“I’m not ready to like someone, and I can’t imagine Jackson sees me that way. He’s probably just sympathetic towards me because he feels sorry for me and I’m so useless.”
“No, that is 100% bullshit,” Sofia sighs, her voice heavy with frustration. Her words hit with unexpected weight, her voice fierce with something like anger—but somehow I know it's not directed at me exactly, but at the way I talk about myself. It’s clear that she is not one to back down easily, and that how I see myself is something she is passionate about changing.
I’ve never had anyone in my corner like this.
“Sorry, butno, that is definitely not it. Em, you are gorgeous and kind and courageous and literally any guy would be lucky to have you! Plus, your head might be saying you’re not ready, but your body hasn’t gotten the message because it’s obvious how turned on you are when you thinkabout him.”
She taps the side of her nose and I groan in embarrassment as I hang my head in my hands. Stupid shifters and their ability to always know what everyone is thinking. It’s so unfair that female shifters can’t hide the scent of their arousal while males can.
“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m nowhere close to even considering having a relationship with someone after everything with Aidan.”
“I get that,” Sofia says in a much softer tone. “I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve been through, but Jack is the complete opposite of Aidan in relationships.”
My stomach drops when I imagine Jackson being in a relationship. Which issostupid. He’s got to be at least in his late twenties. Of course he’s had relationships. I shouldn’t care. But I do.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s... protective. Overly so, sometimes. But never in a controlling way. He’s a good guy.”
"Is he in a relationship now?" I ask, unable to stop myself no matter how much I'm terrified of the answer.
“No, he hasn’t been in a relationship since he thought he met his fated mate shortly after he turned twenty-one.”
“What?” My heart jumps into my throat. “Hemethis fated mate? Where is she?”
The disappointment slams into me before I can stop it, and a dreadful emptiness grips my stomach. I don’t even know what I want with Jackson—but the idea that he’s already bonded to someone else? It hollows me out.
“She’s not around anymore,” Sofia says with a shake of her head. I blink at her, confused. That’s not how mate bonds work. It’s why I had to get away from Aidan before we knew it for sure.
“There was something off about her. Ryan and Luca didn’t like her at all and tried to get Jack to take things slow, but he was convinced fate couldn’t be wrong, so he begged Ryan to let him bring her back after meeting her at a mating ball. This was back when my dad was Alpha, and he didn’t have an issue with her joining the pack.”
I listen, heart pounding, already knowing this story isn’t going to end well.
“I was pretty young at the time so I’m not aware of all the details but they never marked each other and as soon as they got back here, she started acting weird and basically, long story short, she was working with a group of wolves and they had a witch who couldfakethe mate bond.”
I gasp. My hand flies to my chest. That’s... unthinkable. The mate bond issacred. It’s the only reason I believe Aidan was so interested in me. A big part of me is holding onto hope that he was wrong, and my real mate is out there. Not that I could take any chances, of course. Still, to imagine that someone would use magic to fake it is inconceivable to me.
“I know,” Sofia says, reading my expression. “And it kind of made sense because they had nothing in common. She was such a princess obsessed with how she looked—nothing like what anyone expected of Jack’s mate. But it gets worse.”
“How can it be worse than a fake mate bond? How did he find out?”
“She distracted him from patrol and convinced him to give the warriors the night off so they could be alone in one of the outposts. She had coordinated to let her group into the pack lands. It was awful. A lot of people got hurt, some died—including people that really mattered to Jack.”
A sick feeling twists in my stomach.
“He’s never forgiven himself. That’s why he trains everyone now. Why he takes extra patrols. He wants to make sure no one is ever that vulnerable again.”
“That’s so horrible. Everything makes a lot more sense now,” I whisper, finally understanding his mood swings. Unshed tears blur my vision and an ache builds in my chest at how much Jackson has been carrying. No wonder he’s so guarded. No wonder he was both suspicious and protective of me when we met. Part of him obviously doesn’t trust me, but the other part doesn’t want me at risk as a defenseless omega.
And here I am trying to convince myself that maybe he could have feelings for me when he’s just being decent. Good. Of course, it was about something else.
“Yeah, it was. And it’s part of the reason I believe you would be perfect for him.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. This is the very reason he wouldn’t be interested at all. I stare at Sofia, waiting for her to explain her logic.
“Well,” Sofia says with a sigh. “You’ve both been hurt by people you should’ve been able to trust. You both had mates who weren’treal. That matters. Aidan used you. She used him. But Jack? Jack wouldneverlay a finger on you. Not unless you wanted him to,” she adds with a wink and a wiggling eyebrow.
My face burns. I’m grateful for the moment of levity, but my mind is spinning.
