The Blood Rose pack

Feelings?

(Scarlett POV)

What have I gotten myself into? Werewolves are real and I made the mistake of letting them take me. I should have taken Jonas’ hand and run off with him the second I noticed the car out front. I was a complete fool for even letting my thoughts take over about him.

“Scarlett? Please let me explain. I know it was frightening, but I promise I won't do it again if you don't want me to.” His voice sounded pained as if he was on the verge of tears.

I stayed in my room hugging my knees on the bed as I struggled to hold back tears. After what had felt like an eternity. I heard a small thud on the door. I walked over and opened it. Jace fell on his back in front of my feet with a rather loud thud. He looked up at me while looking apologetic.

“Scarlett! I’m so sorry! Please don’t think I’m a monster or like I’ll kill you! I promise I won’t do anything that’ll hurt you. Please hear me out” he stumbled on his words as he staggered to his feet.

I watched as he acted like a small child that got caught. I gave a small sigh at his attempt to make me feel better.

“Fine, Talk. Just don’t make me regret wanting to learn about werewolves.” I walked away and sat on the bed as I hugged my knees once more.

He shut the door behind himself as he walked over, then sat on the foot of the bed, “So. The wolf you met was Hunter. More specifically, he is my wolf. If you decide to become a werewolf, you’ll have one too and you’ll understand why I can’t stay away from you for so long and why I always want to not be so weird around you.”

I let out another sigh, then looked at him, “Tell me more about the mate bond. Hazel talked to me a little bit about it and I understood a couple things. Like that I feel a little bit of it too.”

His eyes seemed to light up as he looked at me as he moved closer, I welcomed it as I loosened my grip on my legs. His eyes darted around the room as he seemed to be lost in thought, they then landed on me as he gave a small smile.

“You feel the mate bond? Like what specifically do you feel?” He was slightly like a child as he kept his eyes glued on mine, I could get lost in them for hours.

“So uh, I feel a slight pull in my chest, I feel small sparks of electricity whenever you touch me. That's pretty much it.” I spoke in a small squeak as a blush started to rise on my face.

He seemed pleased with himself and moved his hand to reach for mine, then froze, “So small portions of them, but that’s a start. Anything else? Maybe scents? To me you smell like flowers and it drives me crazy at times.”

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised when he spoke of me smelling like flowers drove him crazy, “uh, all I smell is musk and some cologne. I knew you were behind me in the kitchen earlier by your smell. Is that a wolf thing?”

He gave a small nod as he noticed the clock, then gave out a sigh, “Yeah, it could be. But we can talk more tomorrow. I’ll let Judy know you’ll have a couple days off to adjust to everything. I’ll be here tomorrow to talk more. I promise.”

I nodded and let him show himself out of the room as I grabbed my phone to call Jonas. I missed him and wanted some sort of regular conversation before I talk more about werewolves with Jace and Scarlett.

I quickly dialed his number. He picked up almost instantly, “Scarlett! Are you ok? I called the police and they are searching for you. I went by your place to talk to Trent and Ashley. Trent didn’t seem too worried and Ashley wasn’t there. Please tell me you know your location!”

I gave a small sigh as I spoke into the phone, “Yeah. I’m thinking maybe I wanna stay here. I get fed, have a room and get treated with respect. I even made a few new friends.”

I could hear him groan on the phone before he spoke, “Are you held captive? Say you love your new life if you’re being forced to speak.”

“Jonas, I promise it’s not a captive situation. It’s hard to adjust and I know you won’t believe me, but please, let's have a normal conversation. We can act like I’m at home and we’re having our late night talks like usual.”

He sounded aggravated on the other end of the phone as he spoke, “Let me get this straight. You enjoy living with your captors and don’t want to make an effort to run away? Scarlett, I don’t want to worry about you every day. Please send me your location so I can let the police know. I beg of you girl.”

I gave out a small sigh as I wiped a stray tear from my cheek, “Jonas, please just understand. Tell the police you found me and that I’m traveling the world.”

There was silence before he spoke, “Fine. Please promise me you’re safe and that you’ll try to escape at one point. Please.”

I nodded as if he could see me, then gave out a little sniffle, “I promise. Now tell me how it’s been over there? Did you and Preston do good in finals?”

There was a small chuckle, “I got a ninety-eight and he got a ninety-nine, so we could get accepted to college when we graduate in a couple months, everyones at school has been worrying about you, they noticed you haven’t been here and I miss you and your goofy glasses when you have them.”

I regretted showing him my glasses, I only wore them when my contacts ran out, which had reminded me to check my bags since I was wearing my last pair and didn't want Jace to see me in them.

“I know it’ll be hard to adjust to not having me there. But hey, at least you don't have to worry about having to look good for your boyfriend now.” I tried to keep the conversation light hearted while giving a small chuckle.

“You know I don't have to worry since I always look so good, So how's living in a place with a room and a window and jobs? You a maid or something?” He gave a small, forced chuckle as he spoke.

I smiled softly and wiped away another stray tear in my eye, “Yeah, something like that. Gosh, I wish I could tell you more but I shouldn’t”

He nearly cut me off, “Can’t talk about it?! Is it a hostage thing?”

I shook my head as I spoke in a relatively soft tone, “No, it’s not a hostage thing, It’s a ‘I don’t think it would be my place to talk about’ thing. I learned a lot and I don’t know if it would be ok to talk about. It’s nothing illegal, I promise on my Grammy’s grave.”

“What? That you’re secretly a princess and got taken to your kingdom to take your rightful place as queen?”

I loved Jonas’ sarcasm, it always helped me calm my nerves in stressful situations like these. I missed having him in my room sitting on my bed when I’m at my desk working on a paper for school. Those days always helped me ease my mind as he spoke about everything with pure sarcasm.

“No, if I was I’d have you as my jester while I have some sexy man feed me grapes, like Jace- shoot.” I didn’t think my sentence through and knew there would be nothing but questions regarding Jace.

“Wait! What?! Who's Jace?! Is he your captor? Did he seduce you Beauty and the Beast style? Is he someone you ran off with and those men were there to help you get out?”

I really didn’t think this through, “Uh, Jonas, I’ll talk to you later! Bye!”

I quickly hung up the phone before he could respond, then flopped onto the bed. I really messed up and didn’t think everything through when I decided to talk to Jonas. After the excitement of the entire day I decided to just lie down and go to sleep, but I couldn’t get a nagging feeling in the back of my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about Jace and wanted to go to him and hold him close as if my life depended on him. I quickly shook it off then decided to go to the bathroom and take a quick shower. The hot water felt nice, it was as if my worries washed away with the suds I had on me. I got out then changed into a black tank top and some plaid pajama pants.

I sat in the bathroom and braided my hair when I heard a soft knock on the door. I just opened the bathroom door so whoever would enter the bedroom could see me and I could see them.

“Come in! Doors unlocked.” I stayed in the bathroom to focus on the braid I was putting in my hair.

The door opened and Hazel walked in with a small smile on her face while she held a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches in one hand and a thermos with a bottle of water in the other.

“Hey Scarlett. I thought you wanted some late dinner. I have tomato soup and grilled cheese!”

I walked out once my hair was done, then ran over to help her hold the food, “Oh, thank you Hazel. Sorry for causing a scene. Not only am I the half human here, not the drama queen huh?”

She smiled softly as she sat on the bed with the thermos and bottle, “Yeah, everyone was more worried about you. You seemed scared and with Jace chasing after you made them worry more. How are you holding up?”

“I’m doing better after Jace and I talked about it. He taught me a little bit before he left, apparently I do feel the mate pull but, like you said. He feels it more since he has a wolf.” I spoke as I ate the grilled cheese and reached for the thermos.

She handed it to me after she took off the lid, “He talked to you about Hunter? What did you think about him? I find him very cryptic, yet knowledgeable.”

I nodded, then dunked the sandwich in the delicious soup, “He didn't say that, just that the wolf I met outside was Hunter. He was scary, but the color was actually pretty nice. Say, what’s your wolf like? Is she anything like you?”

“My wolf? Well her name is Zyriah She’s pretty sarcastic and says stuff as she sees it. A real piece of work. But I love her and I’m stuck with her.” She nodded as she spoke while she ate her own sandwich.

I nodded and sighed softly, “So, with your wolf, what’s it like? Does she come out when you shift? Or is it like you are your wolf and you just name them?”

She gave a soft chuckle, then shook her head, “No, nothing like that. It’s like having two people in the same mind. It gets a little annoying, but it’s nice having someone to talk to that can read my thoughts.”

“Oh, so she’s a part of you. Interesting. So are you born with a wolf?” I was genuinely curious as I finished my food and opened the bottle of water.

“No, once we turn eighteen we gain our wolf, they’re given to us by the moon goddess.” She took the plate, then looked at the clock.

“You should get some sleep, goodnight Scarlett, I’ll talk to you later ok?”

I nodded, then smiled as she walked out, then curled up in the covers and yawned as I fell asleep.

I woke up to some knocks on the door, I didn’t bother, then rolled over and pulled the blanket over my head. I heard the door open, then my senses were filled with his glorious scent.

“Hey, Scarlett. I brought you breakfast, oatmeal with maple syrup and some sausages. We can eat up here if you want.” His voice was soft and made my heart melt.

I sat up and looked at him before I grabbed the bowl, then started to dig in, “Thank you Jace, I was a little hungry.”

He smiled and sat on the side of the bed as he looked at me, “Feeling any better? I’m, again, really sorry for everything. I should have eased you into it.”

I cut him off and gently held his hand, “You don’t need to apologize. I promise I’m ok. So, do you have anything planned for today? Like whatever werewolf alphas do?”

“I’m not an Alpha, yet. I was going to wait till the hunt, but now I’m thinking about waiting until you decide on being my mate. If you don't, I understand. I promise I won't be mad.” He stammered slightly with his words.

I shook my head after I took another bite, “Why don’t we start off slowly? Maybe go on a date or two, and just get to know each other.”

He nodded and smiled slightly, “Yeah, slow. So, ask away.”

Jace and I spoke for hours. It was nice to have a regular conversation. He was actually a nice guy, his favorite color is red, he loves a good hamburger and fries, he even loves nature and reading. He asked me some questions and was interested when I talked about loving photography and seemed impressed with some of the photos I showed him. His smile melted my heart and I didn’t bother to hide it since he was someone I could be comfortable with.

After we talked for a little bit longer Jace and I learned more and we grew closer. We noticed it was getting pretty late, so he ordered a pizza, my favorite, to be sent up to us. We continued to talk and it was as if he and I had been close friends for years.

We had been talking for about three days and I enjoyed it. I talked about Jonas, my life on the farm and school. I even talked about my glasses and he didn't seem to care and even said they were cute. He even got the pack doctor to get me some more contacts so I won't have to be embarrassed when I walk around the pack house. He also taught me a little bit about werewolves and even let me see Hunter again. I wasn’t scared and enjoyed his soft dark gray fur. He also seemed to enjoy me petting his head and scratching his chin. After that, he shifted back and changed, then glanced at the clock on my nightstand as he scratched the back of his neck.

“So, Scarlett, I should get to my room and get some sleep, I can come visit after I get some Alpha duties done in the morning, maybe we can walk around outside and take some pictures together. If you want.” He sounded slightly sad about leaving but happy about taking me to take pictures.

He started to get off the bed and I held his hand, then looked at him, another blush threatened to rise, “You can’t stay a little longer?”

He sat down next to me and gently held my face, his eyes showed some form of hunger and I didn’t seem to care, it was as if a small voice in the back of my mind was telling me to lean in. So I did. I could feel his breath on my lips and was craving his touch. I closed my eyes preparing for our lips to meet, then the door suddenly opened.

“Hey Scarlett, I got some movies for us to watch ton- OH MY!”

Her scream was followed by a loud squeal, louder than the one she had done in the kitchen. She looked between me and Jace, who had turned his head away from me and made some distance between the both of us.

“Uh, I should get going. I’ll come by later tomorrow Scarlett. Talk later.” He stuttered as there was a noticeable blush on his face.

He squeezed past Hazel and quickly made his way down the hall towards his bedroom. Hazel gave me a huge grin as she quickly shut the door behind her, then threw the movies to the side and did an embarrassing happy dance. She jumped onto the bed before she proceeded to shake me.

“Scarlett! Tell. me. Everything! Now! I need details! Did you accept him as your mate?! Do I get to plan the Luna ceremony?! Please tell me that I get to plan it! Oh my gosh! Let me plan the honeymoon! You would be at it like rabbits with my plans!”

I held up my hands to cut her off from the endless rants, “Hazel! Nothing happened! We didn't even kiss, we just talked and got to know each other. You walked in before anything could really happen between Jace and I.”

She stopped, then made an oh shape with her mouth, “I can go grab him! You two can continue right where you left off- wait, he’s already in his room and he was pretty embarrassed. So! Movie time!”

I nodded and smiled while she put a movie into the tv, then got back into the bed with me.

She and I watched it for a while before Hazel leaned over, “So, are you and Jace a thing now? OMG let me make a ship name for you two!”

I looked at her, then gave a small smile, “Maybe, I only wanted to be friends with him first. But since everything that’s happened. Maybe I’d give him a shot.”

I watched the movie with Hazel and zoned out slightly, and thought of Jace. What if he and I were an item? It would make him and Hunter happy. It’ll also make me happy. My phone buzzed, which removed me from my thoughts and I checked. It was a message from an unknown number.

Hey Scarlett. It’s Jace. I put your number in my phone. I hope you don’t mind.

I couldn’t help but smile and quickly responded. I don’t mind at all. So, I was thinking. Would you mind if we became something more than friends? I know it’s quick. But if you’re my mate, I’d like to start things off slowly.

Right after I hit send, I couldn’t help but blush. I only then noticed that Hazel had been leaning over my shoulder.

“Whatcha typing? OMG! You asked Jace to be your boyfriend? This is awesome!”

Before I could shush her, my phone went off again.

I would love to. Still down for the date tomorrow? Maybe we can pick up where we left off? If that’s not too forward of me to ask.

I smiled as if I was a school girl and typed back as Hazel practically fogged up the screen. Yeah, I’m down for the date. If we pick up where we left off, we’ll need someone on Hazel-watch.

“I can read, ya know! You won’t notice me... Because I’ll be in a bush.” She mumbled as she spoke, as if she didn't want me to hear her.

I chuckled and flicked her nose, which caused her to giggle slightly.

I’ll have Ashton keep her occupied.

Deal!

I smiled at the phone and looked over to Hazel who wiggled her eyebrows as fast as she could, “Please let me choose your outfit! I have this lip gloss that tastes like cherries and Jace will have your taste on his lips! Oh! Please let me find a sexy outfit! It’ll be more than kissing with the way I’ll dress you! You’ll be irresistible and the dress will be on the floor faster than you could snap your fingers!”

I felt my face grow hot as I shoved her, “I’ll choose my outfit. You can do my hair and makeup. Deal?”

She sighed and slumped her shoulders as she nodded in defeat, “Fine. Deal. But I expect details on everything and I mean it!”

I chuckled and pulled her into a hug. We talked a little bit more, then continued with the movie. We then eventually fell asleep in the middle of the third one.

The next day, Hazel woke me up at ten, then basically threw me into the bathroom to shower as she dug through my closet to try and get a nice outfit for my date with Jace. After I got out in a bathrobe, my clothes were scattered all over the floor and Hazel laid under a pile near the bed.

“You need cuter clothes girl! Not one tube top or short skirt! Only jeans and hoodies! You’re a woman! Not a preteen boy!” She spoke with a huff as my pants were on her face.

I knelt down and helped her up, “Oh come on! My outfits aren’t that bad! You’re just overreacting. Here, I have a gray tank top and a black leather jacket. Just gotta get some skinny jeans and my outfit is done.”

Hazel cut me off, then gave a small smirk, “I have a cute sundress! Let me grab it!”

With that, she ran out of the room and yelled at people to get out of her way. I cleaned my room a little as she got back. She threw a red dress at me. She then shoved me back into the bathroom before she went through my makeup. I looked in the mirror once I had it on, then blushed at the sight. It was red with some flowers printed on it. It reached just above my knees and showed off my legs.

“Hazel, don’t you think this is a little short? I’m unsure if Jace will even like it.” I spoke as I opened the door to show her.

She grabbed my arm, then dragged me over to my desk with all my makeup scattered on it, “Don’t be silly! If it looks good on you, it’ll look great on the floor with Jace on top of you!”

I couldn't help but blush as she put makeup on me. She didn't go too heavy. She then curled my hair and tied it back into a ponytail. When she showed me in the mirror, I looked gorgeous, but I knew it was missing something. I grabbed my leather jacket and put it on.

“See! Sexy! Jace will want to take you away!” She proceeded to bounce in front of me as she held onto my shoulders.

I rolled my eyes as I watched her, “ Really? I don’t want s*x, Hazel! I want a normal relationship with him before I decide on a lot of things.”

She stopped and groaned, “Fine!”

Her eyes suddenly glazed over as she stared at the wall, then suddenly focused back, “Jace is on his way. I’ll be watching everything! Ashton won’t be able to keep me from you two!”

I sighed and nodded as she left, then stared in the mirror as I grabbed one of the cameras sitting on the desk, then put it on my neck. There was a knock on the door and I smiled as I opened it. Jace was there and he instantly froze as he stared at me. I heard a small growl from him as he looked at my outfit.

“Uh, wow Scarlett, you look amazing in that outfit.” He remained dumbstruck, “You ready for that date?”

I smiled and nodded as I grabbed his arm and let him lead us down the hall and toward the stairs. As we walked I noticed some people stare at me. It made me self-conscious and move closer to Jace.

“So, Jace. How long do you plan on staying out? This dress Hazel put me in is a little short.” I spoke as I tugged on the hem of the dress as if it'd make it longer.

He chuckled softly as he took me outside, “Oh, maybe a couple hours? Your outfit is also gorgeous. I couldn’t help but just stare at how you looked. I love it.”

The backyard was gorgeous and had a rather large pool with some lounge chairs. I never noticed them before. But to be fair it was night when I came out, so I couldn’t see anything properly. I blushed slightly at his comment. We walked to a garden. It had a small fountain which instantly grabbed my attention. I grabbed my camera and took a couple photos.

I noticed Jace smirk slightly in the corner of my eye, “You’re a little shutterbug, maybe I’ll call you that.”

“Go ahead, you’d actually be the first to call me that, and I don’t really mind it.” I smiled back at him as I let the camera hang from my neck.

“So, you said your mother got you into photography?” He looked at me in curiosity as I walked next to him as I took photos of whatever I could.

I nodded and looked at him, “Yeah, she loved taking family photos for memories, but she got me a polaroid camera when I was a kid and knew I loved taking pictures from the moment I took my first one.”

He nodded in response as he kept his eyes on me, then looked at the camera, “Interesting, I honestly don’t have any talent except fighting, or playing pranks on Luke when we were kids.”

I thought for a second, then took the camera off my neck, then handed it to him, “Well, how about I teach you? See that flower? Take a photo of it, nobody can mess it up.”

He looked at the camera and pointed it to the flower, then snapped a photo, we both looked at it and he did in fact mess it up. It was blurry and crooked. He definitely had a lot to learn, but I didn't mind because it meant more time with him.

He burst into laughter and handed me back the camera, “Nobody would mess it up huh? Looks like I just did. Maybe I’m good at messing up easy pictures!”

We laughed and walked around a bit more. We talked about some fun childhood memories. It was nice and calming to have a fun time with someone I had started to have feelings for. We talked some more, then sat down at the fountain. A stray hair fell in my face. He managed to move it out of the way as we leaned closer. I closed my eyes again hoping we could kiss, but we suddenly got interrupted by frantic yelling and squealing.

“Did you finally kiss! Tell me details woman! Jace, did you like the cherry chapstick?! I worked hard on the makeup so don’t smudge it!” Hazel yelled from behind a bush as a tall man came running.

“Sorry Jace! I tried to keep her in our room, but she slipped away when I went to the bathroom!” He spoke frantically as he picked up Hazel and threw her over his shoulder.

Jace chuckled as he held my hand, “It’s fine Ash, just keep her locked down tight, we don’t need more interruptions. I’ll be inside in a bit. Just give me a moment.”

Hazel kicked the air as he walked away with her on his shoulder, “You better tell me everything or I’ll start calling Jace Daddy smooch!”

After they got a good distance away we laughed to the point some tears came from our eyes. It was a hilarious sight to see and honestly wasn’t surprising with the way Hazel is.

“Sorry to cut things short Shutterbug, I should get back and finish up some paperwork. You should also talk to Hazel about everything. I’d hate to be called Daddy smooch for the rest of my life.”

I nodded and chuckled softly, “I don’t know, I like the name. If she doesn’t call you Daddy smooch, I will!”

He rolled his eyes and stood up as he offered a hand to me, “so, did she really put cherry chapstick on you?”

I nodded, then took his hand, then stood up as well. We walked to the house, then stopped at the door. I smiled at him then got onto my toes and gave a small kiss on his cheek, then walked off to the stairs to get to my room to chat with Hazel.