The Pet🐾 (Completed)

Chapter 53

Ashley

I looked around, and I saw several wolves surrounding us. They were from our pack, I could feel it, but the tension in the air made me nervous. I held my hand out to them. "I-I-it's okay. He saved me," I said, my voice trembling.

Jasper looked down at me. I nodded, and he gently set me down, keeping his hand on my shoulder to steady me. One hand still gripping his arm, I felt myself shudder. "Jared kidnapped me. Trapped me in a cabin. Jasper here broke in and saved me," I explained.

The wolves' expressions shifted from concern to something darker. "Jared's trying to take over the pack," I continued, my voice growing louder, "he's keeping Roman locked up somewhere on the land. He kept us apart. Whatever Jared told you—he lied!"

The wolves lowered their heads, some looking away, others clearly processing the information. I glanced over at Jasper, his eyes distant for a moment before he spoke. "They told me Jared said you and Roman ran away together," he told me quietly.

I looked at him in shock, my eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "What? What would we do that?" I turned back to the wolves, trying to gather my strength. "We need to get back before Jared realizes I'm gone. We need to save Roman."

Jasper gently let go of me. "You go with them. I'll deal with Jared. I have a score to settle," he said, his voice low and determined as he began walking off. "One of you can take my clothes. I'm shifting to get there faster," he added, stripping off his shirt.

I turned away to give him privacy, but then I heard the familiar sound of bones cracking. When I turned around again, there was a tall man standing where Jasper had been, dressed in his clothes. He had black hair that reached his eyes, and a stubbled jaw. He looked like he was about ten years older than me.

"Hey, Luna," he said, nodding at me. "My name's Steve." He looked awkward for a moment. "Uh, do you want me to...carry you back like Jasper did?"

I felt my face heat up. "Oh, uh, no. It's fine," I said quickly, trying to mask my embarrassment. "I just need some help walking. Jared banged me up pretty good," I said, rubbing my chest lightly.

Steve nodded, understanding. He moved to my side, offering his arm. I leaned on him for support, and together we made our way back to the pack house.

Jasper

I needed to get there faster, but the wolves kept stopping me, asking questions, holding me up. I just ran past them, sprinting straight for the pack house. When I stepped inside, the scent of Sophia hit me instantly, but I pushed it down. I had to focus.

I quickly made my way up the stairs, following the trail of Jared's scent. I saw him standing at the end of the hallway, a smirk on his face and something in his hand.

"I guess you've found your way back," he said, mocking me. "Are you here to kill the new Alpha?"

My wolf growled deep in my chest, and before I could stop myself, I sprinted at him. I slammed into him with everything I had. The window behind him shattered as we went crashing through, tumbling out of the building.

Sophia

I started to walk back up the stairs, but when I reached the top, I realized the sun had already risen. My stomach tightened. When I stepped into my room, Jared wasn't there. I froze. Had he seen me leave? Had he seen me go to the basement?

My heart raced in my chest. Why was I shaking? I glanced around the room, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw he wasn't there. But then, a loud crash echoed from outside. My heart stopped.

I rushed to the window, throwing it open. My breath caught in my throat as I saw Jasper's wolf on top of Jared, both of them falling out of the second-story window. Mid-air, Jasper shifted back to human form, landing a punch square in Jared's face.

They hit the ground hard, and I could see Jared trying to scramble, but Jasper was relentless. He leaped up again, going for Jared.

Jasper looked up at me, his eyes fierce. "Find my brother!" he shouted, before he dove back into the fight.

Confusion gripped me. Why had he told me to find his brother? Was he forgiving him? After everything? Hadn't Jared banished him?

I didn't have time to think. I sprinted downstairs, desperation pushing me forward. I slid the secret door open, not bothering to light the candleabra. My heart pounded in my chest as I ran down the dark stairs, each step echoing louder than the last.

I reached the bottom and stood in front of Roman's cell. I hesitated, torn. The pull to open it was strong, but the weight of what that might mean settled heavily on my shoulders.

It felt like two forces were pulling me in opposite directions.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed a brick from the floor, my hands shaking as I swung it down hard on the lock. A loud crack echoed in the room. I kept hitting it, over and over, my tears mixing with the blood starting to drip from my hands. Finally, the lock gave way with a final shudder, and I swung the door open.

I collapsed to my knees, clutching my bleeding hand to my chest. Roman knelt down beside me, pulling me into a tight hug. "You say family is the most important thing," he whispered, "but I think you're mistaking your friends for family. They're basically the same thing, though."

He let me go, both of us standing. "Now, let's go save our family."

We ran up the stairs together, the darkness fading as we neared the top. Roman looked around, his jaw clenched. "Where's Jared?" he demanded.

"Uh, I think they're in the back. I saw your brother attack him out of the second-story window," I said, my voice shaky but determined.

Roman didn't hesitate. He threw the doors open, and I froze at the sight that met us.

Ashley

Steve and I were walking back toward the pack house when we suddenly heard a loud crash. Steve immediately picked me up, and we started running. As we rounded the corner, I saw the back of the house, and my eyes locked onto the broken second-story window.

But then, I looked down.

I froze, completely still.