Cursed Wolf

Two Weeks Later

Jasmine started at her property listing for her house in California. She’d just had it put on the market. Her things and her cat were in transit now, and would soon arrive in Alaska. Selkie was her home now.

“Are you ready?” Felix asked her, holding his plate of smoked venison.

“Absolutely,” she said, pulling on her jacket.

Felix had taken up meat smoking and had been working on different meats for the last week. Jasmine and Felix were on the way to Rebecca and Patrick Doolittle’s house for a gathering.

On the way over in the car, Jasmine wanted to tell Felix her good news. She’d just discovered it that morning. They’d been so busy with the house listing and the smoked meat, she hadn’t had a chance to tell him.

When they pulled up in front of the Doolittles’ house, Jasmine carried the tray of smoked venison as Felix placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her up the stairs. The front door opened, and Rebecca Doolittle stepped out with a big smile on her face.

“Is that the smoked venison I’ve been promised?” she asked, taking the dish from Jasmine’s hands.

“I thought I smelled Mother’s smoked venison recipe,” Thorne said, walking towards them.

Thorne took the plate from Rebecca and carried it into the dining room. Jasmine and Felix walked into the house. The other Winter brothers were already there with their mates. Tate was playing video games with the older Doolittle teens, Frederick and Roger.

Dalia was watching them, making comments about their strategy and the 3D animation in the game.

Jasmine and Felix walked through the dining room into the kitchen where the food was laid out. Damien and Venus were taking photographs of Luna and Rex on the back porch. Luna’s belly was rounding more every day and Damian and Venus were capturing every step of the transition from a couple to a family. Jasmine silently rubbed her own belly, anxious to give Felix the good news.

Heather carried Maggie out of the downstairs bathroom and greeted Jasmine with a smile. Heather was absolutely glowing.

“Are we ready to eat?” Patrick asked.

“Blake’s not here yet,” Rebecca said.

“I haven’t seen Blake in a week,” Thorne said, tipping back a bottle of beer.

“I haven’t seen him in two weeks,” Felix said.

Everyone came in from outside and they turned off the videogame in the living room. The Doolittles had added a second table to the dining room for the increasingly large family to sit around. The Doolittle children sat amongst the Winters and their mates, laughing and joking and getting to know all of the new friends. Thirteen year old Minnie loved making jokes with the four-year-old Maggie.

“You’re so good with her,” Heather told Maggie. “I should have you babysit her some time.”

“Really?” Maggie asked, clapping her hands together.

“Absolutely,” Heather said.

“When’s the last time you saw Blake?” Felix asked Rex. They were passing plates around the table. Rex looked up as he dished mashed potatoes on his plate.

“I haven’t seen him in weeks,” Rex said, looking at Luna.

“He said he was going to your house last time I saw him,” Felix said.

Jasmine shook her head, feeling a tinge of guilt in her stomach. Blake had been depressed the whole time she’d known him, and she feared the worst.

“Blake is a grown man. He can take care of himself,” Thorne said.

“He hasn’t been in very good shape for a long time,” Rex said, looking at Thorne with a serious expression on his face.

“Did he go to your house, Damian?” Felix asked.

“He hasn’t been back to our house.”

“But I’d hate to think that he’s in trouble,” Tate said.

“What do you think happened?” asked Dalia, dishing salad onto her plate.

“I don’t know, but I hope he’s all right,” Jasmine said.

They changed the subject from Blake, having so much more wonderful news to share.

“I was accepted to the University,” Thorne said with a smile. “And I have a tryout for the hockey team in two weeks.”

“We have some other exciting news to share,” Heather said, her smile widening as she gripped Thorne’s hand on the table. “We are expecting.”

There were gasps and congratulations all around the table. Jasmine froze—she almost wanted to share her news too, but she knew it wasn’t the right time.

“That’s wonderful,” Jasmine said.

They were all bringing new life into the world. Carrying on the Winter legacy and creating a legacy of their own. Jasmine couldn’t wait to tell Heather her own news. They would be pregnant at the same time and their babies would be coming so close together. Along with Luna, the three of them would be a little tribe of shifter baby mommas. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to be part of such a lovely group of women.

After dinner, Rebecca served her New York cheesecake, and everyone gr0aned at how delicious it was.

After all the dishes were cleared away, they split off into groups to play games and to chat. Felix and Jasmine sat with Rex and Luna in the library where Damian and Venus were looking at a big book of nature photography.

“Do you think Blake could have gone back?” Felix asked Rex.

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” his older brother replied.

“The last time I saw him, he was stocking up on potion bottles,” Luna said.

The brothers looked at each other and Jasmine felt a wave in Felix’s anxiety wash over her shoulders. The Winter brothers were a pack. Not just brothers, but men bonded by decades of strife. Knowing that Blake had left to be on his own would torment all of them.

“What are we going to do?” Felix asked.

Rex rubbed his temples and then looked over at his pregnant mate. “I’m not sure what we can do.”

“We should go look for him. At least one of us.”

“The most logical place to look would be the land.”

“What would he even be going back for?” Jasmine asked.

“The one thing that’s still there,” Rex said. “The Snow Queen.”

---

When Felix and Jasmine were back at his house, she couldn’t help but think of Rex’s ominous words. Blake facing the Snow Queen alone was suicide, and she hated to think that the poor young man had resorted to that.

“I’m sorry about Blake,” she said to Felix as they sat together in the living room. “I’ve been so happy that I haven’t been thinking about him.”

“You’re not the only one,” he said, k!ssing her forehead.

Jasmine almost felt bad about the wonderful news she had to share with her mate. He needed to know, but it seemed like a terrible time.

“Are you alright?” he asked, examining her face.

“I’m just worried about Blake. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

“If he were in true danger one of us would have felt it.”

“I had some happy news to share,” she says.

He ran the pad of his thumb over her cheek and gazed lovingly into her eyes. “What is it?”

“I took a pregnancy test this morning. It was positive.”

His eyes widened. Felix threw his arms around her and squeezed, laughing joyfully. He moved back, holding her shoulders and gazing at her. He looked so joyous, it made Jasmine’s heart break with happiness.

“Really?” he asked. “We’re really expecting a pup?” He put his hand to her belly, his face full of reverence.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Oh my God, Jasmine. You’ve made me a happy man.”

Jasmine felt a wave of love in her heart. She was home. She had found her own happily ever after.