Chapter 13: Broken Promises

Jason's POV

My hands were still shaking when I stood in the dark hallway. Downstairs my parents whispered in terrified, breathless tones about everything that had happened. But staring at the locked bedroom door, the fear faded into a hollow, sickening realization of what I'd done.

I didn't sleep. Not after Devlin's face. Not after the way she asked about Chloe.

Instead I sat alone in my study,with an untouched glass of whiskey in front of me. For the first time in years, the room felt too quiet. I kept hearing her voice. Whose child is it? And my answer. It's mine. There was no taking those words back. No excuse that could make them less cruel.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. And somehow, despite everything that had happened, my mind didn't take me to Chloe. It took me back to Devlin.

Four years earlier.

I was twenty-four the first time I saw her, at a Council gathering hosted by Red Moon trade agreements, the usual. I was near the entrance, half listening to an elder complain about border patrols, when I saw her standing beside an older woman, listening closely to something about pack supplies.

Then she laughed.I still remember that laugh. Warm. Unrestrained. Completely out of place in a room full of people pretending to be important. I turned toward her, and everything inside me stopped. My wolf surged forward so violently I nearly stumbled. Mate. One word. One instinct. Absolute certainty.

I'd never believed in love at first sight — attraction, desire, compatibility, sure. But this wasn't any of that. The moment I looked at her, something inside me recognized her. My mate.

I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her skin was deep, rich, beautifully dark, unlike anyone else's in our territory. She carried herself with a confidence that made people notice her without asking for it. Powerfully beautiful. The kind of woman who could walk into a room and make every man forget what he'd been saying.

I walked over. She looked at me. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"Probably," I said.

"That's a confident answer."

"I've been told I'm confident."

"By yourself?"

A small laugh escaped my lips. That was the first time Devlin made me laugh. She didn't know who I was, or maybe she did and just didn't care. Either way, I liked her immediately.

We talked for nearly an hour that evening. Then another hour the next day. Then another. She was sharp enough to dismantle a grown elder's argument and still find a second to insult my  choice of cufflinks without raising her voice. I loved everything about her.

When I finally told her she was my mate, she didn't faint or throw herself into my arms. She just stared at me, then said, "That's unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?"

"You look like trouble."

" I'm the Alpha of Red Moon."

"Exactly."

Then I knew that marrying her would never be boring.

My parents hated it. Not because Devlin was cruel or incapable, but because she had no wolf. An embarrassment, a risk to the bloodline, they called it. I told them I didn't care, that she was my mate, that I'd rather give up the Alpha title than give her up. I meant it.

I remember the night I proposed. We stood under the moon behind the old pack house, her hair loose, my hands around hers. "Devlin."

She looked at me.

"I want you."

Her eyes narrowed. "That sounds suspiciously like a proposal without the actual proposal."

I smiled. "Marry me."

She stared at me, then laughed. "You really are terrible at romance."

"You said you wanted honesty."

"I did."

"So?"

She looked at me for a long moment. Then she smiled. "Yes."

I pulled her into my arms and buried my face against her neck. Her scent drove my wolf insane. And I remember whispering the words that now feel like a punishment. "I will never reject you. I don't care what anyone says. You are my Luna."

I meant it. Moon Goddess help me, I meant it.

So what changed? I wish I could say there was one moment, one person who poisoned everything. But it happened slowly.

My parents started with questions. Who would inherit Red Moon? What if Devlin never got her wolf, never gave me an heir? Then the Council joined in. Then the elders. Then other Alphas, until every meeting, every ceremony, became another reminder, and I started seeing what my family wanted me to see. Not the woman I loved. The problem they claimed she was.

My wolf hated it. Every question I let sit instead of tearing apart the second it formed, he clawed at my chest like he was trying to fix it himself. I ignored him too. That was my first failure. Not the doubt, but silencing the one part of me that never doubted her.

Then Chloe came back. My parents welcomed her, the Council liked her, she had a wolf, a respected bloodline. I told myself I didn't care, but I started spending more time around her. Meetings, pack matters, nothing at first. Then the conversations got longer. Private. And eventually I crossed a line I could never uncross.

I betrayed Devlin.

There's no other word for it. I could blame the pressure, my parents, the Council, Chloe. But when the door closed, nobody forced me. I did it. Me.

And every day after, I got colder toward Devlin, because looking at her reminded me of the man I'd once promised to be. It was easier to punish her than face myself. So I did. I withdrew. I became cruel. I criticized everything. I made her feel unwanted. And when I saw the hurt in her eyes, I hated myself for it, so I got even colder.

Cowardice dressed up as anger. That's all it ever was.

Then came Chloe's pregnancy.

When she told me, something in me changed. Not joy. Fear. My parents started talking about the future heir, bloodline, succession, and what would happen to Devlin. They already had a plan: Chloe would give birth, the child would be recognized as mine, and Devlin would be removed before she could interfere.

I listened. I didn't stop them.

I told myself I was protecting the pack, that the child needed certainty, that Devlin deserved a fresh start. I couldn't look at my own reflection while I said any of it. I stood at the window instead of the mirror, because some part of me already knew I was lying.

The truth was I was too weak to stand against my own family. My wolf went quiet around then. Not calm. Quiet like a room right before something breaks.

Then last night happened. Devlin heard everything. And when she looked at me, I knew something between us had finally died. Not because I'd stopped loving her, but because I had finally given her enough reasons to stop loving me.

I opened my eyes. The whiskey was still untouched, the sky starting to lighten outside. Normally Devlin would already be awake, organizing her day, handling problems that should have been mine. For four years she'd carried responsibilities I barely noticed.

She had returned sometime during the night. I hadn't seen her come in. And now I didn't even know where she was.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in."

Lance stepped inside, looking tired. "Alpha. Devlin hasn't come downstairs."

Something tightened in my chest. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know."

Of course she wasn't. I'd made sure of that.

"The Council will want to know what happens next," Lance said.

I laughed, bitter. "Of course they will."

"Jason."

He waited. For a second I considered telling him everything. That I regretted it, that I still loved her, that I had no idea how to fix what I'd destroyed. What would be the point?

I'd spent years expecting Devlin to stay beside me no matter how badly I treated her. Maybe that was the greatest arrogance of all.

I stood. "I need to see her."

Lance frowned. "Do you think that's wise?"

"No." I walked toward the door. "But I'm going anyway."

I found her that morning, leaving the house, handbag on her shoulder, expression calm, too calm. Her dark skin caught the morning light, and for a second I saw the woman I'd fallen in love with. The one who'd laughed at me. The one who'd believed my promises.

She saw me and our eyes met. Something inside me broke.

My wolf surged toward her the way he had that very first night, four years ago, that same pull, mate, mate, mate — like none of it had happened, like he still expected her to come to us. I had to plant my feet to keep from moving. She wasn't his to reach for anymore. I'd made sure of that too.

"Devlin."

She stopped. She didn't come closer. Didn't even look at me.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Where?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "Do I need your permission?"

"No." The answer came too fast.

 I swallowed. "I just want to know."

"You've spent four years knowing everything about me." Her voice was calm while she stepped closer. "But somehow, you never thought I deserved the truth."

I had no answer.

She walked past me. I turned. "Devlin."

She stopped again. I wanted to say everything. I'm sorry, I love you, I was wrong, please don't leave. But none of it could undo what I'd done. So I said the only thing I could. "Be careful."

She looked over her shoulder. There was no warmth left in her eyes. "I've learned to be."

Then she walked away.

I stood there watching her disappear through the doors, and for the first time I understood something I should have understood years ago. A mate could love you,forgive you,and stand beside you through humiliation, rejection, and cruelty. But there was a limit. And I had finally reached hers.

I closed my eyes. The memory of my promise came back. I will never reject you. I had broken it. And somehow, I knew the punishment wouldn't be losing her all at once. It would be watching her become everything I once believed she could never be.

Without me.