Jasper limped into his suite feeling as if the elk had invited its entire herd to trample him. His head pounded, his muscles ached, and his pride was bruised. Some Alpha he was. One moment's distraction, and he'd forced the rest of the hunting party to leap to his aid to keep the bull from goring him.

The simple act of pulling his shirt over his head made him wince, and his legs quivered from the effort of dragging himself to the bathroom. Peeling off his pants revealed the source of the agony radiating through his lower body. A dark purple bruise dominated his right hip, with the slightest brush of fabric against his skin making him whimper.

After waiting entirely too long for the water to heat up, Jasper stepped into the shower with a groan. Warmth spread through his muscles, easing their tension as dried blood and dirt swirled down the drain. The shampoo the resort provided—eucalyptus with a hint of papaya—smelled so divine Jasper wondered if he should contact the manufacturer so they could help Uncommon Scents create a similarly delightful perfume.

But as quickly as relief filled his aching muscles, so too did shame settle in his stomach. He'd let everyone down. Again. After the elk had slammed its antlers into him, Jasper could only watch as members of the two packs argued over who was to blame. If Gwen hadn't killed their prey, the hunting party could have easily sustained more injuries.

Goddess, he wished he could simply rinse himself down the drain. At least then he wouldn't have to face his packmates' simpering smiles, their assurances that they didn't think any less of him despite his failure. Despite their faults, Waylon and many of Kudzu Pack's other wolves were honest. No matter how badly he let them down, his own pack never treated him with anything less than unquestioning respect.

At least, they treated his position with nothing but respect. He was an Alpha. Their future leader. Would they truly be so patient with him if he lacked that title, or would they speak of him as poorly as he knew he deserved?

Only when the water ran cold did Jasper shamble out of the shower. He shrugged on a bathrobe, grateful for the loose fabric since it required far less painful maneuvering than his ordinary clothes.

With no events to attend today since his father had ordered him to rest and tend to his injuries, Jasper pulled out his laptop and started answering work emails. Perhaps this wasn't what his father had in mind, but how else was he supposed to relieve his stress? The shower had barely helped, and frittering away the afternoon while the rest of his pack networked with what were in all likelihood their future coworkers would only make him feel worse.

He'd just started answering an inquiry about Uncommon Scents's plans for next summer's perfume lineup when someone knocked on the door. Just his luck. It wasn't as if he'd be able to get much done with his mind constantly drifting back to his aching muscles. "Come in!"

"I could use a little help." A familiar laugh bubbled through the door. "I kind of have my arms full."

He'd know that voice anywhere.

Jasper leaped out of his chair, wincing as the sudden movement sent pain shooting through his leg. After a great deal of swearing, he managed to limp to the entryway. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said breathlessly. "I'm still sore from today's hunt."

Instead of bombarding him with a million questions or explaining the large plastic capsules in her arms, Brooke stared at him with her face reddening to match her hair. "Your robe is...um..." She tried to point, only for one of the capsules to fall from her grasp. Lunging forward in an attempt to catch it only made her drop the rest and stumble forward.

His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight to keep her from falling. Only when he felt her face pressed against his chest did Jasper realize his robe had flown open in his haste to answer the door. With his heart thundering in his ears and warmth spreading through his entire body, he found himself enjoying the feeling of her skin on his too much to care.

Brooke leaned into him, only to freeze. "This is nice, but, um..." She giggled nervously. "I really should give you your care package."

After making sure she'd regained her balance, Jasper eased his arms from around Brooke. A soft whine passed his lips as she pulled away from him. Goddess, those painkillers must have left him more out of it than he thought. "My what?"

Brooke nodded toward the capsules strewn across the floor. "Just some stuff to help you feel better." Her voice softened as she glanced away. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, but I heard you got hurt and wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm glad you came," Jasper said, re-tying his robe so anyone else who came into the hallway wouldn't see his bare chest. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"I'm really, really sorry I made things so awkward," Brooke blurted out. "If you want me to stay away from you for the rest of your stay, I—"

"It's not your fault," Jasper said quickly. Great, he'd only been talking to her for five minutes, yet she already looked like she was going to cry. "This whole mess is nothing but business. If there were any other way my pack could keep Uncommon Scents afloat without getting Kudzu Pack involved, I'd do it, but as it stands, I have to prepare myself to marry Gwen."

"I wish I knew how I could help you," Brooke said softly.

"You already are." Jasper smiled. "Come inside."

Despite Brooke's protests, Jasper insisted on carrying the capsules. Though they were the size of basketballs, they were so light a pup would have no trouble carrying one. Each had a thin seam running around its middle and a large button at the top, with not a single one baring the slightest scratch despite Brooke dropping them on the floor.

"Where did you get these?" Jasper asked, spreading the capsules across the bed so he could get a better look at them. "The material seems impressively durable for something so light."

"My grandma invented those to help selkies carry things through the travel tunnels," Brooke explained. "It's a lot easier to take stuff from one side of the resort to the other without having to worry about dragging it around on land."

"So these are waterproof." He sniffed one of the capsules, wrinkling his nose at its faint seaweed scent. "Some kind of bioplastic."

"I don't know much about how we make those, but I'm pretty sure they use kelp." Brooke bounced on her heels. "Come on, open them!"

"What if I want to guess what's inside them first?" Jasper said teasingly. He gave the capsule in his hands another exaggerated sniff. "Maybe socks?"

"Socks?!?" Brooke lightly thumped him in the arm. "I'm trying to make you feel better, not bore you to death."

"Then what's in them?" Jasper smirked, his lips twitching with suppressed laughter. Brooke was cute when she got frustrated.

"Lots of—" Brooke slapped her hand over her mouth as Jasper's sides shook with laughter. "Just open it!"

"Alright, alright." Jasper pressed the button at the top of the capsule, revealing a collection of bath bombs and a massive bottle of bubble bath. The next one held an assortment of scented oils and a coupon for a free massage at the resort's spa.

There were medical supplies among the gifts too—bandages to dress his wounds and special creams to ease the soreness from his muscles—but the presents intended to help him relax far outnumbered those with a more practical purpose. Not that he'd expect anything different from Brooke.

"Thank you so much." Jasper bowed deeply. "You didn't have to go out of your way on my account."

"No, but I wanted to. Good thing I did, too." She raised her eyebrows, nodding toward the laptop on his desk, the screen still displaying a half-written email. "It doesn't look like you've been relaxing. You didn't even go out on the balcony!"

"My pack needs me," Jasper said sheepishly. "Uncommon Scents has enough problems without me slacking off."

Brooke pouted. "You're on vacation. Besides, how are you supposed to help your pack if you don't take care of yourself?"

"I am taking care of myself." Jasper sighed. "I just have to put the pack first."

"Mom would have a manatee if she knew you weren't resting." Brooke fidgeted with the sealskin tied around her waist, bunching the fur between her fingers again and again. "What was it you said you were working on?"

"Some emails about the new perfumes we're hoping to launch next summer." Jasper sat back in front of his laptop with a grunt, firing off a quick response to Uncommon Scents's research and development team. "Kudzu Pack has a stranglehold on the flower-centric share of the market now, so we need to diversify our production to make sure we don't need to lay anyone off. It's been awful trying to find suitable scents, though."

"You could come into Periwinkle Port with me!" Brooke blushed and cleared her throat. When she spoke again, her voice was much quieter. "I mean, lots of people love going there this time of year, so I bet you could find all sorts of smells people like. Can't be worse than being cooped up in here, anyway."

"That would be a good way to get some hands-on research." Jasper hummed softly. Kudzu Pack rarely mingled with non-werewolves, so he wouldn't be likely to run into Gwen's packmates if he spent time with the locals, who were mostly selkies. "Alright, I'm in! Just let me get dressed first. Can't exactly waltz into town in a bathrobe."