The Blood Rose pack

Suspicious origins

(Scarlett POV)

Jace had walked with his hand on my arm. His grip was gentle but firm and sent small electric shocks throughout my body. It was oddly nice and I secretly loved it. When he would occasionally glance at me, I would look away in an attempt to conceal the blush that dared rise to my face. We walked up the stairs, took a few extra turns, then stopped at a set of rather large dark wooden doors. Like a gentleman, he opened it, then proceeded to pull me inside. Mr. Stone sat at a large desk with a large book on it. The book appeared to have been in existence for decades based on the yellowed and wrinkled pages.

He didn't bother to look at me as he spoke, “Scarlett. I’ve been wanting to speak with you about some things.” His tone was the same as yesterday, calm but stern.

He moved his hand to gesture to two chairs across his desk, a silent yet effective demand for me to sit down. I complied and sat in a chair while I kept my hands folded in my lap. Jace sat in the chair to my left. I could feel his eyes on me and it caused me to shrink slightly as I anticipated him to glare or say something harsh to me. Mr. Stone sat back in his chair then cleared his throat to fill the awkward silence within the office.

“So, Scarlett. What do you know about werewolves?” He kept his eyes on me as he spoke in a low voice.

It was honestly a weird question and took me slightly off guard as I managed to find my voice, “Werewolves? Like the creatures in those sappy movie dramas? Like Twilight? Yeah, they’re not real. Why?”

I felt eyes on me once more, which made me want to shrink again. I was oddly flustered, but didn’t dare to show it as I looked back up to Mr. Stone. He tapped his desk while he gave a small glance at Jace, who I was too afraid to look at. He looked towards Mr. Stone, who sat up straight.

“So, you know of them, but not the truth about them? Interesting.” He scribbled on the notepad he had nearby, which somehow frightened me.

“Has your father said anything to you regarding werewolves? Maybe your mother?” His tone was filled with genuine curiosity.

Why would he mention my parents and why would they know about werewolves? They never talked about fantasy creatures and I doubt they even cared.

I glanced back at the hands in my lap deep in thought, then spoke, “No, my parents haven’t said anything about them. What do you mean the truth? Are you saying they’re real?”

He looked at me with a serious face, “You’re correct. They are real, and we are led to believe that you’re half werewolf, from your father's side and being Jace’s mate.”

The sheer thought of it made me smirk, but I bit my lip to make an attempt to hide it, “Me? A werewolf? You have to be joking, right? I may be young, but I wasn't born yesterday. If werewolves are real and if my dad was a werewolf. Why wasn’t I told about it or why am I not in a pack?”

I could feel Jace as he continued to stare at me, which caused shivers to run down my spine. I was unsure of the suddenness of this attraction, but I didn’t allow it to shift my focus from the conversation.

Mr. Stone didn’t appear to have been amused by my sarcastic comment, “Well, your father was in a pack, but some years ago it got attacked and he, along with a small handful of others, were the only survivors. Instead of joining another pack, he decided to go rogue and try to live as a human.”

My dad? A werewolf? The same man that was scared of heights and refused to crawl into the attic because of the risk of getting spiders on his face? Not possible... He’s just an average man.

“Scarlett, werewolves are real. I know it’s a lot to take in, learning about your father on top of getting taken here so suddenly. You’re probably feeling a lot of emotions and I’ll be glad to teach you everything.” I heard Jace speak with a sigh.

He reached his hand over to me. I flinched away since my mind had to process every emotion under the sun, along with the conflicted emotions I would feel with Jace’s presence and touch around me. The thought of being his mate made me feel disgusted but also slightly giddy.

After the sensual thoughts were erased out of my head, I looked at Jace with a slight scowl on my face, “ OK fine, I'll bite. Show me a werewolf. I still don’t believe any of this and I doubt I ever will. Plus, I’ll never be caught dead with you, Jace. Mate or not, I'd never be with someone that's part of a kidnapping and willfully uses me as a maid. You weren’t even nice to me when I first came here. You stared at me then walked away."

I was right about my words and decided to give them both my thoughts on the entire situation that had taken place the past two days. Hell, it’s been less than two days in all honesty. I noticed Jace in my peripherals, he looked sad and defeated as he looked down and it made me feel slightly bad for him, like I had really hurt him.

Mr. Stone spoke in a rather nonchalant yet casual tone, “I promise you werewolves are real and Jace will gladly show you like you asked. Just don’t break his heart like you just did. I don't want to deal with his whining for another four years.”

Four years? What had he been whining about for four years? Did he also say to not break his heart? Is that a mate thing? Gosh, I need to learn everything.

I looked at Jace while I scrunched my eyebrows to process my thoughts along with what I had been told by Jace and Mr. Stone. Jace looked back up at me and somehow, it felt like I truly saw him. I felt this odd tug in my chest, which just made me want to hug him. He looked starstruck as he and I finally made eye contact again.

After what had felt like an eternity, I finally managed to muster up a few words as I looked at my hands, “Fine, I’ll let Jace teach me about werewolves and show me physical proof.”

“OK, with that, I think this meeting is over. Scarlett, you can return to the kitchen and, Jace, prepare your materials to teach her everything about werewolves.” Mr. Stone spoke in a pleased tone towards me, then a stern one at Jace.

I just stood up then walked towards the door as Jace nodded to him and followed in suit. We made it out the doors before Jace closed them. He didn't seem to want to speak with me as he turned on his heel to leave. I went silent as I stared down the long hall, unsure of where to turn, so I turned around to Jace who was only a couple steps away.

“Hey Jace? Can you show me to the kitchen? I am still trying to understand the layout of this place.” I stared at my feet in slight embarrassment because I had unknowingly hurt him, yet needed his help.

He smiled at me as he nodded, then held out a hand to point in the direction of the hall in front of us. I managed to smile back as I walked with him next to me. His presence was nice and it somehow calmed me. By the time we made it to the kitchen, Jace smiled at me and was about to speak, but Hazel already had my arm in her grasp.

“Scarlett! It’s almost time for lunch! You can help me with getting the sandwiches made. Thanks for bringing her, Jace. Are you still down with movie night on Saturday with me and Ashton?”

He nodded his head to her, “Yep, but Ash and I get to choose the movie. I will die if I have to watch another rom-com with you.”

She nodded with a big goofy smile on her face as she dragged me over to a counter with various ingredients for sandwiches.

As she helped me with the assembly of hundreds of sandwiches, she gave me a small nudge with her elbow, “So, what did Alpha Michael want? Also, did you see the way Jace was looking at you? You’ve got a little lover boy!”

She was so upbeat and funny as she spoke, which made me chuckle slightly as I wrapped one of the sandwiches that I had finished.

“Well, Mr.Stone was saying that I was half werewolf and apparently that they’re real. I don’t believe it, but Jace is going to teach me and show me physical evidence on the existence of werewolves.”

Hazel’s face quickly dropped as she looked at me, “Woah woah woah wait, hold up. so You’re half werewolf?” Her face quickly lit up as she started to ramble, “That's so cool! So do you have some wolf-like abilities? I doubt you have a wolf. But, do you have any abilities, like heightened reflexes, or quick healing? We have so many things to put to the test to see how many wolf abilities you have!”

I was shocked at how excited and eccentric she was about the possibility of my situation. When she spoke of putting things to the test, I was slightly frightened at the thought.

“That's not even the good part, Hazel. They said I was Jace’s mate. It’s a stupid strategy to keep me here, but they get an A for effort.” I spoke in a sarcastic tone as I rolled my eyes and spread mayonnaise on a slice of bread.

Hazel then squealed so loudly that everyone in the kitchen seemed to stop what they did. She somehow seemed to smile wider, which I didn't know was even possible, “You’re Jace’s mate?! Oh my gosh! This is awesome! You’re mates with the future Alpha and I’m mates with the future Beta! This is fate and I can’t wait to help plan your Luna ceremony. Oh gosh your kids are going to be so damn adorable!”

My shock only grew as Hazel continued to ramble on. Frustration started to creep up inside of me as I put another sandwich together. Was she part of this master scheme to make me think they’re all werewolves? I thought she was a genuine person. I have no tolerance for being lied to. I didn’t bother to look at Hazel as we finished on lunch and set them out for everyone.

“I’m going to go to my room. I’ll see you for dinner time.” I kept my words short as I needed a moment to process everything Hazel had said to me. I was still frustrated, but also slightly panicked.

I was escorted by a large man to the room I was assigned to. As I stepped inside I noticed my bags were neatly put away and some of the items I had inside of them were placed around the room along with a small note from Judy on the dresser next to the door.

Dear Scarlett,

I know how hard it is to adjust to a new place, so I thought that unpacking your items would make this place feel more like a home and less of a prison. I hope you like it and can’t wait to see the woman you become.

Sincerely, Judy

I smiled softly at the note as I walked around, then noticed my multiple cameras carefully placed on the desk in front of a window. I picked up my old polaroid camera from when I was young. Mom gave it to me as a fifth birthday present and it’s what made me grow to love photography. I gave a pained smile to myself at the memory as I set it down again, then wandered the room some more. My clothes were neatly organized in the closet and some of my hair care and make-up items were in the bathroom on the counter for me to use. I then went to my bed and flopped face first onto it. I took a deep breath, then noticed his scent again. Musk and cologne.

What the hell is his scent doing on my bed? Did I get it on my clothes when he grabbed me earlier then walked with me? Gosh, I need a shower.

I walked to the bathroom and opened the curtain to the shower with a rather large bathtub. I took a mental note on it so I could take a nice hot soak later. I jumped into the water and gave out a small groan from the soothing heat. I quickly washed my hair and face before I stepped out to stare at myself from the mirror. The bags I had under my eyes were dark and heavy. I looked like hot garbage. Once I got dressed into a fresh change of clothes, I noticed the time was 3:45, then opened the door to the man who brought me up.

“Um, can I go down to the kitchen? I want to help with dinner.” I spoke softly so he could hear me, but not be startled since he had his back towards the door.

He glanced down towards me then nodded, “OK, let’s go.”

He moved behind me as I walked down the hall. I took the usual right to the stairs, then once I made it down to where I needed, I walked past the cozy room. We finally made it to the kitchen and I noticed Hazel situated at the stove with several pots on the burners.

“Hey Hazel. What are we cooking? Soup?” I asked curiously while I looked into one of the pots which appeared to have various chunks of vegetables and meats.

She looked up at me, then gave a small smile, “It’s stew! Also, I’m sorry if I scared you earlier. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with everything. I was just so excited to have a friend whose mate is close to me and Ashton. Do you know what a mate is? Did you feel the pull? What about the sparks?”

I was completely dumbfounded at what she said. She was spot on about the sparks, but, what's the pull? Is it that tugging feeling in my chest when I’m around Jace? Gosh, how the hell can she manage to make me believe in all this mumbo jumbo!?

“Uh, I felt like surges of electricity when he grabbed my arm earlier, and what's the pull? Is it like a weird sensation in your chest that feels like you’re getting pulled towards them?”

Her smile got wide as she nodded frantically while she continued to stir the stew in one of the pots, “Yes! That's the one! He is your mate! Oh my gosh! I hope you get your wolf so you two can be a happy couple. That would be amazing! You should come to movie night with us on Saturday! It’ll be so fun and I can help you find a cute outfit to drive Jace crazy.”

I gave out a small chuckle as I helped stir a couple of pots, “I’ll gladly go to movie night, but I will wear what I want. Plus, I don’t even want Jace all over me. He has been cold to me and I want someone to actually love me for me. I would prefer they get to know me as a person first before they find out if they love me or not.”

Hazel gave a face as she was deep in thought, “Jace feels the mate bond more than you since he is a full werewolf. You’ll feel the same way too. Plus, he can’t get to know you if you don’t let him try. I’m not saying date him, I’m just saying give him a chance. He’s actually a nice guy and has been waiting for a mate for four years and now he finally has you.”

I thought for a second and it finally clicked. The whining that Mr. Stone had referred to was Jace looking for a mate. I’m that mate he had been waiting for.. No Scarlett! Don’t think like that! Don’t fall for their tricks! I’m a smart woman!

“Yeah you’re right. I shouldn’t push him away if I want him to get to know me first. So I’ll be down for the movie night to get to know him more.” I gave a small sigh in defeat. Somehow, I knew Hazel was going to try and parent trap me with Jace.

She nodded then gave me a small pout with some puppy dog eyes mixed in, “Yay! So please let me dress you! It won't be too sexy, so Jace won’t want to drag you away and put steam on the windows, but I want you to look good!”

I sighed, then gave her a small nod. She wasn’t going to let up on dressing me up. She gave another squeal while she practically tackled me into a bear hug. She smiled as the food was taken out to the pack, and they left food for us to eat in the kitchen. We ate as we talked about the movie night, then noticed Jace had walked into the room. He wore a light grey button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, which displayed his muscular forearms, and a pair of denim jeans. I couldn’t resist as my thoughts took over. I somewhat hoped he would just take me away and ‘put steam on the windows’ as Hazel had put it.

“Scarlett. Ready for me to show you proof that werewolves actually exist?” He spoke in a calm tone which made my heart do flips in my chest.

I nodded, then was practically shoved towards him by Hazel, who let out a small giggle under her breath. Jace smiled softly at the silly exchange between Hazel and I, then turned towards the exit of the kitchen. As he started to walk out, he wordlessly motioned for me to follow him. Once I had caught up to him, he slowed his pace so I could follow next to him.