I let the implication remain unsaid. If we didn’t have some sort of bond with her, then the heat would be pure sex, animalistic, and when we were back to ourselves, we would all feel dirtied by it. We needed to know her better, to have some sort of connection, so that it wouldn’t end up driving us even further apart.
“I don’t like the idea of leaving pack territory,” Jace said.
Renz rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure what the purpose of it is. Shouldn’t we find ways to just get closer in real life?”
“The point is that we need to strip away the distractions. Focus on her and each other,” I said. “We’re not very unified right now, and we don’t have the space to actually be ourselves when the whole pack is watching.”
Owen slumped back, arms folded.
The other two nodded slowly.
Good. “I have a few ideas of where we can go. I don’t want the city. There are too many eyes there. But there’s a place in Burgess’s territory that I believe their alphas will let us visit.”
***
“But why do we have to leave?” Jasmine asked when the four of us told her our plans. Her stance was defensive, eyes wary as she looked from alpha to alpha. “I thought things were going just fine already. We’re not getting in each other’s ways. Won’t being stuck together all alone in the woods just be a recipe for more tension?”
“It will allow us to work through that tension,” I told her.
Jasmine was quiet, twisting her hands together. She pressed her lips tight and shook her head.
“We’re not asking,” Owen said, sounding just as angry at her refusal as he had about my initial suggestion. “We’re telling you. This is what we have decided to do. We have it all arranged, and we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning. All you have to do is pack enough clothes for three days.”
Jasmine shook her head again. “I have plans. I can’t leave to go camping.”
“What plans?” Renz asked.
She winced and looked away.
Owen snorted. “So you’re lying to us again. We—”
Jace grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Jasmine—” I started.
“Excuse me.” She sidestepped around us. “I need a few moments. I’ll pack when I get back.”
Owen started to say something, but Jace shook him, glaring. Jasmine didn’t wait; instead heading outside at once. She seemed to fold in on herself as she walked. It occurred to me that we’d done the same thing to her that Owen had been suggesting about the trailers.
“I’m going to go talk with her,” I said over my shoulder as I headed toward the doors.
“I’m coming too,” Owen said.
I turned. “No. She shuts down when she’s around you, Owen. You’re too angry. I’ll talk to her.”
Owen frowned. I ignored him as I headed outside. Jasmine was close by, sitting on an old bench in an overgrown lawn. I joined her, sitting quietly next to her. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared up at the sky.
“You don’t have any plans, do you?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. I don’t.”
“Then what is it really about?” I turned toward her. “Is it that we made the decision without you?”
“A little.”
I nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for that. I’ve been thinking about how we needed to get to know each other. I thought this would be the best way, but I shouldn’t have bulldozed over you. You should have been part of the conversation. If you need more time, or would prefer a different location—”
“It’s not entirely that.” Jasmine let out a soft sigh. “It’s…being alone with the four of you.”
