Chapter 106
LANA-
Jake stands slightly apart from the crowd, an uneasy look crossing his face as I follow him to a more secluded area of the building. The vibrant sounds of laughter and chatter fade into the background, replaced by an uncomfortably tense atmosphere as he leans in closer, clearly determined to keep our conversation private.
I was anxious to hear what he had to say. Nothing about this seemed normal to me. Why would he pull me away from everyone else?
“I need to ask you something important,” he says, his voice low but urgent. “But I need you to promise me that you’ll be honest. What I have to tell you depends on your answer to my question. Of course, only if your responses are the truth.”
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A knot tightens in my stomach, nerves prickling at the edges of my mind. “You’re making me anxious,” I admit, confusion flickering in my eyes. “What’s this all about? Once I know the question, I’ll decide how honest I can be or if I even want to answer it to begin with.”
Jake scans the surroundings once more, making sure no one is near before posing the question that sends my heart racing: “Are you our Alpha’s mate?”
Shock washes over me, leaving me momentarily breathless. My eyes widen in disbelief, my hands tremble at my sides, and heat floods my cheeks. No one besides my sister was meant to know this secret; the fact that Jake is asking it makes my thoughts swirl. How did he find out? Who told him?
“Why do you want to know?” I manage to whisper, lowering my voice to a small hush. This isn’t a conversation that either of us should be having for Apollo’s engagement day.
“Just answer the question,” he presses, his serious gaze locking onto mine, urgency etched across his face. “Time is crucial. I need clarity, and I need it now. You are the only person who could help shed some light on Apollo’s strange behavior.”
I bite my lip, the pressure of doubt clouding my judgment. How much could I trust Apollo’s Beta? Revealing the truth now, with the weight of the event happening inside hanging heavily in the air, feels like a reckless gamble.
“What difference does it make?” I ask, a hint of despair seeping into my tone. “Today, he’s getting engaged to Jada. I don’t see how my answer can change anything.”
Jake’s expression sharpens, as if the reality of our situation has struck him with sudden force. “The mere fact that you’re not panicking or disgusted at the thought of me knowing of your stepbrother being your mate tells me everything I need to know.”
I part my lips in surprise, processing his words. “So why are you still questioning me if you seem convinced already? You look like you already have the answer, so then why are you standing here interrogating me?”
Jake frowns, grounding himself momentarily before I feel the weight of his gaze intensify. “Because I need to know for certain before I share what transpired with Apollo last night. You deserve to know what took place with him at just the thought of getting engaged to Jada today, especially if there’s something going on between the two of you. It could change everything.”
I wrap my arms tightly around myself, a wave of anxiety washing over me. Worry gnaws at me: something must have happened to Apollo that he didn’t want anyone to know about. Isabella had mentioned that our stepbrother didn’t arrive home until just before the engagement–curiosity danced at the edges of my mind then, but I’d been too consumed by my own emotional unrest to ask the right questions.
“You need to tell me everything,” I press, urgency tingeing my voice. “Where was he?”
He narrows his eyes at me, searching for the truth./’You need to answer me first. Are you his mate? Are you our Luna?”
In that moment, I realize that uncovering the mystery of what happened to my mate relies solely on my willingness to reveal the truth.
This wasn’t good. It felt like I was trapped in a corner with no escape in sight.
“Yes,” I say, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions within me. “tam Apollo’s mate. How did you come to know this? If he’d shared it with you, you wouldn’t be asking.”
A flicker of surprise crosses his face, indicating that my affirmation might not have been what he expected. How was that possible? He was the one that 1/2
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Chapter 1061
brought the question to me, why was he so surprised by my response?
“I began to have my suspicions the day he nearly tore my head off for merely glancing your way,” he admits, disbelief creeping into his tone. At first, I convinced myself that his anger came from the fact that you’re his stepsister. We were used to Apollo being uninterested about us liking women but with
fears of our Alpha’s wrath.” you, it was different–there was an unspoken rule. No one dared to look your way with !
I’m momentarily stunned by this disclosure about my mate. I had never noticed his fierce protectiveness over me around his pack members.
This realization that deepens my connection to him and leaves me with even more questions about what happened last night.
“Then, he started asking the entire pack to keep an eye on you,” he continues. “Once again, I thought he was doing it because you were his stepsister and he was concerned after the last attack that left you injured. However, Isabella was there that day too, and yet Apollo didn’t have us watching over her like he had us doing for you.”
I can see why anyone would feel a twinge of suspicion in this situation. I still remember the shock that washed over me when I discovered that Apollo had enlisted his pack to watch over me, all while I remained blissfully unaware.
“But last night–last night was the turning point for me,” he says, his voice low and serious. “He had everyone in the pack on edge, deeply concerned about his bizarre behavior. It seemed like no one could pinpoint what had triggered this sudden change in him.”
I furrow my brow, feeling the weight of his words. “What do you mean?” I ask, my heart racing, not sure if I was ready for his answer. “What exactly did he do that confirmed I was his mate?”
