Chapter 2
I found myself returning to the Silver Moon Pack, to the home Jackson and I once shared as mates. The grand estate felt both familiar and foreign now, the air heavy with the weight of betrayal. Images of Jackson with Aura Diaz, a Delta from our pack, flooded my mind. I pictured them in the kitchen, her arms wrapped around his waist from behind, making him laugh as they prepared a meal—a scene Aura had proudly displayed on the pack’s social network.
I imagined them nestled on the couch, caught up in a movie they had chosen together, and Aura ending up underneath Jackson as he kissed her ardently. I thought of them moving from the couch to the bedroom, tangled together, unwilling to part. These weren’t mere figments of my imagination but stark realities Aura had flaunted for all to see. Her posts exposed a Jackson who seemed perpetually happy, a stark contrast to the cold, distant man I had known since returning from my studies abroad.
The door opened at eleven at night. Jackson finally arrived, his towering frame filling the doorway. Spotting me sitting on the couch, he hesitated, his Alpha aura flickering briefly before he forced a smile, as if everything was perfectly normal.
"Elisabeth, why aren’t you asleep yet? Are you waiting up for me?" Jackson asked, his voice smooth and commanding, as it always was. He settled next to me, his muscular arm reaching out to hold mine. He was always affectionate, and I once mistook this for love. But after seeing the footage with Aura, I knew he just wanted a mate—any mate. Whether it was me or another didn’t matter to him.
I turned away, avoiding his touch. His smile faded briefly, but he quickly composed himself, his Alpha tone softening into appeasement.
"You're still upset about what happened at the airport?" he asked. "I’m sorry, Elisabeth. Let me make it up to you. There was a pack emergency that I had to deal with, and then you came back from the prestigious Greenwood Pack without any notice. I only said those things because you kept everything quiet."
His words were laced with the kind of charm that had once swayed me, but now they felt hollow. I frowned, fighting the urge to vomit or shout, my wolf stirring uneasily in the back of my mind.
Seeing my silence, Jackson pulled a bracelet from his bag. "Look, a gift for you. Please don’t be mad, Elisabeth."
I looked at the bracelet and couldn't help but laugh bitterly. It wasn't just because I was allergic to silver, but because I'd seen this bracelet before. It was the same one Jackson gave Aura for their two-month anniversary. Aura had dismissed it because it wasn’t gold, and now it was mine.
Did Jackson truly believe I was worth no more than Aura’s castoffs? Yet the man who once stood before the Moon Goddess and vowed, “I, Jackson Lewis, future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, accept you, Elisabeth Perry, daughter of Alpha Omar Perry of the Crimson Fang Pack, as my mate,” was also him. The memory of his voice during our marking ceremony, so full of promise, now felt like a cruel joke.
"You’ve changed, Jackson," I said quietly, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "Or maybe I just never saw who you really were."
His smile faltered, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something—guilt, perhaps? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the same cold detachment that had become his mask.
"Elisabeth, don’t be dramatic," he said, his tone sharpening. "You’re overthinking this. You know how it is—I’m the future Alpha. I have responsibilities to the pack. You can’t expect me to be at your beck and call."
His words cut deep, but I held my ground. "Responsibilities to the pack don’t include betraying your mate, Jackson."
He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Look, I’ll end it with Aura. She’s just a distraction. You’re my mate, Elisabeth. That bond is sacred. We’ll figure this out."
I stared at him, disbelief and anger warring within me. "You think it’s that simple? That you can just discard her and pretend nothing happened?"
Jackson’s expression hardened, his Alpha aura flaring in a way that once would have made me submit. But not anymore.
"I’m not the one who left for two years, Elisabeth," he said, his voice cold. "You chose your studies over me. Over us. Maybe you should think about that before pointing fingers."
His words hit like a blow, but I refused to let him see the pain they caused. "I left to better myself, Jackson. To become someone worthy of standing beside you as Luna. But now I see that it was never about me. It was about your ego, your position. And I won’t be part of it anymore."
He stared at me, his dark eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"
I took a deep breath, my wolf rising within me, lending me strength. "I, Elisabeth Perry, daughter of Alpha Omar Perry of the Crimson Fang Pack, reject you, Jackson Lewis, future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, as my mate."
The room fell silent, the weight of my words hanging in the air. Jackson’s face turned ashen, his Alpha aura flickering like a dying flame. "You can’t be serious," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"I am," I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. "This bond is broken, Jackson. And it’s time we both moved on."
He opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. Instead, he turned and walked away, his broad shoulders slumped in defeat. As the door closed behind him, I felt a strange sense of relief, as if a heavy chain had been lifted from my shoulders.
My wolf nudged me gently, offering silent support. *You did the right thing,* she said, her voice a comforting presence in my mind.
I nodded, tears finally spilling over as I whispered to myself, "I did."
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