Chapter 744 Esperanza’s surprise call
Seraphine noticed the way Jasmine went pale the second Kael’s name left her mouth, the color draining from her cheeks like water slipping through open fingers.
She spoke gently, careful not to push too hard. “You can tell me, Jasmine. You know I’m not gonna judge you.”
Jasmine broke down at those words. The wall she had built around her heart finally gave way. She sank into a chair in her private studio, her whole body folding in on itself like the weight she had been carrying for so long had finally become too heavy to hold.
Pictures of her covered the walls, glossy shots of her in designer gowns, red hair flowing like fire, eyes fierce and alive. Seraphine found it hard to keep her focus on her friend instead of those pictures. The change was so complete, so stunning, it almost hurt to look at.
“Sera, I only realized after I got here that I never loved anyone the way I love Kael.”
“How can you tell?” Seraphine asked carefully, her voice soft and full of quiet care.
Jasmine wiped a tear and tucked a few strands of her thick, silky red hair behind her ears. Seraphine had no idea what the stylists had done, but that hair looked incredible, and Jasmine had clearly gotten her brows done, her nails fixed, her skin treated, just like Seraphine had.
Both of them looked so good, so different from how they were a month ago.
“Sera, it was easy to let go of whatever I felt for Voren once I decided. Same thing with Corvine. But with Kael… even after knowing he’s mated to someone else, I still can’t get him out of my heart.”
Her voice cracked hard, the words spilling out like they had been locked inside too long. “I miss the pack so much, but I don’t want to go back. He might not even be at Grimroot anymore, but I still won’t be able to get over him. It’s hard enough here not to think about him. More than once I’ve almost called him.”
She stopped, breath catching, hands shaking in her lap. “I just don’t want to be the same mess I used to be. I’m trying to learn how to be elegant and classy like you and Liah.”
Seraphine smiled through her own tears, torn between telling Jasmine everything that had changed at the pack and keeping quiet. After a second she decided silence was better.
It was already enough that Jasmine still could not let Kael go. Still, Seraphine wanted her friend to face whatever was waiting for her on her own terms.
Coming back had to be Jasmine’s choice, even if the fears she carried no longer had anything real to stand on.
“I respect your decision, Jasmine. I believe things will fall into place soon. If he’s meant to be yours, the moon goddess will bring the two of you back together.”
Right as she finished speaking, Jasmine’s phone rang, the sound cutting straight through the heavy quiet. She turned the screen toward Seraphine. “It’s Aunt Madi.”
Seraphine raised a brow. “Answer it.”
Jasmine nodded, picked up, and put the call on speaker. “Hello, Aunt Madi. How are you, Espe, and Bryan?”
But it was not Madison’s voice that came through. It was Esperanza’s, small, sweet, and full of a longing that hit both women right in the chest. “Aunt Jasmine, why did you leave? I miss you so much, and your bedtime stories. The other pups have all been sad. When are you coming back?”
It was not only Jasmine who had tears in her eyes. Seraphine felt them burn too at the sound of her daughter’s voice. The pure need, the simple love in that tiny tone, was enough to undo anyone.
On the other end of the line, Kael was writing out the questions for Esperanza to ask. He could not go against Voren’s orders, so this was the only way he could find out how Jasmine was doing. His handwriting was messy and rushed, and Esperanza read each word with careful focus.
“Espe, I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
“Soon can be forever, Aunt Jasmine. Will you come back tomorrow?”
Jasmine let out a soft, watery laugh. “Tomorrow’s too soon, sweetheart. Your aunt is booked solid for the next two months. I’ll come after that, so let’s say two and a half months from now.”
“Yeah.” Esperanza’s voice jumped with excitement, and Jasmine quickly added, “But I’ll only be staying for a week, and I’ll bring you lots of princess dresses and shoes, plus more painting stuff from Paris.”
“Thank you, Aunt Jasmine. Two and a half months, counting from now.” Esperanza said before the call ended.
Kael gave her a high five and pressed a kiss to her forehead, eyes bright with quiet hope. “You did so well, my princess. Now we’ll have your aunt back soon.”
Esperanza frowned, her little brow pulling tight. “But she said she’s only staying for a week.”
Kael smiled, already turning ideas over in his mind. All he needed was for Jasmine to come home. The rest he could handle. “Well, you did this for me, and I’ll convince her to stay longer in return.”
He made the promise with quiet certainty, and Esperanza laughed, the sound bright and full of belief. “Yeah, that’s my uncle. You make Aunt Jasmine stay for good.”
Back in Paris, Jasmine had no idea what was already being planned for her return to the Grimroot pack. She stayed talking with Seraphine, the two of them curled up in the studio in a way they never go to do at the pack.
“I made a promise to Espe, so I have to keep it. I guess I’m coming back for a week after all.”
Seraphine frowned in that knowing way of hers, a small smile curling the corner of her lips She felt like hugging her daughter for making that move. Jasmine would come home and see the truth for herself, and by then her heart would be ready for whatever waited.
Seraphine and Voren spent two full days at Liah’s mansion because that was where Jasmine had been living. The girl had even started speaking a little French, her accent clumsy but somehow endearing.
When they were finally about to leave, Seraphine asked, “Where next?”
Voren smiled, something soft and secret in his eyes. “You’ll see. And after this, if there’s anywhere else you want to go, just tell me. Corvine said everything’s peaceful at the pack, so let’s make the most of our time.”
Seraphine could not have been happier. She would wait for Voren’s last surprise before she made her own request.
The second they set foot on the streets of New York City, Seraphine was certain Voren had some kind of mind-reading gift. “V, how did you know I wanted to come here?”