Her lips crash into mine with a hunger that mirrors the storm still brewing inside me, but hers is softer, warmer in a way that mine is not.
Jaz's hands are everywhere—sliding under my shirt, tracing the lines of my chest, pulling me closer as if she can sense the chaos I'm carrying and wants to absorb it all.
I let her, because right now, I need this.
Need the distraction, the release, the simple connection that can push everything else from my mind.
I kiss her back, deeper now, my fingers tangling in her ponytail, tugging gently to tilt her head.
She moans softly against my mouth, the sound vibrating through me, stirring something primal but not violent.
Not today.
My wolf is quiet, sated from earlier, and for once, I'm not fighting it not to go rough on her.
Jaz's body presses against mine, her curves fitting perfectly into the hard planes of my frame, and I walk her backward toward the bed without breaking the kiss.
She breaks it first, gasping a little as her hands fumble with the hem of my shirt.
"Off," she whispers, her blue eyes locking onto mine, filled with that familiar mix of affection and desire.
I chuckle a bit, lifting my arms so she can peel it over my head. The cool air of the room hits my skin, but it's nothing compared to the heat building between us.
Her fingers trail down my torso, lingering on the scars from old fights—reminders of the life I left behind, or trying to.
"You're tense," she murmurs, her touch light, almost soothing. "Let me help."
I don't respond with words. Instead, I reach for her top, a simple white blouse that hugs her figure. She raises her arms, and I lift it off, revealing the lacy bra beneath, her skin flushed and inviting.
My hands skim her sides, feeling the softness there, the way her breath hitches at my touch.
Her jeans come next, sliding down her legs as she kicks off her shoes.
I step out of my boots, unbuckle my belt, and let my pants drop, the fabric pooling at our feet.
Jaz is so beautiful, standing there in her underwear, her blonde hair now loose from the ponytail I'd tugged free.
Sometimes I forget how beautiful she is.
Sometimes I wonder why at all she keeps choosing me.
We're not mated and part of the reason why I haven't claimed her is because I keep expecting her to change her mind, to leave my chaos behind her and choose the quiet, peaceful life I know she deserves.
But I open my eyes and she's there. I come out of the darkness and she's a beacon.
I pull her close again, feeling how perfect our bodies align with each other. Skin to skin, nose to nose, mouth to mouth.
I draw back slowly and kiss her shoulder, her collarbone, tasting the faint salt of her skin.
She makes a gruff sound at the back of her throat and her nails graze my back lightly, not scratching, just enough to send shivers through me.
Her wolf is stirring and thankfully mine remain asleep.
I want to savour this distraction, I want it to last and He's too rough for that.
We move to the bed, her hands guiding me down onto the soft comforter, while she straddles me, her weight a welcome pressure.
I unhook her bra, letting it fall away, and cup her breasts, my thumbs brushing over her nipples until they harden under my touch.
She arches into me, a soft sigh escaping her lips, and grinds against me slowly, the friction through our remaining clothes building the tension.
My hands slide to her hips, hooking into the waistband of her panties, and she lifts slightly so I can ease them off. She does the same for my boxers, her fingers warm and sure as she frees me.
I roll us over gently, settling between her thighs, and she wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me closer. Our eyes meet as I position myself, and she nods, her hand guiding me in.
I enter her slowly, inch by inch, savoring the way she envelops me, warm and tight. She gasps, her fingers digging into my shoulders, a sharp pain that send an warning bell to my wolf.
I pause, taking a breath willing him to ignore it. When I'm fully inside, I let us both adjust, our breaths mingling in the quiet room.
Then I start to move, a steady rhythm, deep but gentle, each thrust drawing a soft moan from her. Her hips rise to meet mine, syncing perfectly, like we've always been this in tune.
And truth be told we always have.
The world narrows to the feel of her beneath me, around me, the scent of lavender and sweat mingling in the air.
I kiss her neck, her jaw, her lips, pouring the frustration of the day into something tender instead of destructive.
She whispers my name, "Casper," like a plea, and I quicken the pace just a little, feeling her tighten around me, her body responding in waves. Her hands roam down to the curve of my lower back, urging me faster, and I lose myself in the sensation.
We climb together, her breaths coming faster, matching mine, until she shudders beneath me, her release washing over her in quiet waves. I follow soon after, burying my face in her shoulder as I come, the tension unraveling in a rush that leaves me spent and strangely empty.
My wolf stirs once and fades completely into the silence.
With my breath coming in soft gasps, we stay like that for a moment, tangled and content.
Jaz traces lazy circles on my arms, her voice soft.
"That was… needed."
"Yeah," I murmur, rolling off her but keeping an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
The room is bright, the afternoon sun filtering through the curtains in golden streaks.
For a brief second, peace settles in my chest, pushing away the anger, the worry. And I close my eyes.
But like all things when it comes to me, it doesn't last.
Thoughts of Arielle soon creep back in. The colour of her eyes, the thick waves of her hair, the way her scent still lingers strongly on that hairband in my pocket, and finally the fear that she's out there alone, hurt, or worse.
And she might never be found.
I sit up slowly, the sheet pooling around my waist. Jaz props herself on an elbow, watching me with those perceptive eyes.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." I shake my head. "Just thinking."
"About the foster child?"
"Arielle," I correct her.
I rub a hand over my face, sighing. "I can't help it, Jaz. She's missing. No one knows where she is and I feel like it's my fault somehow."
"It's not your fault. We'll find her but in the meantime come hold me for a bit."
I stare at a patch of wall in the room covered with pictures of Jasmine and her family on vacations.
"What if we don't find her?"
I hear her sigh. "Cas, baby I would much rather not talk about her after we just finished having sex. I've missed you and I want to hold me please."
When I don't move, she sits up too, pulling the sheet over her chest. She hooks two fingers under my jaw and turns me to face her, her expression has shifted into something sharper.
"Arielle, the human girl is all everyone wants to talk about. I get she's missing and all but we all have lives, Casper." Her voice is getting irritated and sharp. "There's the pack war we should be trying to avoid, Dave's funeral tonight and Hugo our friend still missing… She's not as important as you're making her out to be and you've just been obsessed with finding her. Running through the woods and picking fights like a misguided rogue."
I tense, the calm shattering. "Obsessed? She's just as important as the rest of us. The fact that she's weaker is the more reason to find her because she can't survive on her own against the likes of us and the things in the woods. So I won't sit back while they play bullshit pack politics and leave her to die."
Jaz shakes her head, tousled hair falling down her chest, her voice rising.
"Do you even hear yourself? This whole thing started because you killed Dave for her. You broke pack law. And now instead of owning up to your mistakes and trying to fix it you're busy chasing a human."
She waves a frustrated hand in the air. "You ever stopped to consider that maybe she ran off on her own because she doesn't belong here? Back to whatever life she had before all this."
My jaw clenches, the anger that had been diffused sparking with new flames.
"Arielle didn't run. I've tracked her scent enough times to smell foul play, Jaz. Hugo played a major part in it and I know if we find him, he'll lead us to her."
"So is it why you came here? To ask about Hugo?"
"No. I—"
"One stupid human vanishes and suddenly you don't care about me anymore?"
"I didn't say that Jasmine. I'm saying show a little fucking empathy."
She scoffs. "And what has Arielle done to deserve it? That she disappeared? Dave is dead!" She explodes. "His child will never know him! His mate will get to see him or touch him again! If anyone deserves my empathy is them not some little attention seeker!"
She reaches for my hand, but I pull away, standing up and grabbing my boxers from the floor. "Casper, listen to me."
Anger is burning through me.
I yank on my pants not trusting myself to say something I won't regret.
Jasmine is wrong.
"Casper, wait," she tries again, standing up and wrapping the sheet around herself like armor.
"You have to stop this and let her go. We need you here. Focus on the pack—on us."
The words hit like a punch. "Let her go? She's not some stray dog, Jaz. She's… she's family."
Jaz's eyes narrow, hurt flashing across her face. "Since when? All you did was complain about her and how your father should send her away and now she's gone, she's suddenly family?"
I shove my arms into my shirt, buttons be damned. "I can't just abandon her."
"Right." She laughs bitterly, stepping closer. "Her knight in shining armor. Wake the fuck up, Casper before you destroy everything we've built."
My chest tightens, the double feeling from earlier returning—anger and something like regret. But the anger wins. "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I need to destroy it to fix it."
I grab my jacket from the floor, slinging it over my shoulder. "I'm not stopping until I find her."
Jaz crosses her arms, her voice cold. "Then fuck off. But don't expect me to wait around while you play unwanted hero. The pack needs an Alpha, not a rogue."
I pause at the door, hand on the knob, but I don't look back. "Maybe Jean can be that for you."
The words are petty, laced with bubbling up resentment and before I can see their effect, I'm storming out, slamming the door behind me.
The echo rings through the house along with her frustrated scream.
Outside, the sun is dipping lower, casting long shadows over the orchard. The air still smells of flowers and fruit, but it does nothing to soothe me now.
My truck roars to life as I peel out, gravel crunching under the tires.
Arielle's out there somewhere, and no amount of arguments or pack politics is going to stop me from finding her.
But as I drive away, the weight in my chest grows heavier, wondering if I'm losing everything else in the process.
The fields blur past, and my mind races to any clue I might have missed. Hugo's missing too, and Dave's funeral looms like a storm cloud. But Arielle… she's the one I can't shake. The one who slipped through my fingers, literally and figuratively.
I pull over at the edge of the woods, killing the engine. The silence is deafening, broken only by the distant call of birds. I step out, sniffing deeply, searching for any trace of her scent on the wind.
Nothing.
But I won't stop. Not now.
As night falls, I plunge back into the trees, my wolf awakening with a low growl.