“Easy,” he says. “I promise.”
“I promise too.”
We kiss again, his lips meeting mine with force, my body melting into his.
After, Jasper rests his head on my shoulder and whispers in my ear. “You know I’m going to chase you down more often than that, right?”
He leans back to look me in the eye.
“I’m not sure if you know but I’m kind of a big deal, the son of the alpha.”
“And?”
“And I have access to a private jet.” He holds my face in both hands. “I want you to go out and see the world. I want you to do everything. I want you to feel fulfilled and embrace your destiny. But you should also know I’m going to be with you, hunting youdown, making sure you know how much I care about you. Max, we’re going to be together until the end of our days. You can see into the soul of every wolf on the planet, you have to know that?”
And I smile because I do. Without using my powers, I know that Jasper Apollo, the alpha’s son, loves me more than anything in the world.
I kiss him again and he lifts me off my feet, spinning me around.
We spend the next hour or so sitting in the sand watching the sun glimmering off the ocean, and when it finally begins to set, we make our way back up the beach.
“You know I used to think all this romance stuff was gross,” I say.
“And now?” he asks, grinning slyly.
I shrug casually. “I guess I can see why people are so obsessed.”
He grunts a laugh. “You know, you’re not like other werewolves, Max.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Jasper wraps an arm around my shoulders, and we move between the dunes, leaving the beach behind.
EPILOGUE
TWO YEARS LATER
I drive with the window down, letting the fresh earth and pine scent of the forest awaken my senses. It’s been a long drive, hell, a long journey. It’s hard to believe this morning I was on a completely different continent. But after an eight-hour plane ride and a four-hour drive, I’m nearly there.
Afternoon swims into evening as I pull down the familiar dusty track, trees lining either side like friends welcoming me home. Flags wave from where they’ve been stuck into the soil, signs of the festivities that have just taken place.
By the time I pull up and switch off the engine my head is light, and my heart is beating wildly.
Six months.
I haven’t seen Jasper in six months.
Sure, we’ve spoken nearly every day. Except for the week of his finals and that couple of days I spent camping by the Urubamba River with a band of Peruvian rogues who live off-grid at the base of the Andes. But still, it’s the longest we’ve gone without being in each other’s space since we met. My arms vibrate knowing that soon they’ll be wrapped around him again.
The duffel bag containing all my worldly belongings slung over my shoulder, I head down to the campsite where I know he’s waiting.
And thank the moon gods I don’t have to wait much longer to see him.
“What took you so long, slowpoke?” he calls from outside the Alpha’s Lodge.
Feet already moving, I drop my bag and run the rest of the distance into his outstretched arms. He folds me into his chest, and I breathe in the sweet cherry blossom scent of him.
