Page 35 of Jasper

Her eyes pricked at the sweet words.

“Let’s go meet your alphas, and then I’ve got some ideas for how to pass the time.”

“I thought you were going to hang out with your parents?”

“I am, but later.”

“Ah.” He took her hand and they walked down the stairs. “Tell me about these ideas.”

“Well, the first one starts off in the kitchen…”

“So Joss is really intimidating at first,” she told her mom as they walked through the park later that afternoon. Her dad was with them, walking on her mom’s other side, but he was quiet, which told her he was thinking about the night ahead of them.

The park was open and there were humans around, so Jasper had told them to stick to the edges of the park near the fences so that they could speak freely. They’d made one circuit aroundthe park and got a bag of colorful candied popcorn to share, and now they were on their second trip, passing by the apartment complex.

“But he and Jeanie are the nicest people,” she continued. Jeanie was so welcoming and kind, and Joss clearly thought a lot of Jasper. It was easy to see that Jasper respected him and Jeanie too.

“I’m glad,” her mom said. “When will you have the ceremony?”

“The next full moon.” It was a couple weeks away and gave them time to really get to know each other again. In some ways it was like they picked up right where they left off before he was exiled, and in other ways they were not the same people they were back then.

So despite them knowing each other well, they still needed to date and start over.

She stopped walking and her mom did too, her dad not realizing they’d stopped until he was a few yards ahead. As he returned to join them, she kept her voice low and said, “Are you sure this is safe for you guys? I don’t want you to get hurt trying to take the pack back.”

“Your father is a strong male, and we can’t leave our people in danger. I’m sure that it will be difficult, and dangerous of course, but it’s something we have to do.” She squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll be fine, I promise.”

“I hope so. I really want my kids to have grandparents, and if you shuffle off into the afterlife, then who will they call Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Well, now we really need to be careful,” her dad said with a chuckle. He sobered and said, “I promise I’ll keep your mom safe. She won’t even be with me in town. I’m going to leave her at Talia’s house while I get Talia’s mate and her father to help me take control.”

According to their plans, her dad was going to gather as many males as he could from those who weren’t imprisoned and then strike Ludo and his people at night, the same way they’d done to the original alpha and others. Ludo would die at her dad’s hand, she was sure of it, but she also knew that life didn’t always go the way it was planned and what her dad was attempting was inherently dangerous.

Melody’s skin prickled with awareness and she tilted her head and inhaled, sorting through the scents in the air.

“Dad?” she whispered.

He snarled and his eyes flashed to amber. “Someone’s here.”

Melody turned to look behind her, worried someone was sneaking up on them. But she didn’t see anyone and the path behind them was clear. As she slowly turned to scan the apartment complex, her mom gasped and she saw several males stalk from the side of the building.

She didn’t recognize them, but her parents clearly did.

“Melody, run and get help,” her dad ordered. Claws sprang from his fingertips and he growled. “Turn around and leave, there’s nothing here for you but blood and death.”

“Strong words from a male all alone,” the one in the lead said with a sneer.

Melody was frozen, caught between the need to help her parents and get Jasper.

Where were the security guards she’d seen around the park? How had these males gotten in?

“Melody,” her mom pleaded.

The males rushed her parents and Melody spun to run away, turning right into the broad chest of a tall male. He grabbed her roughly, slapping a hand over her mouth and nose, and lifting her off her feet. She kicked and struggled, pulling and scratching at his arm to let her go.

Her oxygen was gone and her lungs burned as he carried her away from her parents. Vision dimming, ears ringing, Melody succumbed to the darkness, her last thoughts on Jasper.

Jasper would have preferredto stay in bed with Melody all day, but she wanted to spend time with her parents and he hadn’t wanted to intrude on that time. She was worried about them going to confront Ludo, but Jasper knew that Finn was a smart male and would succeed in freeing his people and taking control of the pack.

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