JASPERS POV I felt Violet slipping out of my arms. I tightened my grip, not willing to let her go.
âWhat are you talking about?â I spat at Garrett.
I hadnât talked to Garrett much. Our confrontation a couple weeks ago was the most words spoken between the two of us probably ever. I never went out of my way to be his buddy, or even an aquaintence. Truthfully, the guy kind of annoyed me. But now he was trying to interfere between my mate and I? No.
âIt was you?â
I looked down at Vie, who was staring at me with tears in her eyes. I couldnât tell if they were from anger or sadness, it looked like a mix of both.
âI donât know what heâs talking about Vie.â I said.
âLiar!â Garrett yelled. âI saw you! Have you slept with so many girls that you donât even remember all of them?â
âJasper.â Violet said lowly. âDid you sleep with Sophia? Sophia Chang?â
My face paled as memories flashed. The party. Iâd been upstairs, wondering why I even bothered to attend the stupid thing, when Sophia had entered the room.
âOops. This isnât the bathroom.â She said.
I smirked. âNope, sorry.â
âJasper Cole right?â
âThe one and only.â
She giggled, dimples popping out on her cheeks. She was pretty, not Violet pretty, but passable. âWhat are you doing up here by yourself? The party is downstairs.â She said.
I shrugged. âIâm not really the social type.â
âOh, I know. I donât think Iâve ever heard you speak before now.â She laughed again.
Taking a seat on the bed next to me, she sighed heavily.
âCan I ask you something?â She said randomly.
âSure.â
âWell⦠itâs more of a confidence.â
âWhatever.â
She started playing with a strand of her long hair. âIâm worried⦠is s*x⦠hard?â
I almost spit my beer as I laughed. She glared at me, and I tried to sober.
âSorry. The way you phrased that.â I chuckled. âI donât really get what youâre asking.â
She looked down at her hands. All of my friends have done it. And they talk about it. I canât imagine doing any of that⦠Iâm scared I will disappoint my mate, when I find him.â
âOh.â I thought about it. âI donât think that possible. According to my parents, the love you have with your mate is unlike anything else. One can assume the physical love is the same.â I took a swig of my drink.
Suddenly, her hand was on my arm, her body turned towards me. âShow me.â
This time, I did spit my drink. âWhat?â I sputtered.
âIt wonât mean anything. And it doesnât have to be intimate. I just want to⦠learn some thing.â
âSophia-â
Her lips were on mine before I finished. I almost pushed her back. But I didnât. I donât know why, but the next thing I knew, we were under the covers of Goddess knows whoâs bed when the door swung open.
And Garrett walked in.
I stared at my mate, pleading my eyes. But she knew. Iâm positive my face gave it away. I swallowed, and answered her anyway.
âYes.â
Her face clouded in disappointment and hurt.
âBut I didnât know she had a boyfriend. She never told me that.â I continued frantically.
âNobody knew we were dating.â Garrett said. I turned to him.
âThen whoâs fault is it really? Look, Iâm sorry for my actions, but it should have been up to her to tell me if she was taken or not. Nothing would have happened if Iâd known.â
He scoffed but Violet looked back to me. She was biting her l*p, the little quirk she had when she was thinking.
âI didnât know Violet. I swear. You can ask Sophia, she came onto me.â
A fist connected to my face, throwing me off guard and off balance. Instantly I released Violet so I wouldnât take her down with me. I hit the ground hard, my hand rubbing my jaw.
âGarrett!â Violet yelled at him.
âSophia would never-â Garrett started screaming at me.
âBut she did!â Violet screamed back. Both of us looked at her in shock. âJasperâs right Garrett. It was her responsibility to tell him she was in a realtionship.â
âAre you serious right now? She probably did and he manipulated her into doing it anyways!â
Violets eyes sparked. âExcuse me? Are you accussing him of forcing her?â
He glanced at me, a nasty smirk on his face. âI wouldnât put it past him.â
Two seconds later, Garrett was holding his cheek. He stared at his sister in complete and utter disbelief as she lowered her hand. Then she walked over to me, offering me her hand. I took it and she pulled me up.
âYou⦠you slapped me.â Garrett breathed.
âYouâre f*****g right I did.â She hissed.
âFor him? Heâs lying to you Violet. You canât accept him, he canât be your mate.â
âHe is. And I do.â She looked at me. âWe have stuff to work out, obviously. But I will not reject my mate just because my brother doesnât like him. In case you havenât noticed, Iâm not your mates biggest fan. But Iâm also not telling you to reject her. Iâm leaving that choice up to you.â She took my hand, pulling me past him.
âI just thought you had the same respect for me. Clearly, I was wrong.â She said as we passed.
We walked away, leaving him standing in the training yard. I clicked my jaw; Garrett had a good punch, that was for sure. I focused on my mate, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Her grip on my hand was tight, and her face was like stone. Now, more than ever before, I regretted my past actions. I was making a mess of things, not just our bond, but her relationship with her family. I looked away, startled that sheâd dragged me to the pack house.
âWhere are we going?â I asked.
âMy Mom wants to meet you.â She grumbled.
âOh.â
We earned a lot of stares as we walked through the foyer and to the stairs. Iâm sure we looked comical, but my stomach was twisting in knots. Had Garrett already told his parents? Was I about to get beat up from none other than the Alpha of B***d Moon? Well, I had a good run. Though maybe I could still runâ¦
âStop fidgeting.âViolet sighed. âTheyâre not going to bite Jasper.â
âEasy for you to say.â I mumbled and she shot me an amused look.
Iâd obviously never been to the Alphas floor. I looked around, admiring all the artwork as we walked. A particular piece caught my eye, but Vie pulled me along. Iâd have to take a closer look later. We stopped in front of a door and she walked in without knocking. Slowly, I followed her, shutting the door behind me. Turning around, I was met with a smiling Luna and a passive Alpha. I gulped loudly, nodding my head respectfully.
âAlpha. Luna.â
âJasper.â Luna Lily said. She came to stand in front of me, looking me over. âI havenât seen you up close in a while. You sure have grown.â
âOnly a little.â I replied sheepishly and she laughed.
âCome, sit. I made an early lunch.â
âThank you.â I said. I took a seat next to Violet at the round table in the center of the room. The Luna had prepared all kinds of sandwiches, crackers and meats, cheeses, tea and juice, and some delicious looking desserts. Feeling awkward, I took a sandwich and poured myself some orange juice. I could feel everyones eyes on me.
âSo.â Alpha Dimitri began. âYouâre Violets mate.â
âYes sir.â
He looked at her. âAnd is this another case like Garretts?â
She shook her head. âNo.â
âSo you accept him then?â
She looked at me with a small teasing smile. âMost of him.â
âAlright.â He looked at his mate and she nodded.
âViolet, come help me in the other room for a minute.â
âUh, Mom-?â
âYour Dad would like to speak with Jasper.â
Did my soul just leave my body? Standing, Violet shot her Dad a look, one I interpreted as âDonât kill him.â Or maybe that was just my wishful thinking. She glanced at me over her shoulder as her Mom ushered her through a door near the kitchen, shutting it behind them. I stared at the plates of meats and cheeses, already sweating.
âIâve heard a lot about you Jasper.â Alpha Dimitri said. âI hear youâre very good with the ladies.â
âHardly sir.â
âNo?â
Daring to look up, I met his eyes. âMost of what people hear about me is rumors. Iâm not perfect, but Iâm definitely better than the Jasper everyone hears about.â
He raised one eyebrow, and I saw a lot of Violet in the action. âMy daughter knows this?â
âIâve explained it to her Alpha. Honestly, I wasnât expecting her to accept me as her mate.â
âBeing Alpha, I hear a lot that goes on in the pack. Not much escapes me.â He picked up a spoon, twirling it in his fingers. âBut I am happy to hear that most of it isnât true. Youâre very lucky to have my daughter as a mate.â
âI feel lucky.â
âAnd I think she is also lucky. To have you.â
I raised my eyebrows, surprised he would say that. A small smile played on his lips.
âI pride myself in being a pretty good judge of character Jasper. And I know your Father well. I do not believe he would raise you to be the man Iâve heard so much about. As long as you treat me daughter with the respect and love she deserves, I am happy to accept you into my family.â
Tears brimmed my eyes. Partly from being grateful that I was still alive right now. But mostly from the knowledge that Iâd gained such a respected Father-in-law. Alpha Dimitri was a great man, and I looked up to him.
âThank you Alpha.â I replied lowly.