J U M P E R

C H A P T E R | E L E V E N

Jarrett and Emmett had nearly given up on finding their mate. At twenty-one years old they were among the oldest unmated wolves in the province. Until now. Jarrett sat on the couch in the large living room with his head in his hands. He hated not being with his mate. She was upstairs in Emmett's bedroom, her pain so strong he could feel it pulsing through his blood. He wanted nothing more than to take it way, to make her feel better, but she'd asked to be alone and he didn't know how.

That morning replayed in his mind. The recruitment ceremony, it being interrupted by the most terrified scream he'd heard in a long time. And the realization that it had come from his mate spreading through him, turning his blood to ice.

Seeing her sprinting toward the pack covered in her own blood had sparked enough rage in him that he was sure she'd felt it.

He'd wanted nothing more than to rip every single one of those rogues to shreds. He almost did, but Alexander had told him to follow his younger brother into the house. Jarrett groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. He leaned back and looked to Emmett. He looked pensive, but no less worried than he did. Knowing what he was going to say next, Emmett looked up and opened his mouth.

"How did this happen? There are soldiers posted all along the border of the territory, the foragers have their own guard. They shouldn't have been attacked."

Jarrett picked up on his brother's unsaid statement.

She shouldn't have been attacked.

But she had been, and Jarrett had no answer for Emmett's question. A heavy sigh passed his lips and he closed his eyes briefly. His gaze turned to the stairs, the closed bedroom door he could just see from his spot at the end of the couch. Kieran was right there, just out of reach. He wanted to go up there, to try and comfort her. But he wasn't any good at things like that. Emmett was more suited for being empathetic. But he at least wanted to see her.

"She'll come out when she's ready, we can't push her into talking," Emmett said gently.

"I know," Jarrett grumbled.

The sound of a door opening made the twins turn toward the stairs. Silver Crown's witch calmly made her way down the stairs and out the door without so much as a glance in their direction. She had a tired look on her face, her eyes were sad.

Jarrett knew the witch was struggling just as much as the rest of the pack. She would be able to feel the pain of those who had lost someone that morning. Perhaps not as sharply, but it would still be there.

We should speak to Alexander.

Jarrett didn't respond to his brother's voice in his head. He stood from the couch and glanced at Emmett's bedroom one last time before opening the front door and slipping outside. They walked the short distance to the Alpha's house and didn't bother knocking when they arrived.

They followed the sound of raised voices to the meeting room at the back of the large house. They slipped into the room unnoticed and settled themselves in an empty corner to listen.

"They came over the mountains. There's no other way they could've gotten so close."

"But we have patrols up there everyday."

"Well how else would they have gotten in? They sure as hell weren't just allowed to pass."

Jarrett watched Alexander as his soldiers debated. He had the bridge of his nose pinched between two fingers, his elbow on the table. His breathing was even but Jarrett could tell the man was losing his patience. The men continued to argue about the attack, their voices rising in volume.

"How do you not know where they came from?" Emmett suddenly piped up.

All eyes turned to them and the room fell silent. "There should be a trail you can follow; be that paw prints or bodies I don't care. It shouldn't be this hard for a pack of trained wolves to locate the entry point used by a group of mutts."

"Alpha, we have hunting parties out along the foraging trail as we speak. If they find anything they'll report it. We are trying to—"

"Try harder!" Emmett snapped. Many of the soldiers in the room winced or flinched at his harsh tone. "Our mate was nearly killed today. She was forced to watch a friend be killed."

"We all lost important people today,"

Jarrett grabbed his brother around the chest as he surged toward the soldier.

"Emmett, calm down," He commanded.

He could feel his brother trying to resist the command, but eventually he conceded. It was times like that that Jarrett was glad his level of authority was slightly greater than Emmett's. Though they were both Alphas, Jarrett had a slight power advantage, meaning his younger brother would have to obey his commands. Jarrett removed his arm and grabbed his brother's wrist instead.

"We'll be joining the search when we can," He said to Alexander and dragged his twin out of the house.

"They're all idiots," Emmett spat.

"I know, Em," Jarrett sighed.

They made their way back to their house in a tense silence. Emmett stormed into the living room and Jarrett made to follow him when he noticed a figure standing at the bottom of the stairs. Kieran. She was looking into the living room with a strange look on her face. It was a mix between understanding and confusion.

Jarrett stayed where he was by the door and watched her, hoping she wouldn't turn around and walk away.

Instead, she stepped down onto the floor and walked toward him. She made no effort to look at him, but when she stopped in front of him she picked up his right hand and absently played with his fingers. He let her, getting the feeling it calmed her down; if only a little.

"Why is he so angry?" She asked quietly. "I thought that was your job."

Jarrett huffed and shook his head. He pulled his hand away from Kieran's and pulled her to him by her shoulder. She folded her arms around his waist and rested her ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. They stood in the entryway in comfortable silence, but Jarrett pulled away after a moment.

"Go talk to Emmett. You can calm him down better than I can," He said.

Kieran furrowed her brow but complied, nonetheless. Jarrett watched her walked slowly toward the living room. He could feel her nervousness at approaching his brother. She was afraid, he realized. She was afraid of them. A frown pulled at his mouth, and she walked in.