Chapter Seven

~Jay~

The ballroom was filled with laughter, clinking glasses, and the low rhyme of music. Yet, despite the golden chandeliers and the glimmering crowd, none of it reached me. None of it mattered. My world had narrowed, had contracted, had shrunk into the sight of her…. Didi.

And yet, there she was, hand-in-hand with them. The trio. The Supreme Alphas. Luca. Luke. Leo. My heart thumped erratically in my chest, a rhythm I didn’t recognize, didn’t want to recognize nor do I know the reason I cared at all but I couldn’t ignore. My plan had been simple, elegant even. Reject the bond…walk away. No complications or chaos.

Easy or so I had thought. She was never attractive to me or had I any interest in her before but the truth now? Seeing her there, laughing softly, her eyes lighting up even as they hovered between all three of them, it shattered the simplicity. It lit a fire deep within me that I didn’t know existed.

And for the first time, I understood why some bonds could not be denied. Not fully, not when the pull was so insistent it roared in your chest like a beast clawing for release.

I gritted my teeth, pacing the balcony overlooking the ballroom. My wolf fumed beneath my skin, restless, impatient, frustrated. It growled at the crowd, at the music, at the shimmering lights….at everything except me. Except her, why?! Why do you? I suddenly took notice of her…. of the beauty that I've never noticed before.

Linda’s presence beside me barely registered at first, I had clearly forgotten all about her. She had that smile, the one she used to calm me, to convince me to follow plans I had no heart for but tonight, it grated on my nerves. She stepped closer, fingers brushing mine lightly, and my wolf snarled like a wounded animal.

“Jay,” she said softly, almost too softly. “You said it yourself. You were going to reject it. Didn’t you?”

I didn’t answer immediately. My jaw clenched. My eyes didn’t leave the spectacle below her laughter, the way she tilted her head to Luca, the way Luke’s hand grazed her cheek, the heat Leo exuded just by standing near her. It should have angered me, it should have been enough to push me away… but it wasn’t.

“I will" I answered, not bothering you to give her any more details then this but of course, Linda wasn't the one we'll leave on the edge.

"Then do it, I don't see why you should bother over her. “She is just a fat dummy and very soon everyone is going to find out and dump her just like she deserves."

“I said I would,” I replied finally, voice low, sharp, strained. “But I'll decide when” Linda frowned, confused, but I didn’t care. My attention was averted from her to Didi…. again. The way the golden light kissed her hair, the subtle curve of her neck, the fire in her eyes as she argued and stood in defiance even as the trio encircled her like she was a flame and they were moths desperate to be consumed.

I shouldn't have felt anything I was going to reject the bond. So there was nothing to worry about but instead I was feeling this deep pure, sharp, clawing jealousy. It was far worse than I ever felt and accompanying that was Desire ... .need and a maddening pull I couldn’t resist.

My wolf shifted, brushing against me, growling, impatient. She is yours, claim her. Claim her ! I took a deep breath, trying to reason with the impossible. This was insane, I was supposed to reject her, ignore the bond, walk away unscathed. And yet… my body, my heart, my soul, all screamed that she was not just mine, but undeniable…. Irresistible. My mate.

I should have turned away. I should have left the ballroom, returned to Linda, and kept my hands to myself. And yet, the moment my eyes traced Didi’s every move, my chest tightened, my stomach coiled like fire, and a raw, unquenchable need surged through me.

Linda’s voice broke through my haze again, softer this time, almost pleading. “Jay… think. You said it yourself. You can reject it. Don’t… don't you dare have any crazy ideas in your head, you promised and you have to stand on your promise Jay.” She reached out and placed both hands

I whipped my head toward her, heat flaring. My eyes burned with frustration, desire, and something dark I hadn’t anticipated. “Don’t talk to me about what I said,” I hissed. “I said I could reject it. I didn’t say I wanted to. And right now… watching her… seeing her with them… I can’t.”

Her mouth opened to argue, to plead, but I didn’t let her. I stepped closer, feeling the heat in my veins, feeling the wolf inside me clawing for her scent, for the bond, for the connection that refused to be denied.

“And don’t,” I said harshly, tone sharp enough to silence even the music in my ears, “think for a second that I can turn back now. Because I can’t. Not after seeing her. Not after this. I… want her. All of her. Every part of her. And if you think I’m going to fight it, you’re wrong.”

Linda flinched, the hand she had been about to reach out with falling to her side. Her eyes were wide, a mixture of fear, disbelief, and hurt. But I didn’t care. My wolf’s growl thrummed through my chest. Go to her and claim her…now!

I turned abruptly, moving toward the side door, toward the courtyard, toward the chaos that had become my life. My pulse was deafening, my every nerve ignited with desire and terror. Every step carried the weight of inevitability.

She didn’t know yet, she didn’t understand the fire burning between us, the bond that had awakened silently beneath my skin, beneath my thoughts, beneath the careful plans I had made. And yet, I could feel the pull that was irresistible.

The closer I got to the courtyard, the more intense it became. The moonlight hit her skin as she stood there, encircled by the trio, and my chest tightened. She looked up as if she felt me before she saw me. Her eyes widened, a spark of recognition, confusion, and fear flickering across her face.