JASMINE A week went by, and I hadn’t heard from Blake since the last time we went hiking. Lucy had called me that night begging me to tell her all the details, but I just told her that we hiked and talked. She obviously didn’t believe me, but I wasn’t ready to start spilling all the details of what had happened yet. The whole thing felt like a dream, and I didn’t know how to make sense of it. We were at work, and during a lull, she leaned over to me. “How’s Blake Sexy AF doing?” “I haven’t talked to him.” “I don’t believe you.” “I’m not lying. I haven’t heard from him since last time.” “Why don’t you text him and ask him to hang out?” “Because I don’t want to.” In reality, I did want to, but I was too ashamed to actually do it, and ashamed of myself for wanting to. I didn’t want to seem eager and was still determined to not allow things to advance any further than they had. “You’re definitely lying about that. I don’t think there’s a warm-blooded woman on this earth that wouldn

JASMINE I knew, logically, I should say no. I knew I should reject the far-too-smug alpha. But something inside me wouldn’t allow me to do it. I had been feeling a yearning blossom within me. I loved how he broke down all my barriers and made me feel desired. After being Perfect Jasmine for so many years, it was energizing to do something so rebellious and wrong for once in my life. That was why, without argument, I found myself at the front of the café, looking forward to the evening. I had told my parents I would be eating dinner with friends that night so they wouldn’t expect me at home. As soon as I exited work, I spotted his Jeep parked across the street and walked over. He opened the passenger door for me and helped me in. Once he hopped into the driver’s seat, he turned to me. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, but I’d like to invite you over to the packhouse. The parents are out of town on pack business and the staff doesn’t work on Mondays, so we’ll be the only ones t

JASMINE Emma and Kyle were married on a Saturday morning in mid-August. They had a small ceremony in the pack temple and invited their family and friends for an early-afternoon celebration in the backyard of Kyle’s parents’ house. Lucy made the wedding cake and desserts, and I helped Madison and Emma’s sisters decorate for the event. They had a tent with picnic tables set up and caterers to serve barbecue for the event. There were about fifty people crowded in the backyard. I grabbed a lemonade and went to stand by Lucy who was hovering near the dessert table, likely keeping watch over her masterpiece. Madison came over to mingle with us, followed by the bride herself. We fell into easy conversation and laughter, and Kyle kept sneaking by and rubbing himself against Emma. “Close quarters out here!” He’d laugh as he’d pretend to be trying to sneak by her to grab a cookie from the dessert table. “Kyle, you need to stop coming over here and stealing all the cookies!” Lucy glared at hi

JASMINE He then moved his hands behind me and grabbed my ass, picking me up as if I weighed nothing. My legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his shoulders. He carried me deeper until the water was just below our shoulders. Lust overtook my whole my body as Blake’s lips explored all my exposed skin—my lips, trailing my jaw, on my neck—then returning to my mouth. When we pulled apart, we looked into each other’s eyes as he smiled at me. Suddenly, and without warning, he pushed me up out of the water and launched my entire body backward, so I fell back and plunged into the water. I quickly raised my head into the air to see Blake laughing heartily, as if he were a little kid. I glared at him as he began swimming toward me. I splashed him and moved backward, continuing to splash him as he tried to get closer. He finally caught me and picked me up, and in turn, I screamed and slapped him on his chest. He carried me out of the water and lowered me onto the blanket where his li

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