Written in the Stars: Wolffe Peak Book 3 Read online

  “Stop it.” Harley chuckled next to her.

  “Stop what?”

  “Thinking about us and the waterfall.”

  She lifted her head and caught his gaze. “How’d you know?”

  Harley threw her a knowing grin and tapped his nose. Right. Shifter senses. He could probably smell her sudden arousal. That was a skill she’d need to master.

  “We can go back,” he teased. “I really wouldn’t mind.”

  Jasmine laughed. Of course he wouldn’t. Hell, neither would she. That had been one of the best times of her life. Who knew running for her life through the jungle could result in the best sex ever?

  “You need to sleep, mister.”

  Harley faux-pouted. “No fun.”

  “I think we’ve already proven I’m a great deal of fun.”

  His body moved as he laughed beneath her. “True enough.”

  They fell into a peaceful silence. Jasmine closed her eyes, but she knew sleep would prove to be elusive. She’d slept the entire car ride, the most sleep she’d had in a while.

  “So, what are you taking in school?” Harley suddenly asked.

  Jasmine’s cheeks burned. “You’ll laugh.”

  “Doubtful. What’s so funny about going to school? Unless you enrolled in clown school—then I’d laugh.”

  She snickered and lifted her head, resting her chin on the back of her hands. Gazing into his eyes, she licked her lips, then admitted, “Lycanzoology.”

  Harley blinked, a slight frown marring his brow. “What? Was that even… English?”

  She giggled and nodded. “The program I’m in is Lycanzoology. When I’m done, I’ll have a Bachelor of Science, majoring in the lycanzoology field.”

  “Lycan… zoology.”

  “You’ve heard of zoology, right?”

  “The study of… zoos?” he guessed.

  She laughed loudly. “No!” Though she could see why someone might think that. “Zoology is the study of animals and their behavior. It’s the study of their physical characteristics, diet, behaviors, even the impact humanity has on them as a whole.”

  “Okay, I’m following you.”

  “So, add lycan in front of it and you get—”

  “The study of werewolves and their behaviors, physical characteristics, diets, behaviors, and their impact on humanity,” he parroted back, albeit with a slight twist at the end.

  For some reason, his expression shuttered, all humor draining away.

  Jasmine frowned. “Well, I wouldn’t put it like that.”

  He scooted out from underneath her. “So, you’re studying werewolves as though they’re animals.”

  Jasmine’s eyes shot wide. “No! It isn’t like that.”

  “And let me guess, analyzing werewolf anatomy? Doesn’t that involve studying werewolf carcasses?”

  “Harley….”

  He blew out a breath and scrubbed a hand down his face.

  “Harley.” Jasmine inched closer and rested a hand against the back of his neck. “I swear to you, it isn’t like that. It might sound a bit cold and clinical, but the reason I want this degree is so I can teach children about shifters as a whole, to prepare the next generation so we can put an end to the conflict.”

  “Conflict,” he repeated, laughing coldly.

  “I don’t understand. Why are you upset about this?”

  He shook his head and looked away from her, his shoulders tight. “Do you know how this all sounds? You’re telling me your university has an entire program dedicated to the research of my kind. Our kind. Like we’re nothing more than science experiments. And you thought I’d laugh about that?”

  Jasmine wasn’t sure how to respond. She honestly hadn’t expected him to get upset.

  “You don’t know what it’s like out there,” he said. “We walk down the street and are ostracized. People curse us, riot, and vandalize our businesses, but the worst of it is this. Did you know Humans First kidnapped one of our wolves to experiment on? To study? They kept injecting him with mercury, testing its effects on us.”

  “What does that have to do with my school?”

  “It’s because of places like your school treating us like we’re nothing more than lab experiments that makes groups like Humans First think they’re superior to us.”

  Jasmine understood his point, but his anger was misplaced. Lycanzoology was literally no different than medical or veterinary school. But Harley couldn’t see the truth of the matter, at least not right now.

  Leaning forward, Jasmine took Harley’s hands into hers and stroked his knuckles with her thumb. “I want you to listen to me.”

  He shot her a wary glance.

  “People like Humans First are exactly why I’m taking this program. And exactly why this program is needed. Shifters are not lab experiments. And I can honestly tell you I’ve never seen a werewolf cadaver. I doubt they even have those at the university. I can tell you that my professors are all pro-shifter. That they bring their beliefs into class every single day. And that they take it upon themselves to encourage people to broaden their minds.

  “That’s what I want to do. Especially now that I’ve joined the club. I want to take this knowledge and bring it to the middle schools. To teach children from the very beginning that you’re no different…” She paused and drew a deep breath. “That we’re no different than them. Knowledge is the only thing that’s going to bring an end to groups like Humans First.”

  His countenance softened.

  Jasmine leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss. “Believe me, I would never do anything that would hurt anyone. I only want to educate.”

  A faint smile broke through his cloudy expression. “Because you’re amazing.”

  “Duh.” She beamed at him.

  “Sorry. It’s a bit of a touchy subject for me.”

  “Understandable,” she murmured. “Things haven’t been particularly easy lately.”

  He nodded, his gaze drifting off. Jasmine wasn’t sure what direction his thoughts had taken, but she already missed his happy mood.

  “Hey. How about we shift and go for a run?”

  Harley chuckled. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to. I’ve only shifted twice so far. Practice makes perfect, right? Unless you’d rather sleep? I could always go for a run by myself.”

  That got his attention, as she suspected it would. Harley rose from the ground, then removed his clothes and started to shift.

  Grinning to herself, Jasmine did the same. She didn’t relish the pain and agony that still tore through her body, but thankfully, it was over quickly. She waited for Harley to finish, but once he rose and shook out his fur, she gave a light huff, then darted into the woods, goading him into chasing her.

  They could spare a little time for a bit of fun.

  14

  Jasmine stirred when Harley started to move around. With a large yawn, she blinked open her eyes to find a massive wolf looming over her. Instinct instantly kicked in and flooded her system with adrenaline. Choking on a gasp, she jumped to her feet and leapt backward.

  Stunned by her reaction, the wolf eyed her from across the glade before doubling over and giving a strange huffing sound. Laughter, Jasmine realized. Or the wolf equivalent of it.

  Jasmine blinked, her chest heaving. It wasn’t until she heard the telltale sound of bones breaking that everything clicked into place. Right. Harley was the wolf. A werewolf, actually. And they were in Mexico on the run from militant jaguars. And she….

  She glanced down, the sight of her sleek black paws sparking the rest of her memories.

  Jesus. It was going to take a while for her to grow accustomed to this.

  Her memories from last night finally took shape. Their reconciliation, the waterfall, the run through the woods. Apparently, they’d fallen asleep in animal form.

  Jasmine shook her head and began to change. The first to finish, she slipped on her clothes, then sat on the grass and fetched some food while waiti
ng for Harley. The moment he stood on two legs, he burst into laughter.

  “You should have seen the look on your face,” he teased. “You reacted exactly like a cat, springing up and flying backward. I need to remember to startle you more often.”

  “Ha, ha,” she teased around a mouthful of dry cereal she found at the bottom of his pack.

  “Sorry,” Harley said, not looking the least bit apologetic. “But it was funny. Did you forget where we were?”

  “Maybe a little,” she responded, her cheeks burning bright.

  Harley slowly dressed, and Jasmine took the time to appreciate the view. No need to look away anymore—not that she had before either. She’d been a little naughty and snuck some peeks here and there along the way. But she didn’t need to hide that anymore.

  Once clothed, he plopped down next to her and stole the bag of cereal, ignoring her hungry protests. He split it in half, then handed the bag back to her. Hopefully, they’d be able to stock up on something better today while fueling up.

  They ate in peace and quiet, with Jasmine still reminiscing about last night. Part of her was actually sad to be leaving. Aside from the waterfall, she’d actually never slept as well as she had last night, tucked up against Harley. It was as though her entire world had finally come together. They’d run themselves ragged last night, ducking and weaving through the trees, playfully tackling one another before darting off into the darkness for the other to find, and then promptly crashed once their energy was spent.

  Throughout all her years, she’d never once considered what it’d be like being a shifter. Yes, she’d always supported their rights, but she’d never actually imagined what it would be like. And now that she knew, she didn’t entirely hate it. The circumstances of her change had royally sucked, but she could definitely see the upside now. Namely, being with Harley. Their lives would be far easier now that she was one of them.

  Doubtful her father would agree, though.

  That thought stopped her dead-cold, her hand frozen halfway to her mouth.

  “What’s wrong?” Harley asked.

  “My father.”

  Harley growled. “Yeah, he usually puts me in a bad mood, too.”

  “No, I mean, what are we going to tell him?”

  “About us?”

  She shook her head, her hand trembling next to her mouth. “About me. He might publicly support shifter rights, but I’m honestly not sure he actually does. When he learns what happened to me….”

  Harley reached out and took her hand, bringing it down into his lap where he thumbed her palm. “You don’t have to tell him, you know. It’s every shifter’s choice who they come out to. It isn’t ideal to keep this secret hidden from your family, but if you feel it’s necessary, we can do that.”

  She turned to stare at him in open-mouthed wonder. “You would do that?”

  He lifted her hand and pressed a light kiss against her wrist. “When will you realize I would do anything for you? I mean, I sort of came all this way to rescue you, you dope. Think I’d do that for just anyone?”

  She gave a watery laugh. “Fair enough.”

  “We’ll call him, but we won’t tell him what they did to you until you’re ready, deal?”

  She nodded. “And us? Do we tell him we’re back together?”

  “As much as I would love to rub his face in that beautiful truth, I don’t think it’s the best time. Right now, we need him as focused on your rescue as possible. We need his help. As much as I hate to say it, we don’t want to do anything that might risk him turning his back on you.”

  Jasmine froze. “You think he’d do that?”

  “I think a man who is willing to purposely break his daughter’s heart is capable of many things. Not all of them good.”

  She wished she could argue with him about this, but deep down, she agreed with Harley. And the truth of the matter was they needed her father’s money to get her home. The embassy could help, of course, but they still needed the funds.

  Repacking the bag of cereal, Harley rose to his feet and stretched. “Shall we?”

  Jasmine popped up beside him, finally full of energy for once. A nice change of pace.

  Regardless of her fears, she was excited to speak to her father, to reassure him that she was fine and to hear his voice. Perhaps she shouldn’t have felt that way, considering everything they’d recently discovered, but the man was still her father. And right now, she was just a little girl, on the run in Mexico, desperate to hear her daddy’s voice.

  It sickened her, but it was the truth of the situation.

  “Let’s go,” she said, joining hands with Harley and leading him back to the car.

  * * *

  Harley truly exhaled when they reached the car. The entire walk back from the falls, his mind had been relentless, bombarding him with what-ifs. What if the jaguars had tracked them here? What if someone had stolen the car? What if they’d dismantled it for parts? An abandoned vehicle at the side of the road generally didn’t fare well, no matter which country you were in.

  Thankfully, for once, the fates seemed to be on their side. Everything appeared intact and secured.

  Harley jogged to the minibus, tossed his pack into the backseat, then pulled open the driver side door. Luckily, he couldn’t smell anything out place. No hint of the jaguars, or the sniper, or anything else for that matter. The only scents were his and Jasmine’s, albeit faded.

  “Ready?” Jasmine asked as she slid inside.

  Nodding, Harley followed suit, eager to get the hell out of here. He hated sitting out in the open like this, vulnerable to any sort of surprise attack. He’d feel better once they started putting distance between them and Comitan. In his mind, it was far too close to San Quintín for comfort.

  After firing up the rusted beast, he started toward Comitan. A good half-hour away, they spent the time in comfortable silence, simply holding hands. Harley couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed, which was strange considering their current situation. He should have been a bundle of nerves, but sitting next to Jasmine, his thumb running over her knuckles, soothed his inner wolf.

  The moment they entered Comitan, the roads changed from rough gravel to paved, and the buildings took on a Spanish appearance. The sight of the colorful residences stretched before them made him smile. Comitan was a beautiful place—one he might like to visit for fun in the future.

  “There.” Jasmine pointed off to the left. “A gas station.”

  Harley changed lanes and pulled in. Once parked, he took the time to analyze their surroundings. He had no way of knowing how far the jaguars’ reach extended. For all he knew, they owned every city or town in Chiapas. And since they’d taken the night to recoup, he didn’t know what to expect. Had the jaguars abandoned San Quintín and continued their search? Had the alpha ordered other clan members to keep an eye out for them? And what about the humans? Were any of them working for the jaguars? So many questions and fears, enough to set any wolf on edge.

  Reaching into his bag, Harley pulled out a fistful of pesos and his phone. “Why don’t you head inside, pay for the gas, and stock us up with as much water as you can? And see what they have for food that isn’t in a can.”

  Jasmine laughed as she exited the vehicle and headed inside. Harley’s gaze tracked her every movement as he refueled, determined not to lose sight of her for a single moment.

  Once the fuel tank was filled, he strode toward the entrance of the station, his attention landing on a thin local newspaper. The San Quintín fire covered the front page, the image that of engulfing flames sweeping and smoke pluming up into the sky. In the background, chaos had erupted. People ran in every direction, their terrified faces streaked with soot and ash. And off to the side was a snapshot of Wells and Carlisle carrying the two women to safety. They’d made the headlines.

  According to the article, a dozen people had died with approximately fifty more injured.

  Harley’s jaw tightened as he read about the di
saster. Another photo on the fourth page showed the jaguar alpha standing amidst the flames and directing his people. Harley studied the image. People said a photo was worth a thousand words, and right now, this picture told a complete story. The way the jaguars looked to the alpha and the way he stood confident in the center of the city, giving directions. No one argued with him. No one fought him for leadership or tried to take control of the situation. They simply obeyed without question.

  As a whole, they looked the part of a military unit.

  Which made Harley’s blood run cold. Just what the hell were they up against here? And what did the jaguars have to do with Humans First? It seemed strange to think they were working together. Humans First didn’t work with shifters… that Harley knew of. And why would any shifter in their right mind work with a radical group set to destroy their kind?

  None of this added up.

  Could it be two separate issues at hand? Or had Humans First employed the jaguars to fetch Jasmine back?

  What was the end goal here?

  Harley thought back to what Jasmine had told him when they first reunited. Humans First had changed her into a shifter as a punishment, she’d said. For loving him, for interacting with shifters, hell, maybe even because of her schooling. But why change her? The last thing Humans First wanted was to create more monsters, as they tended to call them. Punishment was one thing, but outright changing someone…. That didn’t add up.

  As curious as he was, he didn’t have time to stand around pondering these things. His primary concern was to get Jasmine back to the States.

  Which meant it was time to surrender to the inevitable. The dreaded phone call. Harley knew Senator Pierce wouldn’t be pleased. They’d been slotted to touch base with him after reconnecting with Jones and Richards in San Quintín. Well, that plan had gone all to hell. And likely, Pierce had seen the reports of the fire. If it were Harley in the senator’s shoes, he’d be monitoring any and all news coming out of Mexico.