Chapter 5

Alpha Jackson froze for a second, his eyes flickering with something unreadable.

He hadn’t expected me to say that.

The imprint of my slap was still visible on his face, a stark red against his otherwise flawless skin.

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and careful.

"I don’t dislike you."

I let out a sharp laugh. don’t dislike? That was the best he could come up with?

But Jackson wasn’t done.

"Nicole, if I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t be reacting like this."

He hesitated, his brows drawing together as he carefully chose his next words.

"Just for slandering Yvonne, I would have taken you back to the police station again"

That hit harder than I wanted to admit.

I felt my stomach drop.

As expected, Yvonne had struck first again.

I swallowed, my voice quieter this time.

"If I told you she’s lying and that I’m the real victim, who would you believe?"

Would you… believe me?

I didn’t even need to ask. His answer was written all over his face.

He didn’t.

If I hadn’t lived through it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it either. The entire situation was absurd.

Yvonne had always been obsessed with Alpha Jackson.

And that day… that ridiculous, chaotic day… she made her move.

I had just gotten off work, eager to return home and pretend my life wasn’t falling apart. My wolf had been restless all day, pacing in my mind, agitated but unsure why.

Then, I heard her.

"Nicole!"

I turned, and there she was—Yvonne Harper.

The smug little she-wolf stood behind me, arms crossed, a self-satisfied smirk playing at her lips.

"Give him up."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Alpha Jackson. Give him up."

I nearly laughed. How does one even ‘give up’ a mate?

Instead, I rolled my eyes.

"That’s impossible. If you’re capable, go ahead and take him. I won’t stop you."

Yvonne hesitated, her expression flickering. I didn’t care.

I turned on my heel and kept walking.

That was my first mistake.

Moments later, two piercing screams split the air.

One belonged to Yvonne.

The other… was an elderly woman.

My wolf jerked inside me, and I spun around.

The old woman lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath her head. Her cane was sprawled beside her, snapped in half.

Yvonne stood just behind her, wide-eyed, her hands trembling as if she were the victim here.

Before I could even process what had happened, she pointed a shaking finger at me.

"Nicole?! What are you doing?!"

Her voice quivered, small and fragile, like a frightened fawn.

The growing crowd turned to stare at me.

"She was walking just fine! Why did you push her?"

I stared at her, stunned.

She wasn’t serious, was she?

"Do you even realize… this is attempted murder?!"

The murmurs around us erupted into full-blown accusations.

"That girl pushed her!"

"She looks guilty!"

"Someone call the police!"

I felt the walls closing in. My wolf growled inside me, furious at the false accusation.

"I didn’t touch her!" I snapped, stepping forward.

That was my second mistake.

The moment I moved, the crowd recoiled like I was some kind of monster.

And Yvonne…

That witch flinched dramatically, stumbling back like she was about to faint.

I could see it in her eyes—the triumph.

She had planned this.

And like a fool, I had walked right into it.

The police car arrived quickly, sirens wailing through the streets like a howling pack.

Neither Yvonne nor I admitted to harming the elderly woman, but that didn’t matter. Suspicion was enough.

We were both hauled off to the station.

Yvonne, of course, looked completely at ease—lounging in the back seat like this was some casual outing rather than a detainment. She even had the nerve to check her nails, her expression bored.

Meanwhile, my wolf paced anxiously inside me, bristling at the injustice.

"Stay calm," I told myself. "They’ll see the truth."

Except… the truth didn’t matter when people had already chosen sides.

As soon as we arrived, I requested to make a phone call to Alpha Jackson.

Busy signal.

I tried again.

Nothing.

One more time.

Still nothing.

Across the room, Yvonne watched me struggle, and when my third attempt failed, she chuckled.

"Something wrong, Nicole?" she asked, tilting her head with faux concern.

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I watched as she picked up the receiver for her phone call, pressed a single button, and—

"Daddy? Yeah, it’s me. No, nothing serious. Just a little misunderstanding."

Her voice dripped with amusement.

Then, her call to Alpha Jackson and being connected.

Alpha Jackson remained silent for a long moment, his gaze dark and unreadable—until Yvonne’s violent coughing from the bedroom shattered the tense quiet. Her wails for him followed soon after, growing louder, more desperate.

Finally, he moved.

Without sparing me another glance, he strode toward the bedroom.

That was my cue to leave.

I took one last look at the place we had once shared—our home, our memories, now reduced to nothing but hollow walls—then quietly closed the door behind me.

The entire ride, my phone buzzed non-stop with calls and messages from Alpha Jackson.

my phone buzzed again.

A new number.

I didn’t need to check. I already knew who it was.

After four years, I knew Alpha Jackson too well.

Tired of the endless calls, I finally picked up.

The moment the line connected, his voice crashed through like a storm.

“Nicole! Where are you?”

“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?!”

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?!”

Gone was his usual cold, composed tone.

Now, he sounded desperate. Unhinged.

Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling and said the words I should have said long ago.

"Jackson, we’re done."

Silence.

Then—

“…No. No, we’re not.”

His voice wavered, like he couldn’t believe I had actually said it.

"Nicole, you promised you’d always stay by my side."

"I love you. I’ve always loved you."

“No, you don’t,” I murmured, shaking my head.

I knew what love felt like.

And whatever this was—this obsession, this control—wasn’t it.

"Nicole…" His voice cracked. "Why do you keep denying my feelings for you?"

"Tell me where you are. Let me come to you, please."

"I, Nicole, rejected you, Jackson, as my mate." I said evenly, standing up. "Let’s just leave it at this."

“…Nicole, wait—”

I hung up.