(Cassie POV) I sat down on the floor next to Aaron and Theo. Watching Aaron play with Theo made me smile… although not enough to want a pup of my own just yet. Aaron and I had agreed to wait a couple more years before trying for a family. As Theo went to the other side of the room driving his two toy trucks around, I opened the mind-link with Aaron. “Do you think Jason is going to tell Paige about Theo?” I asked. “Eventually, yes. But first he is going to let her find out in the world’s worst way,” Aaron replied. “I hope you are wrong.” “I know that I’m not.” “Jason really has changed, though,” I protested. “He is so different than he used to be.” “I actually agree with you about that. But I also know that he has proven himself to be an idiot time and time again. And you should never underestimate a leopard’s ability to reveal his spots.” I sighed. We watched as Theo “crashed” one of his trucks into one of Aaron’s legs. Aaron feigned injury, causing Theo to laugh. “D
(Aaron POV)When I woke up on Saturday morning, I fully expected that the day would involve yelling, crying, slamming doors, and fireworks. However, I expected those things to happen because of Jason’s stupidity. I never expected that any of those things would be coming from my own suite, or that they would happen because of fight that I had with my own mate.I should preface this story by explaining that Cassie had been irritable for the last couple of weeks, but not so much that I was worried. One of the many things that I love about Cassie is that —unlike many other she-wolves— she does not feel compelled to put on a fake smile or hide her emotions. Instead, she tends to wear her emotions on her sleeve, whether they are good, bad, or ugly. That means that I always know where I stand with her. Thankfully, I am usually on her good side. We very rarely fight about anything serious, and being with her has easily been the best year of my entire life.Today, though… man…. Today wa
(Cassie POV) The moment that Aaron stepped into our suite, I knew that he was irritated about my choice of outfit. Instead of a mostly modest black dress, I was wearing a black negligée that exposed almost everything, a tight leather skirt, and 4-inch stiletto heels. I was also wearing a black studded choker around my neck. Aaron looked between me and Paige, and rubbed his neck and shoulder as though he was uncomfortable. “Sweetheart,” he said hesitantly, “I am assuming you still have to put your shirt on?” I smiled at him innocently, as though I had no idea that my “top” left nothing to the imagination. “What do you mean?” I asked, pointing to my negligee. “This is my shirt.” I watched as Aaron battled with his wolf, and as he struggled with what to say next. “Sweetheart, can we talk about this in private?” he asked via mind-link. “My love,” I responded out loud, so that Paige could hear, “Paige and I were just talking about how male wolves can be… a little bit nutty when
(Paige POV) When Cassie joins Josephine and I in our SUV, I cannot help but chuckle at the way that she is dressed. “Hmmmm. I guess I know who won that fight,” I tease her. “Only because that man plays dirty,” Cassie groans. She tells Josephine and I what happened after everyone was kicked out of the packhouse. By the end of Cassie’s story, Josephine and I are rolling over in laughter. “I need to figure out a version of that to do to Blake,” Josephine says smiling. “It’s good to keep these Wagner males on their toes.” “Do I even want to know why you had those nipple tassles in your closet to begin with?” I ask. Cassie gives me a mischievous smile and laughs. “No, you probably don’t.” As our SUV pulls away from the packhouse, I briefly lock eyes with Jason. Suddenly, my laughter dies, and I feel my stomach start to hurt as a tear threatens to run down my cheek. Cassie and Josephine both catch the change in my facial expression. They each take one of my hands. “It’s goi
(Paige POV) My heart drops. I was right. Jason’s heir is living at the packhouse. I can only assume the mother is here as well; if not, she is nearby. Does Theo’s mom know about me? What does she think? Is she scared that Jason is going to abandon her, just like Sarah’s baby daddy abandoned her? What does Jason want? What has he told her that he wants? Did last night mean anything? Was last night just a "last hurrah" before we go through the rejection process? Or does he think there is a way to have me, Theo, and Theo’s mom at the same time? No, surely Jason does not think that. That would be unfair to all three of us. Cassie told me that Jason only has eyes for me. Jason pretty much said the same thing last night. I am his mate, so I guess would make sense that he feels that way. At the same time, you can want one person and feel compelled to make it work with another. Maybe that is what is going on here. Jason snaps me out of my blurry of thoughts by touching me o
(Paige POV)I quickly put on my wig and glasses and headed upstairs to the alpha suite. I tried to act calm, but inside I was feeling frantic. Aaron is the one who answered the door, but I could not say anything when he did. Thankfully, Cassie came up just behind him. I immediately ran to her and collapsed in tears in her arms.“He told you,” she whispered.“Yes,” I said through sobs.She led me to the couch, where we both sat down. Cassie held me as I continued to break down. Aaron hovered awkwardly nearby, clearly not wanting to interrupt us but nevertheless wanting to be available for support if needed.“What are you going to do?” she asked.“I have to let him go,” I responded.I noticed Cassie look up at Aaron with sadness in her eyes.“Are you sure?” she whispered. “Is that what you really want?”“No, it isn’t what I want at all. But I support Jason’s choice, and I think it is the right thing to do. Theo deserves to grow up with both of his parents in his life.”Cassi
(Cassie POV) Paige keeps talking about rejecting Jason, but I am not convinced that rejecting him is the right thing for her to do. As someone who rejected her first mate —and Jason specifically— I see many differences between our two situations. For one thing, it is obvious that Jason, Paige, and their wolves have established a strong connection. They care deeply about each other, and their wolves are weaker when they are apart. For another thing, I have personally watched both of them grow up and change over the past several months. I have to believe that the changes have a lot to do with the fact that they have been paired together. Paige is being forced to confront her insecurities and past trauma, and Jason is having to control his emotions, learn to prioritize others, and be open to new ways of thinking. Now, I have to admit that I do not know why the Moon Goddess thought it was a good idea to pair Paige with the wolf who impregnated and abandoned her friend. That defi
(Jason POV)As we pulled away from the packhouse so that we could go to Albert’s bachelor party, my eyes locked with those of Paige. I could see her pain and sadness, and it broke my heart even more than her second failed rejection. I felt a single tear roll down my cheek. Without looking away from Paige, I whispered to Blake and Aaron, “She’s never going to forgive me, is she?”Blake sighed. “Son, never say never. But I will say that you are definitely in some unchartered territory here.”Aaron smirked. “Yeah, I have never heard of anyone getting rejected twice, much less three times, so you are already in record-breaking territory. If Paige rejects you a third time, we may need to call in some officials to get you photographed.”I turned and glared at him. “Not helping.”“Look, man, I don’t know what you were thinking on this one. You have been really trying —even I can see that. But how could you tell her about Theo but not tell her who Theo’s mom was?”I put my head in m