AIDEN'S POV
I left my chambers with the intention of checking on Jasmine—not that I'd ever admit it aloud. I told myself it was just to make sure she had everything she needed. That she was settling in. That she didn't storm out the moment the sun rose.
But that wasn't the truth.
The truth was... I needed to see her.
I needed her presence. Her fire. Her chaos.
I reached her hallway—but her scent had already bled out into the corridor. Warm and infuriatingly intoxicating—like jasmine flowers after rain and something sharper I hadn't figured out yet.
Something that stirred my wolf until he prowled restlessly just under my skin.
She wasn't in her room. Her scent lingered through the corridor like breadcrumbs left just for me. My jaw tensed as I followed the faint trail down the stairs. Her scent was fresher the lower I went.
Then I heard it.
Two voices.
One was hers—sharp, amused, electric with that barely restrained heat I'd already come to crave.
The other?
Familiar.
Honeyed, false and forced.
My wolf growled.
What the fuck is she doing here?
"Elena," I muttered, already descending the rest of the staircase in a blur. I didn't need to see her yet. I already knew what was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
Sure enough, the moment I reached the landing, I saw them.
Jasmine stood confidently with her arms crossed and chin lifted, looking like a queen mid-execution.
A few feet away, Elena was tense, practically vibrating with jealousy as she watched Jasmine. Her narrowed eyes showed just how much she was affected by the situation.
My hands curled into fists.
She had no business being here. No reason to show her face. I had told her—warned her—not to set foot in my house again.
"Elena!"
She froze.
Jasmine turned slowly to look at me. But her gaze wasn't the one that made my skin crawl.
It was Elena's.
She turned, eyes softening like she hadn't just been seconds away from a full-blown scene. "Aiden," she said, smoothing a hand over her blonde hair. "I didn't know you were—"
"Don't," I cut in, stepping between them.
Elena flinched slightly, caught off guard by the steel in my tone.
"What are you doing here?" I asked tightly.
She blinked like the question offended her. "I came to see you. I thought maybe with everything going on—"
"You thought wrong," I snapped. "This is my house, Elena. Not the Packhouse. You don't get to show up here without a fucking invitation."
Her eyes widened at my tone, then narrowed as they slid toward Jasmine. "I just wanted to talk. Privately."
"You talked enough," I growled.
My hand came up gently behind me, brushing against Jasmine's back. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "You shouldn't have been dragged into this."
Jasmine said nothing. She didn't need to.
She'd already handled Elena better than most trained Alphas ever could.
But still, this was my mess. One I should've ended a long time ago.
"Elena," I barked. "My study. Now."
She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but I didn't wait.
I turned and strode down the hallway, expecting her to follow.
And, of course, she did.
—
The moment the door shut behind us, I rounded on her. "What the hell were you thinking?" I growled.
Elena crossed her arms, not even flinching. "I was thinking maybe I should remind you who you are. Who we are."
"There is no we," I said coldly. "There never was."
She laughed, but it was bitter. "You're the Alpha of the Silver Frost Pack. I'm your father's Beta daughter. We were raised for this. You know that. Our families—"
"Are irrelevant," I cut in. "You were raised to expect this, Elena. I never promised it."
"You didn't have to," she hissed. "Everyone knew. We grew up together. You were supposed to choose me."
"I didn't," I said simply. "And I won't."
Her hands clenched at her sides. "You think that little human girl—"
"Mate." The word came out before I could stop it. "That little human girl, as you call her… is my mate."
She went still.
Dead still.
Her lips parted, but her breath caught in her throat. "You're lying."
I stared at her, jaw tight. "I wish I were."
Her face crumbled for a fraction of a second, just long enough for me to see the hurt before she masked it with anger.
"That's not possible," she whispered. "She's human."
"I know," I snapped. "And the moon goddess doesn't give a damn."
Silence.
She stared at me, eyes flickering. "Does she know?"
I didn't answer.
Because that answer would come in time.
Right now?
My only priority was making sure Elena never came near Jasmine again.
"She is my wife," I said coldly. "And she is under my protection. Which means she is under the Pack's protection."
Her nostrils flared.
"Come near her again," I said, stepping closer, lowering my voice to a deadly growl, "and I will not care that you were born of Beta's blood. You will be treated like a threat to the Alpha's mate."
Her hands trembled. "You'd cast me out? For her?"
"I would cast out the world for her."
She gasped.
Her eyes shimmered—whether with rage or unshed tears, I didn't care.
I turned away and opened the door. "You know the way out."
Elena stood still for a moment longer, gathering what was left of her pride, then walked towards the door, pausing just as she passed me. "This isn't over. Tell me. What do you think will happen, Aiden," she said, almost gently, "when she finds out what you are?"
I didn't respond.
She turned, lips curling. "Definitely not human. And not just a wolf. Not just an Alpha. But cursed."
Her gaze held mine like a final challenge. "Let's see how long she stays once she learns the truth."
I didn't flinch.
Didn't move.
But my wolf bared its teeth.
"Leave," I said.
And this time, she did.