“What’s your plan?” Her wolf prowled beneath her skin, ready
to fight alongside its mate.
Jasper moved his head slowly, as if surveying the area, and
she followed the movement.
There.
A lone wolf stood right at the edge of their wards. She
could feel his presence and sense that he was on alert, but hadn’t moved toward
them. The scent of him was like a sickly sweet taste on her tongue and made her
want to gag, but she kept the scent close. The tainted scent was that of a
Central wolf.
One that, if her mate had anything to say about it, wouldn’t
make it back to the Centrals as their scout.
“We’ll go out to where he is but come up the side way and
upwind so he can’t catch our scents. He’s not moving toward us, and he doesn’t
scent as if he is on alert, so I don’t think he can tell we’re here. We can go
through the wards easily, so I want to take him out on the other side. He
already smells tainted. His soul is a lost cause.”
She nodded, knowing if it had been any other way, he’d have
tried to save the wolf. Now, though, they were at war and dying because of the
Centrals.
There wasn’t time for doubt.
She followed him at a lope, keeping her senses open in case
there was another scout in hiding. Jasper slowed, his wolf coming to the
surface, brushing hers along the bond.
She could see the other wolf, but it wasn’t looking at them.
No, the man in ragged jeans and bare chest looked off in the distance but seemed
to have no clue they were there.
Good.
With one last look over his shoulder at her, Jasper bounded
through the wards. She followed, her claws ready to break through her
fingertips if needed. Her mate had the other wolf by the neck before she could
blink. Jasper’s eyes glowed gold, his wolf close to the surface, ready to
shift, but he wasn’t breathing hard.
No, Jasper was in full control.
She kept them in the corner of her eye as she checked around
them. No other wolves breached her senses, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t appear
quickly. It wouldn’t be good to let her guard down.
“What are you doing here?” Jasper growled.
“Watching for you, Redwood filth,” the wolf choked out,
trying to speak around Jasper’s hand, currently squeezing the bastard’s
windpipe.
“Did you know we were out here?” Jasper asked.
The wolf said nothing.
“Were you sent out here to watch us or just the cabin?”
Again, no answer.
“Are you watching all of our wards looking for weaknesses?”
The wolf blinked as if bored, even though he was clearly in
pain.
“Did Caym send you? Are there others with you?”
The wolf didn’t say anything and Jasper knew no matter what
he did, the wolf wouldn’t talk. It was pointless.
Jasper just shook his head then squeezed, breaking the
wolf’s neck. He dropped the man to the ground and sighed.
“Their scouts have no power, yet they’re beating us,” he
whispered. “Scouts might not need to have power since all they do is watch and
report, but they’re winning.”
She tugged at his hand and pulled him back through the
wards, wanting to make sure they were covered.
“Caym is trying to annihilate us all. He won’t succeed. He’s
underestimating us, and we’re not going to roll over for him. Remember that.”
He kissed her hard then leaned against her slightly but not
putting too much of his weight on her. “I just killed a wolf in front of you,
and you’re not even blinking.”
“Jasper, my love, you were so afraid you couldn’t protect me,
yet what did you just do? You made sure the threat was eliminated before it
could escalate. You’re a powerful wolf and a wonderful mate. Stop selling
yourself short.”
“You believe in me more than I deserve sometimes.”
She slapped his shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Stop it with
the emo, Jasper. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, and you
trusted me enough to be by your side. Now let’s call Kade and have him or Adam
send someone to clean up. The patrols should be around soon anyway for this
sector if I remember, but it never hurts to be sure. I also know that we wanted
to stay a bit longer, but now that we had to deal with a Central, I want to
just go home to Brie.”
Her mate smiled softly then kissed her, a brush of lips that
calmed her wolf. “Let’s go see our daughter. I don’t want to miss another
moment. ”
Willow wrapped her arms around Jasper’s waist and laid her
head on his chest. The trip had done what it was meant to do, and he’d found
his confidence again. Her wolf nudged at her, and she snuggled closer,
tightening her grip. This was her fate, her happiness. She’d fought for it and
would fight again, no matter what.
His mate wiggled up against him in his sleep, and he
grinned. Yes, this was a familiar feeling, and Jasper loved every moment of it.
His eyes closed, he ran his hand up her shirt to cup her breast. They were
under the covers, their bodies tangled and heavy from a long night’s sleep, and
yet all he wanted to do was claim his mate.
Again.
She arched against him, that little moan escaping her lips
such a sweet sound and going straight to his cock.
“Shh, my Willow, don’t moan so loud. We wouldn’t want to
wake anyone.”
She laughed softly and turned in his arms. The movement
forced him to release her breast, so he moved his hand down to her ass instead.
“Copping a feel this early?” she asked, her voice warm and
inviting.
He took her lips, slow and easy, her taste mingling with
his, igniting his wolf. “It’s never too early to cop a feel.”
They both burst out in laughter, their bodies shaking
together. “Oh my god, that’s got to be the worst line you’ve ever used on me.”
He frowned. “I’m sure I’ve used worse. I’ll strive to do
better with bringing you horrible pick-up lines.”
“Oh Jeez. What have we started?” She smiled while her eyes
danced.
“Well, I know what
I
started, and it included getting
you out of these shorts and having a breakfast of my own before we get out of
bed.”
Her eyes darkened. “Don’t let me be the one to stop you.”
“Mommy! Daddy!” The sound of a little fist knocking on the
door made both of them freeze.
“Well, at least she’s knocking now,” Willow said deadpan,
and Jasper chuckled.
“There’s always that, I guess.” He moved off his mate and
ran a hand through his hair. “Come in, Brie.”
The door opened, and he saw the top of her head at the end
of the bed as she padded in quickly. He reached down when she moved to the side
of the bed and then pulled her to sit between him and Willow. She blinked up at
him and squirmed, her body radiating more energy than usual.
“Good morning, baby girl. What’s got you all fiery today?”
His wolf rubbed up against his skin, and he held back a
strained smile. He had a feeling he knew exactly what was going on with Brie,
but he wanted to see what she thought of it first.
She scrunched up her face and rubbed her arms. “I don’t
know. It’s like my skin is itchy, but I don’t know why.” Her eyes filled with
tears, and her lower lip wobbled. “What’s wrong with me, Daddy?”
Sweet Jesus, he wanted to crawl in a hole and die or at
least find a way to make everything in the world right again. While the change
was brutal and painful with adults, the moon goddess was kind to children.
Their shift would be painless and feel like a hug. It wouldn’t be until they
hit puberty that it would really hurt.
Thankfully.
Most thought that the moon goddess spared the children from
the pain but then couldn’t stop it from happening after a certain point. After
all, the idea of becoming a werewolf had been a punishment for hunting long
ago. Changing one’s shape into something completely different
should
hurt. It wasn’t magic and rainbows, but a body transforming cell by cell.
He hugged her close, and Willow leaned into them both. He
wrapped an arm around his girls and tried to be strong in accepting the
realization that his little girl was growing up.
“It’s your wolf, Brie. You’re almost ready to shift so your
skin feels all itchy because your wolf wants to come out.”
She blinked then smiled wide, her tears gone in a flash. “I
get to be a wolf like Finn!”
He snorted. “I take it you’re not scared.”
“Nuh huh. I get to be a wolf like you and Mommy and Finn.”
She scrambled off the bed and tugged at him. “Come on. Let’s go. Wolfie time!”
She ran off at top speed, screaming and giggling.
“You heard her. It’s wolfie time,” Willow said, the false cheer
in her voice not hiding her worry from him.
“She’ll be okay, Willow.”
“You sure it doesn’t hurt for babies?”
They both stood by the bed, and he kissed her softly. “I’m
sure. She’ll love it. When she gets to be a little older, then we’ll deal with
the shifts that hurt. Right now, we get to watch our daughter find her wolf.”
Willow let out a breath and tugged on her jeans. “Well, come
on then. Brie’s probably in the middle of our backyard naked as a jaybird.” She
paused. “Will we have to shift with her?”
Jasper shook his head. “Maybe. She might be able to get it
on her own since she’s seen us shift before. If she needs us though, either one
of us can.
His mate snorted then strode toward the backyard where they
indeed found a naked Brie running round making howling sounds.
“Why can’t I be a wolf now?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Because you need to focus, baby girl.” Jasper went to the
middle of the yard and sat cross-legged. “Kneel like a wolf and then focus on
the part that itches under your skin. Do you want Mommy to show you how to
shift?”
She shook her head, her teeth biting into her lower lip as
she concentrated. “I’ve seen it before. I can do it.”
There was something so confident in her tone that Jasper had
to blink. Brie seemed to be full of surprises. Gods, she was going to be a
handful when she became a teenager.
He shook his head so he could focus on Brie’s shift. Willow
sat on the other side of her, and they both rubbed up and down Brie’s back. His
wolf felt the stirrings of her little wolf, and he smiled.
Any minute now.
“Close your eyes and try to find that little ball of
energy.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice determined.
“Now tug on that a bit. Think of it like tug of war and
you’re trying to win against Finn.”
“I can beat him. He’s a boy, but I’m tough too.”
“Yes, you are honey. Now feel that energy and pull.”
She nodded then gasped, as she found it. Jasper’s wolf
howled, and he felt Willow’s do the same through the bond. Fur sprouted under
his palm, and where once a little girl knelt, now stood a tiny pure white wolf pup
with green eyes.
“Oh, baby, you’re so adorable. You did it!” Tears streamed
down Willow’s face, and he had a feeling he was crying too.
Brie wiggled from between them and took a couple shaky steps
before turning back and jumping on Willow. Willow laughed as Brie licked her
face, and then Brie moved to do the same to Jasper.
Right then and there, he fell in love with his daughter all
over again.
She had to be the cutest wolf in the history of wolf pups.
She wagged her little tail then pranced away, dancing as much as a wolf could,
and Jasper just shook his head.
“She’s so good at that,” Willow said, awe in her voice.
He stood, pulling his mate up with him, then wrapped an arm
around her. “She was meant for it. She’s meant for so much.”
Willow laid her head on his chest, and he tightened his
hold. “We’re going to make sure she gets to do just that, find out what she’s
meant for, and also have a chance to one day watch her own little pup run and
play. We’re going to do that for her, Jasper.”
He blinked away the tears and turned to face her. He cupped
her face and nodded. “We’re going to win, Willow. We have more to fight for,
and we won’t give up. That little girl is going to be happy, happier than she
is now if that’s possible. You know why I know that?”
“Why?”
“Because I have you by my side. You’re my haven, my
everything, Willow. You’re the one who will do whatever it takes to fight for
what you love, and I can only do what I can to keep up. We’re going to win
because we have each other and have a future worth fighting for.”
“I love you, Jasper.”
“I love you too, Willow, my haven.”
They turned and watched their little wolf pup dance in the
grass, and right then, Jasper knew that, no matter what happened, this moment,
this scene, would be something he’d never forget. He had everything he needed,
and now that he had a plan, he knew exactly how he was going to keep it that
way.
As long as he had Willow by his side, he could do anything.
Coming Next in the Redwood
Pack world:
The Redwood Pack Princess
and the wolf that just might save them all get their story in the final
installment of the Redwood Pack:
Fighting Fate, coming June 2014
A Note from Carrie Ann
Thank you so much for reading
A Beta’s Haven
. It was
so nice to go back and visit Jasper and Willow after all this time. Things sure
have changed in the Redwood Pack! I do hope if you liked this story, that you
would please leave a review. Not only does a review spread the word to other
readers, they let us authors know if you’d like to see more stories like this
from us. I love hearing from readers and talking to them when I can. If you
want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my
newsletter at
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
;
follow me on twitter at
@CarrieAnnRyan
,
or like my
Facebook page
.
I also have a
Facebook
Fan Club
where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the
reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.
What’s next in my Redwood Pack world? The next—and last—full
length book in the Redwood Pack series is
Fighting Fate
. While it does
come out in June, I’m writing it now and…well…Cailin and Logan’s journey is a
tough one!
You don’t have to worry though because this year I also have
2 more Redwood Pack novellas, and then in 2015, we will see the start of a
brand new series, The Talon Pack. We’re going 30 years into the future and not
letting go of the Redwoods. You’ll see them again, only this time, you get to
meet a whole new batch of Alpha wolves.
I also have my Dante’s Circle and Montgomery Ink series
going in full swing now so there’s always a Carrie Ann book on the horizon!
Thank you so much for going on this journey with me and I do
hope you enjoyed visiting Jasper and Willow. Without you readers, I wouldn’t be
where I am today.
Thank you again for reading and I do hope to see you again.
Carrie Ann