Second Chance for the Barren Luna (Talia and Jason) novel Chapter 14

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Talia’s POV

I was grateful Solon had arrived when he did. Della was seconds away from lunging at Jason. Her claws were already drawn, her wolf bristling with fury. I reached over and placed a hand on her arm. “It’s not worth it,” I murmured.

Jason looked stunned, still locked on Solon like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Viki’s eyes were wide with panic, clearly realizing she had walked straight into a disaster of her own making. She opened her mouth to speak, but Jason raised a hand, silencing her.

“Prince Solon, I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Jason said, trying to sound diplomatic.

“Really? I think I understand quite well what is going on,” Solon stated. “Your pack member insulted Talia, called her a thief.”

“Viki didn’t mean to offend Talia. Apologize to Talia,” Jason said.

“What? No, she…”

“Apologize, now!”

“I’m sorry Talia,” Viki spat.

I covered my face to keep from laughing at the pitiful expression that Viki had. She really was behaving like a spoiled toddler.

“Don’t let this happen again,” Solon warned. “Let’s go inside Talia.“.

Solon pulled back his Alpha aura and Jason was finally able to stand up. “Wait. I’d like a moment with Talia alone.”

Solon’s eye twitched and he said, “That won’t happen.”

I stepped from behind Solon and gripped his arm reassuringly. “It’s fine, Solon,” I said calmly. “Let him speak.”

Solon hesitated but stepped back with a warning glance at Jason. “You only get two minutes.”

I walked with Jason a few paces toward the courtyard edge, making sure Della and Solon were still within view. Jason looked at me like he didn’t recognize who I was. His body was tense with restrained fury.

Jason looked at me as if he didn’t know who I was. His body was tense with barely contained rage.

“You knew the Prince?” he snapped. “How long has that been going on?”

“It’s none of your business,” I replied.

Through gritted teeth, he growled, “Don’t play games with me, Talia. Who is he to you? Is that who you ran to?”

I balked at Jason’s accusation. Was he serious? From the anger in his eyes, I realized that Jason really believed I was in a relationship with Solon. He was acting like he didn’t know me. Not once did I ever cheat on him and if he did, he would have felt it. His failure to see the truth was disgusting and disappointing.

“You have Viki. Go be with her,” I snapped and turned around.

His eyes flashed as he stopped me again. “You humiliated me, rejected me in front of the entire pack and then, you showed up here with him. It hasn’t been even a full day yet and you already have my replacement. Were you cheating while I was away?”

“Do you even hear yourself Jason? You sound insane,” I said. “The only person cheating in our failed relationship was you.”

“Don’t twist this again…”

“You marked her, Jason. You don’t have to mark a woman for her to have your pup!” I snapped.

“I don’t understand why you can’t get this through your head. I did this for the pack,” Jason snapped.

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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“NO! You can lie to yourself, but you know, you did it for yourself,” I yelled back.

His voice dropped down to a snarl. “You couldn’t even give me an heir. What did you expect me to do?”

“Alright, this conversation is over,” I said and began walking away from Jason. I wasn’t going to continue to let him belittle me.

Jason grabbed my wrist and snatched me toward him. “You don’t walk away when I am talking to you.”

“No,” Solon said flatly, grabbing Jason’s hand and prying it off my wrist. He walked Jason a few feet away from me before releasing him. “If you come near Talia again, I’ll have you thrown out.”

Jason stiffened.

“Do you understand, Alpha Jason?” Solon growled. His Alpha aura slammed back into Jason, forcing him to bare his neck to Solon in submission.

“Yes sir,” Jason said through gritted teeth.

Solon turned his back on him and walked to my side. I followed Solon without another word. Jason remained frozen for a moment, then let out a frustrated breath and turned to Viki. She was already playing the wounded damsel again, muttering about how humiliated she felt. He escorted her away, but not before glancing back at me once.

Solon waited until they were out of sight before turning to me. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I said, exhaling. “Della was about to dismember him. That was the real danger.”

Solon cracked a faint smile. “I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble. Let’s get back to the party.”

Inside the ballroom, music had begun to play. The atmosphere here was lighter than what I had just experienced. Wolves gathered and chatted over wine and appetizers. My father stepped onto the stage. Immediately, everyone quieted and focused on him.

“Tonight,” he said, voice echoing through the great hall, “we celebrate the return of my daughter: Princess Talia.”

The ballroom erupted in cheers and claps. Solon led me onto the stage to stand next to our father.

“Now 23, from this day forward, she will join the governance of the realm beside her brother, Prince Solon. Join me in welcoming back our Princess,” my father concluded.

The crowd erupted in cheers. The spotlight shone on Solon and me. Even though I was happy to be acknowledged in this way, I felt uneasy. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention anymore.

Sensing my unease, Solon leaned over to whisper, “You’ll get used to it again, sister. No pressure.”

I glanced toward the exit. Jason was gone. I felt a little sad that I didn’t get to see the look of confusion on his face after finding out that he betrayed the princess.

I stepped off the stage and mingled. Some Alpha heirs congratulated me while others attempted to get me to agree to dinner dates. Before I could get overwhelmed by the attention, Della reappeared at my side, pulling me away.

“Talia, you need to check this.” Della stiffened, shoving her phone into my hand.