Blood Mates

The Wolf Secret Is Out

Jasper’s birthday was four days away. And since everyone seemed to want to do something with him, he had to carve out time with them. Him and his dad spent an entire day fishing on the icy lakes a couple hours north of them. AJ and him took the girls to a club not too far from the college.

And then after promising Alaia when he got back on his actual birthday, Jasper went to see his mom the day before.

After getting out of his truck, Jasper found no one home but let himself in with the spare. Sitting in the room he used for an hour, Jasper started to call his mom when he heard the door.

He started to get happy only to hear shouting. “-I don’t want to talk about it!”  It was Seth, and he sounded angry. Angrier than Jasper had ever heard the kid before. 

Standing, Jasper listened as he heard weird growls and snarls coming from in the house. “Son please calm down,” Davon whispered seriously.

Stepping outside his room, Jasper crept down the stairs and peeked into the living room at Davon trying to calm Seth. All while a crying Lucy rocked a sleeping Yvonne. Seth growled as he admitted, “I’m trying!”

Feeling his spine break in half, Seth grunted as he fell to the floor. His brown eyes turned gold as he met his sister’s eyes with hate, “This is all your fault. You did this!” He growled as his skin rippled with pain.

Lucy kept begging her brother to calm down, but then Seth was roaring as his body finished breaking and remolding itself. Soon a brown wolf was in the living room and Jasper looked wide eyed as he whispered, “Whoa.”

All three heads snapped to him and Seth in wolf form looked at his shocked stepbrother. Lucy sprang up as Davon watched unsure on what to do at this point.

It was quite in the room sans Seth’s labored breathing. But then the door burst in scaring the four of them out of their processing states. Yasmine came barging in with the tall man Jasper had met the first time he was here.

The man looked at Jasper for a moment before facing Seth irritated, “Damn it kid, let’s go!”

Seth whined but followed outside and after he was gone out the backdoor, Yasmine ran to her husband. “What in the hell just happened?” Davon swallowed as he looked down, “He heard about the trip you were taking next month. He just got upset is all.”

Yasmine exhaled and then she slowly turned and looked at her son who was hugging Lucy and Yvonne. After he kissed his baby sister and passed her over, he told Davon he’d be back.

Leading Lucy out back, Jasper held her as she shook against him like a chihuahua. “You okay?” Lucy shook her head as a tear fell down her cheek. “No. I f****d up, and now I’ve ruined everything. Now my brother hates me.” Crying as she held on to Jasper, Lucy kept saying how her dad and brother would hate her forever.

 How it was her fault.

But Jasper didn’t believe it, and waited until she was cried out before he asked, “What happened?” Lucy sniffled as she rubbed her red nose, “Yasmine’s leaving. She’s taking a trip somewhere next month. But she was holding off telling Seth and my dad. But Seth found the travel plans and stuff.”

Jasper didn’t see the issue as he shrugged, “So she needs a vacation? What’s the big deal?” Wincing, Lucy told him, “Seth saw there wasn’t a return date on the ticket she bought. And she bought it after we got into a fight.”

Crying, Lucy admitted, “I was just being a b***h to her, for no reason. And now she’s leaving and I can see how my dad looks at me now.”

Lucy hiccupped, “They know I’ve gone too far and now I’ve pushed his happiness away only because I wouldn’t accept her. I’ve ruined everything for them.”

Not sure that was the case, Jasper thought for a moment. “I don’t think that is it sis.” Lucy looked over at Jasper who shrugged, “I think you keep fighting to keep my mom out because you’re scared to let her in. Scared you’ll lose her like you did your mom, but you don’t have to be.”

Lucy made a noise of anger, “But look at what she’s doing now! Running away because of one fight. My mom would have never-.” Jasper shot Lucy a withering look, “And stop comparing her to your mom!”

 Lucy looked at Jasper surprised but he put a hand on her shoulder, “I know you love your mom, and I know no one could replace her. My mom does to, and she’s not trying to. She’s just trying to be there for you.”

Nervous, Lucy realized it as Jasper told her, “But you keep putting her in competition with someone you both know she’ll never live up to in your eyes. And you keep making it obvious everywhere she turns, rubbing her face in it.”

A tear streaked Lucy’s cheek as she whispered, “I-I-I didn’t mean to.” Jasper pulled her into a hug, “I know. But you did, and now she wants time, space, maybe a little breathing room. But I don’t think she’d leave and never come back.”

Lucy began to cry as she looked at Jasper sadly, “Isn’t that what she did to you?” Jasper grinned a little as he wiped his sister’s cheeks, “No.” As he began to stand to head back, Jasper reminded her, “I met her halfway.”

Sitting in the living room of a man you now know is an alpha, your stepfather a beta, and their friends and families were all wolves, was weird. Jasper had been brought over to Stephan Black’s home the minute he and Lucy got back.

After checking him to see if he was fine, Davon explained everything. That the rare gene was apparently passed down from fathers, given to mates, so they can bear children.

Or cubs rather.

What Jasper had witnessed apparently was a side effect of being a werewolf. Anger issues and uncontrollable shifting. Not a wolf’s fault, but of course something that needed to be handled.

Stephan had been uneasy with Jasper knowing their secret. But the kid wasn’t freaking out or babbling like a loon saying it was against God or unnatural.

Instead Jasper was sitting down and calmly asking questions after making sure they didn’t mind. “Does it hurt?” He asked Seth concerned seeing his little brother so pale.

Seth nodded, “At first, but by the end you kind of feel this rush and it’s natural and it stops hurting.”

Jasper shook his head laughing a little, “I swear kid I thought it was some exorcist s**t when I saw your arm do that weird breaking thing.” Seth laughed as a couple of wolves chuckled.

Stephan c****d an eyebrow as he challenged, “Were you going to call your priest?” Jasper laughed as he admitted, “Hell no. I was going to go and hide in my room and wait until it was over.” Davon and Lucy laughed a little.

Nervously wringing her hands, Yasmine admitted “Jas, I really wanted to tell you. But I didn’t know how you’d react, hell I freaked, and it was happening to me.” Jasper held up his hands, “No I get it mom. I would have probably freaked and thought you were crazy. But trust me…I get it.” Yasmine relaxed as Jasper seemed to be taking this all surprisingly well.

It was a relief to members of the pack seeing the pale boy not all scared or doubting them. He didn’t whip out his phone and take pictures, he didn’t even seem to be afraid from seeing Seth shift.

Instead he sat close to his brother in comfort with a hand on his shoulder. Seth laid back on the couch against him feeling himself get tired after the shift.

When he was dozing off, the front door opened and Roxie came in, in nothing but a big t-shirt and pants that were obviously not hers. Jasper looked at her confused as she turned and looked at him wide eyed, “W-what are you doing here?”

Yasmine reassured her as Jasper smiled at her playfully, “It’s okay sweetie, he knows now.” Roxie was even more shocked and looked at Jasper who casually waved to her, “Hey Rox, how you been?” Roxie nervously wrapped her arms around herself. “Um…accidently got stressed and shifted. You know…usual wolf stuff.”

Jasper nodded like he understood anything of that struggle and watched Talia Black, the alpha’s wife, take Roxie to get cleaned up.

When they were gone, Jasper texted Alaia and then looked to his mom, “So how did it work for you?” He asked as she took Yvonne from Davon, “Did he bite you like in the movies?”

Yvonne laughed lightly, “Yes, we call that marking. But it’s not as gory as in the movies.” Showing off a bite mark on the side of her neck, Yasmine explained, “It’s like a primal claiming mark for males and females on their partners. A sign to show they are together.”

Shaking his head, Jasper mumbled dryly, “Because buying a ring is just too much a hassle.” All the wolves heard him loud and clear and all of them laughed as Terrance, Seth’s best friend told him, “It’s because us being together goes a lot deeper than just a couple. It’s like your souls were carved especially just for the other person. It’s rare to get a second chance at it, and not taken for granted.”

Jasper nodded as he realized, “Like if one them dies?” Davon nodded thinking of Gabrielle, “Exactly.”

Jasper put a hand on his stepfather’s arm in comfort and Davon smiled at him a little as Stephan regarded it warily. “Okay out of curiosity son,” Stephan drawled tiredly, “You got a closet full of monsters or something?”

Confused, Jasper faced him as everyone looked at him worried. “Babe?” Talia asked softly as she came in making Stephan hold up a hand wary, “I’m not saying it’s wrong, but it’s a little weird how you not even a little shocked about any of this.”

Shrugging, Jasper asked awkwardly, “Ugh? Sorry? Do you want me to scream like a little girl and run away for the next twenty minutes all dramatic?” Stephan fought a smile as Jasper shrugged, “I knew you before I found out, now I know you even more. And at least I know the truth now rather than later when it’s important.”

Stephan agreed but then Jasper’s phone beeped, and he nodded, “Oh and I just got permission to tell you all the truth.” Yasmine looked at her son confused as Seth faced him, “Truth about what?”

He was starting to worry it was something bad, but then Stephan watched Jasper look up from his phone and casually say, “My girlfriend and her family are vampires actually, so don’t feel to special. My supernatural cherry was already popped.”

The entire room stopped as Davon and Yasmine looked at Jasper shocked, “What?” Yasmine whispered surprised. Jasper nodded, “My girlfriend’s name is Alaia Knight, daughter of Eric Knight.”

The adults knew the names, and they knew of the vampire family. But they hadn’t known they were so close or had been dating one of their own’s son. Stephan wanted to Alpha out and immediately demand information about the family.

But he couldn’t when his wife announced dinner.