Chapter 7: Jay Refused to Let Go

“Mels…,” Jay began, but he spoke low and warningly, and I intervened before he said anything more.

“Jay, we will not be good for each other,” I insisted firmly, forcing my words past my fear.

His jaw clenched, his muscles ticking, and his dark eyes narrowed, knotting my stomach. But I forced myself onward, refusing to turn back. A sense of desperation clawed at my throat.

“If you don’t want to cancel the engagement party, we can at least postpone it. Just for a month….”

“No.

His words cut through the air—cold, definitive, unshaken.

My pulse raced erratically. “Or even a week!” My voice trembled, and I maintained it against my will. A postponement would not be a bad thing. Samantha would be arriving soon, as she always had, and it would provide us with a reason for an easy termination.

But Jay didn’t move. Didn’t soften. Didn’t even blink.

“I won't do that,” he growled.

He pushed back his chair and, with a swift movement, pulled it closer so that he was seated directly in front of me. His presence overwhelmed me as if he were a wall against which I couldn’t push. His eyes were stuck on me.

“You’ve prepared for this, Melody. I won’t let you back out now just because you’re scared.”

Before I could do anything—to even breathe, for that matter—he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my face. It was much, much too intimate a contact.

“Afraid?” I whispered.

“Yes.” His eyes met mine with an unnerving conviction. “I don’t know what you’re afraid of, but I see it every time you look at me.”

His hand rose, his fingers clutching my chin gently but firmly, turning my head so I had no option but to look at him. My heart pounded within my chest.

‘Melody, I know I didn’t accept it at first, but I am sure about it now,” Jay said quietly. ‘You are the perfect Luna for me and for our pack. I know you’re scared, Mels. Scared about what Mother said, about you not being able to lead and about you not being suitable enough to be our Luna.’

My breath caught.

“But she’s wrong,” he went on, his voice soft yet unswerving. “With me at your side, you would be a perfect Luna. Not just for me, but for anyone. I believe in you, Mels. Even if you don’t believe in yourself yet.”

I hardened.

It wasn't reassuring; it was choking.

“I know you’re spoiled with Alpha Andrew,” Jay continued. “I know it’s tough to step up into this role. There are a lot of responsibilities. But if there’s anyone who can pull it off, it’s you.”

A bitter taste entered my mouth.

“I don’t want to do it,” I confessed. My words were shaking with unguarded truth. It had not been my intention.

Jay took a slow breath, and his eyes clouded. “May I hold your hands as you have mine all these years? "

He reached out and took my hands in his—warm, steady, and firm. His palms clasped mine, and a shiver ran down my spine. His touch, while reassuring, didn’t comfort me. I felt uneasy.

“This was not the Jay I once knew.”

I remembered my past—my clingy and stupid ways, my longing for him with all my might. He was so distant, so aloof, so closed-off. Yet I still managed to hold on. I hugged him, sat next to him, and leaned my head on his shoulder. It bothered him, yet he reached out for me too, but he had never once looked at me with lust. He had never once looked at me with longing.

But now.

But now, there was something more in them. Something possessory. Something is wrong.

I slowly pulled my hands back. He paused, holding on for half a beat before releasing my hands.

His eyes flickered—pained, angry, confused? It was impossible to

“You’re pulling away from me,” he murmured.

I couldn't look at his eyes.

He let out a deep breath and sighed. Frustration seeped into his voice. “Why are you suddenly creating a distance among all of us? There’s no reason for—”

His words trailed off.

Something snapped inside of him.

His expression underwent an abrupt change—darkening and tensing, with his entire body becoming rigid. His voice took on a low and ominous tone.

“Are you in love with someone else? "

It absolutely stunned me.

Love?

I barely had time to breathe. I had been so busy fighting against the fate that I once suffered, so busy surviving, so busy escaping from him.

But maybe. Maybe this was the excuse I needed.

“Yes.

The lie slipped out, hard and pointed.

“Jay froze.”

His eyes bored into mine, burning with intensity and incredulity. But I maintained a blank and expressionless facade.

“You… with who? "His voice broke, and a growl lurked around the corners. But then he shook his head. “No. It doesn’t matter.”

A bitter laugh burst from him. "I know your feelings for me, Melody. I know you wouldn’t fall in love with someone so soon."

“I'm going home with you,” he repeated. My

“We have our event in six days. We even invited Alpha King.”

My chest hurt so much because my heart

Of course he knew about my feelings. I had never been subtle. I had been hiding, for so very long, behind my father’s influence, using it—for pathetic gain—to hold on to Jay. I had thought it was love. But it never was. Jay never felt it, but he never pushed me aside either.

He employed them. Subtly. Effectively Jay leaned in, his voice dropping into a black whisper that sent shivers down my spine. “You promised me, Mels. And I have no intention of letting you go.” His eyes were aglow—with an emotion I couldn’t put my finger on. Possessiveness. Obsession. Something dark. Something sinister. It made a chilly shiver run down my spine.