The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 22

I'd told myself it was grief. That time would heal him. That eventually, he'd see what had always been true—that we were fated. That he belonged to me. I had hoped that he was finally moving in that direction, but then…

Vanessa Harper appeared.

And Jason… changed. Not completely, but enough. His eyes followed her. His voice softened when he spoke to her. He cared when she spoke.

And the way he looked at her? It was the way he used to look at Laila.

It made my wolf bristle with rage.

"Ms. Harper," I said smoothly, letting the door click shut behind me. "I was hoping we could have a private chat."

She straightened, chin tilting in that annoyingly confident way successful women always seemed to manage. "Brittany. I was just leaving."

"Oh, I think you have a few minutes." I stepped closer, letting the faint pressure of my wolf come forward. "We need to discuss your business relationship with my fiancé."

"My business relationship is exactly that. Business," she said coolly. "I don't see how it concerns you."

"Everything concerning Jason concerns me." My smile sharpened. "I'm his fated mate. His fiancée. We're planning our wedding."

A flicker of something. Anger? Pain? Whatever it was passed through her eyes before her expression smoothed back into neutrality.

"Congratulations," she said flatly. "I'm sure you'll be very happy together."

"Oh, we will. Which is why I wanted to make sure there were no… misunderstandings."

Her voice remained maddeningly calm. "What kind of misunderstandings?"

"The kind where temporary business partners mistake professional interest for something more personal." I took another step closer, enough to let my presence press against her like invisible weight. "I've seen how Jason looks at you, Vanessa. But I want you to understand something very clearly."

I leaned in, close enough that she could smell my perfume, close enough that she could feel the heat of my wolf beneath my skin.

"Jason is mine. He always has been. Whatever games you think you're playing, whatever mysterious allure you think you have—it ends now."

"You know what I think?" she said softly. "I think you're scared. Jason's interest in working with me threatens you. And this conversation says more about your relationship with him than it does about mine."

And then she walked off, leaving me standing in the echo of her words, my nails digging into my palms, fury clawing at my throat.

She thought she could walk into Jason's world and unsettle me. She thought she could make me doubt what was mine.

She was wrong.

Jason was mine. The Luna position was mine. The future I'd planned was mine.

And if Vanessa Harper thought she could change that, she was about to learn that not every battle was worth fighting.

Some women had too much to lose.

And I was prepared to make sure she did.