"Does she even know?"


    "No...or at least I don''t think so."


    "Why can''t you be together?"


    "Because I can''t lose her."


    "Lose her to what?"


    "Being a mate of the Varon familyes with threats.."


    "But you can lose me?" She raises an eyebrow at me.


    "No...you''re twisting it..." I seethe out, the bitter taste of anger spreading into my mouth.


    "Shit...my parents."


    "I''ll sort it, Cleo won''t say anything and...I can handle Josie."


    "You have a mate Jace, a mate who clearly is in love with you. Are you certain, a hundred percent certain the two of you can''t be together. You''re an alpha, you''ll have warriors at your disposal to protect her." Her words are aimed to reassure me, to rethink things but I can''t, I won''t.


    I won''t lose Cleo to fate.


    If that means I can''t be with her, at least she will be alive. I can love her, protect her from a distance.


    ""No!" I roar out, my fists clenching by my side.


    "So you''d be willing to let her gopletely, let another man call her his..."


    Her words are hard to hear, a lump forming in the back of my throat as I consider the real possibility of being able to watch Cleo take another.


    A chosen mate.


    After tonight she''ll never contemte that I am her mate, because a mate of hers would never be so cruel. Wouldn''t have let her leave.


    As far as she knows, Callie and I are mates, and I am now having to do everything I can to save


    my mate bond.


    "Jace, I let my mate go...don''t make the same mistake as me..."


    I can''t listen to this, I can''t hear her words of advice. I know she means well but I made my mind


    up a long time ago, I''ve missed a year of my family''s life, strained my rtionship with them for


    this exact reason. Otherwise, it will have all been for nothing.


    "Where are you going!" Her tongue clicks out to me as I head towards the cabin door.


    "I need fresh air." I grunt out, needing space.


    My head was a mess from my wolf''s anger at me


    and also Callie''s words that hit the nail on the head.


    No, I wouldn''t be able to cope with Cleo taking another.


    "Jace!" She roars after me as I barge open the door, exiting the cabin and moving through the


    meadows back towards the alpha house.


    I can already hear Callie jogging behind me to keep up.


    As we gain distance on the alpha house we find Uncle Orpheus'' and Auntie Rosa''s car driving up


    the pathway towards the direction of the gate, cutting the evening short.


    I expect Cleo to have made an excuse for them to leave early but when wee to the front


    courtyard I''m surprised to find Jaxon and Josie arguing with one another.


    "Why did


    Met her take your Josie is fuming, her anger to


    misdirected towards Jaxon


    belongs to en.kikist


    right now.


    "I said leave it Josie.." He tries turning his back on her, only for Josie to yank him back.


    "You never let anyone drive your call, so why did you let Cleo drive it and alone. She was upset,


    s to en.kikistorie ne


    you shouldn''t have let her leave."


    "Why was she upset?" He takes a step closer to Josie, his frame engulfing her but she doesn''t back down.


    "I...I don''t know." Her eyes flicker mine


    to return back to


    bay mayen. Th


    Something, he picks up Cont s to en. to


    on, his eyes turning to mine.


    "Why was she upset Josie?" His powerful aura is directed solely on Josie who refuses to submit,


    she doesn''t even look as if she is in pain struggling to fight it. Perhaps she isn''t.


    "Knock it off!" Knox roars out, practically running to his mate''s side.


    "Mum, Dad?" Callie moves to the side of me, where Alpha Bill and Luna Louise are both standing by the front door watching the show.


    "Oh, there you both are, you missed all the drama. The Cleo girl returned apparently needing to leave, she took Jaxon''s car. Is something going on with the two of them, they seemed very cosy at one stage."


    Just the very suggestion has me turning to Luna Louise with a ferocious growl.


    "Perhaps Callie, you can take your parents inside, we will be in momentarily." Mum calls out


    politely yet taking a step closer towards Jaxon, her eyes fixed on him.


    "Where are you going?" Jaxon calls out to Josie as she barges past him, purposefully colliding her shoulder into him.


    "I need to make sure she is okay, she''s driving all that way alone."


    "Her parents will catch up with her. Don''t get involved.." Jaxon words a mere whisper.


    She spins back to facing him, but her eyes falling on me. Her eyes a raging fire of orange.


    "How could you let her slip through your fingers?"