Chapter 6
Jason had no rest throughout the weekend, the nightmares have begun more fiercely now and he was always looking over his shoulders for fear of the unknown. "He's coming back," was the last word Hope said to him before she left his once peaceful and safe home. She never brought good news, not now, not before. He had to hold a meeting with the pack, to let them know of this newfound information but he had a hard time processing it in the first place. As usual, Nathan was the first person he spoke to about it and as expected Nathan decided to leave college and come stay with him for a while. He could not persuade him not to do that, he didn't want to stop either, he needed him, now more than ever. Nathan was the kind of person to sacrifice all for his loved ones and even though he behaved like he did not care, he did, a lot more than he let on.Before Nathan came Jason could not function properly. His emotions were all over the place and it was a full moon that night. He was furious alright, but that was just one of the many emotions he felt at the moment. It was hard to admit it but he was afraid, not just for himself, but for everyone around him too, especially for Nathan. His brother was the most important thing in his life and he knew Sebastian might want to hurt Nathan to get to him. It was a dirty move but he would not put it past Sebastian to go as low as possible to get whatever he wanted. "Be careful with the pack Jason, they all can not be trusted," Hope had warned. "What do you mean?!" He asked. "Sebastian has somehow penetrated it, watch your back because there is a big chance there might be someone holding a knife ready to stab you," she explained. "And who could that be Hope?" He asked, with an accusatory look. "I don't know, I wish I did but I don't," she replied. Jason did not believe her, he could not trust her anymore. Something told him she knew more than she let her but for some reason, she was holding back. The pack was his family and he could not imagine any of them betraying him, but he was used to betrayal, he just didn't know how much of it he could bear. However, no matter what happened he had to be strong. He knew he could not deal with this alone even if he wanted just that. He didn't want to put any member of his pack at risk. Blood was about to flow and when there is war, both sides suffer. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong at the end of the day, it always leaves pain and regret. Still, he had to fight, for his parents, for his pack, for his brother, he just wished he could do it alone without putting anyone he loved in harm's way, but the life of a werewolf wasn't always that easy. He had trouble breathing till the full moon came, then he transformed, he went into the dark and moved as one with the wind and the trees. He was finally free. He was finally in a safe place. He ran wild, no thoughts in his head but just the way his fur felt against the wind. The woods around his house were usually free, it was his private property after all. One of the perks of being a billionaire was a comfort that a normal person couldn't afford. In his case, he bought more than enough land for his full moon escapades and he was able to run as much as he wanted. Sometimes though, a few unwanted persons swayed in once in a while, but it was usually during the day, and it was usually a few stubborn kids being rebellious. However, whenever he was disturbed at night it was usually by poachers or some secret love couple. With the former, he derived joy in scaring them till they shook to their bones but in the case of the latter, he just howled and scared them away. Either way, he was always careful. It doesn't matter if this was a modern world, humans were all still the same; they feared whatever they did not understand. He was sure that even in this modern world, if word got out that real werewolves were living with them, it wouldn't take long for them to decide it was time for some good old fashion hunting, with his kind as the prey. He couldn't put himself or the people he loved in danger like that. However this night he was not so in control. He could feel his limbs racing, his heart racing faster than his mind could comprehend. The night was especially chilly but he ran so fast that he felt warm. All his senses were heightened but they were not focused. However, there was something so strong in the air tonight. The smell just wouldn't leave, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it and he tried so hard! It was blood, and he was drawn to it. His wolf instinct drew him to it and he knew it wasn't just any blood, it was human blood. Maybe it wasn't what he was thinking, still, he had to know what was going on. "Stop moving so much, I'm trying to help you here!" A strained voice groaned. "It was your help in the first place that caused all this, the least you could do is fix it," another voice retorted. "Well I'm trying as you can see," the first voice said."Try harder!" The second voice yelled. "Will you two stop arguing! We're in serious trouble already, trespassing and all, I don't want to be caught because you two can't keep quiet," a third voice said. "Well can't you see I'm in pain here?" The first voice retorted. "That's your fault, you should have been more careful. Since we got here you've done nothing but nag and now you've gotten yourself injured," the third person said. "You're heartless!" The first voice screamed. "Hey, everybody please calm down, let's fix this mess and get out of here already," a fourth calm voice suggested. At that, the group seemed to quiet down a little. However, you could feel the tension among them but none of them noticed the werewolf studying them. They were all too engrossed in their petty quarrel. Jason could not attack them, even though his wolf instincts wanted him to. They were a bunch of careless teenagers that probably thought a night of rebellion will make them look cool and make them closer to each other. Their plan was not working out. It was a petite girl that was injured and her male friend was trying his best to stop the bleeding and bandage the wood. It wasn't so serious but she was making a big deal about it. There were no traps in the woods, he made sure of that, so it must have been her carelessness that got her in this situation. The third person that seems to have something against her was another teenage girl in a dress with a jacket on. It was a strange outfit to wear at night to the woods but he guessed she was trying hard to impress some boy, by the looks of it that was not going so well either. He guessed it was the fourth person she liked, a cold-looking, tall handsome guy. She glanced his way a lot even as she continued to say such unkind words to the injured girl and she immediately kept quiet the moment he spoke up. He loathed teenage love, he did not see the point of having such fickle feelings knowing fully well that it wouldn't last. It never did. Plus it made people do stupid things like walking into the woods in the middle of the night for some adventure. However, they were humans and he had to be careful. So he watched them till the boy dressed the wound then he went into action. He just wanted to scare them away, as soon as possible, before his nature gets the better of him. So he howled and ran round them, making his presence known without them seeing him."What was that?!" The injured girl squealed. "I don't know but we better get out of here now!" The boy tending to her wounds said, fear lacing each word. "Aidan, please get us out of here!" The injured girl screamed as she was desperately trying to stand up with the help of the boy by her side. He realized she was referring to the fourth boy and not the one helping her. Aidan. Aidan didn't look the least bit flustered even though all of his friends were scared for their life. There was something about this boy, he could sense it. The boy looked around for a while as if searching for something. "Alright, follow me and please be careful this time," the Aidan boy finally said as he led them out of the woods. Was he mistaken? Was this more than just some random teenagers doing random things? He could not tell. The blood he smelled was human, that much he was sure about. But what if it was bait? What if it was intentional and an attempt to draw him out. The other teenagers seemed okay but there was something about that Aidan boy. It seemed he also knew his way around and most probably brought them here. How? Why? Jason trailed them till they were out of the woods. All the while the Aidan boy was more concerned with studying the area than saving his friends from whatever danger they feared. They urged him to move faster, apparently they just blindly followed him here without knowing the terrain themselves. He pitied them, even though he disapproved of the kind of decisions they made, acts that could get them in real trouble. After they left Jason was once again free to run wild but he was exhausted and it was almost time for him to turn to his human form. He ran towards his home, not wanting to turn out naked in the woods tonight. Someone was in his home, he could smell it, but the scent was familiar and he knew who that was. He was naked but in his human form when he stepped into his home and saw his brother, sitting on his sofa, reading a book. Nathan loved to read, which surprised him because he always thought that someone with his kind of attitude would be more interested in video games and girls only. However, Nathan had two passions, books and sports, and somehow he managed to handle both exceedingly well. "Welcome home brother," Nathan said with a sly grin. "Yeah thanks, you didn't transform tonight?" Jason asked. Nathan just lifted his hand and showed him the full moon ring on his finger. Every werewolf in his pack had one. It wasn't easy to make but his parents made sure they could get it before they died. Jason didn't like wearing it though. One of the downsides of wearing the full moon ring was that it dulled the senses, it also weakens you if worn for too long and Jason could not afford any form of weakness, especially not now. "I didn't feel like it," Nathan explained further, "so talk to me, what's going on?" He asked. "I'll tell you, first let me take a shower and wear some clothes ugh," Jason told him. "Alright, but please tell me everything brother, everything," Nathan pleaded. He didn't want to be shielded from the truth, and he knew Jason cared about him a little too much and might want to hide some things from him, but he was old enough now. He needed to know everything so he could truly comprehend what was going on. "I will," Jason said, and he did. ****Even though he felt better after the conversation with Nathan, he still couldn't shake that feeling of dread hanging over his shoulders. Monday came fast and although he was completely drained he had to go to work, and he thought a lot about Jasmine Calvin. He just couldn't get her out of his mind, even though this was not the right time to claim a mate, still, she was constantly in his mind. She was the only thing he looked forward to on Monday, but he was scared, scared to lose her, scared to love her. He and Nathan had planned to hold the pack meeting during the week. It wasn't just to inform them of the impending danger, but also to observe and investigate, to decipher who the traitors in the pack might be. "Be careful with the pack Jason, they all can not be trusted." He kept that in his mind as he walked into the office but the moment he saw Jasmine, his emotions ran wild. She looked gorgeous, just as the day he first met her, even more so today. She smiled at him and greeted him, and he tried to control himself, he did. He said a few words to her and went straight to his office. As much as he was drawn to her, he didn't want her to be a target if he fell in love with her. He could not bear anything happening to his mate. However, luck wasn't on his side as he could hear her coming close to his office. He could hear her heartbeat fast as she knocked on his door. He could feel her hesitation and anticipation as she waited and when he ushered her in and saw her, all the walls he put up crumbled. He needed her in his life, now more than ever.Chapter 7 "Erm…. I… I just wanted to say thank you, for giving me this opportunity to work with you," Jasmine told him as she entered his office. He had a feeling she wanted to say more than that but was temporarily stunned by the way he spoke to her. She looked a little bit flustered, maybe she wasn't so confident after all. It amazed him that he could do that to her, make her feel this way, it showed that she was human after all, unlike him. She looked beautiful even as she just awkwardly stood there. She looked drop-dead gorgeous like she would be the death of him someday. "You don't need to thank me, this is not charity," he replied. He was trying his best to keep his distance, at least until his life was calmer, which might never be. However, right now was not the best period to spark a steamy office romance. He had his head filled with war and possible attack strategies and here his mate was, turning his world upside down. "I know, but I just thought it was proper cou
Chapter 8 All eyes were on them as they walked together out of the company building, everyone from the staff on the top floor to Claire the receptionist behind her counter. She could imagine herself being the talk of the day on every employee's lips. Jason did not care. Even though he was particular about his public image, he saw no need to hide his relationship with Jasmine. They are just going for lunch, nothing more. They would have a lot more to talk about when he eventually claimed her as his mate. His employee had creative minds, after all, it was an entertainment agency, so he could already imagine them creating a billion scenarios just because he was seen walking beside the new secretary. It was obvious that this was a rare sight to behold. Jason Halem always walked alone, unless when work forced him to relate with humans. As a result, he didn't blame them for acting so shocked. "Are you okay with so much attention?" He asked Jasmine. He was concerned about how she was de
CHAPTER 9"So on a scale of 1 to 10, how was it?" Jason asked. "Do you mean the food?" Jasmine asked to clarify. He nodded with an expectant look on his face. "Well it broke my scale, that's for sure, it was delicious!" She replied. He smiled at that, one of those genuine smiles of his that brought more colour to his stunning eyes. "I knew you'd like it," he told her. "Thank you," she said out loud, but she wanted to say "I'm sorry", but her cold heart rationalized that there was nothing to be sorry for, at least not yet. Even though she had the worst intentions she hasn't done anything wrong yet. However, her lack of action wasn't because of unwillingness, she just hadn't gotten the chance yet. "So how's work so far?" He asked. It was obvious he was trying to keep the conversation going, it was cute seeing him trying to make small talk. She knew he wasn't one to waste words, he was one of those annoying straight to the point kind of people. Seeing him making so much effort
CHAPTER 10"I'm not really in the mood for whatever naughty imaginations going through your mind right now Nathan," Jason made clear while settling down in the office chair. "Well that's too bad, because I'm in the mood to make fun of you," Nathan replied with a smile breaking on his lips. "Make fun of me all you want, but don't drag Jasmine into your childish games" Jason cautioned him. Nathan flinched a little. He especially hated being called childish, even if it was implied. He was always treated like a child, always protected and told to hide. But he wasn't a child anymore and it was hard for his big brother to realize that he was now a man. Jason rarely said that to him, unless when it was really serious, he knew he hated the word too so he must be onto something here. "So she has a name, after all, Jasmine…. She sounds feisty," He spoke like he was putting an image to the name. His eyes were squinted like he was actually thinking about something serious. Jason did not lik
CHAPTER 11The time till the close of work felt different for Jasmine and Jason. They both had a lot on their mind but somehow felt differently about how the day progressed. They were so close to each other yet it felt like they were in different worlds. Jasmine thought the time was exceedingly slow, she could not just wait to get off this extremely boring work and have a good night's rest. Her only interest here was Jason and when she wasn't with him, the job felt pointless. Plus she had a few less interesting freelance writing she was doing to keep herself busy. They were not as fun as the case she was currently working tooth and nail for, but at least she was able to write, which was all she ever wanted to do. Jason on the other hand felt like time was moving too fast. If he could stop the hands of time right now he would do it. He wondered why werewolves didn't have such powers, it was a ludicrous thought of course, but at moments like this, his mind just wanders. He could not
CHAPTER 12 They got to her apartment a few minutes later, it was not far from the office and Jasmine could have easily taken a taxi, but there wouldn't be any fun in that. Moreover, it would mean that he wouldn't get to spend more time with her. "Just stop over here," she told him, directing him to her particular apartment building. He laughed when she said that. Jasmine could not fathom was what so funny this time around. She thought he was a little bit crazier than she expected. "Why are you laughing?!" She asked him. "I'm sorry, it's just that I already know where you live, you work for me remember? And I own this building, plus your car is not parked here, " he replied. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "well you should have just said so earlier," she said, giving him a little shove at the shoulder. She felt like the earth could just open up and swallow her. He was having a blast considering how hard he was still laughing at the little misunderstanding. It wasn't her fault that she did
CHAPTER 13You could feel the tension in the big sitting room, it was choking. As soon as Jason left the entrance of the door toward mama Helen, all heads bowed down, their inner werewolf moved them into submission. It did not matter how long they had seen each other. He was their Alpha and their inner wolf craved to show him the utmost respect whenever he was in their presence. Only mama Helen could look him in the eye when he didn't signal for her to. She was like a mother to him, but even her body language and the way she comported herself showed she was not immune to this Alpha pull to submission. Her embrace was soothing and warm, a far cry from how vulnerable he felt with Jasmine a while ago. However, he could not be anything but strong here with his pack. With Jasmine he could feel things he normally wouldn't feel, he could be more himself without the need for excess show of masculinity. "How have you been , mama?" He asked her. He often called her mama because she felt li
CHAPTER 14The air was particularly gloomy today. It rained cats and dogs the previous day and it was looking like it might be another episode of that today.It's been days since Jasmine last saw Jason, he promised her dinner and hope for a future together with her but all that disappeared into thin air. She wasn't surprised though, she was already used to being disappointed, that was life. "Hello Jasmine, how was lunch?" Claire asked when she stepped into the building. "The food was nice Claire." "Did you go to the spot that the boss showed you again?" She asked. "Yes I did," she replied with a sad smile. It was foolish of her to hope but still she did. What they shared that night was magical, at least she felt so. She had been going to what was now 'their restaurant.' She wondered if she could maybe see him there, just maybe. It didn't help though that the stylish young waiter was always asking about Jason, apparently he thought they were a couple. If only he knew…"You know