Page 8 of Jasper

I’m safe but hiding. People took my parents,she texted Ellie. Knowing that someone could check her phone for messages from Melody, she continued,I got out of town. I don’t know what to do, but I’m scared to be in town. Be careful. Love you.

She turned off the ringer and notifications, then tucked the phone into the pocket of her pajama shorts.

As she ducked down farther into the old root cellar, she decided to wait out the day and try to get to her parents once the sun set. She just hoped to hell she didn’t get caught.

Melody had learned at a young age how to track game. Back when her father had assumed she’d be able to shift, he’d taught her valuable tracking skills so she’d be ready to take on the forest when her wolf came out. Even though she didn’t have a furry beast to call to her aid, she still knew how to track, and she used those skills now to watch the patrols as they moved through town once the sun set.

The patrols were made up of males she didn’t recognize. They kept to a pattern of trailing around the perimeter of the town once an hour and circling the prison every half hour.

She’d taken a tour of the prison once as part of their pack’s school, so they could see what happened to wolves who didn’t abide by the rules of the pack. She’d never wanted to know what it felt like to be locked in the small rooms, so she’d promised to always follow the laws.

It took an hour for her to traverse to the other side of town without being caught and make her way to the prison. Now here she was, unsure of who was in charge or what would happen to the pack members in the cells.

There was a guard posted at the entrance to the prison. The cells were at the back of the concrete building, and each had a barred window to let in fresh air.

The windows were a good foot over her five-five frame, so she couldn’t see inside. She inhaled silently and listened for the murmuring of the people inside.

She picked out six of the high-ranked males, the ones that had been most loyal to Alpha Grimes. Then she finally heard her mom’s quiet sobbing.

Melody backed up a bit and then ran toward the concrete wall, using her foot to propel herself up so she could grip the ledge of the window. As she grasped one of the bars to hold herself up, she whispered, “Mom?”

“Melody? What are you doing here? Run away!”

“What’s going on? I’m scared. I was hiding out all day. People were in the house.”

There was the scrape of something being moved and her dad’s hand, rough with callouses, covered hers. “Honey, a male named Ludo Stallard killed Alpha Grimes and his mate and their son in a coup. While we were sleeping, his people stole into the homes of the high-ranked males and grabbed our mates, threatening to kill us if we didn’t come along quietly. I fought but was overpowered, and they hurt your mom. She’s okay now, but we’re in danger.”

“What should I do?”

“You need to get Jasper. He can help set us free and fight with us.”

She nearly let go of the bar in her surprise. “What? Jasper? My Jasper?” she whispered harshly.

“Yes, honey.”

“No way! He’s an asshole and disloyal. No way would he help.”

Her dad sighed. “You don’t understand, Melody. He left to protect you. Hewillcome here, I know it.”

No way would the male who broke her heart and disappeared without a trace come back to the pack to help her and her family.

“Trust me,” he whispered. “He’s at the Amazing Adventures Safari Park in New Jersey. Go to the front gate and ask for him.”

“If you’re sure…?”

“He’s the only one who can help. Tell him to help free us, and then we’ll all fight together to take out Ludo and his pack.”

“I do trust you,” she said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Mom?”

“Honey?”

“I love you, be strong. I love you too, Dad.”

Her arm started to shake as her grip lost strength.

“We love you, honey,” her mom whispered.

Dropping from the window, she hurried back to her parents’ house. She knew she couldn’t start up her car because she’d get busted for sure, so she had to get to a main road and call for a car service. It would be an expensive trip to New Jersey from Pennsylvania, but it was worth it if Jasper could help her.

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