Page 12 of Nighted

Chapter Four

I woke up in the dead of night, rolling over and expecting to find Jasper’s warm body next to me. But I had forgotten where I was, and the other half of the soft bed was cold and empty. Duke and Lucy were nothing but the perfect hosts, and the spare room I slept in was small, but warmly furnished. The two of them distracted me with stories throughout Lucy’s delicious dinner, and I found laughs coming easily with them. I felt at home.

But now, alone and in the dark, I missed Jasper. The hollow ache spread out from my stomach, encompassing my limbs and I knew there was no chance of me getting back to sleep. I groaned and snatched my phone off the dresser. He had said he had an early morning, but surely he could run on a little less sleep. I rubbed my blurry eyes and sent him a quick text, asking if he was awake. His response pinged back almost immediately. This bed is too big.

A trace of a smile spread across my lips. I knew he would be awake too. My eyes slowly adjusted to the dimness of the room, dappled in faint moonlight. Another message popped up. Everything okay?

No. Yes. Technically. I didn’t know how to put my feelings into words. Surely the tingles of rebellion in my body were me being overdramatic. You couldn’t miss someone this badly when you had seen them only a few hours prior. This feeling couldn’t be healthy. I typed back an easy message. I miss you. Simple, but summed my feelings up. Concise, but barely scraping the true depth of my emotions.

Believe me, Ava. I miss you too. I knew Jasper did. I could feel him in every ounce of my blood. Sitting up in bed, I leaned against the headboard, settling into his words.

Why does the separation hurt like this? It’s only a couple days. I feel like a drama queen.My fingers flew across the screen, sending the message before I could doubt myself.

My phone began to vibrate, waking me up even more than I had been a second ago. “Hello?” I whispered, not wanting to wake Lucy or Duke up. They were wolves, so this was a futile attempt, but I felt better all the same.

“Baby.” Jasper’s voice was warm on the other end, and I relaxed into hearing him. “I forgot you wouldn’t know.”

“Know what?” I continued to whisper, tiptoeing down the quiet hallway and silently sliding open the glass door. The moonlight was strong. We were close to a full moon, and the sky was free of clouds. In the bluish light, Lucy’s garden looked like something out of an artist’s mind. I took a seat at the painted picnic table, waiting for his response.

“About the distance.” His voice was raspy with the night, and I could picture him lying under the duvet -- eyes closed, dark hair a mess. “Being apart is hard for mates, more so if there’s actual distance. Especially if the pair haven’t been marked. It’s the soul’s way of making sure the heart gets what it wants.”

“Oh.” I was quiet, considering his words. In a lot of ways, the mate thing was something I continually had to adjust to. I loved Jasper -- body and soul. But the idea separation would make me feel like a black hole was tearing me in a million directions was a lot to digest.

“What’s on your mind, Green?” Jasper’s voice was rich with amusement, knowing the gears in my head were working overtime.

“I guess, I…” I sighed, turning my face toward the cool moonlight. “I constantly worry maybe I’m not strong enough for this.”

Jasper’s laugh was quick, startling my eyes open. “Not a chance. I’m certain you were born for this. You’re the strongest woman I know.” My blood rushed with the compliment, but I still hoped for some sign among the night sky to tell me I was destined for this. That my body could and would handle anything thrown at it.

We were far from the bright lights of the city, and a thousand stars twinkled in the clear night. I chose the brightest one, and squeezed my eyes shut to make an ironic wish.

It was only when Jasper’s soft voice caught me off guard, I realized I had spoken aloud. “Oh, baby. How long have you been wishing on false stars? You were always the only one strong enough to control your destiny.”

His loving tone made the words spiral in my belly, and I curled my toes in the damp grass underneath my feet, letting my body feel everything. He was right. I was strong enough. I stood up, turning to go back inside. But I wasn’t ready to hang up.

“Will you stay on the phone with me until I fall asleep?” I asked, returning to my whisper.

“Of course. Anything.” I made my way back to the spare room as silently as I could. My bed was ice-cold as I crawled into it, enough to send a shiver shuddering through my body. As I turned my body to get comfortable again, a shadow caught my attention. I whipped my head around, staring at the foot of my bed.

My heartbeat was loud, hammering in my ears. “Ava? Ava? You okay?” Jasper’s voice sounded like it was miles away.

I shook my head, clearing my eyes of the tricks being playing on me. The room was empty, and nothing was at the foot of my bed. “I’m fine. I thought I saw something, but my eyes are tired.”

I let his voice lull me to sleep, telling me stories about everything we would do when we were together again. Before I knew it, I was asleep.

* * *

The warm morning sun woke me up the next day, promising a beautiful day. Thirty-four hours and twenty minutes to go. Usually, weekends on the pack lands were pretty uneventful. We had left the additional cameras up from the winter, and I would usually check those, or hang out with the guys. I was there as a “just in case.” A backup for a backup. After the massive breakfast Lucy cooked up, Duke followed me out to the woods. A companionable silence accompanied us. The grass was becoming green with all the rain we had gotten lately, and new buds were popping up on all the small trees. A new season. I breathed in the warm morning air, a light breeze ruffling my hair.

“So…” Duke sounded nervous, and that made me anxious. It wasn’t like him. He was quiet, confident. Always level-headed, and always watching. I kept walking, waiting to hear what would come next. “We found Monica’s scent the other day. Nearly had her too.”

Monica. My mother. My mother who was supposed to be missing. Who I was supposed to have killed, if I hadn’t been too weak. I stopped dead in my tracks. “I’m sorry, what?”

Duke’s gaze was direct as he nodded. “Caught her smell while I was doing patrol ten miles out or so. She’s smart though and knows what she’s doing. Led us all over the damn place before we realized she had us crossing paths with each other.”

I started walking quicker, as if I could outrun this whole problem, meaning Duke had to rush in long-legged strides to keep up with me. I shook my head fiercely. “What would she be doing this close to the pack lands? She knows being here is a death sentence. Maybe you had her scent confused with someone else.” The thought actually running through my mind was… would I be strong enough to do what needed to be done this time? I needed to see her brought to justice for what she had done, and what she had wanted to keep doing. Killing all of the werewolves, and for what? Because she felt like she was destined for more?

Duke curled his hand around my upper arm, pulling me back. “It was definitely Monica. You forget I grew up knowing her, learning her scent. She was here.”

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