Chapter 7 Chapter 7
Chapter 7
\-Jason -
The border patrol reports blurred together on my desk, each one detailing the same thing, increased rogue activity along the eastern ridge. I rubbed my temples, trying to focus, but my wolf kept pulling my thoughts to Aria. She was in the wing, still recovering from whatever hell Marcus had put her through.
The door to my office slammed open. No knock. No announcement.
Only one person had the audacity.
She observed me for a little while, and in that brief moment I could tell she had something in her mind. And that something I knew what it was.
"We need to talk," she finally said, her eyes blazing as she stalked into my office.
"I'm working." I didn't look up from the reports.
"Pack duties can wait for now. This is rather important," She planted her hands on my desk. "What the hell are you thinking, Jason?"
"Be more specific."
"Aria. You mate another Alpha's rejected woman."
My pen stilled. "That's not your concern."
"Everything about this pack is my concern. I'm your..." she paused, "—friend. And as your friend, I'm telling you this is a mistake."
"Noted." I returned to my paperwork. "You can go."
But Natasha wasn't done. She never was.
"Jason I cannot let you make this mistake. And we have come a long way. I am here too because you told me to always call you to order when need be and because at least you listen to me. You don't even know her, Jason. She shows up half-dead on our border, claims she's carrying Marcus's child, and suddenly you're ready to make her your Luna?" Her voice rose. "What happened to your vow?"
My jaw clenched. "What vow?"
"Don't play dumb. After Elena died, you swore—"
"Stop." The word came out as a growl.
"No. You promised you'd never take another mate. You said Elena was your only—"
The papers scattered as I stood, my chair crashing backward. "I said stop."
"You've mourned her for five years, Jason. Five years of rejecting every eligible she-wolf, of living like a monk, of keeping her pictures everywhere. And now this pregnant stranger appears and suddenly Elena means nothing?"
Something inside me snapped.
In one movement, I was around the desk, my hand closing around Natasha's throat. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to warn. Her back hit the wall, but she didn't flinch. Her eyes met mine steadily, unfraid.
That fearlessness, it's what made her a good warrior. It's also what made her dangerous.
"Never," I snarled, my wolf's voice mixing with mine, "mention my wife again."
Natasha stayed perfectly still, her pulse rapid under my palm but her gaze unwavering. "I do not mean any disrespect but she's dead, Jason. Elena is dead."
My grip tightened slightly. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't see her ghost every goddamn day?"
"Then why are you doing this?" Her voice came out strained but determined. "Why throw away your vow for a woman you met three days ago?"
"Because I'm Alpha," I said coldly. "My choices aren't subject to your approval."
Something shifted in Natasha's expression. Hurt? Disappointment? It was gone before I could identify it.
I released her throat, stepping back. She rubbed the spot where my hand had been, though we both knew I hadn't left a mark.
"You're right," she said quietly. "You're the Alpha. Your choices are your own. And I don't have any right to speak against them."
The formal tone stung more than anger would have. Natasha and I had been friends since we were pups. She'd stood by me through Elena's death, through the dark months that followed. She'd never asked for anything except my trust.
And I'd just grabbed her by the throat.
"Tash—"
"I don't think there would be anything else, Alpha?" Her voice was professionally cold.
"No."
She turned to leave, then paused at the door. "For what it's worth, I hope you know what you're doing. The pack needs a strong Luna, not another ghost to mourn."
The door closed with a soft click that felt like thunder.
I leaned against my desk, running my hands through my hair. My wolf whined in my mind, upset at hurting one of our own.
I looked at the photo frame on my desk, the only one I'd kept in my office. Elena on our wedding day, radiant in white, her smile bright enough to power the sun. She'd been everything good in my world. Losing her and our unborn child had nearly destroyed me.
"I'm not replacing you," I whispered to the photo. "I could never replace you."
Natasha did not understand, bringing Elena into this. What I intend to have with Aria would be nothing close to what I had with Elena. She was my mate. My wife, destined and chosen for me.
She was perfect for me. I have not met any other woman as good as she is and I cannot see any woman the way I see her, not Aria or any other.
Me being with Aria was strictly a strategic move. Natasha would not understand that. But later when she's calm I'd explain to her. She might be upset at the moment.
But I trust she'd understand what I wanted to do. I know she's trying to look out for me, but where Elena is concerned is what I will not appreciate being tempered with, a conversation I cannot allow nor tolerate.
Natasha should have known that by now. Even if I wanted to change my mind about having anything to do with any other woman, it definitely wouldn't be with a pregnant rejected mate of another alpha.
A woman I would want to make Luna of my pack would have to be better than that. That woman had been Elena. She was everything I wanted and needed. She completed me. My beautiful and gorgeous wife.
"Gosh..." I muttered under my breath, unable to contain the burst of emotions I felt within.