JASMINEWhen I woke on Monday, I could feel that my leg was finally fully healed. One of the doctors came in to check me over and cleared me to leave. Luke picked me up and drove me home. My parents were already gone by the time we got there. After he parked in the driveway, he followed me as I went out back to where I had left my clothes and keys before I had shifted days earlier. I then walked to the back door to unlock it. "Would you like to come in?" I asked."Yes," he replied, following me into the kitchen. Once I shut the door, he wrapped his arms around me.  His body was warm against mine, the sparks it emitted provoking my muscles to tense and my heart to beat rapidly, my whole body becoming aroused. As soon as his mouth touched mine, I pressed my pelvis against him in desperation. After pulling apart, I dropped everything in my hands onto a kitchen chair. He then grabbed me again, pulling me tightly against him. I used my free hands to to

JASMINE On Thursday afternoon, I ran to the grocery store, a list in hand that my mom had left me that morning. I was in the produce section when I spotted them. Lucy and her mom were together, walking the store. But that wasn’t what bothered me. She was wearing a dress. And not just any dress, but one that was tight on her body, revealing every imperfection. Since Lucy had no imperfections, she’d normally have no problem pulling it off. Except for, of course, that her belly had popped. On any normal person, one could easily assume that maybe she had eaten too much. But Lucy was not a normal person. No, she barely had an ounce of fat on her body, and it was obvious that her normally flat stomach was no longer so. No, she was very clearly pregnant. I watched as she rubbed her belly, wandering the store with her mom, sociably greeting other pack members as they shopped. I quickly turned my carriage, and flung myself down a different aisle, trying my best to avoid them. It was not a la

BLAKE On Friday morning, I was alone in my office going through different financial reports that the accountant had left me to review. A knock at the door broke my concentration. When I looked up, I was surprised to see my mom in the doorway. “Can I come in?” she asked. “Of course.” I waved her in. She softly closed the door behind her and walked over to give me a hug and kiss me on the forehead. Then she sat down at a chair in front of my desk. “Blake, I need to speak to you about your father.” I groaned. “What about him?” “I know your father’s very difficult sometimes, but I would like for you to make an effort to work with him. He has a lot of experience with running the pack and going to war, and, quite frankly, you need his help. It’s not that I don’t have faith in your leadership skills. It’s just that you are still new at this position, and everyone needs a mentor when they’re first starting out. I couldn’t have succeeded as a doctor if I didn’t have more experienced docto

JASMINE"I know it's not fair on you. But, Goddess, Jasmine, I want you to know at least that I do care. I'm not trying to hurt anyone. I wish there was a handbook or something I could read so I knew what to do. But I feel like I'm just grasping at straws, and I keep pulling the wrong one."I reflected on what he said, and I felt some empathy for him, understanding his struggle. But did he understand mine? I wasn't sure. He let me go and took my hand again so we could walk into the park. He led me over to a bench so we could sit down, and then turned toward me, putting his hand on my leg, rubbing my knee.We sat there, looking at each other. I wrapped my arms around myself to warm myself as the cold breeze blew. Upon seeing my reaction to the cold, Luke pulled me against him. I snuggled into his warmth and the dulled sparks his body emitted as it touched mine through our jackets. The familiar feeling of calm and arousal came over me, and suddenl

JASMINE I woke to my alarm on Monday, quickly swiping it off and taking a deep breath. I readied myself for the day and promptly joined my parents downstairs to go to temple service. My stomach rolled and my limbs were weak. Not only would I see Luke at the service, but today was the day he was to verbalize his decision. I knew deep within me what it would be, but it didn’t make it easier to face his rejection so head on and fearlessly. My parents were silent in the car on the way to temple. The tension was so thick you could cut a knife through it. I’d never seen my parents like this in my life. Their bond normally seemed ideal—they agreed on almost everything, their minds an extension of each other’s. I had barely ever even heard the two of them bicker. It was the type of bond I wished for myself, though now that dream had departed. We took our normal place in the pews. Not long after we arrived, I spotted Blake and Luke taking their seats next to Blake’s parents. Blake glanced ov