Chapter 30
THE LAST SUPPER
“I don’t understand,” Omar says, pacing the length of the canoe shed. “I had a mate, back in my original pack. He . . .”
“I know,” I say, trying to move into his path to stop him for a moment but he simply maneuvers around me, brushing through a cobweb dangling between the ends of two boats that are hanging from the wall.
This place is dusty as hell, but I thought it would be the most private spot to take Omar after Mason followed his dad and the other Rocky Pack wolves into the lodge and Omar looked like he was about to go full-on berserk.
“I lived at the bottom of that mountain for ages and never felt anything.”
“Maybe these things take time, maybe you weren’t ready yet, or—”
Omar rounds on me, stopping in front of the open doorway, backlit by the midday sun. “Can this really be happening? Do people really get a second go at this?”
“Second-chance mates is a thing I’ve heard about,” I say, shrugging at what little tangible knowledge I have. “It’s rare but it can happen.”
“Between a rogue and a pack wolf?”
“Not just any pack wolf,” I say. “The son of the pack’s beta. Mason’s dad is second-in-command, which means one day he will be.”
Omar wipes a hand over his face, stomps to a crate, and plonks himself down on it.
“So who is this guy? You know him?”
“I do and he’s great. He’s been a really awesome friend, and well, I think he’s been waiting for the right guy to come along for a while.”
Omar lifts an eyebrow and gives me a funny look. “Did the two of you ever . . . ?”
“What?” I nearly choke. “No! I met him after I knew Jasper was my mate.”
“Yeah, but you two took your sweet-ass time becoming official.”
I step closer to Omar so he can see I’m being genuine. “Mason is a friend, and he deserves a really amazing mate. Besides, you two would look cute together.”
He looks up at me with this panicked expression, big, glassy eyes and all.
“I don’t know if I can do this again, Cuz. If things don’t work out—”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“You tell me,” he says, sassily. “Has it been easy dating Jasper? And you’re at least part of his pack. You think this Mason guy’s dad is going to be up for him not only dating a guy but a rogue at that?”
I purse my lips. He’s right. Knowing Mason’s dad, this is going to be anything but a smooth ride. Still, things are beginning to change. Morven came around to Mia and Olivia being together, Jasper came around to the rogues.
“I think it will take time, but if he’s who you’re supposed to be with, it’ll be worth it. Remember, the moon gods know what they’re doing.”
Omar drops his head in his hands and takes a few deep breaths, fingers massaging his scalp, then stands.
“Okay, fine. I’ll meet him.” He marches to the door like he’s on a mission. “This couldn’t have waited until after the war?”
We head out into what’s become a sunny day and my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Mason: Um WTF?? Who is that hottie and why do I feel fckn weird????
The grin I can’t help from spreading is wide AF.
“It appears Mason noticed you too,” I say, furiously texting back. “Come on.”
I tell Mason to get his butt out here and to meet us by the entrance to the woods where he saw us earlier.
It feels sort of weird to be playing matchmaker while there are hundreds of werewolves all getting ready for a scary and horrific battle, but it’s doing a little to take my mind off things and if a little joy can’t be found now then, well, what are we fighting for?
We beat Mason to the edge of the woods, but he doesn’t take long to appear, leaving the lodge and heading up to us, hands in his pockets.
“Hey,” he says when he arrives and then . . . doesn’t say anything else.
“Hi,” I say and glance at Omar, who isn’t saying anything either, instead he’s glaring at Mason like he just insulted his mother. “Right. Mason this is Omar, Omar this is Mason.”
Both of their faces turn instantly pink, and I honestly don’t know which is cuter. The cool, spiritual rogue mechanic, or the sensitive, sarcastic future pack beta.
“Sup?” Omar ekes out.
“Hi.” Mason half performs a shy little wave.
These two are hopeless. Is this how I acted around Jasper in those early days? Thank the moon gods there’s no video footage—at least, not that I know of.
“Okay, well, I think I’ve done my part here,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Why don’t the two of you take a nice long walk in the woods and get to know each other.”
For a long stretch of time, neither of them says anything or moves, they just stare at each other, smiling like they’re on shrooms or something.
“Does that—sound like a plan?” I ask.
Omar shakes his head to bring himself back into the present, finally registering what I’ve been saying.
“Yeah, uh, yeah, that sounds good. If—if that sounds good to you?” he asks Mason.
“A walk?” Mason asks. “Yeah, I love walking.”
“You kids have fun,” I say, hoping I won’t have to physically push them toward the path. Thankfully, Omar gestures for them to leave and turns to the woods, Mason follows. I watch as they disappear between the trees. “Watch out for the poison ivy!”
When they’re gone, I turn back to the camp, sort of thrilled that two of my favorite boys in the world could actually be into each other, but then a sort of heaviness settles into my stomach.
A plume of smoke is rising from the field between the lodge and the cabins, black and gray and marking the sky.
Soldiers have kicked up the grass carrying supplies and trekking back and forth, turning it into a mud pit.
Mason and Omar may have found their mates at this camp, but the rest of us .
. . the rest of us are here for a very different reason.
I head back to the lodge to rest a little and wait for dinner.
Tonight, a banquet is being held in the dining room for the officers.
The same dining room we ate in before the Mating Run, with the antlers and the buffet.
The retractable ceiling has been pulled back so the moon, on her first day of fullness, can shine in.
Jasper and I sit central at the long table at the head of the room.
Salazar, Olivia, Mason and his dad, and Tobias are on my left.
Aisha is to Jasper’s right along with Morven and Mia and a few other high-ranking wolves.
In front of us sit more than a hundred officers, each responsible for their own squadron. Rocky Pack and Elite Pack all mixed up in a jumble of scents and loyalties. In this room are the wolves who will lead us in the upcoming battle.
I didn’t have a chance to catch up with Omar or Mason after their little walk so I’m gagging to find out what went down, but with Mason’s dad right there this doesn’t seem the right time to ask.
Before we eat, Jasper stands, clinking his fork against a water glass.
“Excuse me,” he says as the room quietens. “I won’t keep you from your dinner long. But I thought I should . . .”
His voice seems to catch in his throat as his eyes scan the room.
Perhaps he’s registering the severity of this moment, the importance of the speech he’s about to give.
I sneak a hand, hidden beneath the table, to his leg, squeezing his shin and trying to send him some comfort.
He coughs into a fist before continuing.
“I thought I should share a story with you all. It has on occasion crossed my mind what would happen if I were to lose my father. It’s with the moon gods’ blessing that he is still with us, but due to his condition I have been tasked with leading my pack during this time of intense upheaval, in which turmoil and fear are in no short supply. ”
The room watches Jasper raptly, not a single wolf moving to sip their drink or whisper to their neighbor.
“I had thought when this time came,” Jasper goes on, “that I would feel lost, afraid, without direction, and yes, there have been moments when I’ve been scared or tired or wanted to run away.
But instead, I have faced this trial, not without worry, but knowing that I have everything I need to ensure the safety of the people I care about.
And there have been a few things . . . people, who have helped me do this.
“Firstly, I need to thank Alpha Morven of the Rocky Pack.” He turns to look at Morven, who nods benevolently.
“Your allyship is the difference between success and failure. I am proud and honored that you would stand by us. In this dark time, when wolfkind is divided, you have shown your strength and integrity a thousandfold.”
Jasper claps and the room follows suit, applauding for the alpha.
“Next, my friends and colleagues of the Elite Pack,” he nods at Salazar and Olivia, then to Aisha, whose eyes are welling up. “There are no other wolves I would wish to call family.”
Then he looks at me and my face is instantly on fire, is he about to do what I think he’s going to?
“And finally, Max, my mate, has been here with me through all of this. He cares for this pack as much as I do, and as much as I care about him. We’ve been through struggles before, and the fact that we are here now, standing in front of you all, strong, committed, ready for anything, is a testament to the strength of our bond.
Max, you’ve taught me so much about what it means to lead, what it means to trust and to love.
You are my reason for continuing on, you are the reason I see no other option than to fight and to win. ”
Jasper turns back to address the room at large, his square jaw lifted, his eyes burning with the fire of determination. He looks like a real leader, a true . . . alpha.
“That bond, the one I share with every wolf in this room, and every wolf out there waiting for the battle that is coming, that . . .” His voice rises, booming across the room like he’s amplified by a microphone, it vibrates in me, and I hum with pride.
“That,” he says, “is why I know we can win tomorrow night. When the Axis Pack comes to attack us, to destroy our way of life, to make the world smaller, to profit the few instead of the many, to close the minds of our packs and to take all that we’ve built away from us .
. . we will be here, ready for them, standing strong as one pack, one pack under the moon. ”
Suddenly a wolf toward the back of the room stands, their chair clattering to the ground behind them, clapping like mad. Then another sprouts up and another. Roused by Jasper’s speech, one by one, every wolf in the room rises to their feet. I leap up too, clapping like a wild-wolf.
“And together,” Jasper finishes in an epic crescendo, “we will win this war!”
Every wolf in the room is on their feet cheering and applauding, throwing their fists into the air. Jasper gives one more battle cry, punching the air, then as the celebration continues, he turns to me.
“You’re my pack, Max,” he says and pulls me into his chest.
For the rest of the meal, I struggle to eat.
Jasper’s speech was amazing, it was exactly what the room needed to feel ready and willing to go to battle.
But for me it’s brought up this strange feeling of dread.
Maybe it’s guilt about not telling him about college, or maybe it’s preemptive guilt about what I may have to do based on Mitsuha’s warning.
If everything Jasper said is true, if I’m his family, then shouldn’t I be staying?
Jasper has some last-minute discussions to have after dinner. I decide to head outside, where the troops are eating around a bonfire. On the way out, however, Tobias intercepts me, latching on to my arm to stop from leaving the dining room.
“I thought I might steal a word,” he says. I look from his face to where his hand is holding my bicep. His face pales and, panicked, he retracts his hand. “Apologies, I just thought it rather dire that I speak with you.”
“Sure,” I say, trying to be patient. “What can I do for you?”
“Well . . . I just wondered if you’d thought about what I’d said, about the marking ceremony.”
“Are you serious?” I ask. “We’re going to war tomorrow; how can you think about that now?”
“Because it’s integral to our society. It’s important that we solidify the bonds of the pack. Like Jasper said in his speech—”
“If you think Jasper’s speech was about a marking ceremony then I don’t think you were listening hard enough.”
“Listen,” he says, putting his hands up in surrender.
Clearly this guy doesn’t do well with conflict.
Good thing he’s on the front line of a war zone.
“I only mean to let you know there is still time, and I think it would really bolster the troops. We could do it tomorrow in the morning, down by the lake perhaps.”
“I’ll think about it,” I say, then leave without waiting to hear more.
“Just let me know,” he calls after me, but I don’t turn around.