The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 184

Laila’s POV

I was totally stunned and didn’t know what to say. My heart pounded, begging for me to accept Jason’s words, but my mind was more guarded.

I didn’t know how to feel about what he was saying Torn in two directions, I could only stand there, staring at him, my hand pressed to his chest. His heart thundered under my pahu. Was I responsible for this increase in his heart rate? From his words and the way he was looking at me, the answer must have been yes.

Eventually, Jason released by hand, and I lowered it down to my side. Yet, even away from him, I continued to feel him, his warmth and his strength, like a phantom touch.

“I won’t push you for anything. You don’t even have to admit anything to me,” Jason said. “I just hope you think about things. And… please. Please. Call me if you decide to investigate this mystery any farther, Please don’t go talking to any suspected murderers on your own anymore, alright?”

That seemed like a sound idea, so I nodded. “Thank you, Jason. For last night and… for this.”

“Thank me by keeping yourself safe,” he replied. “And contacting me the moment you think you aren’t. If you are going to be in a secluded area, or out after dark, I’m only a phone call away. But stay aware of your surroundings as well. You never know who could be there, even during the day.”

“I’ll be careful,” I said.

With everything that happened, I still felt emotionally off–center. The entire night before was weighing on me, from the attempted attack, to Jason’s rescue, to his holding me all night, and now, to this…

I was still nervous by everything, still unsure, but somehow, knowing Jason was on my side helped make me feel stronger, more capable. Less afraid.

“But I’m not going to give up,” I told him. I owed it to Vanessa to look into the potential murder of her parents, especially if her own family was involved. But I also worried for Hannan and Jessica, who were still forced to interact with that family.

Hannah and Jessica were at risk, and I had to protect them, both for Vanessa’s sake and because I wanted to. Over the years, I had bonded with these girls. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to them, whether that brought danger onto me or not.

“When I first started to investigate, I wasn’t sure if there was any truth to the story or not. Even the evidence I found originally didn’t necessarily point to the murder having actually happened. But, the fact that someone came after me now only proves that I had been getting close to the truth. My parents… they deserved better. If Aunt Adelaide did this, I can’t let her get away with it.”

Jason’s eyes softened, his gaze warm. “I admire that.” Then he sighed. “But please, just don’t do it on your own.

“I won’t,” I said. “I think I learned my lesson. Next time, I will call you first.”

“Thank you,” he said, looking relieved.

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On the counter, Jason’s phone began to ring. He seemed to purposefully ignore it, glancing the total opposite direction. He let it ring, buzzing against the countertop.

“Should you get that?” I asked him.

“No,” he quickly replied.

“What if it’s important?”

“It isn’t.”

The phone stopped ringing, but then, a ten seconds later, it started again.

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“Jason.”

13

“It’s nothing, Vanessa.

Not believing him, I leaned over and saw Brittany’s name on the screen.

“She won’t be happy with you ignoring her,” I said.

“Nothing would make her happy,” Jason replied.

Brittany, I’d always thought, had only wanted to be Luna. Yet, she was now and still didn’t seem to be happy. Though, given what happened between Jason and me, with him staying the night, holding me, perhaps she had reason to be furious.

“You should answer,” I said.

“No. She wants something from me that I can’t give her.”

“Then why did you marry her?”

He looked at me then, and beyond the walls he held up, there was a vulnerability, a regret, and a sadness in his eyes.

“I did it for the pack. For what I thought the pack needed,” Jason said. “But… the more I’ve tried to live with that, the more I realized how big of a mistake that was. I don’t love Brittany. I’d thought I didn’t need that. That I could just live for the pack.”

“But now?”

He looked at me, like he could see straight through me down to my soul. “I don’t know if I can do that anymore.”

Eventually, the phone stopped ringing. We had breakfast, then discussed plans for the day.

“I need to go to work, and then I’ll go to the hospital. I’ll stay the night there, so there won’t be any need for a repeat of last night,” I said.

Jason nodded along.

“I can drive you where you need to go?”

He had arrived in such haste last night, shifting rather than driving, that I knew he didn’t have his car. That would make things inconvenient for him today, especially if he had run all the way back to his pack house in yesterday’s clothes.

“No,” he said. “I’m not going to make any more trouble for you.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

But he didn’t reply.

Jason offered to clean up the dishes while I gathered an overnight bag for the hospital. When we had both finished, we met by the door.

It was time to say goodbye.

Both of us hesitated.

Something seemed to have shifted between us last night, and when we left the walls of this house, I wasn’t sure it would last. It seemed like such a fragile change, something precarious and endangered. Would it survive distance, once we returned to our regular lives?

Here, Jason could say things like he didn’t love Brittany, and he regretted bonding with her. But… I wasn’t sure I could trust that. Would he change his mind when he saw her again?

He’d hurt me too many times before for me to fully trust him now.

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