Asteraceae

FORTY

After the whole ordeal with Edward and the family, Jasper had run off to wander the woods. He would always do that, stay out in the woods with the intent to hide from prying eyes that only held concern for him. He couldn't handle the pity, couldn't handle the judging eyes of the family members that couldn't understand what he was going through, and he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of anger towards Edward for even trying to persuade him to feel something else other than what he feels right now.

They were happy together, at least he felt happy, and not even for a second would he have allowed for something like a mate to get in between them just because fate had planned it out that way. No, he loved Alice beyond what a mating bond was capable, but she was so willingly and ready to give it all up for a man she usually just tends to sit on the sidelines and wait for. He had always been by her side, it was more so him waiting on her, than her ever having to wait on him, so he did not see how she was so willing to do it for Joshua.

The man was smug about it also, being sure to pet on her a lot more than he probably would ever whenever Jasper was present in the room. He knew he got under his skin, loved the fact that he did, and Jasper was too weak to ever do anything about it in fear of disappointing his family for hurting a human. He had given up his human diet for Alice, had given up everything including the two people he considered family for the Olympic Coven, and they really were weak to the head when it came to this fated stuff.

He thought that when Edward had met Bella, he would see what he was talking about. Joshua not being good enough for Alice. Just like Bella wasn't technically good enough for him. Humans were fragile things, easily killable and with the slightest bit of force they would break and be consumed by the monsters they had no idea existed. It was a sad fact that he had always acknowledged ever since he was reborn into this creature, but his family was always so soft with them. He had wished that Rosalie would've been a tad bit bitchier about involving Joshua in their mess like she as with Bella. She hated Bella, didn't like the girl and for what reasons, he didn't understand, but he knew that the girl wasn't all that good like Edward thought of her to be.

She felt evil, while Joshua just felt neutral at times with a hint of something sinister underneath. He tried to hide it as much as Bella, and for that he wondered if there was a bigger picture everyone was overlooking when it came to him. What the man truly was all about and if Alice knew his true self or not. He was starting to get a bit upset with himself. While he might not be around Bella a lot to get an informative read on her, he was almost always around Joshua. He should've known what that man was feeling already, should've known that this man wasn't really what he claimed to be, but he hadn't gotten anything. He's got nothing, besides the fact that he took Alice away from him without so much as a fight. It made him mad if he was being honest, but what was anger going to do for him besides upsetting Alice for thinking how she was. She was trying hard to find his mate, but he didn't want them. Felt nothing for them and never thought he would despite wishing Alice was his mate so bad. He held resentment for not only Joshua, but the person he had never met because they were what kept him away from truly getting what he wanted. They were just as happy as Carlisle was with Esme, and Rosalie was with Emmett, but they were so easily torn apart by people they hadn't even met yet.

"I can hear you stressing from a mile away." Edward appeared, slightly crazed by the fact he had recently finished hunting. Bella wasn't at home, which meant he couldn't stalk her, and at this moment no one in the house had any good advice he could take on even approaching the human girl. "I know you're upset but bringing me in isn't really going to help your case." He used to be in Jasper's position but with a little less self-pity towards the fact that someone he wanted didn't want him back. He was more so just jealous of the fact that everyone had at least somebody that loved them in a way he wished someone would love him. He had tried many different things from dating other vampires to even a few humans before deciding that it wasn't good on his unbeating heart. Jasper would soon come to learn the hard way like the rest of them did about how important it is to have a mate. He'll regret it otherwise.