The city lights of Seattle glittered against the inky sky, but Jason barely noticed them. He moved like a shadow through the bustling streets, his senses on high alert. The smells of gasoline, food trucks, and damp concrete mixed with the faint metallic tang of his own guilt. He shouldn't have been here, living this life, but he couldn't go back. Not after her.
Jason paused outside Emma's apartment, his sharp hearing catching the sound of her soft laughter from inside. That sound was his anchor. The reason he'd walked away from the life he was born into.
He leaned against the brick wall, his mind flashing back to the night he made his choice.
It had been during a tense meeting in the Moonshadow Pack's den, deep in the forest where moonlight barely reached. Jason stood before his beta, Vincent, and his closest friend, Jon. The room was silent, the air thick with disbelief.
"You're leaving? For a human?" Vincent's voice was sharp, disbelief etched into every word.
Jason met his gaze without flinching. "I love her. I won't stay where she's seen as prey or collateral."
Jon, always the voice of reason, tried to intervene. "Jason, you're our alpha. If you go, you're leaving us vulnerable. Do you think Magnus or any other rival will hesitate to attack?"
Jason's fists clenched. "I've made my decision. You'll manage without me."
The betrayal in their eyes haunted him as he walked away that night, and it still lingered now, months later. But Emma was worth it. She made him feel human, not just a beast destined for violence.
The sound of footsteps pulled him back to the present. Emma's door opened, and there she was-her auburn hair catching the golden glow of her hallway light, her smile soft and inviting.
"You're early," she teased, stepping onto the small stoop to greet him.
"I couldn't stay away," Jason replied, his voice low but warm.
She reached up to touch his face, and for a moment, the city noise faded, leaving just the two of them. But even as her touch calmed him, Jason couldn't shake the nagging sensation that someone was watching.
Somewhere in the shadows, Orion's green eyes gleamed with malice. Hidden among the rooftops, the rival beta watched the couple with a cold, burning desire. Emma's smile belonged to Jason, but Orion vowed it wouldn't stay that way for long.
As Emma led Jason inside, Orion slipped back into the darkness, already plotting the first move in a deadly game.