Chapter 14 Jasper
Jasper
Iknew that coffee shop.
Hell, I had been there several times myself. The logo on the coffee cup was instantly recognizable, a ladybug with the shop’s name underneath.
I turned to Bear, the security guard who was walking behind me.
He was wearing jeans and a hoodie in an attempt to blend in, but he looked like a hardened Navy SEAL than a student.
He wore a baseball cap pulled low to cover his facial scar.
“I’m making a detour to a specific coffee shop.
” I grinned. “You okay to hang back and watch?”
Bear nodded. “I can do that, just stay within eyesight.”
“Yes, daddy!” I beamed, my pace quickening as I changed direction, practically sprinting in the direction of the store.
I was going to see my Maple!
Pulling out my phone, I texted the pack group chat.
Jasper
Ladybug Coffee! Maple is at Ladybug Coffee! I’m going to go see her.
I shoved my phone into my pocket, totally ignoring the nonstop buzzing that started immediately after my text as my pack mates messaged me repeatedly.
They were only a few minutes away at the university rink, so they could come if they wanted, but I was more focused on getting myself into Maple’s vicinity as soon as possible.
The campus usually felt small, but now it was impossibly large as I hurried across the quad, silently praying that Maple would still be there when I arrived.
Behind me, Bear was close on my tail, but I didn’t even look back at him.
I was an alpha on a mission.
My heart rate ramped up when the coffee shop came into view. Students were milling around, coming in and out. How was I going to know which was Maple?
Pushing the door open, I glanced back at Bear, who was doing as I asked and had hung back.
Maple’s photo had been taken from the back of the seating area, because I had seen several tables in the background of her picture.
My eyes landed on one of the back booths.
It was her.
Don’t ask me how I knew—I just did.
She was smiling lightly down at the phone in her hand, her mug of coffee in the other. The pile of treats in front of her had all been half-eaten. Strawberry blonde hair fell in soft waves, past her chin, but not quite touching her shoulders.
Her face was dainty, rounded, with soft features.
She was tiny, adorable, and so utterly fucking perfect it made my chest ache. Now and then, her hand drifted down to her stomach in a gesture that made my chest vibrate with some strange, unnamed emotion.
This was the Omega we had been talking to for so long, whom I had listened to as she came over the phone the night before.
It hit me just how insane a situation I found myself in. How, exactly, did I introduce myself to someone I had been chatting with online for almost two years? Someone I’d also had the pleasure of hearing moan as she made herself come?
Well, the only thing I could do was be myself—Maple seemed to like that shit.
Straightening my back, I plastered a smile on my face and sauntered forward, inhaling as I did so. I desperately wanted to catch a hint of her scent.
I was rewarded only a second later because before she even realized I was there, a cloud of sweet syrup hit me. My eyes widened, and somehow my grin grew as it dawned on me that our girl Maple smelled like maple syrup.
A sweet scent for a sweet omega.
I happened to love sweets.
Some omegas were more floral scented, and that was nice enough, but the sweet, fruity or food-related scents? Those were my weakness.
Sinking into the booth next to her, I threw one arm over the back of her seat. Maple jumped, turning to look at me with wide-eyed shock. Her pouty lips dropped open, and my mind was already entering the gutter thinking about that mouth and the things it had said the previous night.
“Well, hello, Maple! I’m Jasper… you know me as J.”
She seemed frozen in shock. “I…uh…”
“I know I’m a lot to take in, but Jesus, it’s nice to finally meet you! You are much too cute. I can see why you wanted to stay away—too much prettiness to handle! Luckily, I am an expert on pretty, being the prettiest princess in my own pack!”
“H-how?” she asked softly.
“We live near campus because of Percy—that’s P. You should probably know our actual names. Anyway, I come here all the time for a coffee fix. They make a maple and raspberry latte that is to die for.”
At the mention of maple, she blushed beautifully. My hands itched to reach out and touch her face—was her skin as soft as it looked? Or her hair, for that matter? I wanted to run my hands through it.
She blinked slowly, and I could almost see the cogs turning in her brain as she tried to come to terms with the fact that I was sitting next to her.
There was no fleeing or screaming, so I considered that a victory.
“You’re here? After…”
“After the things we did last night. There’s no need to blush, Maple. That was hands down the hottest and best orgasm of my entire life.”
“Oh, my word.” Her blush deepened.
I was probably grinning like a loon, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
“It’s fate!” I beamed. “Am I… am I not what you imagined?”
“N-no! You’re better!” she rushed to say. Her words had me wanting to puff my chest out in pride.
“I know I’ve kind of ambushed you, but I really couldn’t resist. I’ve wanted to meet you for so long. I would offer to buy you a drink, but it looks like you already have one, along with a pile of baked goods. Good choice, by the way. Did I mention you smell so lovely?”
She nodded, and I got the impression she didn’t fully understand why she was nodding.
Shit, was she in shock? I mean, I could understand that I was a lot to take in, but hopefully I wouldn’t put our girl into a complete state of chaotic surprise.
That would be mean, especially considering she was growing a baby.
A small smile graced her face, and the tightness in my chest eased ever so slightly. I wasn’t usually an anxious guy, but Maple had me in knots.
I was about to open my mouth and start asking her all the questions, even though we already knew each other really well, when the little bell above the entrance to the coffee shop jingled and Maple’s head turned towards the entryway, her jaw dropping open in surprise.
It was the rest of my pack.
It was almost impossible to contain my excitement and glee that they were here.
They were going to meet Maple. Saint could charm the pants off anyone, and Percy was charming in his own way.
Devin was sometimes an acquired taste, but hopefully with all of the talking they’d already done, he would be a bit easier to swallow.
“It’s… oh my,” Maple whispered, her scent turning. The sugary maple was becoming slightly charred, a sign that she was either stressed or scared.
I didn’t particularly like either of those options.
“Maple, what’s going on?” I asked.
“I know them,” she whispered, eyes still locked on my pack mates.
I had been so busy looking at Maple that I hadn’t even bothered to glance at my pack mates since they had entered the room.
Allowing my gaze to drift over to the guys, I stilled.
Percy and Saint were looking at the omega next to me in surprise—but it wasn’t the kind of surprise I’d expect from simply seeing Maple for the first time. They both looked absolutely gobsmacked.
Had they met her before? Did Maple actually know Percy? I mean, they both went to the same university, so there was a chance…
As they approached, her breathing became labored.
What the hell was going on?