The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 159

I had too.

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When I arrived at Ava’s room, my girl was fast asleep. Riley was there, and gestured for me to step with her out into the hallway. First, I went to my daughter and kissed her on the cheek. Then, I went out to talk to Riley.

I followed her to the waiting room, where we grabbed coffees and then found a comfortable, quiet corner, in the plush chairs. Here, we were out of earshot of everyone else.

“I heard what happened,” Riley said. “About Alpha Jason saying your name. It’s all over the news.”

I hung my head a little. I had expected this, and it made sense. A slip like that, from an Alpha no less, was newsworthy.

That didn’t mean I was happy to be in the headlines again.

“It must have been a shock for you,” she said. “I gasped just reading the article, but to be there…”

“Yeah…” I said.

She considered me. “Are you okay?”

It was something I wished William had asked me. Something I wished anyone in the moment had considered.

This was why Riley was my best friend. To her, my well–being was a priority. Being quietly supported like this brought tears to my eyes, but I blinked them back. I wasn’t ready to break down yet. Once I started crying, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.

“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “I never would have thought… Why was he even thinking of me? He should have only been thinking of Brittany.”

“What he should have done and what actually happened are two different things.”

“I was supposed to go there to see him bond with someone else, Brittany was the one who sent the invitation, not him. She wanted me to see the ceremony so I’d back off of Jason, William changed his tune then too, also wanting me to move on. Maybe they were right. But then…”

“He said your name.”

“He said Vanessa Harper. Not Laila.”

“What do you mean?” Riley asked. “You are both Laila and Vanessa….”

For anyone else, I would never be able to admit the truth. Not even to myself, if I had been alone. But Riley was my best friend,

Riley w and she would never judge me. She would never shame me.

“I…don’t know. It’s complicated,” I admitted. “I was a little happy when he said my name at their ceremony. Then I realized it wasn’t my real name. It was Vanessa… William might be right. Jason could have said my name because he has developed feelings for me as Vanessa…”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Riley asked. “If you care for him, I mean.”

I closed my eyes, took a moment to collect myself, then I started again. “Jason doesn’t know that I’m Laila. He claims to have loved Laila. He was supposed to be marrying Brittany. And now he has feelings for me as Vanessa? But really, what has he done but hurt all three? What if this is the kind of person he is? Jumping from one woman to another all the time.”

“So you are jealous of yourself…” Riley said. She leaned forward and placed her hand on my forearm. “If he’s a playboy, and if he’s making you feel this way, maybe he just isn’t worth it.” 1

“I wish I never cared about him in the first place….” I murmured lowly.

Riley pulled me into a hug.

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