The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 85

Jason’s POV

Maybe when Laila shifted into Vanessa, I should have pulled away from her. Instead, felt as comfortable holding her as I had Laila. I even leaned in for another kiss, not thinking a thing wrong about it.

It felt so natural, so perfect, like they weren’t two separate people but one interchangeable person.

This kiss was soft, her lips falling open as I licked across them with my tongue. She curled her fingers around my shoulder, holding on tightly while we both kissed each other like our lives depended on it.

I hummed into her mouth and she sighed contentedly. As we broke the kiss for air, she had become Laila again. With a blink, she was back to Vanessa. She constantly shifted after that, back and forth, Laila and Vanessa, and I, in my dream haze, stared and smiled like nothing was wrong.

“I miss you,” I told Laila.

“I’m here,” Vanessa replied.

Oh, how I wished that was true.

I kissed her again, then pressed her back down onto a mattress I only now realized was there. Her fingers combed through my hair. I traced my hand up her side, moving to cup her more intimately.

I woke up before I could reach her breast, my hand holding the pillow instead. It was far from what I wanted, and disappointment soured inside of my chest.

It lasted for only a few seconds before realization hit me like a bucket of ice water to the face.

And then the guilt settled in.

What had I been thinking? What had I been doing?

That it had been a dream was no excuse.

Vanessa was not Laila. Laila was not Vanessa.

That I continued to connect them to each other, even in the depths of deep sleep, was no excuse.

I slapped myself across the face in my shame, guilt heavy.

“What the hell are you thinking?” I snapped at myself.

Γ

I hated myself for allowing myself to continue the comparison, even though I had definite scientific proof that Vanessa and Laila were two different people.

It had to be that foolish hope of mine again, still living and thriving secretly deep inside of me. I had tried to search it all out, to quash it, but it was secretive, evading me until my weakest moments when it would flutter forward just to hurt me.

Laila was gone. She was dead, and she wasn’t coming back.

Vanessa was her own person. She was here, and she was engaged to William.

I had to move on from this.

I had to let Laila go, or I would live in the past for the rest of my life.

But knowing I had to, and actually doing this were two very different things. My mind was ready to close the chapter of that part of my life, but my heart held on, wishing and praying, even in secret.

I loved Laila, and I regretted what I had done.

Choperat

+25 Bonus

If she was still alive…

If I had another chance to fix things…

“She’s dead,” I said aloud to myself to help make it more real. “She’s dead and she’s not coming back. Let this go.”

The verbal command worked for now, my hope dimming. The guilt, however, remained.

When I saw Vanessa again, I might have to apologize, even if I couldn’t explain why.

I pushed a hand through my hair and cursed myself.

I was a fool, fumbling forward, but I had to keep trying to leave all this behind.

Laila was my past. A new future was out there waiting for me…

At least, I really wished I believed that.

Laila’s POV

William picked me up around noon for us to share our lunch breaks together. We did this sometimes, to help feel like there was a break from the grind of work. In the past, it had been a nice friendly meal with lighthearted discussion.

Today, I felt a bit nervous, constantly torn between the worry of leading William on and the concern that I was being noticeably

distant.

I was no closer to making my mind up about him, my feelings still a jumble. But I didn’t want him to notice the difference while I tried to untangle the web inside my heart.

Towards the end of the meal, William said, “Your birthday is coming up.”

“You know I don’t like to celebrate,” I said. My true birthday felt like a relic from a different life. I could understand it as a time to reflect on the year previous, and I had many accomplishments to my name to be proud of. Even so, I didn’t want to think about the day itself, or remember the moments of birthdays long gone, when I had been myself. 1

When I had been too skinny and frail.

And naïve.

Back then, Jason had me totally fooled that he was in love with me. I should have known better, but I was too young. My heart

had been too pure.

I had learned heartache in that time. My heart had built up callouses after being so bullied and bruised.

That was not something I wanted to reflect on or celebrate.

୮

“I wasn’t thinking we would do anything big,” William said. “I just want to share a simply meal with a nice desert as usual. No singing. No candles.”

“No gifts,” I said.

“No gifts,” he repeated, though seemed more upset about that than the other things he listed. He had already done more than enough for me. He didn’t need to buy me things on top of it. “Would that be alright?”

“Yes,” I said.

He grinned wide, like I had just agreed to give him the moon. “Wonderful. You won’t be sorry. I’ll show you a great time.”

“I know,” I assured him.

His grin grew wider, adding teeth. “You make me so happy,” he said. “You know I love to spoil you.”

703

Chapter 5

+25 Bonus

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify