Paige is misunderstanding what is going on, but will the truth be any easier for her to accept? We already know that Jason messes up when he tells her... how badly does he do?
(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
(About 90 minutes earlier)(Cassie POV)Could I be pregnant? Surely not. But...maybe?Aaron and I have definitely enjoyed each other the last few months. And apparently, thanks to Granny Apple, that has been unprotected enjoyment. Now that I think about it, the signs have all been there. Mood swings; things tasting weird; heightened sex drive.But I would know if I was pregnant, wouldn’t I? Missy would know? “I have a lot of talents, Cassie, but pregnancy detection is not one of them,” Missy speaks up.Paige, Megan, and Josephine are all watching and staring at me. “Sweetheart, it would make sense…” Josephine starts to say.“Maybe we should buy you a test on the way back to Blue Moon…” Paige suggests.“No!” I protest. “We are surrounded by guards from multiple packs, and they are just as bad at gossiping as anyone else. If we stop for a pregnancy test on the way home, Aaron and my parents will have heard about it before we even walk back through the door. I need to be sure
(Aaron POV)I punch my fist into a wall in my office, creating a large hole. “THREE DAYS! IT HAS BEEN THREE F----ING DAYS!!!!”No one says anything. What can they say? We are all feeling the pressure and reality of the situation.I felt like my life came to a halt the moment that Maggie called me and told me that Cassie had been kidnapped, along with Paige and a baby. It was only after we had Maggie picked up and brought back to Blue Moon that we discovered that the baby was her nephew… and a possible werewolf.We immediately turned Blue Moon’s large conference room into a war room, and there has been a flurry of activity in and out of it ever since. Most of the alpha and beta wolves that attended the bachelor party were retired, and they immediately dropped everything and came to help us with the search. Given that Alpha Mike is Cassie’s brother-in-law and an important ally, he also came to help, leaving his beta in charge of White Howlers. Of course, Cassie’s parents and Alb
(Three Days Earlier) (Cassie POV) I notice the kidnapper pull down her hood and turn herself to look at Paige. Paige gasps. “Shelly?????????” Shelly? Who is Shelly? “Miss me?” Shelly taunts. I glance at Paige in the rear-view mirror. She looks both pale and confused. Shelly waves her gun in my face, basically using it as a pointer. “Get on the interstate. I’ll tell you when to pull over. We have a car waiting for us in about 20 miles.” “Shelly, why are you here? What is going on?” Paige asks. “I thought it was finally time for you to have some one-on-one time with your beloved stalker.” “What? You…. You are the stalker?” Shelly gives us an evil smile. “Who else would it be?” “But… why?” “Oh, little sister, have you really not figured it out yet? Goddess you are naïve. I thought for sure you would have grown up and gotten a little smarter by now.” Shelly starts digging in one of the pockets in her hoodie. She pulls out two silver bracelets and hands one to each
(Paige POV)It has now been hours since Shelly turned out the lights and went to bed, leaving Cassie and I handcuffed to chairs. Neither of us have been able to sleep, nor do I think either of us want to.Occasionally, I can feel Cassie’s eyes on me. I cannot bring myself to look back at her. Nor can I bring myself to speak. It is my fault that we are in this situation. Not only was it my stupid idea to ditch the guards, but it was also my stalker… my sister… who kidnapped us. At this point, other than the overwhelming guilt, I do not feel much else. I am not scared and I am not worried. I am just… numb.I spent the entire time in the trunk of the sedan trying to figure out what clues or signs I had missed. I must be just as naïve as my sister says that I am, because I have not been able to come up with anything. Shelly is my older sister. Like the rest of my family, she abandoned me after the Peter-Bailey situation came to light. However, we were pretty close growing up,