Chapter 7: Getting caught

Jarvis' POV:

Before laying eyes on her, I never knew I could feel so much affection for one person. I never knew I could be overwhelmed with the desire to care so much for someone, to desire their happiness and fulfillment as much as mine.

This wrong perception of myself had been fully strengthened, especially after the one terrible romantic relationship I had been entangled with. I was never able to give Anna the fictional romance life she wanted.

And I concluded to myself that I was built that way, incapable of loving anyone having not received any love from the only available parent I had.

Until I met her. And here I was now, bringing her to the bright places of my life, and currently searching for a very rare breed of grape that I had planted here myself.

"Aha." I cried out softly when I found it, very close to the edge of the hill, and bursting with ripe, juicy purple grapes.

I plucked a full bunch of grapes and set out to the spot where I left her, my prize held tightly in my hand.

Only when I got there, there was no soul, just the lingering strands of her scents in the air.

"Jenna?"

I sniffed hard and followed my senses towards the staircase.

She must have gone down. Her trace was mild and very difficult to follow. This was because Jenna hadn't gotten her wolf yet, something she had told me about.

And I suspected that the reason for this was mostly due to the trauma she had faced all her life. It had formed a barrier of some sorts that provided little space for her wolf to grow and thrive.

And now, it was presently working to my disadvantage. Pinpointing where exactly she was, if she had actually gone down the stairs, or the goddess forbid, somehow rolled and fallen down the hills, was such a difficult feat.

I highly doubted it was the latter, and following my intuitions, I took the stairs, hopefully after her.

"Jenna!"

I knew I was right the moment I took off at werewolf speed. Lingering traces of her scent dotted the path down.

Where was she? Why had she left just like that?

There was no sign of an attack either. No scent of any other living thing that could have come into the area.

I jumped down the last few stairs with a thud, staring around wildly. To my dismay, her scent had faded out and I was unable to tell where exactly she had gone.

"Fuck." I kicked at a stray stone.

Jenna didn't know a single place in the area, maybe she had gone back to the palace. I prayed to the goddess that she was safe from harm, before tracing my way back to my home.

I got back in, using the exact same routes Jenna and I had taken back. Worry gnawed at me when I couldn't scent her in any of the paths I took. Somehow still feeling optimistic, I turned the last hallway that would lead me to her room.

A smile crept on my lips when I saw bright light filtering out from the slightly ajar door. The smile disappeared as quickly as it came when the scent that reached my nose wasn't Jenna's, but Alpha Katov's, my father.

He stepped out of the room before I got to it. Jenna might have been in there or not, but one thing was clear, we were both screwed.

He opened the door wider for me to look through. No Jenna.

"Where's the girl?" He growled. "What the fuck have you done with her?"

"I lost her." I said in a voice filled with pain. He knew that we had snuck out so there wasn't a point hiding anything. "I'll go get her now."

I made to turn away, but my father's angry voice ordered me not to.

"Stop, you son of a bitch!" He yelled. "I know you two went out tonight, I know everything."

"And that is not going to make her materialise here, is it?" I snapped. "She's missing and that's all that matters."

"Don't move a step." He ordered when I turned away from him again. "Don't dare or by the goddess, if I lay hands on her, she won't live to see another day."

My face hardened and I changed track, closing the gap between us instead. I glared at him, not bothering to hide the hatred in my gaze. "You won't father. Don't you dare!"

He laughed coldly. "Are you now telling me what to do with my newly acquired property? Has your insolence reached such a level, Jarvis?"

I didn't stop walking until we were almost nose to nose. "Don't lay a hand on her."

He opened his mouth to reply but stopped when we were interrupted by hurried footsteps coming our way. The approaching person turned out to be his faithful sidekick and Beta called Dao.

Dao moved to his side and whispered so low that it was difficult to make out his words even with my heightened senses.

I watched my father's expression critically, trying to gauge the level of how important the news was from his face. His eyes lit up almost imperceptibly.

"Good." He said to Dao. "Keep her locked up for now."

My head jerked up at his statement. "You've found her?"

"None of your business." He snarled at me.

I ignored him, my eyes trailing Dao's movement as he stalked off to carry his Alpha's order.

She was safe at least, thank the goddess for that.

Dao paused in his steps as he was met with a couple of werewolf warriors. Words were exchanged between them and Dao left while the warriors advanced towards us.

"What are they here for?" I asked coldly, despite having a good idea already.

My father did not answer. He waited till they were very close before he whispered. "They're here to take you. You're getting arrested for defying your father. How shameless of you, Jarvis. How did I make something as terribly useless as you?" He spat.

I had no words for him and kept mute as the warriors came by my side to hold me down. I shrugged out of their grip. They let me walk in their midst when they were certain I did not plan to be difficult.

No. My father could do whatever the fuck he wanted, just as long as Jenna was safe.