A Wolf's Purpose

•Chapter 52• Sneaking Away

"Maybe you should check on them." Jayden frowned at his brother. They heard Megan letting Jack, surprisingly, into her room. She was mad. Jack would convince her or just comfort her. He's good at that. But Jayden had been looking up toward the stairs every few minutes. "I'm just giving them a moment." Jerry lifted his eyebrows in shock. "You're giving her space? And private time with your brother? I'm proud of you." Megan wasn't his girlfriend. He definitely couldn't tell her who she could and couldn't talk to. "I wished I'd be the one she'd talk to, you know?" He mumbled. "She'll come to you. Jack's just... he's good at this." Jerry replied, "I think we're lucky she's still talking. After what happened to her grandmother, and Henry, and everything that might be happening in her house. Her parents? I mean, wouldn't you want to be with Mom if you got a message like that?" Jayden pinched his nose. "I really don't want to think about Mom right now." He said. And not about her mangled body, he thinks to himself. The two brothers sat in silence on the couch staring mindlessly at the TV. Jayden was not listening either. He tried to catch every little sound that came from upstairs. He rested his head on his hand as he silently tapped his other fingers against his thigh. "You wanna go up there, don't you?" Jerry asks him. "You got into my head by bringing it up." Jerry laughs at his brother. "Don't be like that. Just go up there."

Jayden remained seated on the couch as he started thinking to himself. Don't give in, they're talking, and she's fine. She just needed someone else to talk to. And that person is my brother... A hint of jealousy returned to him. He's had a crush on Megan for years and he spends way too much time trying to push those feelings away. Why did I do that? He thinks to himself. Jayden pushed himself up from his seat on the couch. Jerry watched as his brother disappeared upstairs. He smiles and shakes his head slightly. As Jayden made his way upstairs he didn't hear anything. They weren't talking and no one was crying or angry. Complete silence. He approached the door and gently knocked. "Hey, uh, just checking in. Is everything okay?" He asks in a soft and sweet tone. He had expected to hear something, a sob or sigh, but nothing came. He chuckles slightly to himself outside the door. "Did you fall asleep in there or something?" Still, no responses came from the other side of the door. Without thinking twice, Jayden pushed open the door but slammed into the hardwood instead. He tried again and again but it was locked. And still, no sounds came from the other side. "Jack, open the door," Jayden called out to his brother. "What was that?" Jerry had also come upstairs after hearing the thud from Jayden slamming into the door seconds ago. "They locked the door. Jack! Open up, buddy." It almost sounded like a threat the way he said it.

"You don't think... He wouldn't. They wouldn't, right?" Jerry started. Jayden stopped and let out a slight growl and hopped down the stairs again. Jerry followed the oldest triplet through the house and out the door. The window was still open and the lights were turned on but you couldn't see shadows moving around on the walls. They weren't there. "That bastard," Jerry said as he looked at Jayden. "He's not that stupid." But his brother gave him a look, one he knew all too well. "It's Megan." Jayden sighed, "Come on, at least we know where they're heading." He added. "You're dealing with Jade when she finds out we left."

Jade fiddled with her hands slightly while they sat in the car. The radio played a silent tune to make everything a little tense. Casper looks at her in the corner of his eye. Jade noticed and turned her head to him only for him to focus back on the road. She let out a quiet sigh. "Should we... like get Mc'Donalds afterward?" She mumbles to him. Casper's gaze fell on her again before he started to laugh. "How are you thinking about Mc'Donalds right now?" She shrugs her shoulders as she looks at him with innocent eyes. "We can get some later." He smiles at her. Jade grinned at him before she started fiddling with the hem of Casper's sweater she was still wearing. It was so warm and cozy. It also smelled like him which comforted her. She briefly glanced over her shoulder at the leather jacket that belonged to her mother which lay on the backseat. "Do you want me to grab it for you?" Casper asks her. "No, no, I was just checking if it was there." And she was perfectly capable of grabbing it herself if she wanted to. But Casper was being overly sweet to her these days. She didn't want to upset him. "Are you scared?" She questions. Casper shot another quick glance at her. "Of what?" She shifted slightly in her seat and pinched her nose. "My dad? Us going there? All those things." Casper sighed. "Well, last time your dad tried to kill me. So, no, it's not exactly a trip to Disney Land with Mickey Mouse waiting for you at the entrance of the hotel."

She laughed a little at his sarcasm. "You sound like my brother." She tells him. "Oh, that's what every guy loves to hear. I'm in the brother zone." Casper complained, his comments still dripping with sarcasm, of course. "No, you're not in that zone." She assures him with a kind smile. A few minutes of silence went by as he drove them to the Greenwoods' house. "Where did you buy this thing? It's so warm and cozy." Jade spoke up again. "You can keep it." He chuckles in response. "No, no, I'm giving it back and then taking it again. It smells like you. It adds to the warmth." Casper couldn't help but feel that warmth return in his chest. "Just make sure I don't get a bullet put between my eyes and you're still able to give it back to me." She gives him a look. "I won't let him get close. He won't harm you, I promise." Casper briefly looked at her again. "I wanna believe you. You know that." Her gaze softened a little as she reached out to grab his hand. "He won't hurt you." She tells him, "And afterward, we're going to get a Happy Meal. Hopefully, we'll get the good toys." She added with a playful grin planted on her lips. "And afterward we're getting a Happy Meal," Casper repeated with a smile.

"This feels familiar." Jack extended his hands to help her down the wall that separated the park, they just passed through, from the streets. Megan smiles as he helps her down. She wasn't weakened like last time but it still felt nice to have him nearby to help her over these things instead of having to struggle over them. "Do you think Jayden and Jerry are going to come after us?" She asks him as he sets her down. "They'll have no idea what route we took. And to, like, meet up at the house? That would be poor judgment on their part." Jack said jokingly. Megan smiled a little as they walked side by side on the streets. She tried to make their steps sync but his steps were too big for that. "Why are you looking at our feet?" She looks back up at him with a slight blush. "It's, uh, it's silly. Something I used to do with my parents and Andrew and Henry." She explains. "Oh, that stepping thing. We used to do that with Jade when she was still between walking and crawling." Parker had told her kids to go outside and get some fresh air because it was such a beautiful day. "I would've paid to see that. All three of you holding on to her and trying to get her to walk." Megan laughed a little. "Hey, we did our best. Tried to make a game out of it. Where's the credit?" Jack joined in on her laughter.