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Chapter 21
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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
Wolfbane Chapter 27
BLAKE After weeks of shoving Jasmine from my mind, she had hurled herself back into it. I hadn’t expected to be so excited to see her at the gym. Seeing her made me realize how much I had missed her. And, damn. I knew she was fit, but I had no idea that she could squat so much weight. Thinking about it made my cock rock-hard. I loved a tough woman. And now that I knew she could pump iron like a warrior, I was a goner. I wanted to stay longer and had an overwhelming desire to kiss her again. Hell, I’d love to have stayed and worked out with her. But there was just too much going on. The alpha ceremony was less than a week away, and Luke was due back home later today. I had just exited the gym and was striding toward my car when someone stopped me. “Blake!” she yelled, forcing me to turn my head. I felt a blistering pain in my chest as the person calling my name approached me. My hands turned into fists, digging what little nails I had into my palms, staving off the impulse to run th
Wolfbane Chapter 28
LUKE After I returned home, I was thrown right back into pack life and training. Blake and I followed the same training schedule as the warriors. Most warriors had to train ten to thirty-two hours and patrol eight to forty hours a week, depending on their seniority and rank. Because we were to become the alpha and beta, Blake and I were exempt from patrol duty. However, that didn’t mean a single day off for either of us. We were forced to sit with our fathers in the packhouse office, getting the last bit of wisdom crammed into us before the alpha ceremony took place in just days. Alpha James was eager to retire and move out of the packhouse—thank Goddess for that. He had always been a brute and showed no sign of changing in his old age. It would be nice to finally be able to work or eat dinner without listening to his appalling and vulgar opinions. I have no idea how my dad put up with him all those years. My dad was a nice, decent guy. When I’d asked him about it in the past, he had
Wolfbane Chapter 29
JASMINE On Sunday night, my parents and I were seated farther back than usual at the temple service, having gotten there later than normal that day. Partway through, the priest welcomed Luke back to the pack and invited Luke and Blake to join him at the front where they helped him lead a chant. It had been two years since I’d seen Luke in person. He had filled out and was much more muscular now than I had remembered. However, he still had that pretty boy, movie star handsome face, contrasted to Blake’s much more mature appearance. I looked between the two of them, wondering which one I preferred. They were both good-looking in their own ways. However, thinking about Luke made my chest ache. I was still very attracted to him and felt something drawing me to him, as if I should go stand beside him. While I had a steady, ceaseless longing throughout the years, it was somehow more powerful now that I was seeing him in person. My heart raced in my chest while my stomach did somersaults. I
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