8. Moon Run
Moon Run
Jasper
T he newly installed doorbell rang, and I checked the camera before answering.
Trey had been on my case about adding some security to Kade’s house in his calls.
Blake had been similarly cautious, and had the wards keyed to me and altered since I had a child in the house.
The new setup meant Angelica could let in people that knew the password.
My son-in-law was taking our fresh start seriously, and each attempt at friendship made it easier for me to accept his place in my precious son’s life.
Fate had done them a kindness by putting them together.
“Delivery for Angelica Brown.” The delivery person said, pointing at the gigantic box by his feet. It was nearly as big as he was, and I wondered how he managed to carry it. He caught my look. “Lighter than it looks.”
“No worries, I’m a shifter.” I said somewhat redundantly. My amber eyes often gave me away.
“Cool, you turn into anything big?” Humans were always so curious. It was kind of fun. Growing up, I hadn’t interacted with them much, so I made time to speak to them now.
Deciding just to be honest and not mess with him since I’d likely see him around, I said, “fox. My daughter is the same.”
“You one of those omegas?” He asked. I couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad thing in his books.
“Yes. I am,” I said cautiously.
“Cool. My wife often wished I was one when we were having our kids.” He gave me a grin that had me relaxing. “I don’t envy you omegas or our women folk. Then there’s the ogres, they can do both!”
I saw he was a Mercury Delivers driver, the same company Kade and Dakota had worked for. “Oh, you have ogres at your depot, don’t you? My son used to work there.”
We got to chatting about Kade. The driver, Mason, was pretty new to the area, but had met Kade a few times. “The place isn’t the same without Dakota there.”
His name was like a knife in the gut. I still felt so guilty about the way I’d treated him.
He was right that a clear rejection would be fairer.
Keeping him hanging on a maybe was cruel and egotistical, really.
I just didn’t want to be responsible for him having to uproot his life, and I couldn’t make myself leave.
Yet, just because fate had decided something didn’t mean it was what I wanted, though.
Mates were… complicated. I’d done the mating thing.
No thanks. What I had with Silas was simple and easy.
More like a human form of dating and just as easy to get out of.
I didn’t want to be tied in. It made me panic.
Everything about Dakota was too big and scary to think about.
He represented a massive change that I just wasn’t ready for.
Saying our goodbyes, I took the box inside, carefully maneuvering it down the hall, and called for Angelica, mildly surprised that she hadn’t appeared at the door when the bell had rung. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the box. “Is that for me, Papa?”
“It is. I think it’s just some of your things from back home.”
“I don’t understand, Papa. If there is home, why are my things getting sent here?”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I meant from our old home. This is our home now. Are you okay with that? When you are old enough, you don’t have to join the pack, but I’d like it if you did like me and your brother. You like Blake, don’t you?”
We’d already been here for two weeks and had settled in pretty well.
In fact, I’d started drawing up lesson plans with some of the staff at the compound community center and school.
I’d gotten a look at the curriculum that the local schools used so we could try to match it as much as possible.
We spent more than half the day on pack lands, Angel playing with the kids as I worked.
It helped me see a place for myself within the pack, and while things weren’t perfect with Blake; they were getting there.
“Yes, please, Papa. I like it here. Blake is nice. It would be better if we were with the rest of the pack, but I like my brother’s house. My bedroom here is bigger than my last one! My bed was enormous!”
I laughed because it was. I’d had to swap out the bed that had been in there.
It was too big for Angel. This house was on the smaller side, but still larger than our three-bedroom apartment.
Angelica had been in the smallest bedroom, which was only just big enough for a single bed and some storage for her clothes and toys.
Together we opened the box, and she took great delight in fishing out some clothes and toys that she had left behind. Inside the large box was a smaller box addressed to me with a note to open in private.
Curious, I took it to my room and locked the door behind me.
They had sealed the box tight, but I made quick work of it and unearthed some clothes I’d left behind, treasured photos of Silas, Trey and Grady, and then my dildo.
It came with a note. “Just in case you are missing me,” signed by Si.
I quickly stashed it in the bedside drawer, my cheeks burning and arousal swirling low in my gut.
Guilt flooded me as I realized it wasn’t Silas I was thinking of. Dakota’s face was the one I saw when I closed my eyes. I wanted so hard to stay loyal to Silas.
“Papa! Your phone!” Angelica called from the living room.
Pregnant . My son was pregnant! While it hurt me that Kade had called Dakota rather than me, I appreciated getting to hear it from Blake.
I loved my son dearly, and I couldn’t blame him for meddling by taking any chance he had to push me and Blake together.
It still made me blush when I thought about my behavior when we’d been reunited.
I’d been worse than aloof. I’d been rude.
Each conversation we had made the memory burn a little less.
Luckily for me, Blake was a forgiving sort, used to dealing with prickly omegas. From what I’d heard at the pack lands, Kade had kept Blake at arm’s length at first. Now look at them!
I just needed time to adjust. In my darker moments, I’d called Karina, my therapist and friend.
I adored the vampire, and she seemed to have warmed to me.
Over the years, she had been there for me in some of my darkest moments as I tried to get over the guilt over leaving my son behind.
The trauma from a life from Rincoln had left a mark that might never vanish, but Karina had helped me with tactics to cope in everyday situations. I wouldn’t have had Silas without her.
As a rule, shifters got on well with the other races.
Magic users, like witches, were great allies.
Despite myths and legends to the contrary, shifters were friendly with vampires.
The only ones we really had issues with were the fae.
The elves looked down at us, but they looked down at everyone.
Fae were tricky, though. I was glad we didn’t see them often.
It took me the day to shrug off my strange mood over Kade’s news.
It delighted me he wasn’t infertile like he’d been told and that he was starting a family.
I was even looking forward to being a grandpa, even at the young age of forty-seven.
Part of me was just wishing that he and Blake had more time together just the pair of them before they added babies to the mix. They were so new.
About an hour before we had to leave for the moon run at the compound, I called Silas to thank him for sending my things.
I fully expected it to go to voicemail, as many of my other calls had.
Despite our conversation over a week ago, neither of us seemed to put in the effort to make us work long distance.
There was zero sexting, no video calls. We barely spoke.
I understood he was busy. It just made me nervous about how things were going.
He’d told me he’d been working a lot more.
Whispers of an illness hitting shifters had hit the news, but I’d hoped he would give me more of a sign that this was going to work long term. It couldn’t just all be from my side.
“Hey, Jas. Sorry, I can’t really talk right now.
” I heard a lot of background noise, including the sound of a female laughing.
He muffled the phone for a second and I was pretty sure I heard him tell whoever that he just needed to “get rid” of me.
Charming . I wanted to say something but bit my tongue.
It could all be a misunderstanding. I needed Silas and couldn’t upset him.
My fox huffed and reminded me that this was what I’d attached myself to when I could have had Dakota.
This is what you rejected a fated mate for?
It almost gave me pause, wondering if I’d done the right thing.
Then I thought of my kids and all the upheaval.
I didn’t have time for a mate. Dakota deserved a mate with less mental scars.
“I just wanted to thank you for sending my box in with Angelica’s things.”
“Oh, uh, that’s okay. I didn’t realize Grady had packed it in there. Wondered where it went.” Well, didn’t I feel important? Keeping my mouth shut to a retort was nearly impossible.
“I’ll let you go and call Grady, then.” My tone must have held more bite than I’d intended, my anger and hurt slipping through.
“Jasper.”
“Si, I’ve not spoken to you in days.” I could hear how tired I sounded.
“I’ve been busy.” He was getting defensive. I wasn’t used to him arguing his case. He usually just apologized. It was part of why we worked. I couldn’t cope with a demanding alpha.
“Socializing from the sounds of it.”
“I’m allowed some time off to spend with my friends. I’ve literally just finished guarding Charlotte and all we’ve been doing is discussing work.” There was ice in his words that I’d never felt from him before.
“Charlotte?”
“Councilman Ford’s daughter. One of her regular guards is off sick, so she took me out to dinner to thank me for taking his place this week.”