VIOLETS POV âWhy?â I asked.
âI am a wolf re-born. I was given to you, being given a second chance. The Goddess knows I will be treated right with you Violet. This is her way of saying thank you for accepting me.â
âBut I didnât. Not that I wouldnât have, but my Mom made the decision.â
âYou donât think youâre worthy of a gift from the Goddess?â
âI⦠Not really.â I admitted sadly.
âYouâre worth so much more than you give yourself credit for Violet.â
âWhat about Garrett? Heâs the future Alpha. It should be him.â
âOur brothers have their own gift. Together, they will make a worthwhile Alpha.â
I stared at my reflection, unable to grasp the truth staring back at me.
âWhat are we?â I asked.
âA Midnight Wolf. The first.â
I blinked. âThe first? You mean ever?â
âYes.â
âHoly s**t!â
I was distracted from totally freaking out by a flash of sparks on my shoulder. I looked into my mates eyes, trying to focus.
âHello mate.â
That wasnât Jasper.
âHello. Jaspers wolf?â
âMy name is Ehno.â
âNice to meet you Ehno. Your name⦠it means protector, right?â
âIt does. Fitting, as I will always be here to protect you.â
âWell, arenât you a charmer.â
He gave me a lopsided grin, his tongue flopping out of his mouth. Hala was itching to run with her mate, practically bouncing on her feet. I still had questions for him, but I pushed them aside for now. Letting my parents know, Hala guided me on how to give her control, and then they were off. I sat back in my own mind, watching as they took off into the forest, jumping playfully at each other. I laughed, as they seemed like two pups, but I could feel how happy Hala was. Thatâs what mattered the most to me. After a while, they found a spot to lie down, snuggling close and sharing wolfy k****s. I was going to count that as her first k**s, and not mine.
The sun was just starting to rise when we reached the training yard again. My dress was still in my spot, waiting for me. It seemed like we were the last ones back, and Jasper respectfully turned away as Hala helped me shift back. The morning air was cool as I donned the dress, turning my back now so Jasper could shift and get dressed. Once he was done, we stood on the grass, staring at each other.
âWhy didnât you tell me?â I demanded. I was still exhausted, and hungry, but I wanted answers.
âBecause I didnât want you to go through your first shift alone.â He replied.
âBut I wouldnât have!â I exclaimed. He shot me a look.
âIf I had told you when I found out, would you have rejected me?â
I wanted to say no. But I couldnât. Because now I was in the same boat as Garrett. Jasper was the last person I expected to be my mate, and if I was being honest, I wasnât exactly jumping for joy.
âThatâs what I thought.â He said. âLike you said, females have it harder than males when it comes to the first shift. I didnât want you to go through that alone. And youâre so stubborn, I knew you wouldnât see it that way.â
âI am not stubborn.â I snapped. âSo youâre saying you kept it from me, for me?â
âYes.â
I scoffed. âAnd did you consider the amount of anxiety I had to go through, believing I would have to do it alone?â
âI did. Still better than actually doing it.â
I threw my hands up. âYouâre such an a*****e!â
âWhy?â He threw at me. âBecause I was thinking about you? Your wellbeing? Geez, Iâm sorry.â His tone held heavy sarcasm.
I crossed my arms, thinking. The last thing I wanted to do was reject him, but seriously? First Sophia, now Jasper?
âI know what youâre thinking.â I met his eyes. They were suddenly cold, angry. âIf you want to reject me, then just do it.â
I raised an eyebrow. âYou sound so sure that I will.â
âIâve kind of been expecting it.â
âWow, you think so much of me, donât you?â
He took two steps, planting himself in front of me. I craned my neck back to look into his eyes. I crossed my arms tighter, as the urge to be in his arms was almost overwhelming. How did he manage to stay away from me all this time? This was torture!
âYou know what I think of you?â He asked lowly. He continued before I could reply. âI think your the most beautiful girl Iâve ever met. I think youâre smart, and funny and strong. Youâre the most opinionated person Iâve ever met, and also the kindest. But I also know what you think of me. So Iâm not holding onto much hope for our bond.â
I hadnât expected any of that. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me.
âThe amount of women-â I began.
âNot as many as you think.â He interrupted me roughly. âYou know what youâve heard. But not the truth.â
I blinked. âWhat?â
âThree people Violet. Three. Thatâs the amount of people Iâve slept with in my whole life.â He glared at me. âAnything else said is just a rumor.â
âThen why not put a stop to them?â I challenged. I was having a hard time accepting this. How I could trust he wasnât lying for my benefit?
âBecause I donât care what people think about me. Except you.â
I shook my head, closing my eyes. âHow do I know youâre not lying Jasper?â
âDo you want to me gather all the girls in the pack? Get them to tell you?â
âThatâs ridiculous.â
âHow else am I suppose to convince you? Canât you just trust that Iâm telling the truth?â
I searched his eyes, only finding sincerity. I bit my l*p.
âIt still bugs me that youâve slept with other people.â I said quietly. He sighed.
âI canât change my past Vie. Iâm sorry I didnât wait for you, but itâs only you from now on. If your parents could move past it, why canât we?â
I raised my eyebrows at him, but I shouldnât have been surprised. Everyone knew my Dad got around before he met my Mom. It wasnât exactly a secret. But now, Mom was the only one he looked at. And they were happy. The role model couple Iâd looked up to my entire life. Looking at it that way, and regretting not looking at it like this before, I realized he had a point. It was beyond stupid of me to think my mate would wait for me. It was unfair of me to have that expectation, when in fact, there was plenty about me that wasnât exactly perfect. I realized how childish Iâd been acting on this point; So much, that my own mate feared I would reject him.
I uncrossed my arms. Slowly, I wrapped them around his waist, giving him a small smile. Sparks erupted from our contact, and I couldnât get enough of the feeling.
âIâm sorry.â I said.
Jasper stared down at me, his expression a mix between surprise and hope.
âYouâre not rejecting me?â He asked.
I shook my head. âNot today anyways.â I teased.
His face lit up, taking my breath away. He looked so happy that I thought he would burst. His hands cupped my cheeks, h**s facing coming down to mine. He stopped an inch from my lips.
âMay I?â
âYes.â I breathed.
My eyes fluttered shut. His lips barely touched mine before a loud growl sounded beside us. I jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion, and Jasper straightened, keeping me in his arms. We both looked at Garrett, who was standing a few feet away. His hands were fists at his sides, and they were shaking. His face⦠Iâd never seen him so angry, especially not towards me. He glared at us furiously, his chest vibrating with low growls.
âYou accepted him?!â He spat at me. My mouth fell open at his tone.
âWhat is wrong with you?â I asked.
âYou canât accept him Violet!â
âGarrett!â
âWhatâs your problem man?â Jasper glared at my brother.
âYou wouldnât even look at him if you knew what he did.â
At this point, I was getting irritated. âWhat are you talking about?!â
He pointed at Jasper, looking half crazy. âHeâs the one! Heâs the one who slept with Sophia that night!â
For the second time in so many days, my heart dropped into my stomach.