The Big Bad Wolf Book 2

August 20. Received: 11:56 p.m.

To: DamienJCarmona; DominicKCarmona

From: JazzyAKaiser

Subject: HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hey, I’m really sorry I can’t be there for your birthday. I know we’ve talked about it, but I still feel bad. When I get back to Black Heart, we’ll do our birthday rituals, okay? I miss you guys a lot.

And yes, Dominic, I’m having a blast. You worry too much.

Guess what? Jaden managed to meet me in Italy! His parents said yes at the last minute. We’ve been sightseeing, hitting the beach, and shopping. He’s a lot of fun. But enough about me.

Mom promised she’d give you your gifts tomorrow. She swears they’re 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 can’t 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

It’s okay. We know your grandparents miss you and summer is the only time you can visit. Aunt Renae dropped off the gifts. They’re awesome. We’re actually at the tattoo place now.

Can’t believe Mom and Dad said yes. Dom’s still deciding. I’ve picked mine, but you’ll have to wait to see our first tattoos until you get back.

I’m glad you’re having fun, and worrying about you is just what I do. You’re our best friend, after all. :)

As for your million questions, I’ll try to answer them.

I’m definitely nervous. Dom, not so much. He’s always cool about everything. My wolf spoke to me when I woke up. His name is Axel.

He’s chill, just like me. Can you believe it? Can’t 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 won’t admit it. Anyway, gotta go. Thanks for the tattoo coupons.

Later.

P.S: Tell your “friend” to keep his hands to himself. You’re not allowed to date or kiss any boys until you’re sixteen.

“Jaz, there’s something…”

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.

“I’ll be right back, Mom. I just want to say hi,” she called over her shoulder, sprinting towards her bike.

“Jasmine, wait,” Renae called after her, but it was too late. Jasmine was already rounding the corner.

“Did you tell her?” Jacob asked, joining his wife.

“I couldn’t. She just took off,” 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 Carmonas’ 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 weren’t there. “Damien? Dominic?”

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 boys’ game room and bedrooms were, was also dark.

“The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is out of service.”

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. “Dom? Thank God. Where are you guys? I’m at your house,” 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.

“Dom?” she called again when he didn’t respond.

Another moment of silence passed before she heard him sigh deeply. She noticed his breathing hitch, followed by the clearing of his throat.

“Hey, Firefly.” His voice was deep and husky. He was always soft-spoken, never raising his voice in anger or to get someone’s attention.

“Dom? What’s wrong? Where are you?” she asked. A sense of dread washed over her as she heard the fumbling of the phone and voices getting farther away.

“Tell me about your trip.”

“It was great. Lots of sun and cute guys. Dom, please tell me where you are and why I can’t reach Damien.”

She was getting frustrated that he wasn’t answering her. Something was wrong. Dominic never dodged questions.

“I’m right here. What’s up?” Damien’s 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 friend’s house? Or on a last-minute family trip?

Her mind was trying to be rational, but her heart was already sinking into disappointment.

“Please,” she murmured into the phone, certain they could hear her plea.

“W-We…it’s tough…damn it,” Damien stuttered, struggling to find the right words.

“We had to leave,” Dominic simply stated.

“Okay. So when are you guys coming back? We have back-to-school shopping tomorrow.”

“Princess…Jasmine. You… We aren’t returning to Black Heart anytime soon,” 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.

“Why?” she asked.

“It’s complicated,” Damien replied.

“Then simplify it for me,” she retorted, tears streaming down her face as she clutched their shared necklace.

No one spoke for a moment until Dominic broke the silence. “Mother chose us. That’s all we can say.”

Having lived in the pack and attended a mixed-species school, she’d 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 couldn’t understand.

“Firefly?” Dominic asked softly.

“Yeah?”

“Please forgive us for what’s about to happen,” he said.

“What…what do you mean?”

“Goodbye, Jasmine,” Damien said, his voice devoid of its usual cheerfulness.

“Wait… Where…?”

“Goodbye, Firefly.”

“Dom…wait…” But they weren’t listening. The line went dead.

She immediately tried to call them back. No answer. She didn’t 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 couldn’t 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. “Don’t be mad at them, Princess. Just don’t be mad.”

“Y-You knew?” 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.

“Let’s go home. The boys wouldn’t intentionally hurt you. They love you too much,” her father said gently as he walked back up the sidewalk to their house.

“Yeah…” She took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. “We love each other as friends but keeping this…whatever it is…from me wasn’t fair. They knew I was coming back.”

Jacob didn’t say anything, he just held his daughter.

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.

“It’s not fair,” 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. “They won’t take kindly to your destruction,” he said quietly to his hot-headed twin.

“Not now, Dom. How can you just stand there? She’s your mate too. Don’t you miss her?” his brother spat.

Dominic watched his brother intently, not saying a word.

The anger drained from Damien, and he hung his head in shame. “I always miss her, even when she’s gone from my side for less than a minute.

“I may not show it as openly as you, brother, but I will miss her. She will be of age soon, and we won’t be there.

“I know you understand how much it hurts, but…we have to be mature about it all. The Goddess chose us, and she also gave us Jasmine. We won’t lose her.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just hard, you know. My wolf is on edge; he wants her so bad,” 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.

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 men’s uniforms and drew in a deep breath.

“We’ve got this, brother. Mom chose us,” 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 why…

But only time would reveal the answers.

Only time would reveal the answers.