Chapter 65

Scarlett.

"We cannot be so certain about that Scar," Jax responded, my wolf seemingly agitated even though she had just calmed down.

“The alpha is right, honey; even the weakest warlocks can cast powerful spells. Sometimes it depends on the bloodline and obstinacy of the spell caster." I sighed when Astra chimed in.

"You know what?" I looked at Astra’s clock, biting the inside of my cheek as I thought.

"What?" Jax followed the line of my vision, furrowing his eyebrows in question of what I was up to.

"Maybe I can break the spell on that ring." That had Jaxon standing up from the couch, his jaw ticking forcefully.

"No." His voice deepened, opining his utterance with supremacy. “I will not allow you to endanger your life for the second time." He asserted himself, earning a nod from Astra.

"Listen to him, Scarlett. We cannot dare take that risk for many reasons, some known only to us." I heaved out a sigh.

"You will be there, Astra; nothing is going to happen to me. I can feel it, raw power running through my veins. I can do this. Together, we can break that spell." I almost fell to my knees to plead with them until I realized I could play along and sneak in later.

“The answer is still no. I trust you already had breakfast? It’s almost noon." Jax looked at his wristwatch as if he hadn’t just looked at the clock minutes ago. He left no room for argument with his sealed refusal, but I knew what to do.

"Oh, I am so full it’s a miracle I can walk." I chuckled, smiling at Astra, who returned her own broad one.

"I’m telling you, Astra can make you eat the whole pack." Jaxon’s statement had me laughing out loudly, earning a slap on the shoulder from Astra.

"By the way, I saw Thiery on my way back. The gamma has been looking everywhere for you," Astra spoke, making me realize that I didn’t have my phone on me.

"Actually, now that Astra said it, Thiery feels side-lined. It’s the work of the gamma to protect the Luna but you always evade him,” Jaxon explained, making me feel sorry for the man.

"Could you please ask him where he is; maybe we could take a walk together?" I waited for Jaxon to dispute, but he was already calling Thiery, asking him to meet us at the junction.

"I trust you’re no longer interested in bond breaking spells?" Astra playfully asked, earning a warning growl from Jaxon.

"Who knows? Maybe I’ll get pissed off again." I laughed, waving goodbye to Astra as Jaxon guided me out of the place.

"Remember to keep your eyes open; the threat is still very much alive." Her words sank deep, a reminder that I needed to keep an eye on Jasper.

"I won’t let anything happen to her,” Jaxon replied, his hand gently resting on the small of my back.

**********

"I am telling you, Luna, that guy almost burned the entire pack down, looking for you." I pushed Thiery playfully as he narrated the state Jaxon was in when I vanished.

"Oh, come on, aren’t you spicing up the whole thing, Thiery?" I wiggled my eyebrows, earning a playful frown. If there was someone who could help me unmask Jasper, it was Thiery. They were friends, and the beta had no reason to doubt the gamma.

"No, you don’t believe me? He almost killed Jasper,” he whispered the last part, catching me totally off guard.

"I wish you saw him? Wild with anger."

"Wai, wai, wait, Thiery." I held out my hands and stopped walking as we came up to a creek in the northern woods.

"What do you mean Jaxon almost killed his beta?" I whisper yelled. There were pack members going about their undertakings in the woods. With their werewolf hearing, I didn’t want any of them to hear something they weren’t supposed to. That is why I insisted we go up the creek, where the sound of moving water on small rocks would neutralize our voices.

"Alpha didn’t tell you?" I shook my head at Thiery. He never mentioned it, not even Astra. We sat on one of the grass-covered edges. I took off my flip-flops and dipped my legs into the water, enjoying the moment. Nature was known to have a calming effect on troubled minds.

"What exactly led to all of that?" I leaned in backwards, supporting my upper body with my arms spread behind my back, palms on the ground.

"When you went missing, Alpha tasked us with contacting thorough searches for you," Thiery eagerly started, rubbing his hands together.

"Goddess Thiery, you get excited so fast,” I teased, earning a glare.

"If you could please shut up, luna,” he playfully spoke.

"Don’t call me that; we are friends." I was serious about that, and I made sure to let my voice convey it.

"And risk the alpha yanking my tongue out for disrespecting his mate? Naah, I’ll pass." I shook my head at his antics and multiple hand gestures as he explained.

"No one is going to go near your mouth. We all know how much you love talking," I teased him again, making him roll his eyes.

"Okay, okay, Scar. See, after one of those searches, the alpha was so enraged because we couldn’t find you,” he resumed.

"Amidst it all, Jasper had the audacity to tell the alpha that it was his fault you were missing."

"What?" My mouth remained open for a few seconds.

"Jasper said that to Jaxon’s face?" I couldn’t even begin to apprehend the kind of rage that gripped Jaxon at that minute.

"You bet he did; I even told him he shouldn’t have tasked us with protecting you during the run, that it was his duty as your mate." As Thiery narrated the shocking happenings of that day, thoughts were circulating in my mind.

"I don’t really get it; why has he been trying to challenge Jaxon?" It seemed my plan to question Thiery about Jasper was playing right into my hands. I knew Thiery must have seen something we hadn’t, or even noticed.

“Same question that I have been trying to solve." He placed his index finger and thumb on his beard-covered chin.

"What do you mean?" I pressed. Anyone could have been the mole, including Thiery, but my intuition and instincts pointed straight at Jasper.

"Ever since he came back from running errands in different packs, Jasper has become someone else." He seemed to be too deep in thought to interrupt.

“The guy has been lashing out every time; he spends most of his time alone in his house,” he continued.

"Have you noticed anything else weird about him?" I held my breath.

"It’s clear as day, Scar; he usually isolates himself anytime he gets a call. I am trying to figure out from whom though."

"For goodness sake, Thiery, nothing is wrong with phone calls." I forced a smile.

"It is when the calls are usually made at exactly 4 p.m. on the dot, during training. I have seen it with my own eyes, and I am curious to know who Jasper has been talking to. I have this bad feeling about it, Scar, and I can’t seem to shake it off."