The Selkie's Alpha

Chapter 18

After the incident with his mother's family, the need to apologize burned inside Jasper like a wildfire, but his responsibilities to his pack kept demanding his attention. He and Gwen spent the afternoon hosting an inter-pack volleyball game on the beach, leaving sand in far too many uncomfortable places. After a phone call from Uncommon Scents's biggest warehouse about a manufacturing error in the latest batch of perfume bottles, he'd been forced to set up an emergency teleconference with half a dozen members of the company's leadership to determine the source of the defect.

Only after an overly long Alphas-only banquet serving what was left of the elk did Jasper finally get a moment to himself. He limped around the top floor with his apology present carefully hidden behind his back, searching for any signs of his mother's scent.

Would she be on the same floor as the rest of the Alphas, or would she be staying in one of the dimly lit towers that catered to vampires like her husband? Jasper's heart sank as he realized how little he knew about her life now. He hadn't even known she'd had another son until Steven had literally tackled him.

And that pup... Goddess, all Jasper knew about him was Steven had been extremely excited to meet him, yet he'd made him cry. Regardless of what his mother had done, Brooke was right. There was never a good reason to treat a pup so terribly.

At last, Jasper caught a trace of his mother's familiar lilac scent. He followed his nose down a series of hallways, only to find that the smell remained faint around the door at the end of the trail. She hadn't been in her room for at least a few hours.

Judging from their stronger scents and their muffled conversation, her husband and son had gone inside without her.

Jasper raised his hand. Paused with his knuckles almost touching the door. Would they even want to see him again after how he'd acted, or would talking to them make everything that much more painful for everyone involved?

There was only one way to find out.

Jasper knocked. "Could we talk for a minute?"

The voices inside quieted to the faintest of whispers. Silenced. For a long moment, all Jasper could hear was his own heart thundering in his ears.

Dr. Hoffman cracked the door open, squinting from inside his dimly lit room. "Is everything alright, Jasper?"

"No. I mean, yes, but not..." Jasper sighed. Goddess, he'd delivered speeches in front of countless boardrooms filled with some of the richest werewolves in the country, yet he could barely say a word to this vampire without tripping over his tongue. "I'd like to apologize for how I acted earlier."

"One moment." Dr. Hoffman eased the door shut. The whispering resumed.

Though he couldn't hear a word of what Dr. Hoffman and Steven were saying, he could imagine their conversation well enough. It was up to the pup whether Jasper would be allowed inside. After how badly he'd upset him, Jasper couldn't blame Steven if he never wanted to see him again, much less speak to him.

At last, Dr. Hoffman opened the door. "Come on in, but please try not to get Steven too stirred up. It's almost his bedtime."

With the room's lighting set to be dim enough to allow vampires like Dr. Hoffman to rest comfortably, Jasper had to squint as he navigated the maze of toys and suitcases scattered across the floor.

Steven sat cocooned in a bundle of blankets on top of his bed. Only his face and a pure white seal plush peeked out from inside.

"Your brother has something he wants to say to you," Dr. Hoffman said gently.