Page 22 of Caligo

And by her reaction, I knew I had fed her the right tidbit. “What!” she practically screeched, causing Ben to duck his head around the kitchen doorway. Mollie shooed him off with a motion of her hand and turned back to me at a much lower decibel. “Girl. You didn’t call me? Also, he said he loved you and you didn’t say it back? What is so complicated?”

Mollie’s questions were coming a mile a minute, and I tried to answer all of them the best I could. “I didn’t call you because it was late, and then you worked a double the next day. And no, I didn’t say anything back. I already explained that to you. And as for the complicated bit… there’s nothing I can do. But we’re headed out to Chicago tonight to spend Christmas with his mom, if that’s any consolation.” I tried to head off any further questions with more gossip for her.

She tapped her spoon against her bottom lip, thinking. “Hmm. Interesting.”

“What is so interesting about it?” I hoped she wasn’t suspicious.

“Nothing.” But she must have been excited to talk because I gave her one look and her whole explanation spilled out. “Okay, it’s just he told you he loved you, and you didn’t respond. He didn’t leave,andhe’s taking you to meet his mom. That takes someone who is confident in the relationship. He’s in it for the long haul.”

“Uh huh.” I tried to downplay my reaction, but I was secretly thrilled to have Mollie’s definite approval.

Mollie smiled slyly. “I hope whatever you got her is better wrapped than my gift.”

I cringed, thinking about the newspaper I had wrapped Mollie’s last-minute gift in. I would have to make it up to her for her birthday. “Sorry. Again.”

“Don’t worry, Ava. I’m just glad you came.” She rested her hand on my forearm. “Wow, girl, your arm is solid! What’s your secret?”

I laughed, sounding strained even to myself. “Uh, boxing.”

Mollie raised her brow. “You’ll have to take me with you next time.”

I could feel a migraine coming on. “Um, sure, definitely.”

Thankfully she dropped the topic, and smiled at me gently. “You seem worked up lately. Don’t let all this bullshit with your parents get you down. It’s not worth it.”

If only she knew the whole story. I wished the issue with my parents was my only problem. But I couldn’t burden her with more, so I smiled weakly and gave her a hug. “Love you, girl.”

Mollie squeezed me back, whispering, “I know. And he does too.”

I untangled myself to find Jasper headed towards me. “You ready to go?” he asked as he touched my shoulder.

“You good if we take off?” I asked my best friend. "We have a bit of a drive.” I was ready to get on the road, but I was grateful for the chance to feel normal tonight. I’d needed it. We both had.

She pushed us both towards the door, shoving our coats into our hands. “Go. Bye. Drive safe. Text me tomorrow!”

We headed out the door, smiling at each other. I couldn’t ask for a better friend, really. Or a better night. For all of my fears about Christmas, the day was turning out to be perfect. The only thing left was to make it through meeting his mom without putting my foot in my mouth. Jasper reached for my hand, bringing my hand to his lips. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“You always say that.” I attempted to deflect, but blood still rushed to my face with the compliment. “Thank you for coming tonight. I really appreciate it.”

“I would do anything for you. Always.” I knew he meant what he was saying. “Now, are you ready to go to Chicago?”

I hesitated to answer when I felt rather than heard his phone ring. He reached in his pocket and silenced it. I opened my mouth to reply, but his phone rang again. Jasper mouthed an apology and brought the phone to his ear.

“It’s Christmas Eve, Adrian. Whatever girl you’re trying to get rid of can wait until tomorrow. Or if you really want to be a gentleman, the next day.” He listened quietly for a minute while I tried to figure out what Adrian was saying. But Jasper’s face was an impassive mask, giving nothing away.

He hung up the phone and continued walking towards the car. His sudden silence made me nervous and I rambled in an attempt to fill the space. “What did Adrian need? Does he not know we are driving to Chicago tonight?” A light snow had started to fall and I hoped the roads wouldn’t be slippery.

“We’re not going to Chicago,” Jasper replied tightly. “The new sensors were tripped five minutes ago. Our unknown wolf is officially on pack lands.”

Chapter 7

Jasper was so preoccupied he didn’t even ask me if I wanted to drive like he normally did, he just jumped in the driver’s seat of my car. He barely waited for my door to shut before he took off, racing through the streets. He muttered something to himself about how the drive would’ve been quicker on the bike, before turning his attention to me. “Ava. Do you have your makhairas?”

I twisted to pat the compact bag under my seat. “Yes, they’re here.”

“Good.” His voice was still strained, and I knew he was trying to stay calm. “Here’s the plan. We will meet up with Adrian at the pack hall. He and I will do a quick run to make sure our friend is still around and then we can all regroup from there.”

I nodded mutely before realizing he wouldn’t be able to see me in the dark car. “Okay. Are you sure you don’t want me to come out and do the loop with you guys as an extra set of eyes? I can back you up.”

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