The Pet🐾 (Completed)

Chapter 32

Sophia

I winked and shut the door. Ashley seemed different now, ever since everything had happened. I stepped back over to the bed where Jasper lay, watching TV.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's a bit different, but I could still see it's her. Tomorrow we're going to see a witch—apparently she's coming tomorrow," I told him.

He nodded. "What time?" he asked.

I put my hands on my hips. "Oh no, you're not allowed. Girls only," I said firmly.

He leaned forward on the bed, crawling closer. "Oh, come on, please! I want to see the witch too," he said, giving me his best puppy-dog eyes.

"I said no! Ashley and I need a girls' day. We're probably going to talk about tampons, periods, and other girly things," I said. "Would you like to get in the middle of a conversation about which witch tampon is best?" I raised my eyebrows.

He scooched back on the bed, shaking his head. "Oh, no thanks. I'm glad I had no sisters to deal with that mess," he muttered.

"That's right. Now tell me more about your family—you never talk about them," I said, sitting down on the bed.

He looked back at the TV. "I don't want to talk about them," he said, his voice flat.

I leaned closer, rubbing his arm. I didn't feel the tingles like Jasper had promised. "But I'm here, and we should be able to talk about anything with each other," I said gently.

"And I said I don't want to talk about it," he snapped, quickly shaking off my hand. He stood, grabbed a shirt, and stormed out of the room.

He had such a short temper—almost anything set him off. Every time I tried to talk with him, he shrank back into himself, like a cornered animal. The more he did this, the more I wondered if Ashley's dream could be true. Does he really hate his family that much that he can't even talk to me about it?

Ashley

Jared had told me about werewolf senses and how amplified they were—far stronger than a human's. "But talking with you, as fun as it is, isn't the only reason I'm up here. I'm here to take you to dinner—it'll be ready in about ten minutes," he said, standing up.

I looked down at my hands in my lap. "I'm not hungry right now. Just go on without me!" I said.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and knelt in front of me. "You need to be strong for the pack. They're looking to you for guidance," he said seriously.

I nodded. "You're right. I have a responsibility to this pack now," I admitted, looking up at him. "I'm just still overwhelmed by all of this."

"Okay, let's go. They're probably waiting for you," he said.

We walked in silence to the dining hall. We passed Jasper, but he looked angry and stormed out of the pack house. I guess he won't be at dinner, I thought. I sat down at my seat, waiting for everyone to arrive. Once they were seated, I took a deep breath and got up.

I walked to the buffet table, grabbing a plate full of comfort food. I returned to the table and bit into the pizza I had taken. The others nodded and went to get their own food. Jared finished quickly and left, saying he had something to take care of. I quietly ate, keeping to myself. I didn't feel like talking—I just wanted a shower to wash away the stress and think.

Once I finished the pizza, I placed my plate in the basket for dirty dishes and made my way upstairs to my room. Before the first set of stairs, I looked out the window and saw Jasper shifting, running into the forest. I glanced around; no one else was there. It was only me. Jasper must be the one sneaking in and out of the territory. But what's his motive? Why would he do that?

I rushed into my room, grabbed pajamas, and ran into the shower. I needed to wash away this stress and think clearly. I turned on the water, stripped, and stepped under the hot stream, letting it run over me.

I washed my hair and body, shaved, and got out. Wrapping a towel around myself, I went to the sink where my pajamas waited. I dried off, slipped into my clothes, and brushed out my long, curly hair. It took a while, so I braided it to keep it from falling into my face.

I stepped out of the bathroom and moved to the bed. I left the bathroom light on while turning off the main room light. I crawled under the sheets—it all felt so wrong without Roman next to me. His presence was missing, a piece of my life gone. I grabbed one of his pillows, snuggling it close, inhaling his faint scent of wood and grass.

I slowly closed my eyes, shedding a small tear, and drifted into sleep...