Menagerie

Chapter 16 - Jasper

"Everything's fine – I'll explain it all later. If you and Serena want to get back on the road, that's fine by me. We're going to Edmonton to see Char. Don't leave without saying goodbye."

I read through Penny's text three times before I was convinced I'd read it right. I passed my phone to Serena, who raised her brows but didn't comment.

I took my phone back and held it, feeling dizzy. I was going to be able to see Sam today, after all. I had just called her an hour ago, explaining that my sister needed me to stick around for a while and that I didn't know when I'd be able to get away.

I had met Sam months ago on an online forum that was just for shifters. She was a werecoyote like me – almost everyone I chatted with online was, since I tended to stay in the species-specific chatrooms. We had grown really close over the past couple of months and had agreed to wait to meet each other before mating with anyone else. There was little doubt in my mind that we'd be compatible. She and I had even worked out how to handle the little issue of our differing nationalities: I had started working on my application for a visa in Canada and had started putting out feelers for a job near her. I even had a couple of bites, with interviews to be scheduled in the next few days. I was just waiting to meet her and confirm what I already knew in my heart before I set my plans in stone.

"I'm going to call Sam and let her know the plan's back on," I said. Serena just turned on the television and leaned back against the headboard, folding her arms behind her head and offering me the most privacy she could without leaving. I liked that about Serena – she wasn't the giggling, prying type. Her actions always showed that she respected the people around her, and I respected her for it in return.

Since this phone call was just for scheduling, I didn't mind having Serena overhear anything. I sat on my bed and opened my recent call log. Sam's name was right on top.

The line only rang twice before someone answered, but it definitely wasn't Sam. No, it was a man's voice who said, "Hello?"

"Hi, is Sam there?" I asked.

It was then that I heard her in the background. "Steven! Give me the phone!"

"Why? Who's he?" Steven asked.

"Ugh!" she said, but didn't explain further.

"Who are you?" Steven asked, and I knew he was back to speaking with me.

"Jasper. Who are you?"

"I'm her mate. Why are you calling?"

I felt like I'd been sucker-punched. I couldn't breathe right. I couldn't even make my lungs work enough to say, What?.

She couldn't have a mate. I just talked to her an hour ago and she surely would have mentioned having a mate then.

A lot of noise came through the line until a breathless Sam said, "I'm so sorry, Jasper."

"Why?" If I could only choke out one word, that was definitely the most important one. My voice came out sounding high, like I'd been kicked in the balls, but I was past caring.

"You weren't coming," she said. "I was done fighting against the pull with Steven. Besides, we don't even know if you and I would have had a mate pull."

I hung up. There was nothing more to say and it didn't matter if I was rude to her because I was never going to talk to her again. For good measure, I deleted her contact information before dropping my phone on the bed.

I blinked a few times, trying to come to grips with this new information. My eyes caught Serena and I noticed her frowning at me in concern. She didn't ask, though, and I was grateful for that.