JASMINEI looked at him and asked, "So what did you decide?""Right to the point, I see," he responded, sighing. "Let's enjoy our drinks first and then we'll talk. Are you hungry? I can also bring out some snacks.""I'm good," I replied, knowing I wouldn't be able to eat even if I were hungry."Let me know if you change your mind. It's not good to drink on an empty stomach.""Mm," I replied."So how was your weekend?""It was okay. How was yours?""Miserable," he took another drink and refilled his cup. I did the same and he topped me off."What was so miserable about it?""Come on, Jasmine, you know this is not an easy decision for me. I've been given an ultimatum and a limited amount of time to decide on the path for the rest of my life. That's a lot of pressure. I can't see the future, so there's no way to know if I'm making the right decision.""But you know in your heart what you reall

JASMINE My parents brought me home on Monday night, picking me up on their way home from work. Dr. Luna told them what happened, so I didn’t have to. My mom didn’t say anything. She just sat in the front seat of the car as my dad walked me to the back seat. He then helped me up to my bedroom and into my bed. He looked at me, not speaking. I turned away from him, feeling shame at how pathetic I was being. I’d always read books and seen TV shows with female characters who withered away from heartbreak, and I hated that I was doing the same thing. But I couldn’t help it. The pain was debilitating. Not that I had personal experience with it, but I imagined it was similar to a bullet being shot through my chest. I stayed in bed for the remainder of the night, only rising to use the bathroom. It was the same all day Tuesday. My parents kept bringing me food that I ignored, not able to stomach it. On Wednesday morning, I received a text from Ivy reminding me of the dinner. I decided to igno

JASMINE Ivy dropped me at home, and I thanked her again. I speed walked into the house, desperate to get back to wallowing in my misery. I was already imagining how comforting it would be to pull on my pajamas and crawl under my comforter, exiting the demands of the world. Although it was nice to get my mind off Luke for a little while, the sting in my chest wouldn't cease, and I could barely bring myself to feel normal. I swung the front door open to find my parents sitting on the couch. They both looked up at the sound of the door opening and shutting. “Where have you been?” my mom questioned as soon as I walked in, with pursed lips and a sour look on her face. “You left your cell phone at home. We tried mindlinking you and couldn’t get through. I hope you weren’t going outside the territory alone.” “I know about Katie and Tyler,” I simply replied, narrowing my eyes at both of them. My mom gasped and I turned to the stairs, having no desire to elaborate on or discuss my day. I wal

JASMINE I spent the morning skiing with Blake and his friends. Blake stayed with me the whole time, staying close by me as we went down the mountain and sharing the chairlift with me. As we were sitting together, being lifted up one of the mountains, Blake leaned over and asked, “How are you feeling, Jasmine? I’ve been worried. You never responded to any of my texts.” I looked down. “Sorry, I just didn’t have the energy to reply.” “Well, you’re doing great skiing today.” He smiled. “Although not a big fan of those snow pants. The leggings were much better, definitely.” We broke for lunch. Blake deposited me at a table with the other girls while he and the guys went up to buy lunch. Brooke moved closer to me and said, “You’re definitely quieter than the others.” “The others?” I asked. “You know, the other girls he dated in the past. They’re usually much more obnoxious. You seem much nicer. Nice change of pace.” “Have you known Blake long?” I asked. “I’ve known him since kinderga

JASMINE I awoke the next morning to the sound of an alarm, my throat and mouth dry. I heard a male groan next to me and felt movement on the mattress. I could smell Blake all around me. The memory of last night started to come back to me as I opened my eyes. I lifted the blanket I was under to realize that I was completely naked and so was Blake. My whole body turned red as he rolled over, pulling me against him. “Well, good morning, Miss Alpha,” he said, bringing his mouth to mine, kissing me. “How’d you sleep?” “I’m pretty sure I remember the whole night. Can werewolves black out?” “It’s rarer than it is for humans, but it’s possible.” “We didn’t—” I started. “Have sex?” “Did we?” “No. But you definitely tried to seduce me.” He smirked at me. “Oh, Goddess!” I put my hands on my face, recalling what I had done. “You’re quite the seductress when you’ve been drinking. I mean, I can’t blame you. I’d want to jump my bones too. Now that you’re fully sober, I wouldn’t mind a round