Chapter 15: My way or no way.
*Jane*
I froze. The only sound in the room was the abandoned movie
playing on the TV screen.
The footage was grainy but damning. From this angle, it looked
like we were having a lover’s quarrel. It didn’t matter that the
truth was far messier than that.
My gaze slid to Xander. He was sitting up now, his whole body
rigid. His shoulders shook, and the flush riding up his neck was
a dangerous red. I didn’t flinch. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
I watched as Aaron leaned in on the screen, the moment before
the almost–kiss.
Xander jerked like someone had slapped him. He grabbed the
phone and threw it against the wall. “What the hell Jane?”
I was trying to stay clam. “What’s the problem, Xander?”
He let out a humorless laugh. “Explain.”
“Do I?”
Chapter 15: My way or no way.
Mia was still clutching her mobile phone tightly, just like
holding a grenade. She nervously scanned back and forth
between us. I could tell that she was trying to mediate to avoid
getting involved in this dispute. Good luck to her.
“May be we should-” She started.
“Who send the video? Mia” I cut her off.
She hesitated for a moment, her gaze sweeping towards Xander,
as if hoping that he would blurt it out for her. Of course, she
didn’t want to say. She liked to pretend to be innocent, but I
won’t believe it. Not today.
“I–I don’t know if I should say it,” Mia stammered, her face
flushed red.
“Oh, don’t tell me that,” I snapped up. “If you want to show me
my surveillance video, you should at least have the guts to tell
me who sent it.”
Xander interjected, his tone sharp. “This is not the problem,
Jane. The real question is – are you the one who was pulled into
the storeroom by Aaron?”
“Yes, I am”
“Then why?” he exploded. “Why the fuck were you frolicking
Chapter 15 My way or no way
with Aaron B’Lorenz, my fucking business partner?”
I felt my jaw tighten, fingers curling into fists at my side. Part of
me wanted to keep the peace, to find a calm resolution, but the
other part, my bruised, angry wolf, wanted to hurt him the way
he’d hurt me.
I chose the latter.
“What do you think, Xander?” I spat, coldly. “Now you care
about what’s going on in my life? You didn’t seem to care when
you were off playing house with your beta.”
Xander’s face turned red and I could tell that his neck was
getting tighter and tighter. “This time it’s different, you know.”
“Why is it different?” I raised my arms and asked. “Just because I
didn’t share bed with him under our roof?“Mia cleared her
throat, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. “Perhaps we should
all calm down –““”Leave it alone,” Xander scolded her sharply, not
even glancing at her. His eyes were fixed on me tightly, burning
with rage. “Are you really going to use what I did with you and
Aaron? My business partner? Is it compared to fooling around?”
“Come on Xander. Aaron is your business partner but my
personal life isn’t up for discussion.”
“Your personla life?” His eyes flared. “You’re my wife. Can you
Chapter 15: My way or no way.
hear yourself?”
“You see that, Xander.” I snapped, my voice sharper than I’d
intended as I pointed straight at Mia. “That… she is a direct result
of your choices. Or did you conveniently forget your little
relationship with her?”
Xander’s jaw twitched. “That’s besides the point.”
“No,” I said firmly, cutting him off. “That is exactly the point.
You do not get to lecture me on what is right and what is not.
You do not get to tell me what to do. And you sure as hell don’t
get to criticize my personal life.”
My chest rose and fell rapidly. I was done. Tired of having
Xander lord over my life while thinking he could carry on as he
pleased. As his Luna, my natural instinct was to do as he said,
but not anymore.
Xander finally took a deep breath. He said nothing, staring at
me as if he didn’t recognize me. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he’d
never actually seen me.
I softened my tone a bit, still holding eye contact. “Look,” I began.
“I really had no idea who Aaron really was. He didn’t know who
I was either. We only figured it out at lunch today. Trust me, it
was very awkward.”
Chapter 15: My way or no way
His eyes narrowed. “Jane…” he growled. “Stop fucking lying to
me.”
I stiffened.
“There’s no way this wasn’t planned,” he spat, stepping closer,
fists clenched. “You wanted to humiliate me in front of him.
Admit it already.”
“Listen to me. Aaron is my boyfriend, and we are trying our best
to figure out this complicated mess. But I swear to you, we didn‘
t know.”
It felt so good to call Aaron my boyfriend. I really wanted to say
it again just to see that expression on Xander’s face while Mia’s
eyes widened, trying to process what was hapening.
The subsequent silence was deafening. Xander looked at me as
if I had just slapped him.
Xander stared at me for a long, punishing second. Then in a
voice so calm it sent chills down my spine, he slipped his hands.
into his pockets and said, “End it.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Whatever it is that’s going on between you and Aaron, I want
it over. End it.”
Chapter 15. My way or no way
The room fell into a deadly silence.
Xander didn’t move. But his face… his entire face was flushed a
dangerous shade of red. He stared at me in utter disbelief. I
glanced down at his fists… his claws had extended. His gray eyes
shifted into a menacing crimson color, indicating that his wolf
was barely being restrained.
Every instinct I had screamed at me to step back. But I didn’t.
“You will end it with him,” Xander growled, sounding like the
Alpha the entire pack knew him to be. “And you will do so
now.”
My wolf whimpered at the sound of his fury and
disappointment.
Damn it.
