The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 259

Jason’s POV

“I’m not sure this is a good idea, Marcus said. “Your public approval rate is drastically low. The members of the pack are still furious at you for not being there during Brittany’s miscarriage.”

“It wasn’t a real miscarriage,” he said.

“We know that, but they don’t,” Marcus said. He followed me down the hallway as I walked toward the chamber that held the elder council. I fully intended to present my case to them. Today. As soon as possible. “If you cut off ties with Brittany now, when she’s not even here, it will only make you look worse.”

“I understand your concern,” I told my faithful Beta. “But the sooner I can stop Brittany from holding the Luna title, the sooner I can give it to someone else.”

Not just someone. Laila. She needed proof of my devotion to her? And my trustworthiness? Let this be it.

Then maybe she would accept the title instead.

Laila’s POV

For the next few days, while Ava was being prepped for surgery, I spent most of my time on the phone trying to connect with old contacts. But, since these people knew me as Vanessa Harper, they had trouble accepting the new me. The real one.

I couldn’t fault them for their feelings of betrayal. Most of them didn’t take my calls. The few that did, wouldn’t hear me out. They just wanted an excuse to give me a piece of their mind instead. Only a couple told me it wasn’t personal. They even still liked me, but this identity issue had placed a black mark on my reputation that they couldn’t risk going near.

Only one offered to meet with me to talk in person. Though where we met was not on Main Street, but a quiet diner in the suburbs where we wouldn’t run into a lot of people from the same circles.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” I told her, an older woman named Cynthia who had worked with me the longest. Her contract had been very fruitful.

“Mostly, I just wanted to see if you would show up,” Cynthia said. “I can’t imagine things have been easy on you.”

I braced myself.

“Don’t misunderstand,” she said. “I like that you came. It shows passion. And honestly, I knew from the start you weren’t the real Vanessa Harper.”

I blinked, surprised. “You did?”

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“I worked with her closer than probably anyone else. I never said anything to her, but I could tell she was getting sicker. When she disappeared for a while, I was worried. When she didn’t come back, but you did, I kind of filled in the blanks. I didn’t have a lot of hope for you, to be honest, but I figured she must have seen something to give you her name.” She shrugged. “I was pleasantly surprised.”

“Thank you,” I said, lowering my head. “I tried to keep this secret for so long… I had no idea anyone actually knew.”

“None of us are really friends here,” Cynthia said. “It’s always been about business first. But… I can see you are on hard times.

“I want to try to rebuild,” I said.

13

“That’s going to take time. And capital. I know you have talent, but starting from scratch would take a long time for you. I have a proposition.”

“You do?”

“Come and work for me. You’ll have to stay on the reception desk for a while, until the heat dies down. People will see it as a

+30 Bonus

charitable hire. It won’t look badly on either of us. Then, after a few tnonths, when people stop caring, we’ll bring up you into the fold, and you and I can make those deals we used to without the middle man involved. How does that sound?”

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