6


    hapter 126


    Jackson bouted me through the trees like I was some criminal, his fingers digging into my wirish hard enongk to braise. I could we broken hea I Shell, Treoldve put him on his ass is different ways—but I yed along. I needed to find out exactly what he knew about me and tule


    When we reached a clearing deep enough to muffle nor voiret, he shoved me against a marsive oak, getting rigti


    "What kind of sick game are you ying?" he suncled, eyes shing wolf gold in the dappled light.


    "Hands of," I said, voice level but edged with steel. Before 1 remove them myself" He sported but backed up a step. "Vsa dont wanna cause a stene. Tudi mne on "No clue what you''re on about," I replied, tracking his movements, muscles coiled and ready.


    "Knock it off," he hissed, crowding me again. "Your little thing with the Alpha King. You think nobody notices? Those looks across the room, how you both find excuses to touch each other, how your wents are all tangled up only aplete idiot would miss it."


    My pulse spiked, but I kept my face nk. "You drunk? That''s a dangerous usation to throw around."


    "If I''m such an idiot, exin this. He yanked my scarf down, exposing whaty beneath.


    His face contorted with shock when he saw his once-silver mark now swimming with gold. ''That''s not... that can''t


    "Give it back!" Lanatched the scarf from his grip, quickly covering the mark, but the damage was done.


    be...


    "Fated mate marks don''t change," he said hoarsely, like someone had punched him in the gut. "It''s impossible. Unless?


    "Unless you were never my true mate to begin with," I met his stare head-on, chin up. Tate lived its mistake.


    That hit a nerve. His hand shot to my throat, Fingers pressing hard enough to make spots dance in my vision. "You backstabbing bitch."


    "Listen real carefully, Ava," he whispered against my ear, hot breath making my skin crawl. Nothing''s gonna mess up my wedding. You care about daddy dearest staying alive? Want to make sure ke keeps his precious throne? Then keep your dirty little secret to yourself."


    Threats never worked on me before," I broke his hold with a quick juist of my wrist, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Why start now?"


    "Not a threat. A promise," he sneered. "I know what you''re doing, and 111 use it when it works best for me.


    Something surged through my mark-power, rage, certainty-pushing me to fight back. I grabbed his wrist and rested until pain dropped him to one knee with a satisfying grunt.


    "You lost any im on me," I said, looking down at him, voice sharp as winter. "The second you tossed me aside for your political marriage, you gave up any right to an opinion about my life."


    "You''ll pay for this," he growled, struggling to stard


    The air around us suddenly thickened, like gravity doubled its pull. Leaves rustled without wind, and the ground seemed to vibrate beneath our feet.


    "Take your hands off her. ke''s voice was dead quier as he emerged from the trees, eyes burning pure Alpha gold


    Jackson dropped me like I''d caught fire, backing away instinctively, head lowering in submission


    "Hayes," ke''s voice rumbled like distant thunder, "exin why I''m watching


    you manhandle my son''s instructor."


    pores, “just a misunderstanding. We were discussing Shadow


    "Alpha King" Jackson''s entire demeanor flipped


    ed like a switch, fear practically leaking from his po Creek business."


    Chabret 12


    ingreement, Jackson stammered. "Mashe 1 254 a little beated, but I meant no liarespect.


    ko proved closer, each step-making fickson shrink


    You expect me to swallow th


    "Please, Alpha King," Jackann''s voice dropped to a whimper. "I won''t happen again."


    "Daten sep, Hayes," ke''s volee tan cold as fre melt. "An Rivers belongs at ckened nose, Shes responsible for my son''s training and safety. Any her is a direct threat to my family."


    Jackson went pale as milk, beatly dropping to his knees. "Understandpletely, Alpha King."


    "Good," ke said, his Alpha presence dialing back slightly. "Now get lost, Sophia''s heen looking for you. How keep my daughter waiting."


    Jackson nodded, turning to leave, but before slipping away, his eyes locked with mine for a hat


    wed. The pure hate in that look would''ve froven hell


    The moment be vanished into the trees, ke was at my side. "Are you hurt?"


    "[1] live," I said, though the bruises were already forming on my neck. "Just running his mouth,"


    ke''s fingers traced the marks on my throat, eyes deepening to molten gold with barely contained rage. He touched your mark?"


    I nodded. "Saw the changes. He knows about us"


    "Does he understand what it means?" ke asked, his fingers still skimming my bruises, his Alpha touch making the pain recede like tide going out.


    "Enough to be dangerous, 1 admitted. "Said he''d use the Information when it suited him."


    A lethal glint shed in ke''s eyes. "He won''t dare. He can''t tell Sophia about your history without destroying his position. As for us. He passed "Sophia actually told me once she wouldn''t mind if I found someone younger...a wanlor. I realize now she was talking about you."


    His hand found mine, the touch saying more than words could. "Meet me in my study. I need to check that Lucas got home safe first."


    Third Person POV


    Sophia stood in ckwood''s long hallway, peering through the window toward the woods. Jackson had disappeared over an hour ago, and worry gnawed at her stomach. Lately, he always had reasons for vanishing, always some excuse for beingte or absent.


    As she neared the training grounds, low voices carried through the trees. She didn''t approach directly but circled to where she could see without being spotted


    Through the branches, she witnessed something that stopped her heart-Jackson roughly yanking Ava''s seat, his fingers touching what looked like a mark on her neck.


    Sophia covered her mouth to trap a gasp. Jackson''s movements carried an unsettling intimacy, and his expression mixed anger with something that looked disturbingly like possession,


    She''d never seen her fiancé touch another woman this way, especially not in such an intimate spot. Why was Jackson so fixated on Ava''s mark?


    Just as she moved closer to hear their words, guards approached from the main house, forcing her to retreat. When she found another viewpoint, Jackson was gone, leaving only her father and Ava standing in the clearing


    Watching her father ce aforting hand of Ava''s shoulder, confusion ripped through Sophia. What had she missed? What history connected Jackson and


    With questions churning like st


    storm clouds, Sophia quietly returned to the manor.


    She''d always known, there was bad blood between Jackson and Ava, but after today''s scene, she suspected she''d been kept in the dark about far more than


    just a simple rivalry. There was clearly a deeper story that no one had bothered to


    tell


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