Chapter 24

Jasper was quiet on the ride home. In the past I might have been happy about this but now everything was different between us. I could tell there was something bothering him and I didn’t like it. I wanted him to go back to the jovial version of Jasper that I was starting to become accustomed to.
Jasper parked his car in his usual spot in the garage before resting his head on the steering wheel in front of him. My heart rate quickened and I felt the urge to hold him and comfort him. I couldn’t be sure if it was the omega in me or if it was the feelings I was developing for him that made me feel that way.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, putting my hand on his back.
“Maybe we could skip dinner with the family again tonight,” he replied, completely avoiding my question.
“Jasper, I can tell something is bothering you. Please tell me what it is,” I leaned in closer, so my face was only a few inches from his.
“I don’t want to spend another moment not holding you,” he said.
I had a feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling me. I wanted to question him further but before I had a chance his lips were pressed against mine.
His kiss had a way of making me forget about things. At first it made me forget about my reservations over being with him. Now his kiss was able to make me forget about all of my concerns over his mood. By the time his lips left mine I was thinking along the same lines as Jasper, all I wanted was to be in his arms.
We got out of the car and started to make our way towards the back staircase in the house. The one that the omegas used to get around.
“Where are you two sneaking off to?” Jasper’s mom asked before we even made it halfway there.
“We were going to watch tv shows in my room,” Jasper answered.
“What about dinner?” Jasper’s mom placed her hands on her hips as she spoke. The gesture alone was enough to make me nervous.
“We thought that we would eat in my room,” he replied.
I was glad that Jasper was speaking for us and I was also thankful that he made it sound as innocent as it was. I was so nervous that I would have made it sound as though we were up to something we shouldn’t be.
“That is not going to happen,” she replied, folding her arms across her chest.
“What?” Jasper seemed to be in complete disbelief that his mom was arguing with him.
“Look, I know what it is like meeting your mate. I know you want to spend every minute mating but..” she said.
“It’s not…” I tried to interrupt but she wasn’t listening.
“This girl needs proper meals to keep her energy up. You don’t want her collapsing through exhaustion, do you?” his mom asked.
“We haven’t done anything like that,” I objected.
Jasper’s mom looked at me and raised one of her eyebrows. I knew she didn’t believe me and just thinking about what she thought Jasper and I were up to was making me blush. It was as though my body was trying to make me look guilty. I hate to think what I would have been like if I had done some of the things she was accusing me of.
“Being with you mate is nothing to be ashamed of. It is incredibly difficult to resist the pull of the mate bond,” his mom said.
“You’ve done it already. You really don’t hang around do you?” Jasper’s dad interjected.
I hadn’t even noticed him walking up so I don’t know how much of our conversation he had heard. My cheeks were burning as the level of my embarrassment increased. I wished that the ground would swallow me up so I had a way out of this conversation.
“Will both of you stop? Lizzy isn’t exaggerating when she says that we have only kissed,” Jasper exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in frustration.
That was when the atmosphere got very strange. Jasper’s parents looked at each other, they both seemed concerned. More concerned that then Jasper was failing maths last year, almost causing him to resit the whole school year.
Jasper's attitude also changed, he took me straight through into the dinning room without any further objection. As soon as we were seated his mom started to question us on what our problems were. She didn’t seem to believe what I told her, she thought I had some kind of ulterior motive for wanting to take things slowly between us.
“Are you planning to reject him?” Jasper’s dad asked.
“No but I can’t feel the bond yet so I have to fall in love the way humans do,” I replied.
Why did this feel like an interrogation?
“I had to do the same. It is a little more difficult but it is all worth it in the end,” Jasper’s mom said. She ran her fingers over her mark as she spoke, she looked as though she was reliving a fond memory.
“It is so difficult knowing who your mate is and not marking them. I think I managed a week before your mom begged me to mark her,” Jasper’s dad was laughing as he spoke.
“Only because you were completely unbearable. You almost killed your own brother for smiling in my direction over dinner,” Jasper’s mom replied, rolling her eyes.
I glanced over to where Jasper’s brother, Lawrence was sitting. He had stopped eating and was watching Jasper’s actions very closely. He was visibly anxious but Jasper seemed to be completely unaware of his discomfort. He was too preoccupied with laughing along with his parents' anecdotes.
“Lizzy and I are doing fine though, nothing like that is going to happen,” Jasper told his parents before taking another bite of his dinner.
Lawrence stood up, throwing his cutlery to the table as he did so. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards him. I could tell that he was scared even though he was trying his best to hide it.
“Like I am supposed to trust your temper. Not a chance, I am going to stay with gran until you mark her,” Lawrence shouted.
“You can’t do that. Gran lives on the far side of the pack, it will take you over an hour to get to school each day,” Jasper’s mom said.
“At least I will be alive,” Lawrence responded.
He shook his head in disbelief, complaining to himself as he left the room. I watched him leave and I continued to watch the empty doorway for a few minutes after he left.
His reaction worried me but not as much as the way his parents were talking a few minutes ago. I hoped that they were just exaggerating the problem, that he would just be irritable rather than murderous. That way I could keep to my plan rather than rushing forward while I still had doubts.
I didn’t feel ready to be marked by Jasper. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to ever be marked by him but I needed more time. I was still getting over some of the things that he did to me before he knew I was his mate.
There were still times when things he said or did in the past hurt me or I would look at him and see the bully he used to be. I needed time to heal before I committed to him completely and I didn’t think I was asking for too much by wanting that.
What I needed to know was how much truth there was to Jasper’s parents' observations. Was it possible for me to take a little bit more time to get over the past or would that really be putting lives at risk. If it wasn’t an exaggeration then I would let him mark me but I needed to speak to someone who wouldn’t be biassed in Jasper’s favour.
If I had friends in the pack this would be easy but all my friends are human. The only option I had was to ask Adam. As my gamma he was more on my side than on Jasper’s. It wasn’t perfect, he could still take Jasper’s side over mine but what other choice did I have?
After we finished dinner I followed Jasper to his room but I didn’t feel the same excitement about it as I did earlier. I was worried that he would try to mark me and even though I didn’t want that, I didn’t know if I had the strength to go against the wishes of an alpha.
I took a couple of steps into his room then froze. Jasper’s room smelled of fresh sheets and fabric softener, this wasn’t at all what I was expecting. His room was tidy and clean, there was no trace of other women or even dirty clothing. It was almost welcoming so why did I feel so awkward?
“What’s wrong baby?” Jasper said, closing the distance between us and pulling me into his arms.
“N-nothing,” I stuttered.
“You know, you are a terrible liar,” Jasper said. He kissed my cheek softly and despite how far away he was from my neck, all of my muscles tensed.
“I would never mark you against your wishes, baby,” he whispered.
He kissed me again then led me over to his bed. We spent the rest of the night watching what was left of firefly in each other's arms. Jasper’s embrace was warm and comforting, it made me feel safe and cared for. If this is what it feels like to have a mate then I think I will like having a mate.