I reluctantly stepped back, my gaze not moving from her. Jasmine stared at the floor, then muttered, “I’m not anything like them.”
“Anything like who?” Jace pressed.
Jasmine lifted her head. “I saw all the women you were talking with. They’re all gorgeous and successful. They’re nothing like me.”
“And you’re basing that on…what, exactly?” Owen asked. “The fact that they all had long, dark hair, like you? Or that they had curvy, plus-sized figures like you? And if we ignore that, their personalities…I don’t know about the other women, but Megan is a pediatrician who chose that career because she wanted to take care of people. Kind of like how you take care of other omegas.”
“Julie runs a food pantry,” I added. “Sort of like how you work the community garden.”
“Tina was just a one-night stand years ago. I didn’t even remember her name,” Renz admitted. “I was weirded out when she came to talk to me.”
“And I’d never met the woman I was talking to,” Jace said with a shrug. “I dated her sister for like, a week, but I’d never met her, exactly.”
Jasmine’s cheeks turned pink. “I see…so I was getting upset over nothing?”
I smiled at her. “I wouldn’t say nothing, but I also don’t think it’s something for you to worry about. If we were going to sleep around, we wouldn’t have waited this long.”
She shot me a dirty look but smiled softly. We headed back into the party, and this time we all took turns dancing with her. Several hours went by before I noticed some guyapproaching her. At the time, she and Penny had been talking in a corner, and the guy started talking with them. Jealousy started to stir in my chest, and I headed over. I reminded myself that it was just talking, that I didn’t need to interrupt.
Until I got close enough to hear what he was saying.
“I have a room upstairs. We could sneak away for a little bit, and nobody would be the wiser,” he told her.
“Please leave me alone,” Jasmine said flatly, then her eyes widened when she saw me.
I clapped a hand on the man’s shoulder. This time, I had to remind myself not to punch him in the face. My wolf snarled blackly in my chest, and I found myself wanting to challenge him to a deathmatch. How dare he approach Jasmine like that?
“Leave,” I snarled at him.
The guy stumbled back, hands in the air.
Penny snorted into her drink and nudged Jasmine’s ribs. “See? It’s not about being insecure. Those women were making moves on your mates, and your wolf reacted. Only you left instead of scaring the shit out of them.”
She chuckled, and I blushed. I opened my mouth to explain, only to stop. Jace, Renz, and Owen had all gathered around, too.
Jasmine wrinkled her nose at Penny, but then smiled at us. “I’m starving. Let’s blow this party and go get some food.”
I was more than happy to agree.
Chapter 16 - Owen
The week after the party went smoothly. Jasmine was in frequent contact with Penny, and she seemed to be lighter for it. The two of them swapped books and information, and Jasmine gained confidence. Better yet, we had learned a bit more about the original omegas that settled in this area. If there was a separate ‘curse’ or spell within our territory, then they were the ones who would have cast it.
One morning, when the others had already gone out, I stayed behind to work on some emails at the house. When I was done, I headed downstairs. Jasmine was in our common room, staring at the TV. Books were spread out in front of her, and the TV had a river scene on it, playing classical music.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
Jasmine jumped. She let out a huff when she saw me and put her hands on her hips. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I thought you knew I was still here.”
Jasmine flashed a small smile. “I did. I don’t know why I got scared.”
I fell back a step, certain that it was because I was…well, me. Sex didn’t magically fix the relationship between us, after all.
“I guess I was just caught up in my own thoughts,” Jasmine said. “I just wasn’t expecting anyone to start talking.”
“Ah. I see.” I hesitated.
