The Selkie's Alpha

Chapter 27

Whatever rhythm Brooke had managed to find in her relationship with Jasper completely vanished as the Cowrie Cabana scrambled to prepare for the upcoming feast. Gone were their outings to Periwinkle Port, away from the other werewolves' prying eyes. Now instead of kisses they only exchanged furtive glances, with Jasper always finding excuses to avoid talking to her.

Was it something she'd said? Had she embarrassed Jasper so badly that he didn't want to be anywhere near her? Had his meeting with the other werewolves gone so poorly after he'd partially shifted and ruined his outfit that he was angry at her for coaxing him to wag his huge, fluffy tail in the first place?

Whatever had happened, Jasper's parents shared his foul mood as they helped him and Brooke decorate the banquet hall. Or, more accurately, she decorated the banquet hall while Jasper's parents argued and he set out silverware so aggressively she was tempted to take the knives from him.

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this." Mr. Stillwater's jaw twitched like a sea snake preparing to strike. "You forfeited your right to be involved in Cedar Pack's business the day you left for Duskvale."

"This isn't about the pack. This is about my son trying to find his mate." Mrs. Hoffman refused to look at him, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the vase full of flowers she'd spent the last ten minutes fiddling with. "I already missed far too much of Jasper's life."

Her ex-husband rolled his eyes. "That doesn't mean you can meddle in pack business."

"It's been wonderful to see you and Jasper spending time together at Periwinkle Port," Brooke said hurriedly, hoping to prevent their argument from spiraling out of control.

"Especially since Steven's been enjoying it here even more than I have." His mother chuckled. "He came back to the room covered in so much sand yesterday we could have built a sandcastle out of it."

"It's safe to say the seagulls won't forget him anytime soon," Jasper said, his lips twitching into a smile.

But his happy expression faded as soon as it came. He returned his attention to the silverware with his eyes downcast, mechanically rolling spoons, forks, and knives into dark blue napkins.

What had happened to the adorably flustered werewolf who had strolled with Brooke through the gardens? She'd seen Jasper stressed far more often than she'd like, but never had she seen him so forlorn.

"Speaking of your family," Mr. Stillwater said, "shouldn't you be spending time with them? I'm sure your husband isn't exactly keen on attending an event where all the other guests will be werewolves."

"All the noise and crowds would be too much for him, so we agreed he'd stay in the room and keep Steven busy for the evening." Whatever courtesy Jasper's mother had begun the conversation with evaporated like sweat in the sun as she lowered her voice to a growl. "This may be hard for you to understand since you spent more time on business trips than with our son, but Jasper needs our support now more than ever."

The hair on the back of Brooke's neck stood on end as Mr. Stillwater's eyes flashed amber. Goddess, she had to calm them down before they attacked each other!

"Have either of you gotten the chance to go on a dolphin tour yet?" Brooke filled her voice with the same gently encouraging cheerfulness she used whenever she was trying to distract a pup who was having a bad day. "I think Jasper and I can take things from here, and there should be plenty of time for you to get tickets. I heard they even saw calves playing by the reef yesterday!"

"I wish I had time, but unfortunately some of us have to clean up a certain mess." Jasper's father blinked his eyes back to a human brown, but his voice stayed as harsh and unforgiving as a wave crashing against the shore. "Things would have been much easier if Jasper had told me exactly what he was doing to try to find his soulmate, but now all I can do is try to salvage our relationship with Kudzu Pack."