Chapter 5
1776 Words
That night, the full moon hung heavy in the sky, its pale light slipping through the curtains and spilling across the bedroom floor like thin sheets of silver. Deeya walked toward her room with heavy limbs, exhaustion dragging at her eyelids. But the moment she pushed the door open, her steps came to an abrupt halt.
Jasper was sitting on the edge of her bed, his shadow stretched long across the floor by the dim glow of the lamp in the corner.
"Why are you in here?" Deeya asked, her voice tight with nerves, then shook her head softly. "Oh, I forgot. This is your room now. I'll sleep outside," she added, turning to leave.
But something stopped her. Jasper looked different tonight. His breathing was ragged, his face flushed, and there was a strange glint in his eyes that was usually nothing but sharp and cold.
"You don't look well..." Deeya said, stepping closer, her instinct overpowering her logic.
"Get out of my sight," Jasper murmured, his voice hoarse, almost a growl.
Deeya should have obeyed. She should have walked away. But her body moved toward him instead. "Hey, I just want to know if you need help."
Jasper's hand shot out and seized her, pinning her body to the bed in one swift motion. Deeya's breath caught in her throat, her heart hammering wildly as she felt the weight of his body pressing against her legs.
"Next time I tell you to leave... you leave," Jasper said, his voice laced with menace.
"I'll go now," Deeya said quickly, her eyes searching for an escape.
"Too late."
Deeya stared up at his face. His gaze was piercing, brimming with danger—and for some reason she couldn't fathom, it only made her want to tease him more. "So... you want to spend the night with me?" she whispered, her voice daring, her eyes glinting.
Jasper narrowed his eyes, staring down at her with disgust. "Spend the night? Even if my body wants you, I have absolutely no desire to touch you."
"Oh? Then who just pinned me to the bed?" Deeya asked, sly. Her hand moved up to touch his chest, but he smacked it away roughly. Jasper gripped her chin hard, nearly crushing her jaw.
"Wipe that smile off your face. Unless you want me to f**k you to death on this bed."
Deeya swallowed hard, her body trembling. Yet she still tried to hold her ground, answering in a faint whisper, "Out of all my clients, yours is definitely the... biggest."
"Don't ever compare me to your filthy men," Jasper snarled, his voice dripping with contempt.
Deeya fell silent. His words cut deep, though she couldn't understand why they hurt so much. Jasper stared at her for a long moment, his eyes narrowing, as if he were trying to remember something.
"Have we... met before?" he asked suddenly.
"What?!" Deeya exclaimed, startled.
The lamplight flickered softly, deepening the silence that stretched between them. Jasper studied her intently, as though searching her face for traces of a forgotten past. But Deeya quickly masked her shock. "If you'd ever been one of my clients, I would definitely remember," she said lightly.
Jasper lowered his head, then gripped her chin even harder. "From now on, never say anything like that again."
"Fine..." Deeya breathed, her voice barely audible.
Jasper scoffed. "Disgusting. Get out of my room."
Without argument, Deeya rose to her feet, grabbed her phone, and left the room with her body still trembling.
---
The next morning, Deeya woke up on the small sofa in the living room. Her sleep had been terrible, her mind still crowded with shadows from the night before. Exhausted, she walked to the kitchen and prepared a simple plate of scrambled eggs, setting it down on the table.
Her phone vibrated. A message from Judith.
Judith: "Thank God Jace made it back home. I was panicking when I realized he was missing."
Deeya: "I know, he's fine. But if Jasper ever finds out Jace's secret, he could be in danger."
Judith: "By the way, I met a strange client last night. He kept rambling about werewolves and... Jasper. He said Jasper has some kind of strange connection to them."
Deeya's eyes went wide. What connection does Jasper have to werewolves?
Another message came through.
Judith: "Is this a good time to call? You're not going to believe the nonsense I heard."
Deeya glanced at Jasper's bedroom door, still shut tight. If he really knows something about werewolves, I need to hear it. Maybe it can help me protect Jace.
She called Judith. The moment the line connected, her friend's voice burst through, full of energy.
"I didn't think you'd call right away!" Judith exclaimed.
"I only have a little time before Jasper wakes up."
"You're okay, right? He's not giving you and Jace trouble, is he?" Judith asked, concern bleeding through.
"Don't worry. I'll find a way for Jace and me to escape."
"Okay, just don't do anything reckless. Speaking of last night, it was a full moon, wasn't it? Is Jace okay?" Judith asked, curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, nothing happened last night. I put sleeping pills in his milk before he went to bed, even though he was still sweating pretty badly. Hurry, tell me about that client of yours. Why did he mention Jasper?"
Judith began recalling and recounting everything she had heard from her client the night before. "Okay, so this guy claimed to be an expert in animal research. He said he'd heard some rumors about Jasper from his colleagues... That the people Jasper killed had scratch marks and wolf bites on them."
Deeya froze. "Those are just rumors, right? Do you think... Jasper is a werewolf?"
"He didn't say that exactly, but Jasper definitely has some kind of connection to them. As much as possible, you need to be extra careful around him," Judith said firmly.
"So, what else did he say?" Deeya asked, her curiosity deepening.
"He said werewolves can't shift before they turn eighteen. And once they reach adulthood, they start searching for their mate."
Judith's words struck Deeya like a thunderbolt, especially the word mate, the very word Jasper had once spoken to her.
"But Jace shifted when he was six years old!" Deeya said, stunned.
"That's impossible, according to him. He said it's completely unheard of. If it's true, then Jace is a miracle in werewolf history. Maybe he was just lying to me. He probably didn't know what he was talking about after drinking that much," Judith said with a soft sigh.
Before Deeya could answer, Jasper's voice sounded from behind her. It startled her so violently she thought her heart might stop.
"Shift into what?"
Deeya hurriedly ended the call and spun around to face Jasper, who was now staring at her with a probing gaze. "We were just talking about shopping, and other things..."
"But I heard Jace's name."
Deeya thought fast. "He's growing too fast, so I need to buy him new clothes."
Jasper stared at her, turning something over in his mind, then his eyes drifted to the food on the table. "What's this?"
"Scrambled eggs for breakfast. I know you probably wouldn't eat cheap food like—" Before Deeya could finish her sentence, she was shocked to see Jasper sit down at the table.
"You're going to eat it?" Deeya asked, incredulous.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, I just thought someone as rich as you wouldn't eat cheap food like this."
"Food is food. It makes no difference to me," Jasper said casually. He picked up his fork, as if considering something, then looked at Deeya.
"We leave after breakfast. So you'd better wake your son up now. Nick will give you our contract, and I need you to sign it."
"Contract?" Deeya said, surprised.
"Yes. Why? Having second thoughts?"
"Oh, am I allowed to have second thoughts?"
"What are you thinking about?"
Deeya laughed awkwardly. "Just kidding... I just didn't expect you to draw up a formal contract."
"I'll also be covering all living expenses for you and Jace for the year."
The words made Deeya pause for a moment. That means Jace and I will wear nice clothes and eat luxurious food for a whole year, plus get ten million dollars on top of that! But... can Jace and I survive that long? I have to find a way! Like, making Jasper fall in love with... my body? Deeya's mind began spinning with dirty schemes.
She glanced at Jasper, who was now lifting his knife and fork with elegant precision and bringing the food to his mouth. Then, a strange expression flickered across his face.
"How does it taste?" Deeya asked.
"Hmm... It tastes familiar. Like I've tasted it somewhere before," Jasper said, his gaze complicated and distant.
Deeya went still for a moment. How is that possible? Wait... this could be my chance.
Drawing on every ounce of her expertise in seducing men, Deeya began to make her move. She leaned forward, resting her breasts on the table, putting her sexy cleavage on full display right in front of Jasper.
"If you like it, I could cook for you every day," she whispered, her voice dripping with temptation.
"There's no place for a cook in my kitchen."
"But we're going to be husband and wife for a year, aren't we?"
Deeya slid into the chair beside Jasper, stroking his arm as she smiled. "It's only natural for a wife to make breakfast for her husband in the morning, and then they'd kiss, and maybe do other things..."
She watched his Adam's apple slide up and down his throat. His eyes blazed.
"We're only pretending to be a couple."
"Exactly. That's why we need to practice. We can't let anyone find out we're just pretending..."
Jasper stared at her sharply.
"...What kind of practice do you have in mind?"
Deeya's expression grew more tantalizing as Jasper finally began to get drawn into her seduction, and she whispered, "Like... playing hot on the table like a real couple."
Jasper went silent. Deeya's words hung in the air like fire burning slowly, creeping mercilessly into every corner of him.
His gaze darkened. The desire he had been suppressing all this time began to churn, disturbing his composure. His voice was soft, but there was no denying it, teasing and provocative.
He stepped closer, tilting Deeya's chin up so she would look at him. His eyes flared, his voice low and thick with tension.
Deeya stared up at him, her breath quickening, before finally whispering, full of boldness and a seductive submission.
"I'm yours, Jasper."
- Writer
