Chapter 22
Aurora’s POV
The moment we entered my chambers, I shut the door behind us and turned to face him.
Jason stared at me, his expression unreadable. The chains around his wrists and ankles still crackled with silver, and I could see the faint burn marks where the metal met his skin.
I sighed. “You’re a damn fool.”
His lips quirked slightly. “Good to see you too.”
I stepped forward, carefully undoing the chains around his wrists. The moment they fell away, he exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders.
“Why are you here, Jason?” I asked quietly.
He flexed his fingers, studying me with that piercing gaze of his. “You know why.”
I clenched my jaw. “I didn’t ask you to come.”
“You didn’t have to.”
The intensity in his voice sent an unwanted shiver down my spine. I turned away, moving toward the basin of water on the nearby table. Dipping a cloth into it, I wrung it out before walking back to him.
He didn’t resist as I pressed the damp cloth to the cut on his lip, cleaning away the dried blood. His eyes never left mine, the weight of his stare making my pulse race.
“Why did Logan let you in so easily?” he asked after a moment.
I hesitated. “Because I didn’t give him a reason not to.”
Jason’s expression darkened. “You mean you played along.”
“It’s called survival,” I muttered, stepping back. “Something you clearly have no grasp of, considering you walked straight into enemy territory.”
Jason smirked despite himself. “I had a plan.”
“Oh? Did that plan involve getting chained up and nearly executed?”
His smirk widened. “Not exactly.”
I rolled my eyes, setting the cloth aside. “You still haven’t answered me. Why did you come?”
Jason’s amusement faded. “Because I needed to see you.”
My breath hitched. I quickly masked my reaction. “You risked your life for that?”
His gaze softened slightly. “I needed to know if you were safe.”
I scoffed. “Since when do you care about my safety?”
Jason’s expression tightened. “Since the moment I let you go.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.
I turned away first, my chest tightening.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
Jason wasn’t supposed to come here. He wasn’t supposed to care.
And yet, he had.
“I don’t need saving,” I muttered.
Jason exhaled, stepping closer. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying.”
His voice was quiet, but the conviction in it sent my heart into chaos.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
Because if I did, I wasn’t sure what I would say.
And that terrified me more than anything.
***
As the night stretched on, Jason rested in the corner of the room while I paced, my mind racing with the next steps.
I had come here to see my father. Now he was dead, and I had to pretend not to be Aurora but Melissa.
Now, Jason was here, tangled in my plans. My brothers would use him.
And for the first time since I returned, I wasn’t sure who the real enemy was.
But one thing was certain.
Jason had killed me before.
And no matter what it took, I would make him pay.
The room was cloaked in silence, the only sound the faint crackling of the fire in the hearth. Jason sat in the corner, his back against the wall, arms resting on his bent knees. He wasn’t asleep, but he hadn’t spoken in a while either.
I could feel his gaze on me as I paced.
I hated that he was here. Not just because he complicated everything, but because his presence made it impossible to think straight. Every time I looked at him, I was reminded of the past—the love, the betrayal, the pain.
But there was something else now. Something I wasn’t ready to name.
I stopped pacing and turned to face him. “You need to leave.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “You’re kicking me out already?”
“This isn’t a joke, Jason,” I snapped. “Logan let me take you as a prisoner, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe. He’s watching me. Watching you.”
Jason exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I know.”
“Then why the hell did you come?” My voice was sharp, but I didn’t care. “You should have stayed in the RedMoon pack where you belong.”
He stood, crossing the room in three long strides. Before I could step back, he was right in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“I came because I couldn’t ignore it anymore,” he said, his voice low.
I swallowed hard. “Ignore what?”
He searched my eyes, something raw flickering in his. “The bond. The way I feel when I think about you. The way it’s been driving me insane ever since you left.”
My heart pounded against my ribs.
No.
He couldn’t say these things. Not now. Not when I was so close to getting what I wanted.
I forced a cold smile. “That’s the mate bond talking. It means nothing.”
Jason’s jaw tightened. “Does it?”
“Yes.” I lifted my chin. “You proved that the night you killed me.”
The words hung between us, sharp as a blade.
Jason flinched, just barely, but I caught it. His lips parted, like he wanted to say something, but no words came.
Good. Let him feel what I felt.
Before he could recover, I turned away. “If you stay here, Logan will find a way to use you against me. You need to escape before he does.”
Jason was silent for a long moment. Then, he exhaled. “And what about you?”
I frowned. “What about me?”
He stepped closer again. “You act like you have everything under control, but you don’t, do you?”
I clenched my fists. “You don’t know anything about what I’m doing.”
Jason studied me, then shook his head. “I know you’re playing a dangerous game. And I know Logan is more ruthless than you think.”
I turned to face him fully. “I don’t need you to protect me, Jason.”
His eyes darkened. “Maybe not. But that won’t stop me from trying.”
I stared at him, unsure whether I wanted to scream or—
No.
I wouldn’t let myself go there.
Instead, I stepped back, putting space between us. “We need to focus. If Logan finds out you’re more than just some prisoner to me, he’ll use it.”
Jason’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before he nodded. “Then let’s make sure he doesn’t.”