Jasper did not return for the rest of the night, allowing Darren to have the room all to himself. That didn't comfort him too much though since he constantly expected the Alpha to return, thus causing him to toss and turn whenever he did try to sleep. By the time morning arrived, his hair was a tangled mess. Just as he wondered where he last left his comb, he sat up to find Liam in the room, watching him.
A small yelp escaped Darren as soon as he noticed the ominous figure. "Uh...Good Morning?"
"I couldn't help but notice..." The Alpha began, ignoring the rogue's greeting, "That ever since you arrived, things have gotten rather...Chaotic."
"I can't help that." Darren shrugged nervously. How long had he been standing there?
"I'm mainly concerned with the fact that my protege' has started to question me. Yesterday he argued with me right in my own office, and this morning I found him sleeping on the couch despite my orders to keep you under surveillance"
Darren frowned. "Sounds like he's becoming a true Alpha then if he won't even listen to you anymore."
The man frowned and a burst of Alpha Presence filled the room, boring down on the little rogue. Darren's Collar began vibrating violently. Suddenly, it felt like the protective device was choking him, and Darren's hand flew to his neck to loosen it.
"I think it's about time you learn some proper respect. I'll be getting rid of that collar for starters..." Liam reached towards Darren, and the rogue backed away in panic. Just as the Alpha was within reach, another hand grabbed his.
Jasper stood between the two instantly as he scowled towards Liam. "Keep your hands off of him."
"You dare interfere?" Liam countered, his arm still outstretched.
Jasper looked him square in the eye and yanked the other Alpha's hand away from Darren. "Yes."
Liam did not look too happy about his protege's interference, but he backed down none the less. "We will discuss this later." Was all he said as he turned and left the room.
There was a heavy silence after Liam left, and Jasper took a moment to look Darren over. He eyed the rogue's rebellious hair and disheveled night clothes. As his eyes wandered lower, a blush graced his cheeks and he faced away. "You okay?" He mumbled.
Darren was utterly confused at the mans reaction, but grateful that he hadn't allowed Liam to remove the collar. While it was true that it was blocking the mate bond, it was also helping him deal with all the Alpha crap he had to endure each day. Without it, he'd probably be fainting around those two on a regular basis.
"Yeah." Darren replied as he got off the bed, somewhat shakily, and dug through is bags for a change of clothes.
"Okay, I'll see you downstairs." Jasper replied awkwardly and went to leave the room. "Let me know if he keeps bothering you."
Darren quirked an eyebrow. "Sure."
As he changed, he thought over their interaction. It felt odd having his old bully defending him. Before, the only people he ever expected something like that from were his parents, but of course they dashed his childhood illusion when they proved too submissive to ever do anything that might upset their almighty leader. When they failed to care for him, Darren had developed the expectation that no one would.
Maybe the guy was only doing it to make himself feel better?
Making his way downstairs, he found Jasper speaking with Gerrit. The Alpha's son then handed over a folder and patted his shoulder.
"You're doing the right thing." Gerrit was saying.
Jasper eyed the folder in his hands. "Yeah, I think so too."
"And what would that be?" Darren asked, his interest peaked.
The two turned towards the rogue as he entered the dining room. Liam was not present and it looked like Mary was just setting out some food.
Jasper hesitated before explaining. "I changed my schedule for today. Instead of following up on my usual route, I'm..." He glanced towards Gerrit who gave him an encouraging smile. "I'm going to look for all the people I picked on and talk to them."
"Oh..." Darren didn't know what to think of that. The amount of effort he was putting in after realizing how much of an ass he was really surprised him. Jasper honestly didn't seem like the type to do something like that. "Wait..." The rogue suddenly thought of something. "You're not just doing this so you can find your mate, are you?"
It didn't seem like Gerrit had considered that, and his eyes flew to to Jasper for answers. The Alpha sighed dramatically. "No, I'm not. I mean, yeah I'm curious about who she is, and I'd like to apologize for whatever I did if I'm ever given the chance, but no. I'm not doing this just for her. If I'm going to be a better Alpha than Liam, then I need to own up to my mistakes, starting with fixing things with the people I hurt."
"Damn man." Gerrit whistled. "That's the first time I ever heard you consider being BETTER than Liam." He then turned to Darren with a grin. "It seems like you've been quite a positive influence on our future Alpha."
Darren was caught off guard by the compliment and he turned away to hide his embarrassment. "It's just common sense."
Gerrit slapped Jasper on the shoulder. "Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that this guy has always been too stubborn to think of anything other than impressing my dad. Then you come to town and suddenly he's thinking for himself."
"Thanks a lot." Jasper rolled his eyes. "I just want to do the right thing."
"Well, it shouldn't be that hard." Darren jabbed in an attempt to keep his cool. "If you're legit about feeling bad, you're off to a good start. Just one thing though...What about the investigation?"
"We have to wait for the lab to come back with results on the fingerprints." Jasper explained as he made his way to the front door.
"You're not having breakfast?" Gerrit asked.
"We're eating out." The Alpha motioned for Darren to follow.
Darren tagged along obediently, knowing that they were both avoiding Liam at this point.
"Pancakes?"
"What?"
"I was asking if you want pancakes?" Jasper explained. "There's a place I know that has the best breakfast menu."
"Sure?" Darren agreed halfheartedly.
They soon pulled into an old cafe' and were seated immediately once the owner recognized Jasper. The waitress then took their orders and sped off to the kitchen. Darren tapped his spoon against the table as they waited. He stared out the front window, which was located three tables away, hoping to spot a spirit. He had thought that hanging around Jasper would improve his odds by now.
"So...What sort of things do you do for fun?" Jasper asked out of the blue.
Darren snapped his head around and stared him down suspiciously. "Why would you want to know?"
The young Alpha shrugged as a waiter placed a small jug of coffee and two cups on the table. "I just realized we don't really know much about each other."
"There's a reason for that." Darren retorted. "In case you forgot."
"I know, but I thought maybe we could try getting to know each other better since we're working together. Not that we have to, I understand if you don't want that. I just thought I'd ask."
Darren tilted his head and considered his offer. While there was no excuse for anything that this man had done to him before, it was clear that he was trying to make an effort to fix things. Furthermore, he was doing it without hesitation. As much as the rogue hated his former bully, if Jasper turned a new leaf then wouldn't it be better for the whole pack?
He thought of all the future kids who would be picked on and ignored because of their erroneous pack mentality. If Liam had ever bothered valuing his fellow pack members and listened when Darren came to him, then the rogue could have gotten his issues with Jasper sorted years ago. So if Jasper were to become a better Alpha, then that would mean that things could change for the entire pack and no one would have to put up with what Darren had.
Eventually the rogue agreed, much to Jasper's relief. "I like to draw."
Jasper looked surprised. "You? Really?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's just that, well you work construction and you don't seem like the sort of person who is into art. You look more like a...I don't know, someone who's more into video games?"
"I play games too." Darren replied. "I prefer the Zelda games, but I don't play a lot. And I don't draw a lot either since art supplies are expensive. I just doodle when I'm bored."
"Do you have anything with you?"
Darren rolled his eyes. "I came here to help find missing kids, not enter an art exhibit. So no, I don't have anything with me to show you."
"Not even pictures on your phone?"
"No." Darren was relieved when the waitress arrived with their breakfast, interrupting the conversation.
For the most part, they stopped talking while they ate. Darren, having eaten faster, finished his plate first and pulled out his phone to check the local news. He also shot his uncle a text to let him know he was doing fine. Then something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.
Looking back towards the front window, he saw a small toddler walking down the sidewalk all by herself. There were a few other people walking around her, but none of them appeared to notice the little girl. She seemed lost and confused as she glanced around, wide eyed.
"Hey, you see that?" Darren asked Jasper, concerned. "It looks like someone lost their kid."
Jasper glanced out the window and squinted before shaking his head. "I don't see anything."
"She's right there!" Darren pointed as the girl stumbled and fell to her knees. The girl was tough though and stood back up without crying. Then she began heading towards the street.
"Dude!" The rogue shot out of his seat. "Why is no one stopping her!"
Jasper stood with him. "Calm down! What are you talking about? I don't see any kid out there!"
Darren glanced between the Alpha and the little girl, considering the fact that it might be a ghost, but that was impossible, mostly because she was neither transparent nor the usual greyish tones that ghosts took on. In all his life he had never experienced a ghost who looked so much like the living.
He watched as she stumbled off the curve and into the street. He couldn't just watch anymore. Bursting out of the cafe', he ran towards the little girl and reached out to grab her.
The child glanced at him wide eyed as a car turned the corner and came barreling at her.
Desperately, Darren dashed for her, and just as he was within reach, he fell right through the child as she vanished into thin air.
A blast of cold air was all he felt before scraping his hands against the pavement.
"Hey!" Jasper called, chasing after him and kneeling down to check on the errant rogue. "What the hell was that?"
"It was a ghost..." Darren stated in disbelief, then turned towards Jasper. "That little girl...Was a ghost!"
---
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