A Rejection For Christmas

Chapter 5: I won't let this go

Jared's POV

How dare she?! She first faked her death, and now she practically told me that she is that stupid Alpha Salvadori. I was fuming; she was alive. All this time, she was alive, and she had the audacity to walk into that meeting room with that smug look on her face, acting like she had won some kind of twisted game. How dare she mock me in front of everyone? How dare she call me a loser?

The nerve.

And Liam Salvadori? That was who she ran to? The most ruthless Alpha in the country? No wonder she could pass off as dead. He must have helped her and even made plans so I would never find her again.

What kind of bond did they share?

Was he her second chance, mate? Why was she given one and not me?

“You have a chosen mate, you stupid human,” Thane growled furiously.

Now, she is making my wolf turn against me. Isabella returned to make sure I paid for my mistakes.

She made me look like a fool, and now the pack is in danger of further attacks.

I need a plan and I need it now.

“Alpha,” Esteban called out, jogging to catch up with me. His tone grated on my nerves—calm as if nothing was wrong. “How did the meeting go?”

“How do you think it went?” I snapped, rounding on him. “That bastard Salvadori and his new Luna shut me down before I could even get a word in edgewise.”

Esteban flinched but didn’t respond. I didn’t care. Let him think I was unstable—hell, maybe I was. How could I not be after everything I’d just learned? My ex-mate, my supposed dead mate, was now aligned with one of the most powerful Alphas in the world.

“You need to calm down, Alpha,” Esteban said carefully, his eyes darting to the few pack members lingering nearby. “This isn’t the place to lose your temper.”

I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath. “You’re right,” I said through clenched teeth. “This isn’t the place. But that doesn’t mean I’m done. Isabella doesn’t get to walk away from me a second time.”

“What do you mean?” Esteban asked, his brow furrowing.

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I turned on my heel and stalked toward my office, already forming a plan in my mind. Salvadori might be powerful, but even he wasn’t untouchable. And Isabella? She was a fool if she thought she could take everything I have worked for and pretend like I never existed.

I would remind her who I was. And I would remind her that no matter where she ran or who she ran to, she would never escape me.

Never.

“Baby, are you okay?” Kathy came running once she was me.

I was not happy to see her; for the first time, her presence did not calm me; quite the contrary.

Still, I couldn’t treat Kathy badly; She was my chosen mate and had already protected me once. I was the reason she was still sick; I owed her this: she was destined to be my Luna, even if the Moon Goddess didn't think the same.

“Yeah, the meeting didn’t go as expected, but I will find something else,” I replied.

“Why? Your plan can benefit Silver Claw Pack as well.”

I couldn’t tell her the truth; Kathy couldn’t find out Isabella was still alive.

“Alpha Salvadori, and I know, I don't understand it either. But it is nothing for you to worry about, baby,”

I placed a hand on Kathy’s shoulder, forcing myself to smile. I couldn’t let her suspect the turmoil inside me. Her hazel eyes searched my face, worry evident in her features, but I had no patience for her concern right now.

“Jared…” she began, but I cut her off with a quick kiss on her forehead.

“Don’t stress over it,” I said firmly. “I’ll handle everything.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded, though I could tell she wasn’t convinced. Kathy wasn’t stupid—far from it—but she also knew better than to push me when I was in this kind of mood.

“Alright,” she said softly. “I trust you.”

That was the problem. She did trust me, and I was lying to her. But it wasn’t the time to dwell on guilt. I had bigger problems—like how to deal with Isabella and the mess she just dropped on me.

Kathy left the room after a hesitant glance, and I sank into the chair behind my desk, my mind racing.

Isabella’s smug face lingered in my thoughts. Her mocking tone. The fire in her eyes. She wasn’t the same woman who had left my pack five years ago. Back then, she had been quiet, meek, always trying to avoid confrontation. But now? She was sharp, confident, and unapologetic.

And she had Salvadori backing her.

“What are you going to do?” Thane’s voice broke through my thoughts, cold and distant.

“What I should have done years ago,” I growled under my breath.

“And what is that?” Thane challenged. “Ruin her life more than you already have? You made your choice, Jared. You picked Kathy, and she gave you what you wanted. Just leave her alone.”

“I didn’t have a choice!” I snapped, slamming my fist onto the desk: papers scattered, and a crack formed in the wood.

Thane scoffed. “You always had a choice. You couldn’t admit you were weak, believed everything that she-wolf said without questioning it, and called yourself an Alpha. Pathetic.”

Weak. The word stabbed at my pride, and I shoved him out of my mind before he could say anything else. I didn’t need his lectures.

What I needed was a plan. Isabella thought she could walk back into my life, humiliate me, and get away with it. She thought Liam Salvadori’s name would be enough to keep her safe.

But she underestimated me.

I leaned back in my chair, a smirk forming on my lips. She wanted to play games? Fine. I could play, too.

I would find a way to make sure Isabella regrets rejecting me. If I’m not happy, then she shouldn’t be either.

Was I doing this because of my hurt pride? Definitely, but something else was making me angry, furious in fact. Salvadori couldn't have Isabella; she was mine!

——————————————————————

Kathy’s POV

Something is wrong with Jared. I can feel he is hiding something from me, but I must find out what that is. The only person that could put him on edge was that b***h Isabella, but I made sure she wasn’t a problem anymore. That woman was so weak that she gave me Jared on a silver platter. I never imagined she would reject him, but I always got what I wanted, and once she did, I asked some rogues for a small favor.

They had to get rid of her.

Jared is too consumed in guilt, one that I made sure built up during the years. He is such a good man, one that always wants to do es right, and that meant taking care of poor little o’ me.

“I don’t want to be paired with you anymore,” Ana, my wolf, was against everything I did, but she couldn’t see the bigger picture.

We had everything now, everything we could dream of.

“Except for a mate,” her voice cracked while I rolled my eyes.

“Mates are overrated,” I stated. “Didn’t you see what happened to that b***h, Isabella?”

“Yeah, you did, and I’m sure the Moon Goddess will make you pay.”

Before I could say anything, she closed the link.

Ugh, stupid wolf.

Perhaps I should go to the spa and have a relaxing massage, or maybe find someone who could take care of my needs since Jared doesn’t.

Hmm, that could work.

My phone suddenly vibrated, so I took it out.

Meet me at our usual place, your position is in danger.

What the…