Chapter 24 - Jasper
I have my arm around Tara, my brave little warrior. As we walk, the witches light up the whole forest around us.
But I don’t need the orb light to see.
I can already tell just how restored the land is. The smell of decay, for the most part, is gone. Leaves that were previously blackened and charred are now vibrant and green.
The trees, twisted and cracked before, are strong and stable—full of life. The forest already feels like it's working in better harmony.
As we approach our pack territory, I notice the changes more clearly.
Areas that we’ve been tirelessly applying solutions to day in and day out are magically back to full health.
I can’t stop smiling.
“See,” Tara teases. “Just because you’re a big, bad Alpha doesn’t mean that you can do everything on your own.”
I squeeze her. “How did you convince my guard to let you go?”
We’re all ambling, some of us more injured than others—a couple of my wolves are being supported on each arm.
I didn’t even need to direct anyone—they’re all already working together. Helping instinctively.
We're helping witches, witches helping us.
“She gave us one hell of a convincing speech, didn’t you, Tara?” Dylan says, smiling.
“You must have known there was no way I was staying with you out alone at night. I mean, come on?”
I shrug. “I did think you’d protest, but I never thought you’d actually be here leading a charge.”
“She’s one hell of a human!” Dylan calls.
Tara chuckles. “Honestly, the scariest thing I’ve done, but now, the forest doesn’t freak me out so much anymore. It’s like I’ve seen it all.”
“Let’s hope you have hon,” Danielle says.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her, “Are you fully recovered?”
“I’m fine,” she responds coolly, although her face hasn’t exactly returned to full color. “More importantly, how are you?”
I’m living on cloud nine now that the forest has been restored.
“How long were you trapped by that thing?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “It tried its hardest to get me, but wasn’t good enough, eh?”
“Because of me,” Tara smiles.
“Yes, because of you.”
We continue walking, and for the first time in what feels like an eternity, the air around us is light and calm.
There’s no feeling of dread weighing down on my shoulders, no overwhelming scent of decay. All that exists is the casual hum of conversation, the occasional wince from someone’s injury, and the shuffle of boots on the soil.
Soil that is now completely healthy.
Alongside the calm is a desire that burns ferociously inside of me.
I want Tara, I’ve always wanted Tara, but now I want her like never before.
She risked her life for me. Perhaps she understands the danger of what she just did; maybe she doesn’t.
Either way, she banded my pack together, banded the witches, too.
Without her, Willow may have won.
I glance down at her again, unable to stop myself. She looks tired, sure—her hair is messy, there’s mud and dirt streaked along her cheeks.
But she’s beautiful. Full of life and joy.
She’s alive.
“You know,” Dylan says, breaking my thoughts. “Since the forest has already bounced back, that means no joint hunts, no treatments. I was just getting used to having you witches around.”
“Hey, we can still hang,” Danielle smiles. “We’ve got a mixed group now.”
“Willow has no idea what she’s up against.”
Monroe gazes back at Tara with a slight grin. “She doesn’t know about our secret weapon.”
I give her shoulder another squeeze. “Don’t let that get to your head.”
“Oh, it’s already there,” she teases, lifting her chin. “I basically saved the world tonight.”
“Well, we should celebrate!” Danielle exclaims.
“We’ll have a party once we’re back,” I declare. “I’ll message our pack mates to get some food and bonfires going.”
“What even is the time?” Tara laughs.
“Soon, you’ll learn that that doesn’t matter,” Dylan says.
***
The bonfire reflects its light off the faces of so many people that I love. The stars are blinking above us, and finally, my exhaustion is catching up with me.
Although I don’t fully let it.
I neck back a cup of ale, and watch as my pack—witches and humans included—dance, drink, eat, and talk.
As soon as we came back, everything was already set up.
Tables filled with food, blankets, fires, and healers at the ready to tend to anyone who needed it. Even the musicians are out, playing soft lyrical tunes that echo through the night’s air.
The scene is perfect, all an Alpha could ask for.
Tara comes up to me, her face plastered with a wide smile, carrying a big plate of food.
“Aww, is that for me?”
“Yes, Alpha,” she says giddily.
She sets it down on my lap as she takes the seat beside me.
There’s a strange, euphoric, but intense feeling in my chest. Man, I want her.
I look down at the plate, piled high with roasted meats, bread still steaming from the fire, and fruit glistening like jewels. My stomach growls.
“You’re spoiling me,” I murmur.
“You deserve it,” she shrugs.
“You know,” she continues. “This all feels like a dream. I just can’t believe it, I can’t believe any of it. Part of me still thinks I’m going to wake up alone in my human town bed.”
I nod, realizing how desperately I don’t want her to be alone, especially not in her human town, in her human bed.
“I think you were meant to be here,” I say.
The firelight paints her face a warm gold, her eyes bright, and for a moment, the noise of the crowd fades into nothing.
She looks at me, and it feels like the most intimate thing in the world.
“You think so?”
I was actually talking about this with a couple of shifters and witches. All this was definitely no coincidence.
Tara was the one chosen to receive the vision; she was the one chosen to be joined into the pack, and well, she was chosen that night at the bar by me, of course.
All this led to her being the one to ultimately defeat Willow.
While Tara is human, she has a connection to us. I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely there.
“You saved us,” I tell her. “Things don’t happen by coincidence.”
“Well, I didn’t do it alone,” she says.
“Of course you didn’t. That’s the way of the pack, you never have to be alone.”
She smiles, and it lingers soft and unguarded. That ache in my chest twists tighter to the point of pleasurable pain.
The laughter and chatter are blurred around us, I even forget about my hungry stomach and the plate of food resting on my knees.
I map out the glint in her eyes, the flush of her cheeks.
“I think the pack has, for the most part, accepted me now,” she whispers. “I’ve grown very fond of them, you know.”
From the look in her eyes, it’s clear that her words hold a double meaning.
And as if right on cue, one of my shifters raises his glass to propose a toast.
“To Tara!” He yells.
Around us, shifters and witches follow along, raising their glasses and yelling their cheers.
“To Tara, the most powerful human to ever live.”
Tara chuckles, leans back, and raises her glass too. I savor the way she looks so content—the weakened look in her eyes, the slight opening of her lips.
“To Tara,” I say.
She sips from her drink, and I lean in.
“You know it is customary for the Alpha to dance with his wife.”
“Oh no,” she shakes her head. “I’ve had enough movement for one night.”
The music picks up again, a fast rhythm with drums and strings. Wolves and witches are being pulled into dances, hands linked, skirts spinning, and boots stomping against the grassy ground.
Tara glances at the dancers and then back at me. “Don’t you even think about it.”
I laugh.
Honestly, I don’t have the energy to move my body, let alone dance, but if she wanted to, I’d do it.
“What happens now?” She asks. “Aside from the dancing. What about if Willow comes again? How can we prevent all the stress?”
I exhale slowly, leaning back in my chair.
That’s something I’ve been thinking about too. But right now, there’s nothing we can do. Even if I wanted to, I’ve learned that some things just appear when the time is right.
Like Tara.
“Leave that to me,” I tell her.
“But I don’t want to have to leave it to you, I want to help, and I think preventive measures-”
I rest one hand on her thigh, and she quietens.
“Trust me, Tara, you want to cherish these moments.”
***
I should feel more tired than I do when we arrive back at our cabin. My body is still aching, my eyes are weary, and I’ve experienced enough turmoil over these past twenty-four hours to last anyone a lifetime.
But Tara and I just can’t stop talking.
We’re sitting on our porch with a cup of tea, slowly watching the sunrise.
“These have been a weird few days.”
“Mmm,” I nod. “You can say that again. Par for the course around here.”
Tara shrugs. “Hey, I mean, I like it. Story books would be nothing without a little threat and adventure.”
She’s so cute.
I gaze at her for a moment, taking her in.
“What?” she smiles.
“Nothing. You look good, is all.”
She blushes, awkwardly looking away. “I don’t even want to imagine the state I'm in right now. I can still feel leaves in my hair.”
As she begins to weed her fingertips through her hair, it suddenly dawns on me that after tonight, Tara and I won’t need to be married anymore.
Yes, we may have to delay things a little so as not to look suspicious, but technically, the job has been completed.
The marriage has served its purpose.
I won’t need to be forced into a marriage by Penelope, and by the looks of how my shifters were dancing with the witches, I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually formed marriages of their own.
My stomach fills with dread.
I can’t fathom the thought of losing her again, but if it’s what she wants, I’d have to let her go.
“Do I still have leaves?” She asks me, wide-eyed. “I think most of them are gone now, but—”
She’s disarmed by the way that I’m looking at her.
I need to tell her how I feel, but the words won’t come out.
“I look crazy, don’t I?” She says. “You were saying I look good to make fun of me, right? Which is unfair because the only reason you look good is because of your supernatural genes. Hey, if I were a shifter, maybe I’d look good after almost dying too.”
Say it, Jasper.
“What?” She asks again.
Now it’s just getting weird.
“Stay,” is all I manage to say.
She looks carefully behind her, then around at the rest of the cabins. “Is there something here? Are we in trouble again?”
I shake my head. “No, not now, I’m telling you to stay.”
Tara’s confused, and then she laughs. “Jasper, I didn’t exactly plan on sleeping anywhere else tonight. Gosh, it’s not even nighttime anymore, is it.”
She gazes at the rising sun while I’m struggling, like an idiot, to say what I want to say.
“I like you,” I say.
She nudges me. “Hey, you’re not so bad yourself either, Jasper.”
I shake my head. “No, Tara. I like you. I really like you, like I’ve never liked anyone else before. Fuck, I mean, yeah, I love you, like an Alpha loves his wife, or a human loves another human. I want to be with you, actually, for real.”
I’m never tongue-tied. I’ve also never expressed how I feel with such transparency, such fumbling humanity like this—but when it comes to Tara, all bets are off.
She stares at me, wide-eyed, and in a rare moment… She’s speechless.
Her lips part, but no sound comes out. She’s breathing softly, looking at me in shock.
Suddenly, dread washes over me.
She might reject me. She might not be ready, or maybe she’s changed her mind. It’s been an intense night, and perhaps my timing could have been better.
But it had to be said.
I couldn’t keep it in any longer, especially not when nothing is guaranteed. Life is fragile.
And so even if she rejects me, pushes for the divorce, and decides to live with the witches or anywhere else, I’ll have to accept it.
All I want is for Tara to be happy. She deserves anything she wants.
“You really love me?” She whispers.
“Fuck, Tara. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but I do.”
Her lips tremble into a small smile, and then she laughs—a small, shaky sound that breaks me.
“You idiot,” she says, her eyes glassy. “Why didn’t you tell me that sooner!”
I blink, “Why? Does it make you want to leave? I get it if it's uncomfortable for you.”
It’s like I’ve been ripped wide open; never have I been this vulnerable to anyone. I’m practically standing with my wolf tail between my legs.
“Jasper, do you think that I nearly got myself killed twice, for fun? I... of course, I love you too.”
My chest feels like it might burst, relief, joy, and disbelief flooding through me all at once.
Before I can second-guess it, I reach for her hand.
“Will you stay?”
The sunlight spills gold across her face, and I savor this moment as best I can.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she says. “I’m still the Alpha’s wife.”
I kiss her cheek. “That’s right. Say it again.”