chapter 3: Jason's promise

Jason's pov

I knew trouble had found me the moment I saw the girl in the forest.

Not because she was hurt.

Not because she was alone.

But because she carried a name that could destroy everything I had left.

I stood by the window of my study now, staring at the same forest where I had pulled her from the cold ground.

Aria Moon.

The name tasted like fire in my mouth.

My hands curled slowly into fists. I tried to breathe, to stay calm, but the storm inside me refused to settle. I could still see her lying there—weak, shaking, barely conscious. At first, she looked like just another runaway.

But the second she whispered her name… my whole world cracked open.

The daughter of Alpha Kian Moon.

The man who took everything from me—my home, my peace, and my family.

My brother Liam never made it back after the Silver Claw attack five years ago. We were captured together. We suffered together. And I watched him slowly fade away under the weight of fear, hunger, and pain. I could never forget his quiet voice saying, “Jason… don’t give up,” even when he could barely breathe.

And now his enemy’s daughter was sleeping under my roof.

I turned away from the window and poured myself a glass of water. My reflection in the glass looked like a stranger—tired eyes, tight jaw, face carved with old wounds no one could see.

I was Alpha. I wasn’t supposed to break.

But tonight, my hands trembled.

A knock came at the door.

“Come in,” I said.

Draven stepped inside—my Beta, my closest friend. He had sharp eyes, a deep scar across his cheek, and a voice that never hid the truth.

“She’s awake,” he said quietly. “And she’s asking for you.”

I didn’t look at him right away. I stared into the fire burning beside me, watching the flames dance like ghosts.

Draven stepped closer. “Jason… you’re sure it’s her?”

“Yes.”

He let out a low breath. “Then what are we doing? She’s the daughter of our worst enemy. You should’ve let the patrols handle her.”

I shook my head slowly. “I don’t leave a dying girl in the woods. I’m not him.”

Draven’s jaw tightened. “That girl brings danger. If anyone finds out she’s here—”

“They won’t,” I said sharply.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re keeping her?”

“For now.”

“As a prisoner?”

I didn’t answer.

Because I didn’t even know what I wanted from her.

Maybe answers.

Maybe revenge.

Maybe the truth I’d been running from for years.

Or maybe… something I didn’t want to name yet.

Draven watched me, searching my face. “Be careful, Jason. The past has sharp teeth.”

When he left, silence filled the room again.

I reached for my phone. There were only two people I could talk to—my brothers, Ivar and Alaric. The only family I had left.

I called Ivar first.

He answered at once. “Jason? What happened?”

“I found someone.”

“Who?”

“Aria Moon.”

The line went dead quiet.

Then—“Wait. That Aria Moon? The enemy’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

He cursed under his breath. “You’re sure? Her father—”

“I know.”

“He took our parents. He took Liam. And now his daughter is in your house?”

I closed my eyes. “I found her half-dead. I couldn’t leave her.”

“So what now?” he demanded. “You’re helping her? Protecting her? Jason, that girl is nothing but trouble.”

Before I could answer, Alaric’s voice joined the call—soft but serious.

“Aria Moon? I thought she died after being banished.”

“She’s alive,” I said. “Barely.”

Silence again.

Then Ivar said, “Jason… don’t tell me you feel anything for her.”

I opened my mouth—but no words came out.

Because the truth was still too dangerous to admit.

Ivar continued, “Jason, you’re letting your heart confuse you. That girl’s bloodline is cursed. She’ll ruin everything.”

I rubbed my forehead. “I just want to hear her side.”

Alaric spoke quietly. “Ivar… wait. What if the Moon Goddess is doing something? What if she’s his—”

“Don’t,” Ivar snapped.

But I froze.

Because I knew what Alaric was about to say.

“What if she’s his mate?” Alaric whispered.

My breath disappeared.

My wolf rose inside me like a storm, pressing against my skin, stirring in a way he hadn’t moved for months.

No.

No.

No.

The moment I touched her in the forest… something had happened.

A pull.

A spark.

A heat under my skin I couldn’t explain.

But it couldn’t be.

It shouldn’t be.

“She can’t be,” I said aloud, but my voice shook.

My wolf growled a single word in my head.

Mate.

I lurched to my feet, heart racing. The chair scraped loudly across the floor.

“This is a mistake,” I whispered. “The Goddess wouldn’t do this to me.”

Would she?

I didn’t hear my brothers calling my name through the phone anymore. Their voices faded, like echoes far away.

Because at that moment, I felt something.

A soft knock at the door.

I turned slowly.

The door opened.

And there she stood—Aria Moon—pale, trembling, wrapped in my jacket like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

“Alpha Jason,” she whispered. “I… I think something’s wrong with me.”

Her eyes shimmered with a faint silver glow.

And in my head, my wolf roared with a truth that shattered everything:

Mate.