The Big Bad Wolf Book 2
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Island Kari
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Prologue
SIX YEARS AGO
August 20. Received: 11:56 p.m.
To: DamienJCarmona; DominicKCarmona
From: JazzyAKaiser
Subject: HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Hey, Iâm really sorry I canât be there for your birthday. I know weâve talked about it, but I still feel bad. When I get back to Black Heart, weâll do our birthday rituals, okay? I miss you guys a lot.
And yes, Dominic, Iâm having a blast. You worry too much.
Guess what? Jaden managed to meet me in Italy! His parents said yes at the last minute. Weâve been sightseeing, hitting the beach, and shopping. Heâs a lot of fun. But enough about me.
Mom promised sheâd give you your gifts tomorrow. She swears theyâre perfect for sixteen-year-olds. I hope you guys like them.
Are you nervous about your first shift? Have they shown up yet? What are their names? I canât wait to meet them.
I gotta run. Jaden and I are off to a concert in the city. So excited.
Ciao,
xoxoxo
August 21. Received: 10:38 a.m.
To: JazzyAKaiser
From: DamienJCarmona
Subject: Re: HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Itâs okay. We know your grandparents miss you and summer is the only time you can visit. Aunt Renae dropped off the gifts. Theyâre awesome. Weâre actually at the tattoo place now.
Canât believe Mom and Dad said yes. Domâs still deciding. Iâve picked mine, but youâll have to wait to see our first tattoos until you get back.
Iâm glad youâre having fun, and worrying about you is just what I do. Youâre our best friend, after all. :)
As for your million questions, Iâll try to answer them.
Iâm definitely nervous. Dom, not so much. Heâs always cool about everything. My wolf spoke to me when I woke up. His name is Axel.
Heâs chill, just like me. Can you believe it? Canât wait for you to meet him.
I miss you, Jaz. :( Hurry back. I miss my Gumball partner. Dom misses you too, but you know he wonât admit it. Anyway, gotta go. Thanks for the tattoo coupons.
Later.
P.S: Tell your âfriendâ to keep his hands to himself. Youâre not allowed to date or kiss any boys until youâre sixteen.
Jasmine
Black Heart Pack
August 28
âJaz, thereâs somethingâŠâ
Jasmine tossed her carry-on suitcase into her room and dashed past her mother. Renae was trying to catch her attention, but Jasmine was already out the door.
âIâll be right back, Mom. I just want to say hi,â she called over her shoulder, sprinting towards her bike.
âJasmine, wait,â Renae called after her, but it was too late. Jasmine was already rounding the corner.
âDid you tell her?â Jacob asked, joining his wife.
âI couldnât. She just took off,â Renae replied, running a hand through her hair in frustration.
Still in her sundress and sandals, thirteen-year-old Jasmine pedaled as fast as she could to the Carmonasâ house.
The sun was setting, and she knew the twins would be back from their run, cooling off in their backyard.
She jumped off her bike, not caring how it landed, and ran to the back of the house.
Jasmine stopped. They werenât there. âDamien? Dominic?â
No response. She looked around the spacious yard, then at the house. It was quiet. Only the porch lights were on.
The kitchen, where their mother usually was, was dark. The upstairs, where the boysâ game room and bedrooms were, was also dark.
Where is everyone? she wondered, dialing Damienâs number.
âThe number you have dialed has been disconnected or is out of service.â
She tried three more times before giving up and calling Dominic. His phone rang four times before going to voicemail. Annoyed, she tried again.
The phone rang twice before someone picked up. âDom? Thank God. Where are you guys? Iâm at your house,â she blurted out.
Her irritation faded, replaced by a soft smile as she waited for him to respond.
Dominic, always the quiet one, could seem cold and distant, but to Jasmine, he was a good listener and protective.
He had his moments of sarcastic humor, but only with people he was close to.
âDom?â she called again when he didnât respond.
Another moment of silence passed before she heard him sigh deeply. She noticed his breathing hitch, followed by the clearing of his throat.
âHey, Firefly.â His voice was deep and husky. He was always soft-spoken, never raising his voice in anger or to get someoneâs attention.
âDom? Whatâs wrong? Where are you?â she asked. A sense of dread washed over her as she heard the fumbling of the phone and voices getting farther away.
âTell me about your trip.â
âIt was great. Lots of sun and cute guys. Dom, please tell me where you are and why I canât reach Damien.â
She was getting frustrated that he wasnât answering her. Something was wrong. Dominic never dodged questions.
âIâm right here. Whatâs up?â Damienâs voice came through the phone, but it lacked its usual cheerfulness.
She sank down onto the neatly cut grass, her legs folded underneath her. No one said anything. All she could hear was soft breathing on both ends.
Jasmine was racking her brain, trying to figure out where they could be. Maybe they were at a friendâs house? Or on a last-minute family trip?
Her mind was trying to be rational, but her heart was already sinking into disappointment.
âPlease,â she murmured into the phone, certain they could hear her plea.
âW-WeâŠitâs toughâŠdamn it,â Damien stuttered, struggling to find the right words.
âWe had to leave,â Dominic simply stated.
âOkay. So when are you guys coming back? We have back-to-school shopping tomorrow.â
âPrincessâŠJasmine. You⊠We arenât returning to Black Heart anytime soon,â Damien blurted out.
Silence filled the line. Jasmine froze, her heart pounding in her ears. She was stunned by just a few words. Words that would alter her life forever.
âWhy?â she asked.
âItâs complicated,â Damien replied.
âThen simplify it for me,â she retorted, tears streaming down her face as she clutched their shared necklace.
No one spoke for a moment until Dominic broke the silence. âMother chose us. Thatâs all we can say.â
Having lived in the pack and attended a mixed-species school, sheâd learned a lot about their background.
One thing she knew for certain was that you had to follow whatever path the Moon Goddess set for you. No detours.
Now the Goddess herself had chosen her best friends for a purpose she couldnât understand.
âFirefly?â Dominic asked softly.
âYeah?â
âPlease forgive us for whatâs about to happen,â he said.
âWhatâŠwhat do you mean?â
âGoodbye, Jasmine,â Damien said, his voice devoid of its usual cheerfulness.
âWait⊠WhereâŠ?â
âGoodbye, Firefly.â
âDomâŠwaitâŠâ But they werenât listening. The line went dead.
She immediately tried to call them back. No answer. She didnât know how many times she hit redial, but the result was always the same.
She texted, emailed, and called them repeatedly, but all she got in return was message failure.
Jasmine lost track of time trying to reach the twins, but to no avail. Her sobs echoed in the quiet backyard. Exhaustion started to set in. She lay on the grass, crying her heart out.
She was still confused as to why they had to leave and why they couldnât tell her anything. She buried her face in the crook of her arm, gripping her phone tightly.
Jacob quietly came around the house and the sight that met him was heart-wrenching. He quickly went to his little girl, lifting her into his arms. âDonât be mad at them, Princess. Just donât be mad.â
âY-You knew?â she asked, struggling to hold back her sobs.
Jacob sighed and held her tighter, unsure of how she would react to the news about the Carmona twins.
âLetâs go home. The boys wouldnât intentionally hurt you. They love you too much,â her father said gently as he walked back up the sidewalk to their house.
âYeahâŠâ She took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. âWe love each other as friends but keeping thisâŠwhatever it isâŠfrom me wasnât fair. They knew I was coming back.â
Jacob didnât say anything, he just held his daughter.
âHer first heartbreak,â Markell thought, whimpering, wanting to comfort his pup.
âUnknowingly by her mates,â Jacob added.
Dominic and Damien
Dominic and Damien stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at the phone on the table before them. Her voice, filled with confusion and pain, kept echoing in their heads.
âItâs not fair,â Damien murmured.
Dominic turned his blank gaze to the new view they would be seeing for the foreseeable future.
He tried to imagine his mate happy, rushing into their house straight to their rooms, hugging them tightly as her intoxicating strawberry scent filled their senses.
She would be sitting between them, sharing every detail about her summer in Italy. Her eyes would sparkle, and her hands would animate her stories.
He would pay attention to every emotion that crossed her face, while Damien would be captivated by her smile and cheerful demeanor.
After her storytelling, she would ask them about their summer.
Damien would mention the name of the latest girl showing interest in them, and Dominic would notice how easily Jasmine found fault with the girl and discouraged them from pursuing her.
Jasmine was as protective of them as they were of her, but they knew her feelings were platonic, while theirs were driven by a primal duty.
The sound of the table crashing against the wall snapped Dominic out of his thoughts. âThey wonât take kindly to your destruction,â he said quietly to his hot-headed twin.
âNot now, Dom. How can you just stand there? Sheâs your mate too. Donât you miss her?â his brother spat.
Dominic watched his brother intently, not saying a word.
The anger drained from Damien, and he hung his head in shame. âI always miss her, even when sheâs gone from my side for less than a minute.
âI may not show it as openly as you, brother, but I will miss her. She will be of age soon, and we wonât be there.
âI know you understand how much it hurts, butâŠwe have to be mature about it all. The Goddess chose us, and she also gave us Jasmine. We wonât lose her.â
âIâm sorry. Itâs just hard, you know. My wolf is on edge; he wants her so bad,â Damien apologized for his outburst and started to clean up the mess he had made.
His movements were rigid with tension, but he was calmer than before.
âAxel is very anxious. He will be okay,â Dominicâs wolf reassured his human as they both watched their brothers work quietly.
âAre you okay, Xander?â Dom asked his wolf as he walked to the window of their spacious suite in the new place they now called home.
âI will be okay, Dominic. Thank you for letting me see her in your memories. She is quite beautiful.â
âWeâve got a real beauty for a mate. Inside and out,â his human side chimed in, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
He found himself gazing at the scene below, where a group of men dressed in matching black uniforms were marching across the courtyard, guns strapped to their thighs.
He spotted the insignia on the patches of the menâs uniforms and drew in a deep breath.
âWeâve got this, brother. Mom chose us,â Damien murmured, joining his twin by the window.
The pair of sixteen-year-olds stood side by side, their eyes fixed on the bustling activity below. Each was lost in their thoughts, reflecting on how they ended up here and wondering whyâŠ
But only time would reveal the answers.
Only time would reveal the answers.
