VIOLETS POV I bit my l*p worriedly. I wasnât hearing any sounds of a fight, so I guess that was a good sign. Still, Dad was the Alpha. I doubted he didnât know about my mates reputation. And being Alpha, he could also be pretty scary when he wanted to be. It would make a lousy first impression if Jasper s**t himself.
âStop fretting.â Mom said from across the room. âYour Dad just wants to talk to him.â
âTalk to him, or interrogate him?â I asked.
She smiled. âWell, maybe a bit of both.â
I g*****d and she laughed.
âYou have nothing to worry about Violet. Jasper is a good man.â
âHe has a bit of a reputation.â I told her.
âOh, I know. But itâs all rumors.â
I narrowed my eyes at her. âYou sound very confident about that Mom.â Her cheeks turned light pink and my jaw dropped. âYou didnât!â
âYouâre my daughter. Of course I wanted to make sure he was suitable for you.â She said defensively.
I gaped at her, astonished she used her powers on my mate. How did he not feel it?! Mom did it to me once, when she thought Iâd partaken in weed. It hadnât hurt, but I definitely felt her aura. Over the years, sheâd gained tremendous control over her gifts, able to use them without physical contact.
âAnd you donât worry about your brother either. He will come around eventually.â She said now.
âMom!â I gasped. âJust how much did you see exactly?â
âOnly what I needed to. Jasper cares deeply about you Violet.â She frowned. âAs much as I hate to say it, he is telling the truth about Sophia. But thatâs something Garrett and her need to work out, so donât feel guilty about it.â
âHe was telling the truth?â I asked hopefully.
She nodded. âPeople make mistakes. Goddess knows how many your Dad made with me. But I wasnât perfect either. Iâm proud that you chose to try and work through it with your mate.â
âThanks Mom.â
She smiled befor eher eyes glazed over.
âTheir done.â
I spun around, yanking open the door, my eyes immediatly finding him. Jaspers face was flushed, and he looked a little emotional. I quickly took my seat next to him, reaching for his ahnd. The sparks from our contact made me smile.
âAre you okay?â I asked.
Dad snorted. âYou make it seem like Iâm a monster.â
âMy monster.â Mom leaned down and pecked him on the lips.
âIâm good. We just talked.â Jasped squeezed my hand.
âAnd now Iâd like to talk as a family.â Dad said. He looked Jasper in the eye. âIâm very surprised about the colour of your wolf.â
âI am too.â Jasper admitted.
âHe wonât tell you anything?â
âIâve asked him. But I never met my Dad, and my Mom was a rogue.â
âHe wouldnât remember someone heâs also never met.â Mom said thoughtfully. âBut we can recognize our kin. If you were to find you Dad, your biological father, your wolf would know him.â
Jaspers hand tightened in mine, his jaw clenching. I knew exactly how he felt about his real Dad, and just how eager he was to find him. Not at all.
âYou donât have to.â I told him gently.
âActually,â Dad said, âI think you do. Itâs not just your colour that has me curious, but also your eyes.â
âMy eyes?â
âOnly one family that I know of has your eye colour Jasper. Itâs uncommonly rare.â
âWhich family?â Mom asked.
Dad looked at Jasper as he spoke. âThe Warricks. Specifically Alpha Warrick and his son.â
My eyes widened; Jaspers mouth fell open and Mom gasped.
âYou⦠you think I have Alpha b***d?â Jasper whispered.
âI think so.â Dad nodded.
Jasper shook his head slowly. It wasnât hard to tell what he was thinking; You could almost see the words on his face.
âIt would also explain why youâre Violets mate.â Dad continued. âShe is the daughter of an Alpha, and being mated to another Alpha, even with a diluted bloodline-â
âDad!â
âNo, heâs right. My Mom was a rogue.â Jasper said.
âStill.â I gave Dad a dirty look. âYou could word it a better way.â By the look on Moms face, I knew she agreed with me.
âWe donât know the situation.â Mom said, still frowning at her mate. âYouâre Mom may not have always been a rogue. Maybe she was forced to leave the pack.â
Jaspers nodded mutely. âSo, this means I have to⦠what? Get ahold of this Alpha?â
âAlready done. I had my Beta get ahold of him this morning. Heâs on his way here, and should be here by tomorrow.â
My heart squeezed. Jasper looked at me with wild eyes.
âIâll be right here with you. I promise.â I mindlinked him.
âI donât know if I can do this Vie.â
âYou can. I know you can.â
We still had things to work on, that was for sure. But if there was anyone I trusted, it was my Mom. If she said Jasper was a good guy, then I believed that heart and soul. Heâd made mistakes. Mistakes that were causing drama between Garrett and I. But Mom was right about that too. Garrett needed to grow the f**k up, and let me live my own life. Whatever problems he had with Sophia, he needed to work out. Just like I did with Jasper. Until then, I would be here for him, while we figured this out.
One step at a time.
âCan my parents be there?â Jasper looked at my Dad, who nodded.
âYou can tell them. Be here tomorrow around noon. Weâll meet in the cafeteria.â
âWe really need to set up a meeting place other than the cafeteria.â Mom grumbled. âItâs not very formal.â
âNeither is the game room.â
âWhy donât we convert one of the free rooms?â
I tuned them out while they debated. Jasper rubbed slow circles on my hand on the table, his eyes searching mine.
âIâd like to meet your parents.â I told him quietly.
âTheyâd love to meet you.â
I smiled. âShall we?â
He glanced at Mom and Dda. âAre we allowed to leave?â
I laughed and stood. âIâm going to meet Jaspers folks. Iâll be back later.â
âOh. Alright.â Mom barely dismissed me, she was so into her new renovation plans. I walked to the door, him trailing behind me, and saying an awkward thank you, to which Mom waved her hand at him. I snickered.
âWow they really get in deep when they talk.â
âYeah. I think itâs cute.â I smiled. âYou ready to introduce your new girlfriend to your parents?â
He chuckled. âGirlfriend?â
âIs that not what I am?â
His arms went around my waist; He had to bend slightly to place them there, he was so tall.
âI was under the impression you were something more actually.â
âWas that a roundabout proposal?â
âWould you say yes if it was?â
I smacked his chest lightly. âToo soon buddy. Try again in a year or so.â
A smirk took over his face. âIâll remember that.â
âI have no doubt.â
We left the packhouse, and I looked towards the trees. He seemed to have the same urge, so hand in hand, we headed that way. Once we were deep enough, I went behind a bush and stripped. The second shift was a million times easier, considering only hours before Iâd been in the most pain of my life. It was still a little tense, but it felt more natural. I shook out my fur, coming out to find Ehno sitting and waiting for me. Picking up my clothes with my teeth, I gave him the lead and took off after him.
I didnât think Iâd ever get tired of running through the woods in this form. I felt so free. The feeling of the dirt beneath my paws, and the wind coursing through my fur was indescribable. We ran East, occassionally brushing against one another. I took the time to look at Ehno, really look at him. He was much bigger than a rogue, maybe even a few inches bigger than my Dad. Even if Jaspers Dad wasnât Alpha Warrick, he definitely didnât have a rogue for a Father.
I came to a stop when he did, and he pointed with his nose in the direction I assumed his house was. Finding a wide tree, I shifted back and got dressed. I walked back to him with a huge smile.
âI love running in Halas form!â I exhaled.
âI know what you mean. We shouold go for a run, a real run, later. I know a place we can go.â
âOkay.â He took my hand and started leading me. I was suddenly nervous, but probably not as nervous as he had been meeting my parents. I still wanted to make a good impression though. We cut through the trees into a backyard. A playset was structered off to the side, complete with a swingset and a large apple tree nearby. A brick firepit was dug into the ground, a metal grill placed over top. Beyond that laid wide flower beds, dancing with colours. I picked out four different types of flowers and several rose bushes, and still more species that I didnât know.
âYour Mom likes to garden huh?â
âOh yeah. She has a green thumb.â
âSheâs done a great job. These beds are beautiful!â
âThank you very much.â
I looked up to seea woman coming out the back door. She had medium length blond hair, gentle blue eyes and a kind smile. Her build was slender, but fit, and she had a graceful walk, almost bordering on dancing. She was lovely, and I liked her immediatly.
âYou must be Jaspers Mom.â I held out my hand but she ignored it, pulling me in for a hug instead.
âIâm so happy to meet you!â She gushed.
âVie, this is my Mom, Linda.â Jasper said.
âYou can call me Mrs. Cole for now, or Linda if youâre comfortable dear.â
âI like Linda.â I smiled shyly.
She grinned. âMy husband is at work, but he will be home later this afternoon. Youâre welcome to come inside. Stay as long as you want.â
She seemed so happy to meet me, I couldnât say no. I followed her inside, and was instantly attacked.
âHi!â A little girl who resembled Linda a lot was stuck to me, hugging my legs tightly. I looked at Jasper and he laughed.
âThis is my little sister, Elena. Sheâs a little eccentric.â
Elena looked at me, and my heart melted. She was the most adorable girl ever, with her slightly chubby cheeks, dimples and big blues eyes. She was missing a top tooth, the gap showing as she grinned hugely at me.
âIâm the cool one.â She stated and I almost died.
âI can totally see that.â I laughed. Jasper put a hand to his heart.
âYou two wound me!â
âAre you Jaspers mate?â Elena asked me.
âUh, yeah.â
Her eyes lit up and she let go of me to hop around.
âI have a sister! A big sister!â She squealed happily.
Linda scooped her up and bopped her nose with her finger. âCome on. Iâll put out some snacks and we can all get to know each other a bit better.â