The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Laila’s POV

I’d taken to sleeping in the chair at Ava’s bedside, so when I blinked my eyes open to the sound of her gentle heart beat on the monitor, and with a creak in my neck, it wasn’t anything new. All of my bones and muscles were stiff, so I stretched as much as I could. In that time, Ava woke up.

“Morning, Mommy…”

“Morning, Angel,” I said. “How are you feeling today?”

“‘m okay,” she said and rubbed her eyes. “Sleepy.”

“It’s still early,” I told her. “You can get some more sleep.”

“I might…” Her eyelids were already closing.

I waited until her breathing evened out, then quietly stepped out of the room to seek out some coffee.

My own eyelids were heavy, and I shuffled along, feeling like I was half–asleep. Even though sleeping in the chair had become a routine for me, my body still didn’t like it. My mind was foggy, and I kind of wanted to just slump in the corner and take a nap.

Coffee. If I could just make it to the coffee pot, I’d feel alive again and less like a zombie.

Finally I reached the nurses‘ station, where a fresh pot was brewing. It wasn’t ready yet though. I had to wait. I groaned.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Lifting it, I saw a bunch of messages from Riley. At least twenty.

Before I could open them, I heard someone calling.

“Vanessa!” William rushed toward me.

I checked the time. It was still early, so there was time before work. Typically though, William started earlier. When he came to visit Ava, he usually didn’t do so until after he was done for the day.

He looked troubled. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Just waiting for the coffee.”

His question was a bit strange. Ava had been on the mend, what was there to not be okay about?

William’s mouth was a hard line. As he watched me, a muscle ticked at his jawline.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

“Yes,” William said.

I waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, I prompted, “What is it?”

He paused a moment more, then told me, “Brittany’s pregnant.”

I froze. I must have misheard. “…what?”

“Brittany, the new Luna, Alpha Jason’s mate. She’s pregnant.”

I had heard him correctly. There was no mistaking it when he said it that way, laying everything out so clearly.

Hurt came in a flash, stabbing in at me. It was bad enough that Jason had said my name during the ceremony, but to have done

so while his own fiancé was pregnant was even worse! He truly was a vile playboy, jumping all around to different women. Bad enough to play with our hearts. But with Brittany pregnant! How could he do such a thing?

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How had I ever allowed myself to have feelings for this man, who could do such a thing to a woman who was carrying his child?

Though… hadn’t he cast me out when I was pregnant? Hadn’t he done worse to me?

Maybe this behavior wasn’t so shocking after all. This just reinforced my belief that Jason was a snake who wasn’t worthy of any woman’s heart – especially mine.

Especially when I had Ava to take care of now, too. We came in a pair now, and I had a responsibility to protect her heart as much

as my own.

“This is probably why they pushed up the ceremony,” William said. “My guess is they found out she was pregnant first and wanted to make things official before telling the public.”

That was logical. But it hurt.

That likely meant that Brittany had been pregnant when I had slept with Jason. Maybe he had even known about it then, too.

My stomach twisted into a tight knot. I felt like I might be sick.

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Chapter 166

“You have to stay away from him,” William said.

“I know,” I said.

“Cancel the contracts.”

“No,” I replied quickly. “I can’t just cancel things, they make too much profit. And that success brings in a lot of other clientele.” Softer, I admitted, “I need the money.”

“I can give you the money you need.”

“No.”

“When we are married

“William.”

“I’m serious,” he said. “This is the perfect opportunity to get married. I can support you, and if Jason is truly out of the picture for you, then you have no reason not to continue to refuse me.”

In a way, he might have been right, but it didn’t sit well with me. I had squash my feelings for Jason, but that didn’t mean I was just going to jump into the next relationship – or Gods, marriage – that came alone.

“You are pushing too quickly,” I said. “I need time –”

“I can take care of you and Ava. If you would just trust me –

“”

“It’s not about trust.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m just not ready,” I said.

He sighed. “You are never ready.”

“You come here, delivering this news, worried about me, knowing I would be shocked to hear it,” I said. “Now you are surprised that I need time to process things?”

He paused, then looked away. “I’m sorry. I just… I want to marry you. I’m trying to understand your hesitation, but it’s not easy. It doesn’t make sense to me.” 2

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