Chapter 5

Emilia POV

“Mate.”

The word left our lips together, and for a moment my heart almost exploded. I could barely breathe; the joy was so strong.

Goddess finally—after all this time, after these years of praying—the Moon Goddess answered me and gave him to me—Jason.

However, my excitement didn’t last because when I looked at Jason again, I noticed his countenance seemed to have changed, and not to the cool, warm, and bright look I was expecting; instead, it was to something dark, cruel, and unreadable.

“Jas, is everything alri—” I couldn't help but ask, what's with him and the sudden downcast mood?

“F**king unbelievable.” He growled suddenly, the sound sharp and brutal, tearing through me and almost wrecking my bones. “You? My mate? This has to be a mistake.”

I froze.

For a moment I felt the world tilt around me, and it was like I'd suddenly developed a hearing problem.

Wait, did I just hear that right? Did Jason just say my being his mate was a mistake?

I looked at him again, still not ready to believe it.

“Jason, what do you mean? Being your mate is a mistake?” My voice shook slightly as I asked, “Aren’t you happy? You’re my best friend. Why would you—”

“Happy?” His laugh was cold and cruel. “Are you fucking kidding me, Emilia?”

I stiffened, my face turned pale in shock.

“I already have Amanda Emilia; she’s the love of my life. I don’t need a mate—especially not someone like you.”

The words cut so deep and hard, I never saw it coming.

“Someone like me?” I whispered, almost choking, still not believing what the hell was going on. Why was Jason saying things like this to me?

I wondered, but then he looked at me with nothing but disgust, and for a moment it was hard to believe this was the same sweet Jason I'd fallen in love with.

“Don’t you get it, Emilia? You’re weak. An Omega with a sick wolf who can barely wake up. You’re not worthy of me.” He snapped his voice sharp and harsh, drawing attention to us, and almost immediately people began whispering.

"Oh my, did I just hear that right?"

“Did he say she’s sick, Omega?”

“Goddess… Prince Jason must have been cursed to be mated to her."

“This is bad.”

As expected, tongues began lashing as everyone now stared at me, some with eyes filled with pity, while others with disgust.

But it wasn't the weight of their stare that really pressed down on me; it was the words that Jason said because it was true, and it was supposed to be my biggest secret.

True, I was really a weak, sick Omega. And that was because I was cursed, yes, cursed to die the day I tried to shift. So it happened that my mother broke the law of the werewolves by mating with a human, my father, without carrying out a certain ritual meant for average werewolves. For royals it was a choice, but for Omegas like her it was necessary, and hell, the result was me. As if having a wolf who was weak and sick wasn’t enough, I was also fated to die if I ever tried to shift.

It was my biggest secret, and when we first came into this pack, no one knew except me and my mother. Omegas were always looked down on wherever we went, so imagine people finding out I was sick, so we decided to keep it hidden.

But when I became friends with Jason, I told him because he was my best friend. For years we had been together, and he never made it feel like a big deal. Until now. As if rejecting me wasn’t enough, he had to throw my secret out in the open?

This bastard. I can’t believe I’ve been crushing on him for years now.

“Jason,” I called, my voice rising, eyes burning with tears. “Are you for real right now? Or are you just pretending not to notice?”

“Notice what?” he snapped.

“The way I look at you!” I shouted. “For years, Jason! For years I’ve crushed on you, stayed by your side, and played the role of your best friend—while all I wanted was for you to look at me the way you look at other girls or for the Moon Goddess to give you to me, and now she has, and this is what you're doing?” I screamed as more tears streamed down my cheeks, hot and endless.

But then Jason’s expression didn't shift one bit; if anything, it turned colder. "Honestly, I had no idea you had feelings for me, Emilia." His voice was rough and coated with something akin to disgust and disbelief.

"But dreaming that I’d ever be your mate? That’s just pathetic.”

My breath broke even more as his words crushed whatever trust I had left for him inside me.

“You monster!” I couldn't help the scream that ripped out from my throat. “To think I even gave myself to you when you were drunk...I can't believe this.”

Gasps of disbelief filled the air immediately as I dropped the bombshell, but I didn't care. Meanwhile, Jason’s expression twisted in shock as he gaped at me.

“What the hell are you talking about, Emilia? When did that happen?”

My lips trembled slightly with what I wanted to say, but I couldn't hide it anymore; what's the point anyway?

"Honestly, I didn’t plan for you to find out this way," I said, my voice breaking as more tears streamed down my face. "But that day, you called to say you were returning and we should meet up at the cottage, and I went. You were drunk when I got there, and I tried to help you, but instead you pulled me to yourself, calling me by a name—Chicago. Of course I tried to push you off at first, but you wouldn’t let me. And because of the love I had for you, I gave in… I gave you myself. I gave you my virginity, Jason. And this is how you pay me?" I screamed out the last part, my chest aching so badly I could hardly breathe.

His face remained frozen, but his eyes widened. “Goddess… Emilia, what the hell are you saying? I wasn’t even home that night. I told you I was coming, yes, but I never made it back. What do you mean you slept with me?” He said, and I felt the ground sway beneath at his blunt denial, but still I tried hard to steady myself, especially my voice.

"Don't do this, Jason. I get it, you were drunk, but that’s no reason to do this."

“No.” His voice remained sharp and certain. “I swear to the god I wasn't there... Wait…” His brows suddenly pulled together as he realized, but before he could voice it.

“Jason?” A voice suddenly slithered into the gathering, cool and unfamiliar.

We both turned at once, and goddess, the sight—no, I scratch that—the person I saw nearly made my knees give out.

It was the exact copy of Jason, but not only that, the things I had seen in him, which I believe were the changes Jason had made on himself, were on him instead: the structure of the body, the eyes, the height, and the tattoos.

Christ!

I felt the world spin around me, and for a brief second I thought I was hallucinating.

“Jason, they are two of you?” I whispered, my voice coming out small because I couldn't believe it was this some sick prank?

"Fucking Goddess Emilia" Jason's lips curled in disgust as he faced me again; his eyes burned into mine.

"I knew you were dumb for wasting your life wishing I'd be your mate. But this? Sleeping with my twin brother, thinking it was me?”

The crowd erupted in whispers and shocked laughter around me, adding more to my misery, and at that instant I felt my world collapsing.

“No!” I protested, tears blurring my vision. “I didn’t know Jason...You never told me you had a twin!” I cried, pulling at my hair in disbelief.

I didn't want to believe this. Someone tell me this isn't happening.

“Wow, is that your excuse?” Jason's tone was cold as ice, his words further ripping me apart. “So now what? Do I have to introduce you to every family member before you learn to keep your legs shut? Great. You just gave me the perfect reason to reject you.”

The words shattered me completely, and for some reason it felt as if the whole world was crashing down on me at that instant.

 Somewhere along the line I caught the twin's gaze, and seeing how his lips curled into a slow smirk while his eyes watched me with something that told me he knew made me realize how bad I had messed up my life.

Goddess, why me...

My body swayed to the side, and when I couldn't keep up anymore, I gave in to the weakness that was tugging at me. I collapsed to the floor, and the last thing I saw before my eyes went completely shut was the twin still watching me with that signatory smirk plastered on his face....