Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
JASPER
D ominic’s room is still dark as I slip into it. He’s sprawled out on his stomach, his arms tucked under his pillow, his phone on the far nightstand and not plugged in. Worry gnaws at me, but I ignore it as I close the door.
“ Tesoro ,” Dominic mumbles, not turning toward me. “ Cosa fai ?”
I don’t offer a response. Instead, I cross the room and pull back the sheet, laying beside him in the large bed. He slits one eye open, and that worry digs deeper. It’s bloodshot, like he hasn’t slept for a week. Or he drank too much last night.
“This isn’t sustainable,” I murmur, resting my head on my arm.
He sighs and closes his eye.
“I know,” he says after a moment.
“Dom…” I let my voice trail off, swallowing to soothe my suddenly dry mouth. I finally let the admission slip into the space between us, already tensed for his refusal and rejection. “I need this to work.”
He moves faster than I expect given his hangover, twisting us both around until I’m pinned under him, one hand holding both my wrists pinned above my head and the other spread at the bottom of my throat.
He says something in Italian that I don’t understand, his voice too low and too slurred for me to parse out a word to give me context. “Slower,” I whisper.
He blows out a breath and closes his eyes. “Am I not enough?”
That worry drops like a stone. Of course he’s enough. He was enough in September, too. What about Violet makes him question whether I love him? Why is it with Violet but not with Rylan? Or has he been feeling this way about Rylan, too?
I push against his hold, sitting up and palming his neck, kissing him with everything that I can’t manage to put into words yet. He still tastes like whiskey. His scent bleeds out from him, the grapefruit not as controlled as it normally is.
Did he lower his suppressor dosage? Fuck, that would explain why he’s so volatile right now.
“Why wouldn’t you be enough?” I ask, pulling away just far enough to see his eyes. “ Ti amo .”
“Good,” he growls. He runs his hand up my chest until it settles at the base of my throat again. “You need her.”
I nod and grab his other hand, lacing our fingers together. “But I need you, too. Just like I need Rylan. Some people aren’t built for monogamy. It took me a long time to become comfortable in the reality that I’m one of them.”
He stares at me, fear and nerves in his eyes. I force myself to stay relaxed under his gaze. When he doesn’t say something, I lean forward and kiss him again. I let my lips track over his jaw and throat, biting the sensitive spot just behind his ear. His scent grows stronger, the grapefruit distinct from his cologne that’s left over from last night.
“I need to make you breakfast,” he murmurs as I trace the line of his collarbone.
“Shower first.”
He grunts and tightens his hold on my throat. “You’re coming with me.”
I pull away, cocking an eyebrow as I smirk. “I’d hope so. Otherwise it would be a boring ass shower.”
His lips curl into an almost-there smile, and that band around my chest loosens.
“ Tesoro ,” Dominic growls.
I flip the pancakes, playing innocent, and he laughs low in his throat. He steps up behind me, his chest pressed to my back, his arms bracketing me in. His lips are soft where they trace my ear.
“You’re going to regret that,” he whispers.
Goosebumps race down my throat, but I ignore them. Just like I ignore how my dick jumps at the unspoken promise. He marks the skin just below my ear, forcing my head to the side, a purr rumbling through him. I relax into his body, letting him mark me, trying to ease away his fears over the whole match.
Tension slowly eases away from him, his hold on the counter lessening until his knuckles are no longer white.
“ Ti amo ,” he whispers.
I turn and kiss his cheek. “Love you, too.”
Footsteps echo down the hall, but I ignore them, focusing on Dominic behind me.
“I’ll grab it as soon as we get you dropped off,” Rylan’s voice is low and soothing. “You won’t be late, and you won’t be missing your robes. I promise.”
I glance over my shoulder—and Dom’s. Rylan holds Violet’s hand, keeping her from grabbing a set of keys thrown on the kitchen island. Anxiety is written all over her face, her lips turned down and her hands trembling.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, flipping the last pancake onto the plate beside the stove.
Dominic tenses behind me, the small intimacy from a moment ago nowhere to be found. He pulls away, his hands dropping to his sides.
“I forgot my robes at the dorm,” Violet says after an extended silence.
Rylan guides her into one of the chairs on the other side of the island, tucking her hair behind her ear. She’s already done it into waves and pinned part of it back, and her makeup is flawless, black mascara and copper eyeshadow making the hazel of her eyes pop.
“The ceremony’s on campus, right?” I ask.
Dominic pulls away from me, plating a few of the pancakes and leaning against the counter. He’s left as much room as possible between him and Violet. She glances at him before nodding, picking at the gold necklace she wears.
“I’ll drop you both and then swing by her dorm and grab them,” Rylan says.
I set the pancakes on the island before grabbing some fruit from the fridge. I pick out a few strawberries and put them on the same plate Rylan’s making for Violet. Her eyes flick to me, surprise flashing across them. I add another one just to make my point clear. Her cheeks darken. I palm her cheek, leaning across the island until I can just press my lips to hers.
A growl boils out from Dominic, and she ducks her head, suddenly focused on her food.
I breathe through my nose, trying to keep from saying something to either of them I’ll end up regretting. Rylan sits beside her, blocking her view of Dominic. I lean over the island, dropping my head into my hands. Before I can manage to attempt eating my own breakfast, Dominic has his plate in the sink, and he’s disappearing out the back door, dropping into one of the outdoor lounges that overlook the ocean.
Violet clutches her phone to her chest, blinking back tears.
“I knew she would do this. Why am I fucking upset when I knew she would do this?”
I spin her into me, keeping myself between her and the growing crowd heading toward the event center on UCLA’s campus. She shudders in a breath. I don’t offer any words, not entirely sure what to say that isn’t just encouraging her to cut all ties to Sienna. It’s not like I’m unbiased in the whole situation, after all.
“Are your dads still here?” I ask instead, running my hand down her spine.
She nods once, dropping her arms around my waist, tucking her phone into the back pocket of my slacks. “They said they’re working on parking, and that they’ll meet us for lunch afterwards. We need to find Faedra.”
My own phone buzzes with a notification, and I dig it out, keeping one arm around her shoulders. A text from Rylan brightens the screen.
Finally found parking. Be there soon.
“Oh, well, here’s Violet at least. Maybe she’ll be able to help us figure out where Faedra is.”
A woman materializes from the crowd about twenty feet in front of me, her blonde hair falling stick-straight to her shoulders. Her charcoal pantsuit is well-tailored, and her jewelry simple. She has the same eyes as Faedra, though the men with her are nearly carbon copies of Violet’s best friend. The woman’s voice is bright with an edge of frustration. Violet takes a deep breath and pushes off of me, none of her worry or hurt anywhere to be seen.
“Hey, Jay, Elizabeth,” she says, waving. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me, keeping her from crossing through the crowd. The others navigate the people well enough without her getting separated from me. “This is Jasper.”
Both of them smile as they close the distance between us, the man holding out his hand. I take it easily enough. The third man looks out over the crowd before waving, trying to get someone’s attention. Elizabeth follows his gaze and mutters a relieved gratitude.
“There you are, Faedra Rose,” she says, exasperated. She starts across the crowd, and the rest of us follow. I drop my arm and lace my fingers with Violet’s. Elizabeth raises her voice. “Faedra Rose! There you are!”
This time, a redheaded woman looks around three older men clad in expertly tailored suits they wear like second skins. They don’t immediately follow the woman, taking a moment to chat between themselves. The one to the right, whose hair and beard lean more gray than brown, frowns before breathing deep and nodding. Faedra hugs her mom and dad, her movements growing more awkward as the minutes pass. Violet squeezes my hand, and I glance down at her, an eyebrow raised in silent question.
She shakes her head once.
Point taken.
I keep us half a step back from the others, letting Faedra navigate her family on her own.
“All right, all right, enough with the greeting,” her mom says. “Introduce us.”
Oh shit. This must be the pack Faedra matched with while at the gala. She swallows and then introduces each of them, each man smiling.
“This is Logan.” She points to the man in the middle with short blonde hair similarly styled to my own before indicating the tallest man, his black hair minimally styled and his brown eyes sharp. He looks like fucking John Mayer if John Mayer spent significant time in the gym. “This is Carter.” She points to the older man with the scowl. “And this is Jude.”
He nods once, closing the gap between him and Faedra as she introduces her family. They all do the customary exchanges, her father relaxing as conversation slowly eases into the first bits of small talk. After a minute, Violet clears her throat, pulling away from me just enough to step up beside Aiden.
“Shit, sorry, Vi,” Faedra says, grabbing her open hand. She turns back toward the men. “Everyone, this is Violet. She’s my best friend and has been my roommate for the last four years. And this is Jasper.” She holds out a hand toward me, and I offer a small nod. “He’s part of Pack Montegue.” Fuck, that felt weird to hear. “Which Violet matched with at the same gala we did.”
Logan offers his hand, and I take it.
“Betas aren’t that common among packs. I’d love to hear your story if it’s something you’re comfortable sharing.”
I can’t help but laugh, reliving how Rylan, Dominic, and I even managed to become a thing in the first place.
“It starts with me being bi,” I say with a grin.
Carter laughs, and Faedra’s lips curl into a smirk.
“Where do you need to be? Last thing we want is you girls to be late,” Jay says, clearing his throat.
I glance over my shoulder, trying to figure out where Rylan might be. Some of my tension bleeds away as he steps up beside Violet, just behind Faedra, his suit unblemished from what must have been a pretty significant walk.
“Hey, Vi,” he murmurs, holding up the robes he has tossed over his shoulder. “Here they are. Sorry it took me a bit to find parking.”
She nods and reaches for the robes, but Rylan shakes his head, helping her into them himself. He centers both honors cords before helping her into the medal, adjusting it until it lays flat against her chest. When he’s satisfied, I help her into the cap, trying to keep all the emotion roaring through me in check. This should have been the second time I got to help with her graduation.
She takes my hand, her eyes keen. “Thank you,” she murmurs.
I nod, and Rylan kisses her temple.
A moment later, she’s managed to wedge herself between Faedra and her Alphas, locking their elbows together.
“All right,” she says. “We’ll see you after.”