Chapter 158

Chapter 158:

“Mate? He doesn’t deserve us,” I shot back, shoving another shirt into the bag.

Behind me, Ryder’s voice broke through the haze of my anger. “Jasmine, please, just listen to me p>

I whipped around, my fury bubbling to the surface. “No, you listen to me!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “You don’t get to act like you care now. You don’t get to decide when I’m worth your attention. You lost that right when you made me feel like nothing p>

He flinched, his face twisting with pain. Good. Let him feel it. Let him feel even a fraction of what I had felt.

“You’ve never been nothing to me,” he said, his voice low and raw. Hurt. This was the first time I’d seen Ryder in this state. I could sense his fear, but what were the odds? This wasn’t one of his Lycan tricks. My mind was made up—I was going back.

An eerie silence settled between us, but it didn’t make me feel better. It didn’t fix the damage he’d done.

“Could’ve fooled me,” I muttered, throwing the bag over my shoulder and heading for the door.

I was almost there when he moved, blocking my path. His towering form cast a shadow over me, and for a moment, I hesitated—not out of fear, but because of the maddening pull between us—the mate bond I couldn’t ignore, no matter how much I wanted to.

“Get out of my way,” I said, my voice cold and steady.

This was a hard decision, but how could I live with the fact that he was capitalizing on our quarrel and sleeping with his mistress? Mistress? Someone who had intended to kill me. Someone he’d wanted to banish. I had been fooled. And I was done being his fool.

“Jasmine,” he said softly, his silver eyes pleading with me. “I know I’ve made mistakes, but this thing between us—it’s real. You felt it the moment you shifted. Don’t deny it p>

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. Of course I felt it. The bond was undeniable, a force pulling me toward him with every beat of my heart. But it didn’t erase the hurt, the betrayal, or the way he made me feel like I was never enough.

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⧽ⱼ𝗰𝗈𝗺

“It might be real,” I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts, “but it doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t change the fact that you made me feel like I was nothing. Like I didn’t matter p>

His expression crumbled, and for a moment, I thought I saw the real Ryder—the one I used to believe in. But it didn’t matter. Not anymore.

“You can’t leave me, Jasmine. Not tonight. You’re mine. Mine!” His eyes were red, fiery—no, that wasn’t him… Ace.

I stepped back, Ace was in control. The last time Ace was close to the surface, I had almost had my head ripped off—Kade came to the rescue. But now, it was just the two of us… me and Ace. There was no escape route.

Layla growled, excited to meet her mate. Darn her, I was mad here. “Get a grip of yourself!” I ordered.

“Mine!” she gritted back.

No, I shook my head. This couldn’t happen. I turned to open the door and walk outside. One minute, I was reaching for the doorknob; the next, Ryder pushed me against the door, pulling me close to his masculine body. I melted like ice, like a lamb drawn to the slaughter. His cologne had this effect on me.

Ryder was doing what Ryder did… casting his spell on me, but it worked. I tried to push his chest away from me, but his hand gripped mine. His hold was tight, and I felt handicapped.

He raised both of my hands and pinned them to the wall. His legs pressed my knees from fighting. I couldn’t move. I could only stare. I couldn’t fight either… his Ryder magic was working on me, and I was losing my senses. All I could imagine was his lips on mine. Layla, I’m a finished woman.

JASMINE