Jasper followed Brooke into her mother's office. With the older selkie, his father, and Mr. Evergreen all joining them, the room felt as cramped as an overstuffed suitcase. His heart hammered as he searched Brooke's face for any hints about what she was planning, but all he found was her biting her lip and refusing to look anyone in the eye.

"Now that we're all in this oversized sardine can," Mr. Evergreen said with his lips curled into a snarl, "would you care to enlighten us how your lover intends to see if the Goddess approves of you forming a mate bond with her, Jasper?"

"I don't know what she has in mind, but even if I did, it's not my place to tell you about the selkies' customs," Jasper said through gritted teeth. After what Mr. Evergreen had done to Brooke, he could barely stand being in the other Alpha's presence. If he didn't bite him by the time this mess was over, it would be a miracle.

Mrs. Wells dipped her head. "Thank you for being so understanding. This isn't something we discuss often even with other selkies."

Jasper gulped. Not only were his future and his pack's wellbeing at stake, but now Brooke's family was trusting him with something extremely private. As if he couldn't be under any more pressure.

"When the Moon Goddess created selkies, She instilled the Call of the Sea in us so that we would be able to find a safe haven even in the fiercest storm," Mrs. Wells continued. "This sometimes draws us away from those we love, so She gave us a way to make it so that those who are as close to us as our own souls could always follow us."

Mrs. Wells marched to a massive chest with an underwater scene carved into its sides. The whorls in the wood spiraled into forever-frozen ocean currents, and the seals were rendered in such detail Jasper could practically feel their fur.

Metal clunked until the combination lock opened with one final click. The scent of the sea emerged from the chest as Mrs. Wells unfurled what lay within. Not a single speck of dust marred the sleek white sealskin, nor were there any wrinkles or faded patches. 

"That used to be Grandma's," Brooke whispered, sniffling softly as she dabbed at her eyes. 

Jasper wrapped her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. It couldn't be easy for her to see something that had been so dear to her grandma, especially since the two had been so close.

"When a selkie loves another of the Moon Goddess's children deeply, they can offer their beloved an ancestor's sealskin," Brooke's mother said. "Their beloved will then sleep in the sealskin and, if the Goddess determines they are destined to stay together, will transform them into a selkie so they will always be able to find each other no matter where the Call of the Sea takes them."

Jasper's heart quickened. He'd been so worried about marking Brooke, yet he'd never considered whether selkies might have their own way of claiming a mate. "Brooke said she felt pulled toward me even when she was following the Call."

"That's when I knew our relationship was special," Brooke said. "I already loved you, but for me to feel like that, the Goddess must be trying to tell me something."

He'd been drawn to her too despite the Luna telling them they weren't soulmates. There was just one problem. "What will we do if this works? I know your family means a lot to you, and I don't want you to feel forced to move away from them just so I can stay with my pack."

"I don't see why this hasn't come up before now," his father said. He'd barely said a word to Jasper since he'd returned to the Cowrie Cabana, only faced him with the quiet coldness he usually reserved for Alphas who'd tried to take advantage of their pack. "Whoever your future mate is, they will join our pack. We should have been discussing our plan for moving her to our territory weeks ago."

"The choice belongs to Brooke, not you," Jasper snapped. "You will not speak for her."

Silence filled the room in the wake of Jasper's outburst. No one ever spoke to a pack leader like that. Mr. Evergreen seldom even allowed Gwen to join their discussions because of how little influence he allowed her to have, yet here Jasper was daring to use an Alpha command on his own father.

He wished the floor would swallow him whole.

To his surprise, his father broke eye contact with him. "Very well," he said.

"Having second thoughts, pup?" Mr. Evergreen asked with a smirk. "I could have told you selkies and werewolves aren't meant to mix. You didn't have to string her along for these last few weeks."

"I just want to make sure we both know what we're getting into," Jasper growled.

Brooke bit her lip and cast her gaze to the floor. For a long moment, Jasper thought she was working up the nerve to tell him she didn't want to go through with this after all, that this would be too much of a sacrifice for her.

"We have at least a few hours before we decide," she said. "A doctor always looks over the person undergoing the ritual to make sure their body can handle it, and after that, it's tradition for the couple to spend the rest of the day together since if the ritual doesn't work..."

She didn't finish that sentence, but she didn't need to. If the Goddess didn't approve of Jasper turning into a selkie and becoming Brooke's mate, he would have to either force himself to marry the daughter of the Alpha who'd hurt the person he loved more than anything or break the contract and doom his pack to an uncertain future.

"The transformation can be very physically draining, so you should take it easy for the rest of the day." Brooke's mother gave the pure white sealskin one last loving look before folding it and tucking it back inside the chest. "My father told me that when he became a selkie he could barely get out of bed for a week, but he was born a human. I don't know if things might be different for a werewolf. There might be other... changes."

Jasper's heart sank to his toes. He'd been able to shift ever since he was a pup. His long tail, thick gray fur, and sharp fangs were as much a part of him as his heart and lungs. How would he cope if the ritual confined him to his human form whenever he wasn't wearing the sealskin?

"I understand," he said quietly. "I'll make sure Brooke and I talk everything over."

"Good," Mrs. Wells said. "Now that everyone understands how the ritual works, are you satisfied with how it fulfills the terms of your contract?"

"I am," Jasper's father said.

"As am I, although I still think this is a waste of time." Mr. Evergreen's gaze burned into Jasper. "Once our packs merge, I will not tolerate any more of this foolishness."

###

Mrs. Wells had offered to help Jasper book an appointment with any of the doctors in Periwinkle Port—many of whom had experience tending to patients who had undergone the ritual—but there was only one person he would trust to examine him. With any luck, Dr. Hoffman would ease his nerves about the whole process.

At least, Jasper hoped he would once he stopped poking and prodding him. By the time Dr. Hoffman was done testing everything from his reflexes to his bite force, he was as anxious as a rabbit in fox territory.

"Your blood pressure's high, but that's hardly a surprise considering everything you've been dealing with." Dr. Hoffman scribbled a note onto his clipboard with a scowl. "I am concerned about your strength, though. Your muscles are unusually weak for an Alpha your age."

Shit, was he going to say he wasn't fit to go through the ritual? "I haven't been at my best lately. I mean, I don't think I'm sick or anything, but..." Jasper waved his hand. "I felt like garbage after that big feast last week, and I don't think I've fully recovered from it."

"Goddess knows events like that tire me out." Dr. Hoffman adjusted his glasses. "Maybe you just got worn out by all the fuss."

"Maybe." Jasper fidgeted with his moonstone pendant. Try as he might, he could barely remember much about that day aside from having a pounding headache by the end of it. The morning after was another story. "It's funny, almost everyone seemed fine afterward, but Brooke and Gwen were really worn out, too."

"That is odd." Dr. Hoffman steepled his fingers together. "I know you've all been under a lot of stress, but is there anything else you can think of that might have made you feel under the weather?"

Jasper strained to remember what he could about the feast. Brooke's beautiful gown flowing around her ample waist. Mr. Evergreen and his father delivering a speech. Steaming bowls of venison stew.

A dish that had only been served to him, Brooke, and Gwen.

"We all ate some venison stew that they didn't give anyone else. I think it was supposed to be a special gesture from Mr. Evergreen wishing us luck with our visit to the Luna." That seemed right, anyway. His memories of that night evaded him like sand falling through his fingers. "It was alright, but they used too much liver. There was a metallic taste to it."

Although Dr. Hoffman kept his expression and tone carefully neutral, he couldn't keep the scent of worry from filling the air around him. "I'll have to ask if I can get a sample of that, but for now, would you be willing to let me taste your blood?"

A thin layer of sweat broke out on Jasper's forehead. Vampires only asked to drink from other people if it was absolutely necessary. For Dr. Hoffman to ask that, he must be extremely worried. "Is this something that might prevent me from going through the ritual?"

"No, I'd say you're healthy enough for that, although you will need to make sure you get plenty of rest afterward," Dr. Hoffman said. "I just have a bad feeling about something. Nothing that should cause too many issues from a medical standpoint," he rushed to add as Jasper's heart quickened, "but in case my instinct is correct, it would be best for us to be discreet."

What in the Goddess's name was he implying? At least whatever it was didn't sound like a serious illness, but why would he be worried enough to check his blood?

Dr. Hoffman's eyes softened. "It could be that stress really is the only thing weakening you, especially since I know your job puts so much pressure on you, but I would like to investigate the root cause of this, if you'll let me. I should have the results ready for you by the time the ritual is over."

If nothing else, it couldn't hurt to err on the side of caution. "Alright, go ahead."

The vampire drew enough of Jasper's blood to fill two small vials. "One's for me, and the other's for the lab. Lab tests tend to take longer, but, well, let's just say not everyone is keen on trusting vampires."

Jasper knew that all too well. "Sorry it took me so long to give you a chance," he said. "No matter what happens tonight, I appreciate everything you've done for me. If Brooke and I become mates, I hope I'll make her as happy as you've made my mom."

"Thank you," Dr. Hoffman said. "It's been a blessing to finally get to know you after all this time, and I hope tonight's ritual goes well."

So did he, but that was far from the only thing his future with Brooke was depending on. After all the years he'd spent following his father's orders without question, it was time for him to champion what was best not just for his pack but for himself too, no matter how different it was from what his father had in mind for him.

And no matter how that conversation or the ritual went, there was one last thing he could share with Brooke that would forever be theirs and theirs alone.