Page 10 of Jasper

His wolf let out a mournful howl in his head.

She barely stifled a sob. “I’m in trouble. My parents are in danger and so is the pack. My dad told me to come find you. I…please help me, I don’t know what else to do.”

He wanted to tell her to go to hell, tell her to fuck all the way off, that it was ridiculous that she would come to him for help when she’d ghosted him seven years ago.

But he couldn’t bring himself to walk away, not when her plea for help tugged at his heartstrings and his wolf wanted to rush her to safety and fight all her demons.

“You obviously know her,” Jupiter said. “Do you want us to let her in or make her leave?”

Melody grabbed the bars and wrapped her hands around them.

In the overhead lights he couldn’t really make out her features, but he could see that her face was shiny with tears and she was trembling.

“I want to hear her out,” he said finally.

“We’ll take her to the employee cafeteria,” Jupiter said.

Amadeus programmed the keypad and the front gates opened slowly, just enough for her to slip in. She rushed to him, but he put his hand up to keep her back, unwilling to even touch her. He had some pride, damn it.

“Let’s go talk,” Jasper said.

“Yes, please,” she said.

He stayed a few feet away from her as they walked to the employee cafeteria. Behind him trailed Jupiter and Amadeus. He could feel their eyes boring into the back of his skull, the unasked questions hanging in the air like ghosts.

He didnotwant to have to discuss his past with anyone, but here was his past right in front of him.

Shit.

He used his swipe card to unlock the door to the employee cafeteria. Overhead lights illuminated the room as they stepped inside, Melody first, her sweet scent making his wolf want to roll over and show his belly. As he was about to follow, Jupiter grabbed his arm and said, “Melody, hang out here, we need to chat with Jasper.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything.

The door shut when he joined them outside.

“What’s going on?” Jupiter asked. “Who the hell is she?”

Jasper blew out a breath and scrubbed a hand through his hair. Only Joss knew the whole story, which he’d told him when he came to the park to join up with the pack. Joss had respected his wishes to keep his past to himself and hadn’t told anyone else. But now that Melody was here, Jasper couldn’t keep things quiet.

“She’s my soulmate.”

Jupiter’s brows rose comically high.

“She’s what-now?” Amadeus asked, looking past Jasper to where Melody was inside the building.

“She…was part of my old pack, but she couldn’t shift. When I asked the alpha to let me mate her, he refused. I said I’d choose exile and take her with me, but he thought her non-shifting ability was a curse and said he’d kill her if I tried to take her with me. I sent a letter to her when I got settled here and said I’d come to get her and keep her safe, but I never heard from her. She ghosted me.”

The males were silent.

Then Jupiter said, “Well, shit.”

Jasper snorted. “Exactly.”

“Do you have any idea why she’d come here?” Amadeus asked.

“She said her family is in danger, but I don’t know why her dad would send her here.”

“I’ve already alerted my dad about her coming for you, but once we hear her story, we’ll figure out the next step and get the other alphas involved,” Jupiter said.

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