Seventeen – Vail
Sometime in the night I felt the bed dip, and I struggled to come up out of my chaotic dreams. But the room was warm, and my eyelids were too heavy to open. Once Jasper had put his chain around my neck, he’d curled up beside me, his thumbs brushing over my cheeks as my tears leaked into the pillow. I hadn’t looked at him; hadn’t given him anything but those few tears. The only real temptation had been when he’d shifted, but that just made me curl away from him even more. I couldn’t stand the thought of his wolf trying to comfort me. Not when the man trusted me so little, he had to collar me like a stray dog.
The next time I opened my eyes, the sheets were cold and I couldn’t hear anyone moving around in the suite. My hands were also untied, which I only realized when I touched the choker at my neck. It felt cold and slippery under my fingers, the little pendant nestled in the dip of my throat like a mocking kiss. Not that kissing had been on Jasper’s mind. This had been all about reminding me how badly I’d fucked up.
Until you find your wolf, and learn your place, you can’t be trusted…
I forced myself out of bed and went straight to the mirror. Early sunshine was peeking through the closed drapes, and there was enough light for me to take in my appearance. I was still in the black underwear I’d worn to the dance and my skin looked sickly white next to the dark fabric. The only splashes of color were my shadowed eyes and Jasper’s jewelry. I leaned forward and gave it a tug, but as promised, it didn’t move, and I couldn’t find a clasp to unlatch it. Instead, I studied the pendant. The disc was gold, and engraved with the head of a howling wolf.
It really is a dog tag.
The thought made my empty stomach clench, and I braced a hand on the vanity. I stared at my reflection, soaking up all the hurt and anger I could see in my eyes. There were no more tears. I was done with those. But I couldn’t help looking at the bed in the mirror and feeling like ten kinds of a fool. My side was a tangled mess, but Jasper’s looked barely touched. And I’d been thinking he was planning on a romantic night, maybe finally making love to me and claiming me for his own.
Instead, he’d fucked with me on a whole different level.
But if he thinks I’m going to lie down and take it, he has another thing coming.
Straightening my back, I gave my reflection one last bitter look. I needed to remember Cocky Jasper didn’t exist anymore. Scary Alpha was now in charge. And first thing first, I needed to make sure I was alone. Which was a quick process, despite the size of the suite. Because Jasper had left a note on the nightstand next to Reed’s faded corsage. A few quick lines, telling me he had to leave early for pack business and Liam would take me back to the academy. Breakfast was in the kitchen and clothes in the closet. I ground my teeth over the simple note, but pushed my emotions down deep. Getting all hysterical wasn’t going to get the noose off my neck. I needed to channel some of Reed’s calm and treat this the way he would. Like it was a political game, and nothing personal.
True to his word, Jasper had left a complete school uniform in the closet, only it was the version with the short skirt, and a gold-colored blazer instead of the Marshall red. After a blistering shower, I dressed and wound my wet hair into a tight bun. I didn’t want to linger in the room long enough to dry it, but I did stop at the writing desk in the corner. Pulling open the drawer, I took out the hotel’s leather binder and quickly put its contents to good use. When I was finished, I gathered my things and headed into the kitchen. The refrigerator was stocked with cold breakfast dishes, with some more packed into microwave containers, but I just wanted to get the hell out of the suite. Grabbing a banana and a croissant, I headed for the door. I hit the lobby button in the elevator, and wasn’t surprised to find Jasper’s goon waiting when I arrived.
“Morning, Ms. Marrow,” he said, falling into step beside me. “The car is in the basement.”
“I’ll just be a moment,” I told him, and marched up to the reception desk. An older woman game me a practiced smile, even though her eyes kept flicking to Jasper’s goon. “Morning,” I said in a cheerful tone, taking the letter I’d written from my pocket and placing it on the desk. “I was hoping you could send this for me. I don’t have a stamp, but I can pay… ”
The receptionist was nodding and smiling, but a large hand came down on the elegant envelope, swiping it off the counter before either of us could react. I gaped up at Jasper’s goon. “All correspondence goes through the Alpha,” he told me, and I watched in disbelief as he tucked it inside his black coat. “You can call him from the car, if you like.”
The woman at the desk was stepping back, her attention suddenly focused on her computer. I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment and hissed at him, “You can shove my foot up your ass, if you like. Give me back my letter!”
The asshole just shrugged. “Cause a scene, but no one will stop me from carrying you out of here over my shoulder.”
I looked around. By daylight, the hotel was still magnificent, but there was a coldness to it that was reflected in the staff’s averted faces. No one met my eyes, so I studied the ice sculptures for a moment. The rainbow lights were gone, but the wolves were still perfectly formed as they dangled above the fountain. I had to wonder if the ordinary folk who worked here realized there was something more than ice under their gleaming skins. Did they think Hunter Moon was just a regular school? And the alpha nothing more than a local thug with deep pockets?
My fingers brushed the choker before I could stop them, and it was the goon’s turn to avoid my eyes. Fantastic. I didn’t want him looking at me, anyway. And now I wouldn’t have to suffer through his small talk all the way back to the academy.
Which wasn’t really an issue, since he put me in the back of the car, with a glass partition separating me from the front. But we’d barely left the parking lot before I found the button to lower the privacy wall. “Is this the same car you used when you drove Jasper’s dad around?” I asked him, knowing I sounded snarky as hell and not really caring. “You know, when you abducted Jasper off school grounds and I kicked you in the balls.”
“There are a lot of service cars,” he said after a beat. “But I think this is the same one I used to pick you up from the pack lab.”
I flinched before I could stop myself. I didn’t remember much about that drive back to the academy, except for the bottle of water he’d given me and the blanket that didn’t smell like my dad. “Thanks for that,” I said grudgingly. “But I take it you’re now his chauffeur? Isn’t that kind of a lowly job for a Clan Enforcer?”
“I go where he needs me,” he said mildly. “Something you might think about trying, Ms. Marrow.”
I curled my lip at his less-than-subtle rebuke. “Need doesn’t come into it. Jasper just does whatever the hell he wants. Which he spent the whole night making perfectly clear to me.” I blushed as my angry words settled into the silence, and I realized how they sounded. “Not like that,” I muttered. “He was too busy punishing me to actually make use of the gorgeous hotel room.”
I caught a flash of dark eyes from the front seat. “Well, I doubt he’s got it out of his system. So, you might want to cut him some slack.”
I gaped at him, my anger coming back with a rush. “Cut him some slack? You have to be kidding.” I popped the top button on my shirt. “The asshole collared me. And if I cut him any more slack, he’ll probably microchip my ass!” I was watching his face in the rearview mirror, but as soon as the choker was visible, his eyes slid away. “You can’t even look at the thing! It’s so the others know he’s punishing me, right?”
“Not exactly,” he muttered, and fixed his attention on the road ahead. “You should talk to the Clan Alpha about that.”
Before I could stop him, he’d hit the button to lift the privacy screen and I had to stew in silence for the next half hour.
I was so tense, when he finally pulled into the school and I saw Nadia waiting there, I burst into tears. She helped me from the car, shooting Jasper’s goon a scolding look as he came around to join us. “Oh, Vail! Are you alright?” I knew the exact moment she saw the collar, because she bit her lip and threw her arms around me. “Come on. I’ll take you back to my room and make you a cup of tea.”
But I pulled out of Nadia’s arms and put my hand over the collar. “What is this thing, Nadia? Jasper said it’s just a piece of jewelry, but it doesn’t have a clasp.”
She gave the goon a helpless look, then pulling the car door open, gently nudged me inside. When I saw her following, I relaxed and sank into the seat. As soon as the door shut behind her, she took my hands. A deep divot marred her smooth brow. “This is extreme, Vail. That’s not just a pretty piece of jewelry.”
I nodded, both anxious to hear what she had to say and relieved someone was finally talking to me straight. “Is it a tracker?”
“No. It’s a very rare kind of protection ward. I don’t really know how it works, so we might as well just think of it as magical. And it’s purpose is to make it hard for another male to be around you. ”
I waited for more, but when it didn’t come, screwed up my nose. “You mean because they know Jasper will kick their ass?”
“Not exactly. It’s a physical thing. It emits a charge, like a constant pulse of alpha power. It… forces their attention away from you.”
“You mean like a magical bug zapper?” I gaped at her. “Nadia, has Jasper turned me into a walking wolf repellent?”
She wrung her hands, looking miserable. “I’ve only ever read about omega cuffs in history books. During the clan wars, when an omega wolf from another pack was captured, the collar would be used to stop dominant males from hurting her, or trying to force a claim. Or if an omega was traveling alone, or if she was in an unshielded heat, it was used to discourage unwanted attention. It is designed to protect you, Vail.”
“By making me an enemy wolf it hurts to be around.”
She nodded slowly. “The history books called the omegas who wore them the Untouchables.”
“Of course. Because who wants to hang out with the girl whose fashion accessory zaps you in the balls?”
She cringed. “It really doesn’t sound good when you put it like that.”
“Who the hell does he think he is?” When she just stared at me, I shook my head at her, so frustrated I kicked the chair in front of me. “Come on, Nadia! Jasper might be the new Master of the Universe, but I’m still an Academy student. I have rights. There has to be a way for me to get rid of this thing.”
She swallowed hard, pulling at a loose thread on her skirt. “You’re a Marshall wolf, but I can’t see Reed’s dad standing up to Jasper.” She flushed, as if ashamed of even thinking such a thing. “Maybe you could petition the school council? I mean, you’re a Marrow too, so they need to recognize you’re also in the care of their Alpha.”
I chewed the inside of my lip. “I already sent him a letter.” Her eyes bugged, but now I knew what the collar meant, I was doubly glad I’d reached out. “Jasper left me a note on the hotel stationery. I knew I’d be on lockdown when I got back to campus, so I wrote two letters. One to Driftwood – just a hi, how are you, kind of thing – and another letter I left on the kitchen bench, along with a request to mail it and a big fat tip. The second letter was to my grandfather, Jonathan Marrow, care of the Marrow Estate. Just a brief note introducing myself, explaining I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be at Hunter Moon right now, and wondering if he might like to visit me at school.” I raised my brows at her. “I didn’t have the exact address, so maybe it’ll never get there, but at least I tried. And while Jasper might think he’s got me where he wants me, that doesn’t mean I have to roll over and play dead.”
Nadia was still pale, but a glint of admiration sparkled in her eyes. “Oh, wow, Vail. Just wow. I mean, Jasper’s going to flip, but maybe he needs to take a moment. I know he still really cares about you…”
I shrugged, refusing to soften. Yesterday, hearing that Jasper cared about me would have made my heart skip a beat. But now, the proof of our broken bond was fastened so tight around my throat, I could feel my pulse beating against the metal. “Jasper can call it protection, but I know it’s punishment for Hunter Moon.”
She gave a heartfelt sigh. “I just wish you both could go back to the way things were. Or at least put it behind you and start fresh.”
I lifted a shoulder. I’d felt the same way, but I was long past hoping for the impossible. “I nearly drove myself crazy thinking about that night when I was back home. But coming here and having Jasper treat me like this, has helped me see through all the bullshit. The only thing I’m going to focus on is getting my wolf out. Soon as she shows up, Dom Arras can stick his collar up his ass.” When Nadia’s eyes almost bulged out of her head, I snickered. “It’s your fault for making me watch Fifty Shades of Grey on pizza night.”