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Chapter 18
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Wolfbane Chapter 19
JASMINE A few days after Blake’s confession, I was lying in bed late at night, absorbed in a book, when I heard a tapping on my window. Ping. The sound of something hitting the glass clanged. I got out of bed to see what was happening, pulled back the curtains, and looked out my window to see that Blake was outside my house winding his arm back. Ping. A pebble hit my window. I opened it, the warm summer air entering my room, and poked my head out to see him smiling at me and waving his hand, signaling for me to come out. What the. . . ? I stepped back, wondering what I should do. An internal battle ensued within me once again, the metaphorical angel and devil over my shoulders. I’d never snuck out of my house in my life. What would my parents do if they caught me? And should I really be sneaking around with someone, let alone someone who wasn’t my mate? But then, I thought, it would be exciting. So many years I’d denied myself so many things because I didn’t want my parents to be di
Wolfbane Chapter 20
JASMINE Later that week, I found myself deep in thought, Blake on my mind. I was tempted to text him. While I couldn’t stop thinking about him, I didn’t think it was a good idea to make that known. I was afraid if he knew how much he’d gotten under my skin that things would go too far with him, both emotionally and physically. Additionally, if we started spending too much time together, it was bound to be noticed and it wouldn’t be long before word got back to my parents. While our pack was one of the larger ones in the area, it was still like living in a small town where everyone was in everyone else’s business. No, it was definitely better that I just tried my best to forget him. And if he also forgot about me, it was only for the better. I tried to convince myself. However, this thought made me feel miserable. As much as I tried to deny it, Blake had definitely gotten under my skin. He consumed all my thoughts. I’d become almost addicted to the sensations I felt when spending time
Wolfbane Chapter 21
JASMINE Just before ten the next day, I saw his Jeep parallel park in front of the café. This time, much to my dismay, he came in to place an order. Lucy ran out from the back, flour dusting her arms and cheeks. “Well, hello there, Mr. Alpha! I knew I smelled your scent from the kitchen!” Lucy leaned over the counter, her low-cut shirt and loosely tied apron displaying her cleavage. “Seems you’re right on time for the end of my friend here’s shift.” “I am indeed,” he replied, smirking, looking between the two of us. “What can I get you today?” I asked, interrupting their conversation. “I’ll get a large, black coffee and what do you drink?” Blake looked at me. “Oh, you don’t have to get me anything,” I replied. “She likes cappuccinos.” Lucy pushed me out of the way. “Let me ring you in. Jaz, go make the drinks! Here, I’ll throw in some of my croissants on the house as well.” She pulled some out of the case and put them into a to-go bag as I began preparing the drinks, listening t
Wolfbane Chapter 22
JASMINE After checking out the cars they had on the lot, I fell in love with a bright blue Jeep Wrangler Sport that was eleven years old with just under a hundred thousand miles on it. The salesman sat in the backseat while I took it out for a spin. As we turned out of the dealership and onto the main road, I couldn't stop the giddy feelings that reverberated in my fingers as I turned the steering wheel to navigate. Suddenly, I could taste the freedom I'd been longing for. I pulled down the windows and the summer air filled the car, blowing through my hair and caressing my cheeks. I was already imagining everywhere I'd go with my new car--beautiful wooded dirt roads, sandy beaches, rocky terrain, and along rivers and waterfalls. I would be living in a Jeep commercial. I'd never traveled much before, but I could already envision my new life, where I actually took road trips and went to places I'd only ever seen on TV. I could imagine a new version of myself that wasn't always confine
Wolfbane Chapter 23
BLAKE I returned home around five thirty after spending the day with Jasmine. My father stopped me as soon as I walked through the door. “And where the hell have you been all day?” His face was red, brows furrowed. “Out,” I replied, not wanting to give any additional information. “In case you forgot, you’re going to be the alpha of this pack soon, which means you have a lot of responsibilities around here.” “And it also means I don’t need to answer to anyone.” “I’m still the fucking alpha, so you will answer to me! Where the fuck were you?” he bellowed, using his alpha aura, something he hadn’t used with me in years, probably since I was still in high school. I felt my neck maneuvering to bare itself in submission, feeling forced to reply to his question. But, for the first time, I found I was easily able to override the command. I could tell that I had grown much stronger than my father and would easily be able to overpower him if it ever came down to it. I replied, “None of you
Wolfbane Chapter 24
JASMINE On the next day off from work we had together, I took Lucy for a ride in my new car. It was now nearing the end of August and Lucy’s youngest brother, Neil, would be turning sixteen in a couple days. We stopped at a shopping center so Lucy could buy him a present. We were browsing different colognes at a cosmetic store when a question I’d been wondering for two years suddenly came to me. “Lucy, what cologne does Luke wear? I hope this isn’t weird, but it smells really nice and I’d never smelled it before.” Lucy tilted her head, considering me. Finally, she replied, “Luke doesn’t wear cologne.” “Oh, weird, maybe it was someone else’s cologne I smelled. It’s been a long time since I last saw him anyway, so I’m probably just misremembering.” But that didn’t sit right with me. I only ever smelled it when he was around, and I couldn’t forget how divine and sensual it smelled. I sniffed a few of the samples, and nothing came close to how wonderful that scent had been. We continu
Wolfbane Chapter 25
LUCY After working a full-day shift at the end of August, I went home and spent the next few hours baking dozens of cupcakes, cookies, and brownies. I was now the designated family baker. Any time someone had a celebration, I was assigned to make all the desserts. At first, I enjoyed this appointment, feeling like I finally had a place in my family. It would bring me joy to watch as everyone ate my pastries and showered me with compliments. But, before long, it became more of an obligation than anything, my efforts forgotten just as quickly as the devoured cookies. The next day, my mom helped me package everything up, loading it into the car so we could go to my cousins’ house for a birthday party. I had dozens of cousins, all tall, blonde, and athletic. Everyone in the pack knew of the Owens—mostly positive things, but we also weren’t known for being as devout and religious as others, something that could be alienating. While I was grateful that my parents weren’t as strict and over
Wolfbane Chapter 26
JASMINE Before I knew it, it was halfway through September. I had found myself preoccupied with school and work, and temple choir had started up again. We were now rehearsing every night of the week as we would be performing during the alpha ceremony. At work, Lucy and Valerie were busy prepping for all of the desserts and the huge cake they’d have to prepare for the occasion. The whole pack was alive with excitement for something that hadn’t occurred for over forty years—the transition from one alpha to the next. I had given up on checking my text thread with Blake. He had never responded. I was disappointed and wondered if it was something I did—was it the revelation about my panic attacks or the finality of our decision to just remain friends? Perhaps he had no desire to see me if our relationship would no longer be physical. But, I reminded myself, he did cosign a loan for me, and that isn’t something that someone who wants you out of their life would do. Deciding it was for the
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