Chapter 165

Chapter 165:

The soft buzz of my phone broke the quiet. Groaning, I stretched to grab it from the nightstand, careful not to disturb her. Kade’s name lit up the screen. Great. What now?

The message was blunt: The ball’s over. I talked to Enzo—he wants a direct meeting with you.

A ball? Right. That thing I was supposed to care about. Guess what? I didn’t. Jasmine could’ve burst into the room yelling about some world-ending crisis, and I wouldn’t have left this bed tonight. Nothing compared to holding her in my arms.

I glanced back at her, a soft smile tugging at my lips. Jasmine had spent so long calling herself my “side piece,” always doubting her worth because of the scars her so-called foster parents left on her. That thought alone made my blood boil. They were going to pay for what they’d done to her. I didn’t care how long it took or what I had to do—those bastards were going to rot.

Because Jasmine wasn’t just anyone. She was my everything. My mate. My future Luna.

Her soft snore pulled me out of my thoughts, and I leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. Damn, she was perfect. Every curve, every inch, every piece of her felt like it was made just for me. Her body fit mine like a missing puzzle piece. Her soul called to mine. This was it—she was it.

“Mine,” I whispered against her hair, holding her tighter.

My eyelid fluttered open, the dim morning light stabbing my groggy brain like an unwelcome intruder. Every muscle in my body ached, but there was that deep-down satisfaction. The kind that said, You lived last night.

“You sleep so deeply, it’s almost embarrassing,” a sharp, familiar voice rang in my head. Layla. My wolf.

Wait. My wolf.

I freaking have a wolf!

Last night came rushing back like a montage of chaos and adrenaline. Layla. Ryder. My first shift. The pure glory of not being wolfless anymore.

𝕋𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖋𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖓

“Oh my goddess,” I whispered, practically vibrating with excitement.

“I have a wolf. I HAVE A WOLF p>

“You’re too loud,” Layla’s voice growled. If eye-rolls had sound effects, that’s what it would’ve been.

“Oh, shut up! You have no idea how it felt to be the pack’s favorite joke for years!” I shot back, glaring at nothing in particular. My eyes landed on the bed where Ryder had crashed earlier. Empty now. Typical.

“And you have no idea what it felt like being shoved into the void every time I tried to come out,” Layla snarked, her voice brimming with attitude.

I froze, her words hitting like a splash of cold water. “Wait, what? What do you mean ‘shoved into the void’?” My tone sharpened. I might not be a wolf expert yet, but that sounded… wrong.

“You do realize you can just think at me, right? This whole ‘talking out loud’ thing makes you look unhinged,” she huffed. Her sass was palpable, and honestly? I was living for it. I didn’t need a wolf with the same boring personality as me. Layla was exactly the kind of chaos I needed in my life.

“Focus, Layla! Explain,” I snapped, crossing my arms.

“The veil root,” she sighed, dragging the words out like I was the biggest idiot in the world.

“The what root p>

“You kept taking the veil root,” Layla said, her tone laced with irritation. “And it messed me up every single time. Each time I tried to push through, it knocked me out cold. Completely. And don’t even get me started on the p>

Rejection from Jason. It took me months to rebuild myself after that. She sighed, her voice softening slightly. But now? Now I’m free. No veil root. No rejection. And guess what? We’re marked. We have a mate. Her voice brimmed with happiness, and for a moment, I felt the warmth of her joy.

But I wasn’t exactly sold on this whole veil root story.