Chapter 124
KASMINE.
I didn’t want to be down here.
God, I really didn’t..
Every fiber in me screamed to stay tucked away in the safety of my room, buried under the warmth of silence and solitude. But I threw that choice away the moment I glanced at my phone and saw his name lighting up my screen again.
Jaden.
I’d been ignoring his calls for days–pressing decline like a reflex, almost like breathing. He must’ve finally gotten the message because he stopped calling and started texting instead.
Persistent bastard.
And maybe whatever deity decided to touch him with a bit of remorse didn’t quite finish the job – because despite the fact that he was trying to apologize for how our first date went, he still had that sprinkle of arrogance like a perfume he refused to wash off..
It was… irritating.
And oddly entertaining
But it was a good distraction reading his texts – a stupid, oddly timed, mildly amusing distraction in a world where everything else felt like it was rotting around me – because they made me laugh, even though his texts weren’t the kind that made a girl’s heart flutter or brought beat to her cheeks.
More like that dry, unimpressed laugh you let slip when someone’s trying too hard and failing spectacularly.
Jaden:
> “Okay, I might’ve been a bit of an ass. Maybe just a teaspoon. Definitely not a cup.”
“If we go out again, I promise not to interrogate you like you’re applying to be my next suitor.”
> “P.S. I wore something decent tonight. No cape. No crown. I promise. See you at dinner.”
With the last text, an idea popped up in my head. Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to show Kester that I was moving on pretty well? At least, judging from the fact that things between us had turned this sour and he was finally getting engaged to June, soon to have a perfect fairytale ending I would never be a part of, it was the best time to move on with my life.
Things between us had rotted past the point of repair, and even if they hadn’t, this silence and distance between us was enough to bury anything that had once lived.
But may Selene forbid it that I move on with Jaden. He was nothing more than a means to an end tonight. A temporary distraction dressed in bad apologies and worse arrogance.
Jake fit more into the future I could settle for. Even though he wasn’t everything I wanted, I could settle for him. And 1 think I love him, too. Plus, he was now my boyfriend, wasn’t he? And who knows? He could turn out to be my mate in a few days.
Jake and I share a good connection… No fireworks, no wild storms, but something close to calm waters. That to count for something. So, being mated to him wouldn’t come as a surprise to me.
-25 BONUT
Chapter 124
1 forced the butterflies in my stomach to flutter, even though it seemed like they were fast asleep or in a coma. They had to learn to flutter whenever I thought about Jake They shouldn’t be taught how to,
Kester’s engagement was in two days, so the best I could do for myself would be to gradually take my mind off him and whatever these stupid feelings are that have velicinently refused to go away.
The dinner was as boring as anticipated. The conversations were dry, the wine too bitter, the food tasteless, Karina’s presence disturbing but nothing was as nauseating as watching June and Kester sit so close together lile it was the most natural thing in the world.
Kester’s attempt at showing he cared aliout my health earlier with June’s hands wrapped around his made nausea rise to my throat, but I gulped it down with the glass of juice I poured for myself.
I checked the time.
8:04 PM.
Typical Alpha Jaden. Never on time.
But two minutes later, the front door swung open, and I saw him stride toward us in his usual arrogance, which seemed to always demand attention.
“Hello, everyone!”
His voice rang out, drenched in a cheeriness that was obviously forced and almost theatrical. It grated like lemon juice on scraped skin. “Glad I could join you tonight.”
“Alpha Jaden! We weren’t expecting you. What a pleasure!” Dad rose to his feet cheerfully.
“We are pleased to have you here. Please have a seat,” Mum let out a very warm smile as she gestured to the chair right beside me.
“Alpha Jaden, welcome…”
“Alpha Jaden…”
“Jaden…”
His name sounded like a chant coming from everyone around the table..
I rolled my eyes so hard I was genuinely scared they might fall out and roll under the table.
What next? Build an altar and sacrifice a goat in his honor while we worship at Jaden’s feet? Because what’s the obsession with him about?
The moment he stepped in, it was like someone flipped a switch. Every single face around the table lit up–as if he were the crown jewel of the night.
A smile almost spread across my lips at the instant switch in Kester’s countenance. The tension in his jaw was a thing of beauty. I was scared for the poor glass he held in his hands. It was one heartbeat away from shattering.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Jaden?” Kester asked, and even though he was seething, his voice remained deceptively calm, But the storm in his eyes? Roaring Explosive. Unmissable.
“Oh. Alpha Kester. Almost didn’t notice you there.”
Low blow. He meant that jab. Because who in this damn world wouldn’t notice Kester Hamilton in a room:
“You haven’t answered my question, Jaden,” Kester took a gulp of his wine, and sometimes I wondered how he managed to drink this much without getting drunk. “Have you become so less busy that you now attend people’s”
Chapter 124
family‘ dinners?”
Jaden laughed, and I realized this was the first time he’d laughed since the day I met him. It was a short chuckle, though, but it managed to pull a dimple out of hiding on his left cheek. I couldn’t help but notice it.
Hmm. Interesting
If I hadn’t already been dragging Jake up the ladder of my emotional priorities, Jaden could’ve been a strong contender to replace Kester. He had that ability to pull a reaction out of anyone, especially the one man at this table trying to keep a mask on.
“Come on, brother–in–law,” Jaden said, sliding into the seat beside me. “Aren’t we already family?”
And then as if rehearsed his hand slid over mine where rested on the table. His palm was warm.
“Besides,” he added with a sly smile, eyes flicking to me, “My fiancée here knew I was coming. Didn’t you tell them, baby?”
Hah! That spiraled so fast that I almost choked on my juice, nearly spitting it out right across the table.
Fiancée?
Baby?!
Brother–in–law?
I snapped my head toward him, blinking in disbelief. My heart jumped into my throat.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who’d come prepared to put on a show tonight.
Seems like Alpha Jaden had his own script–and he just hijacked my performance.
Kester’s gaze snapped to meet mine, but this time, I didn’t look away. I held his gaze for a moment before I spoke, “Ah. Yes. He told me. Sorry, I forgot to mention it to everyone,” I turned my attention to the rest of the table, who didn’t seem displeased at all, painting on a faint, apologetic smile.
“It’s alright, Kasmine,” Mum chimed in with a delighted smile, her eyes darting between me and Jaden like she was mentally designing wedding invitations. “Jaden is family. We don’t mind.”
And just like that, dinner resumed, and Jaden, as if on cue, kept up with a performance he didn’t even know I was on. He kept whispering little nothings to me every now and then- The kind of performance meant for an audience of one, even though the whole room watched with hungry eyes.
Mum and Dad stole occasional glances at us, and I knew they were happy with whatever it was they thought was happening between me and Jaden. If only they knew what kind of show they were buying tickets to.
Across the table, June’s smile had withered into a tight–lipped line.
She was tired, slowly unraveling, and obviously tired of replying to questions on Kester’s behalf. She was no longer so chatty.
Her face was already pale with disappointment. She had imagined something different tonight. A picture–perfect dinner where she’d be the center.
Instead, she was background noise because Kester hadn’t said another word since Jaden sat down. Not ever hen Uncle Ralph asked him a question about when the wedding date would be.
Jaden leaned down and whispered something else into my ears: “Your brother looks like he would stab me with the fork.”
Chapter 124
1 giggled softly, tilting my face to his.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered back. “He won’t do that in public.” We both laughed again.
I wouldn’t call the dinner perfect–but it was better,
Better than sitting across from Kester and watching him play fiancé to June.
Better than pretending I still hadn’t cried about him just two nights ago.
And by the time Jaden walked me to the door and drove off with a wink and a promise of a huge birthday gift, Thad a smile on my face that almost felt real.
Almost.
But the moment I shut the door to my room behind me and walked into my empty room while Kester went into his with June, my sadness clicked back in place.
She couldn’t leave for her pack tonight as it was already too late. So, she had to stay over. And, of course, I wouldn’t expect her to sleep in my parent’s room. Neither do I expect her to sleep in the other numerous rooms we had in the house.
I peeled off the strap of my gown slowly. My fingers trembled slightly as I tucked my hair into a loose bun.
The hot shower did nothing to soothe the tightness in my chest.
I was about to climb into my bed, ready to sleep, when my door flung open.
“What the “I sat up fast, heart in my throat.
But the words caught and lodged deep in my throat when I felt a large, rough hand gripping my arm with bruising force while the other wrapped around my throat.
And then–slam–my back hit the wall. My breath fled in a sharp gasp
Kester.
His eyes–black with fury–bored into mine with a rage that bordered on feral.
“You have a lot of nerves, baby. You truly do.”
