Brooke spent the better part of the afternoon trying to keep herself occupied. Hosting a game of volleyball, decorating a young vampire's birthday cake, gathering seashells along the shoreline: nothing could distract her from the werewolf who dominated her thoughts. By the time her mother finally told her Jasper was ready for her, she could barely stand being away from him for another minute.

Like all the other Alphas' suites, Jasper's room had everything a guest could ask for. Silk sheets, a private hot tub, the perfect view of the beach. But none of that luxury could compare to getting to spend time with him.

"Hope you don't mind I got you something from the gardens on the way back." Jasper handed her a bouquet filled with delicate white orchids, orange crocosmia, and bright red flowers with heart-shaped petals. "They're nowhere near as beautiful as you, but I figured you could use something to brighten your day after dealing with Mr. Evergreen."

"You don't need flowers to do that, but these really are beautiful." Brooke gave them a long sniff before carefully placing them into a vase Jasper had prepared on the nightstand. "Did everything go okay with the doctor?"

"It was...fine." Jasper fidgeted with his moonstone pendant. "At least, Dr. Hoffman said I should be able to go through the ritual without any issues."

Brooke's heart skipped a beat. He looked way too nervous for everything to be okay. "Is something wrong? You seem w—"

He silenced her with a kiss, his lips warm and soft as they brushed against hers. "My stepfather just wanted to double-check something," he murmured.

For a long moment, only the shushing of the waves against the shoreline below broke the silence. When Jasper spoke again, his voice was as soft as a baby seagull's down feathers. "Now that we finally have some privacy, we need to talk about our plans for the future."

That was a conversation she'd been dreading, but it was as necessary as sunscreen on a summer day. "We do." More silence. Her heart hammered in her ears as she fidgeted with her sealskin. "I really, really want to be with you, but I don't think I could ever leave the Cowrie Cabana."

It would be one thing if they'd live somewhere along the coast where the Cowrie Cabana would be just a quick swim away, but Cedar Pack's territory was across the country. If she went to live with them, there'd be no more planning parties for pups with Benjamin. No more sneaking into the kitchen to help Marina with the desserts. No more gossiping with Hudson over a bowl of ice cream.

And the Call of the Sea would forever go unanswered. No matter how hard her heart pulled her toward her grandma's island, she'd be stuck thousands of miles away.

"I don't think I could either." Jasper smiled softly, looking far more relaxed than she'd seen him since before their visit to the Luna. "It took a while to convince him, but Father agreed that if the ritual is a success, he'll let me work remotely from now on so I can stay at the Cowrie Cabana."

"Really?!?" She'd never expected him to make such a huge change for her. "Are you sure you're okay with that? I mean, I love having you here, but..."

"It will be quite an adjustment, but I think I need it." Jasper glanced out the window, watching the waves below. "I've always been proud of the work I do for my pack, but for the longest time, I wasn't happy. After spending these past few weeks here with you, I don't think I could ever go back to the office. Not without ripping my fur out, at least."

"Wouldn't you miss your pack, though?" Tears prickled in Brooke's eyes at the thought of taking Jasper away from his family and friends. She loved him as much as the tide loved the shore, but she could never ask him to leave everyone behind. "You've done so much for them."

"I have," he admitted. "That's exactly why I need to go. I've put the pack before myself for my entire life, to the point where I forgot how to relax. Dr. Hoffman told me the stress has gotten so bad it's taken a toll on my body."

Now that Jasper mentioned it, he seemed much happier whenever he was away from the other werewolves, even his own pack. He was never his true self around them, always putting up a front and refusing to loosen up the way he did whenever he was with her. There was just one problem. "Wouldn't you have to go back someday? I mean, you're supposed to lead the pack after your dad retires, right?"

"We're still sorting out the long-term details," Jasper admitted. "Honestly if there's one thing this past month has taught me, it's that as much as I love Uncommon Scents, something has to change. What that is, I don't know, but I'm thinking once we have this mess with Mr. Evergreen behind us, we could start a leadership development program so we can cultivate new, exciting ideas and hopefully spread responsibilities out more so we don't have to worry as much about burnout. Once we get Uncommon Scents back in good shape, maybe we could even open up a new branch here. A whole factory dedicated to giving everyone their own bottle of paradise!"

There was a spark in Jasper's eyes that Brooke had never seen before. His smile lit up his face like the full moon on a cloudless night, and she couldn't imagine anywhere she'd rather be than right here, basking in his happiness.

With that immeasurable weight finally lifted off her heart, Brooke could finally focus on enjoying the rest of the time they had together before the ritual. "Thank you so much for spending so much time with me. I know it's not much, but I wanted to give you something."

Brooke pulled a necklace out of her pocket. Cowrie shells clacked against each other as she draped them around Jasper, with only one small space left bare. "You can thread your moonstone onto it," she explained. "That way, you'll always have something to remind you of me no matter where you go."

Jasper unfastened his pendant and tied it to the necklace. "That is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever given me." He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "That shouldn't surprise me since you are one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I've ever met."

He didn't stop at her cheek. The instant Jasper's lips met hers, any coherent thoughts flew out of Brooke's mind. There was only his gentle tongue coaxing soft moans from within her. Strong hands stroking her hair. Warmth radiating from deep inside her core.

"There is one more thing we need to talk about," Jasper murmured.

Brooke let out a noise halfway between a groan and a sigh. Couldn't this wait? All she wanted was to lose herself in his touch.

Jasper brushed his lips against her ear. "Would you be happier if I said I have a surprise for you, too?" he whispered.

Goosebumps erupted across Brooke's neck as Jasper's breath tickled her skin. "Only if we can go back to kissing afterward."

He chuckled. "I think you'll enjoy it. Close your eyes, and no peeking!"

Brooke obeyed. Her heartbeat quickened as the sound of rustling fabric filled the room. What could Jasper possibly give her that could make her any happier than she was now? He'd already given her his heart.

"Okay," he said at last, his voice trembling slightly. "You can look now."

Brooke opened her eyes. Jasper's clothes lay carefully folded on top of his dresser. Now clad in nothing but a white robe that left little to the imagination, he tugged at the sleeves covering his muscular arms. Despite being an extra large, the robe strained against his broad shoulders, and his lower half...

Heat rose to Brooke's face. Goddess, she shouldn't be seeing that. But oh, how she wanted to. "You mentioned a present?" Her voice came out as little more than a squeak.

"It's something we can give each other, if you want." Jasper swallowed. "I wanted to make tonight extra special for you so I can make you as happy as you make me, or at least try to."

Desire as powerful and deep as the ocean pooled inside her, but as much as she wanted this, she had to make sure he did, too. "You're sure you're okay with this?"

"Do you remember that ice cream metaphor I told you about when we went to your grandma's island?"

"The one about you being asexual?"

Jasper nodded. "I may not be hungry in that way, but there's nothing I would enjoy more than making you happy. I brought precautions." He opened the nightstand, revealing a box of condoms and a small bottle filled with pills. "These wolfsbane pills should keep me from partially shifting when I get excited."

"Aw, but your tail is adorable!" Although Brooke had to admit being smacked by it might make her laugh so hard she'd roll off the bed.

Jasper's face reddened. "Maybe I can let you play with it some other time." He cleared his throat. "I'd need to take these so I don't accidentally mark you. That would make you turn into a werewolf, and I don't want to risk that before you're ready, if you ever are."

Brooke's heart quickened. She was ready for a lot of things, so much so that it scared her. No, not scared. Excited. So much so her whole body trembled with need as she waited for Jasper to finish saying what he needed to.

"I know this might be sudden," he continued. "It's fine if you don't want us to take things further until after the ritual or never want to do it at all, but—"

Brooke silenced him with a kiss. Goddess forgive her, he was taking too long!

"Of course I want this," she murmured against his lips.

A warm chuckle rumbled through Jasper's chest. "I was hoping you'd say that."

He pulled away just long enough to down the wolfsbane pills, nearly choking on the water in his haste to return to kissing her. Meanwhile, her hands made quick work of the knot tying his robe shut. It took every ounce of her self-control not to cast it aside like ripped wrapping paper and take him right then and there.

Jasper was much more careful, his hands caressing her sides before coming to a stop just above her sealskin. "Is it okay for me to touch it?" 

"Go ahead." She trusted him with it as much as she trusted him with any other part of herself.

He folded her sealskin with the same care he'd folded his clothes before tucking it inside the dresser. As he undressed her, she no longer made any attempt to avert her eyes from the beautiful Alpha in front of her. His lean muscles. The blanket of dark, curly hairs covering his chest. And between his legs...

Goddess, he was big.

Once he'd finished undressing her, Jasper scooped her into his arms as easily as if she weighed as little as a sand dollar. Despite his powerful muscles, he was nothing but gentle with her as he set her on the luxuriously soft bed.

"We'll start nice and slow, alright?" He bent down and kissed her cheek. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to make this better for you."

"You've already made me the happiest selkie in the world," she said, caressing his bristly sideburns. "I definitely wouldn't mind more kisses, though."

A soft laugh rumbled out of his throat. "That's good. My lips have an appointment with you, but they've been running late. Guess I'll have to work overtime to make up for it."

Starting at her forehead, Jasper's lips trailed down her neck, lavishing every inch of her skin. When he reached her collarbone, he traced the sensitive skin with the tip of his finger. "If you ever ask me to mark you, this is where I'll do it," he murmured.

Goosebumps erupted across Brooke's skin as Jasper nibbled the tender spot beside her neck. "Goddess, that feels good," she moaned. She'd never realized such pleasure could come from someone's teeth. His canines brushed against her skin with a tenderness that made desire pool between her legs.

She had to do everything she could to make sure he loved every moment of this as much as she did.

Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him closer and kneaded his back. Jasper moaned softly as his hard muscles melted beneath her touch. "Right there," he said breathlessly.

"Like this?" She massaged along his spine, working away his tight knots with her fingers.

He gasped, his lips shuddering against her skin as he murmured his thanks.

They lay like that for a while, hands and mouths showering affection over every inch of each other. At last, Jasper brushed his lips against the inside of her thigh in one final kiss. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" She might as well have asked her if she loved ice cream. She'd never wanted anything more than to have him inside her. 

"Wonderful." He slid on a condom. "Let me know if it gets to be too much, alright?"

Brooke nodded. Talking would only further delay what she'd been waiting for, what she craved more than anything.

He entered her as gently as he'd kissed her, filling a void she'd never realized she'd had. She'd never felt so full, so complete.

"Goddess, you look so beautiful with me inside you." Jasper rocked his hips against hers in time with the waves outside, each thrust fanning the burning need building inside her core.

More. She needed more. Now.

She wrapped her legs around his back, pushing him deeper. "I need you." 

The words came out as little more than a whine, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting him inside her. All of him.

Concern shined in Jasper's warm brown eyes as he reached down to stroke her hair. "You're sure?"

She'd never been more sure of anything in her life. Desperate beyond words, she could only nod.

He pressed his lips against hers, stealing a whimper of longing from her throat. "Anything for you."

Her gentle Alpha eased the rest of his length inside her, giving her body plenty of time to adjust even as it ached for his touch. A moan escaped her as she moved to match his thrusts, each one a wave of pleasure filling her core with warmth.

Perhaps the only thing better than having Jasper inside her was having him above her. His eyes shined with sheer adoration as he gazed down at her. Each caress of her hands down his back earned a soft hum of pleasure, and their lips met in a series of increasingly hungry kisses as they feasted on each other's moans.

"I love you so fucking much" Jasper murmured, gasping as she tightened her embrace. His breath faltered as a soft whine passed his lips, his whole body trembling. "Goddess, I need—!"

His movements quickened, each thrust more powerful than the last. Yet still he held back, his muscles tight against Brooke's hands as her own body quivered from the sheer force of her longing. His eyes asked a silent, desperate question.

"Yes, Alpha!"

Heat flooded Brooke's core as Jasper came with a shuddering gasp. The sound ripped a wordless cry from deep inside her, something she could only describe as a howl.

They collapsed into a panting puddle of bliss. "That was amazing," Jasper said breathlessly.

"I don't think I could move if my life depended on it." Brooke would be perfectly content falling asleep with Jasper inside her, staying together for that much longer.

"I can help with that." Jasper eased off of her with a groan, tossing the condom into the trash before lifting her in his arms.

The shower welcomed them with a cascade of warm water. They took their time washing each other, stealing soapy kisses beneath the spray. Their intimacy hadn't ended when they'd left the bed, only morphed into long, lingering caresses.

Only once the water turned cold did they venture out of the bathroom to clean up the aftermath of their lovemaking. Brooke replaced the sheets with a fresh set, and the two of them changed back into their clothes to wait for her mother to bring everything they needed for the ritual. Tomorrow they'd know if this was their last night together, but for now, all of Brooke's worries about the future faded like a ship sailing into the sunset as she cuddled with her Alpha.