“It sounds really safe,” Viola said. “I’m glad.”

The rest of the ride was quiet, and while Jasper could tell Melody was tired, she wouldn’t rest. Her mom dozed off a bit toward the end of the drive, but otherwise there was a weird, uneasy silence until they reached the park.

“Where are you going?” Melody asked as Jasper stood outside of the apartment she’d been in the day before. Her parents were inside, helping themselves to the food and drinks in the refrigerator.

“I have to check in with my alpha,” Jasper said.

She stepped out of the apartment and pulled the door shut. “I was hoping we could talk.”

“We can,” he said, looking down at her. “But you need to talk to your parents first, and I have to go over things with my alpha plus the others in the park. I’ll come over for breakfast and we can deal with everything.”

She blinked up at him, wanting to ask him to stay with her or take her with him. Or something. “I don’t want you to go.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “Rest, sweetheart. I’ll see you later in the morning.”

She watched him until she couldn’t see him anymore, and then she just stared into the darkness of the park. She could make out the buildings and hear the animals in the distance, and she knew that there were males patrolling the park who would ensure they were safe.

Not that she thought Ludo would come for them. He couldn’t possibly know who’d helped get her parents free or where they’d gone, so they were safe, she was sure of it.

Turning on her heels, she went back into the apartment.

“So let’s talk,” Melody said when she found her parents at the kitchen table eating sandwiches.

Her mom put her sandwich down and said, “Aren’t you hungry? Would you like to eat something? We could talk later, you know. After a good rest.”

“Mom,” Melody said. She folded her arms and leaned against the counter, facing them and trying not to scowl too deeply at them.

Her dad finished his bite and took a long drink from a tall glass of ice water. As he set the drink down, he said, “No, Vi, it’s fine. She deserves to know the whole truth.”

Her wolf perked up as she waited for her dad to speak.

“When you were seventeen and Jasper was eighteen, he came to me and asked if I would support your mating, and I said of course. You’re soulmates, and I wasn’t in the business of standing in the way of that. I gave him my blessing and he went to speak to Grimes. But Grimes didn’t like that you couldn’t shift.”

Her dad stopped speaking for a moment.

“I knew that,” she said. “He always looked down on me.”

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