Chapter 103
Jackson's POV
Someone used her phone.
My mind started racing, pieces of a puzzle clicking together with horrifying clarity. The precision of the trap. The ice house designed to force a choice: let her die, or transform completely.
And the text that led me straight there, sent from her phone.
Only one person knew all of this. Only one person had been pushing me for years to stop hiding. Only one person had the resources, the knowledge, and the motive to orchestrate something this elaborate.
Miles.
The name exploded in my mind like a grenade.
We moved back to the car—I couldn't risk staying by the fire with my rage building like this. The flames had been comforting for Ellie, warming her frozen body, but now that she was stable, I needed the enclosed space. Needed to think. Needed to plan.
I'd helped her into the back seat where there was more room for the blankets, then climbed in beside her instead of taking the driver's seat. Close enough to monitor her condition. Close enough to feel the mate bond humming between us, reassuring me she was alive, she was safe, she was mine.
But my hands still gripped my knees so tight my knuckles had gone white. Ellie was wrapped in every piece of clothing I could find—my jacket, two emergency blankets, even the spare hoodie from my gym bag. The color had returned to her cheeks, her breathing steady, but she still trembled slightly.
"He used our mate as bait!" Orion's roar shook through my consciousness. "Kill him! Tear his throat out!"
"Not yet." I forced the words through clenched teeth, my eyes flashing gold in the rearview mirror. "I need to confirm."
My phone lit up. A text from Miles.
Come home, nephew. We need to talk.
A bitter laugh escaped me. He wasn't even hiding it.
"Jackson?" Ellie's hand touched my arm, and even through layers of fabric, I felt the mate bond hum between us. "What's wrong? You look... furious."
I turned to face her, trying to force the gold from my eyes. "I know who did this."
She straightened, some of the fog clearing from her expression. "Who?"
"My uncle. Miles Wilson."
Confusion flickered across her face, then horror. "But... why? Why would he hurt me to get to you?"
The truth sat heavy on my tongue. "He didn't want to hurt you. He wanted to see me transform. Fully. Completely." I paused, my voice dropping. "To prove I'm not what I've been pretending to be."
"Pretending to be what?"
I met her eyes, guilt and determination warring in my chest. "A weak, half-awakened werewolf. But tonight... I showed him the truth."
Ellie leaned forward slightly, her expression shifting from shocked to determined. "Jackson, I need to know more. What does this mean? Why would your uncle—"
"You don't need to know all of it." The words came out harsher than I intended, protective instinct overriding everything else. I softened my tone. "I'm going to deal with Miles. I'll make sure nothing like this ever happens again. You don't have to worry about—"
"That's not why I'm asking." Her hand found mine, squeezing firmly. "I'm not asking because I'm scared for myself, Jackson. I'm asking because I want to understand you. Your world. Your life." Her amber eyes held mine steadily. "If we're mates—if this bond between us is real—then I want to know everything. Not to protect myself, but because... because you matter to me. All of you. Including the parts you've been hiding."
The sincerity in her voice made my chest tighten. She wasn't pushing out of fear or self-preservation. She was pushing because she cared. Because she wanted to truly know me, even the complicated, dangerous parts.
"Ellie..." I started, then stopped, unsure how to explain years of secrecy and family politics in a way that wouldn't overwhelm her. Not tonight. Not after everything she'd been through.
But she deserved the truth. At least what I knew of it.
"There's a lot about my family I don't understand myself," I admitted, my thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand. "But I'll tell you what I do know. Miles—my uncle—he's always regretted that I didn't have a strong wolf. Or at least, that's what he thought." I paused, anger simmering beneath my words. "He believed I couldn't claim the position that should have been my father's. The position that, by rights, should be mine."
"The Alpha position," Ellie said quietly.
I nodded. "He's been obsessed with it for years. Watching me, waiting, hoping I'd somehow become strong enough to challenge for it." My jaw clenched. "But what he did tonight—putting you in that trap, almost killing you—"
The rage surged again, hot and violent. My hands started shaking, and I felt my eyes flash gold. Orion roared in my mind, demanding blood, demanding justice for our mate's suffering.
"Jackson." Ellie's hand cupped my face, her touch gentle but grounding. "Breathe."
I forced myself to take a deep breath, then another, until the gold faded from my vision.
"What's he usually like?" she asked softly. "Your uncle. When he's not... doing this."
The question surprised me. I'd expected her to be angry, to demand I cut Miles out of my life completely. Instead, she was trying to understand.
"He's... he's actually been good to me," I admitted reluctantly. "After my parents died, he took me in. Raised me. Made sure I had everything I needed." I shook my head. "He was never cruel. Never neglectful. Just... this one thing. This obsession with pack leadership. It consumes him."
Ellie was quiet for a moment, processing. Then she said something that stunned me.
"Maybe you shouldn't be too angry with him."
"What?" I stared at her, incredulous. "Ellie, he almost killed you."
"But that wasn't his goal, was it?" She spoke carefully, thoughtfully. "His goal was to force you to transform. To prove you were strong." She paused. "I'm not saying what he did was right—it was terrible, and terrifying, and completely unacceptable. But... if you hadn't transformed, if you hadn't been able to save me..." She met my eyes. "Do you really think he would have just let me die? Or would he have had some backup plan?"
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it. Because the truth was, I didn't know. Miles had orchestrated everything so precisely—the timing, the location, the trap itself. Had he really been gambling with Ellie's life? Or had he been gambling on me, confident I would reveal my true strength?
"I don't know," I finally admitted. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he had contingencies." The anger didn't disappear, but it shifted slightly, making room for confusion. "But that doesn't make what he did okay."
"No, it doesn't," Ellie agreed. "But it might mean he's not a monster. Just... desperate. And desperate people do terrible things, even when they don't mean real harm."
I looked at her—really looked at her—and felt something settle in my chest. After everything she'd been through tonight, she was still trying to see the good in people. Still trying to understand rather than condemn.
"How are you so..." I struggled for the word. "So kind? After what he put you through?"
She smiled, a bit sad. "Because I know what it's like to have people I love make bad decisions. To hurt me without meaning to." Her eyes flickered, and I knew she was thinking of Lucas. "And because hating him won't change what happened. Understanding him might help prevent it from happening again."
The mate bond pulsed warm between us, and I realized with stunning clarity that this was why she was meant to be mine. Not just because of bloodlines or supernatural destiny, but because she made me better. Calmer. More thoughtful.
Less like the angry, violent Alpha I was afraid of becoming.
"You're amazing," I whispered. "You know that?"
She blushed, ducking her head. "I'm just trying to make sense of tonight."
"Well, you're doing a better job than I am." I pulled her closer, tucking her against my side. "But Ellie? Even if Miles had a backup plan, even if he didn't truly want you dead... I'm still going to make sure he knows this can never happen again."
"I know." She nestled into my shoulder. "Just... try not to kill him?"
Despite everything, I found myself smiling. "I'll try."