The crowd laughs and jeers as Jasper leaves. They seem to think they’ve won some kind of victory. As Jasper heads off by himself, someone hits play on a boom box they’ve brought, and loud hip hop music starts blasting. It becomes a loud party, shifters dancing and shouting, after Jasper disappears.But I’m not interested in a party. I follow Jasper. He’s moving quickly, and I’m struggling to keep up and follow his scent. Then I remember that I can shift now. In wolf form, he’s easy to find. I catch up with him sitting on a flat boulder, resting his elbows on his knees, staring out into the darkness.I return to my human form as I approach. “Hi,” I say gently, sitting down on the boulder beside him. Around us, the redwoods tower and the air buzzes with the sound of insects. In the distance, we can hear the party music and smell the cooking barbecue.“You don’t have to be here,” Jasper mumbles. “You can go have fun at the party.”“I wouldn’t have any fun hanging out with

Jasper looks startled - which makes sense, considering we basically just ambushed him. Regan says a chipper goodbye and leaves with Isaac, giving Jasper no choice but to follow me into the gym room.“So,” I say, flipping open the binder, “it looks like we need to find the serial number for each piece of equipment and write it down here, then find the warranty paperwork for that thing, and put the expiration date right here.”“Okay,” Jasper says, looking around the gym like it’s the first time he’s ever seen it. “You know, I could probably do this by myself, if you have other stuff you want to do.”“Nah,” I say, “I’m happy to help out! This business is mine as much as yours, and I don’t want to leave you to do all the work.”“Right,” Jasper mumbles. “Well, I have awful handwriting anyway, so maybe you should write the stuff down while I figure out where the serial numbers are on these things.”“Sounds great!”We head over to the first piece of equipment, a squat rack s

As we snuggle up on the bed, I let myself get lost in the sensation of Jasper so close to me. His scent, his touch, his warmth. He seems to be enjoying my scent too, pressing his nose into the crook of my neck and inhaling. It tickles and I giggle a bit, which makes him raise his head and give me a questioning smile.“Is this okay?” Jasper asks, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.“More than okay,” I tell him. “This is exactly what I hoped for.”He raises his eyebrows. “You were planning this?”“Thinking about it, at least.” “I think about you a lot too,” Jasper admits.“Well, now you can do more than just think about me,” I tease, lifting my head to kiss him again. But we’re interrupted by a strange sound - someone is pounding on the tree house door and leaning on the security buzzer. “What?” Jasper sits up, rubbing his face like he’s just been yanked from a pleasant dream. “Who could that be?”“Probably just Isaac and Regan,” I grumble, standing

We drive for days, leaving the misty redwoods of Santa Crus and heading into the dry, dusty deserts of Nevada. Pale scrub brush the color of my straw blonde hair stretches out in all directions, waving in the desert wind. Then we hit the cliffs and canyons of Idaho, spending one night in Twin Falls, where we fall asleep to the heavy roar of the waterfall just outside our cabin room.I like riding with Jasper - even Regan herself couldn’t have put together such a perfect opportunity for us to hang out and talk. I tell him about Layla, and some of the funnier predicaments we found ourselves in. He opens up a bit and tells me about a few of his adventures from his mercenary days. It’s obvious that there’s still a lot he’s holding back, but the more time we spend together, the more his walls come down. We pass through Yellowstone, where herds of elk tempt our inner wolves’ hunting instincts. Jasper mentions that his family used to vacation in the area, and suggests that we get out a

We finish our dinner, and Zach says his goodbyes. We make a plan to meet with him the next morning at a breakfast diner in town. Zach says it’s owned and operated by humans, and it’s uncommon for the bear shifters to hang around there. Jasper cleans up after dinner while I get ready for bed. Even though the motel room has two beds, we end up snuggled up together in the same one. Jasper rests an arm around me and I settle my head on his chest, breathing in his scent. It’s gotten stronger since we arrived at his ancestral homeland, and I can feel myself being even more drawn to him than usual.We turn out the lights, but I’m not exactly ready to go to sleep. I lift my head and give Jasper a kiss, stroking his cheek with one hand. Then I work up the courage to ask him the question that’s been burning in my mind ever since Zach arrived. “Jasper, can I ask…why did you leave Serpent Creek in the first place?”Jasper sighs, a heavy movement. He wraps his arms around me and nuzzl