?Chapter 110:

Why had Ryder left me to face this viper on my own?

I squared my shoulders and met Isabelle’s icy stare head-on. “I didn’t ask for any of this. Ryder brought me here on his own, and I sure as hell didn’t ask to be dragged into your petty drama,” I snapped, my voice steady, even if my heart was hammering against my ribs.

Isabelle let out a bitterugh. “Oh, poor Jasmine.” She clutched her chest in mock sympathy. “ying the victim like always. Is that what gets you in Ryder’s bed? Begging him to screw you, huh? Now, I’m really curious about how those pathetic moans of yours sound.”

Petty. So damn petty.

My pulse quickened, but I wasn’t going to give her the reaction she craved.

“I get that you’re pissed, but this isn’t the time or ce—”

“Save it,” she snapped, waving her hand dismissively. “You really think Ryder’s going to protect you forever? It’s just you and me now.”

“At least I’m not a bitter, heartbroken bitch like you,” I shot back, the words flying out before I could stop them. The sass was in full gear now. “And let’s be real—I have Ryder in my bed every night, doing what you could never manage as his so-called future Luna.”

Before she could fire back, Maverick’s voice cut through the tension. “That’s enough, Isabelle,” he said, his tone low and firm, full of authority.

Isabelle spun toward him, her eyes shing with fury. “Mind your own business, Maverick. This has nothing to do with you.”

Maverick didn’t even blink. “It has everything to do with me when you’re harassing someone under my protection.”

Her smile twisted into something dark and venomous. “Watch where your loyalty lies, Maverick. When I’m Luna, you’ll regret it.”

He remained unfazed. “My loyalty is to Ryder, not to your imaginary title.”

Isabelle’s lips curled into a sneer, and she gave me onest look, dripping with disdain. “Enjoy this little victory, Jasmine. It won’tst long. Ciao.”

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With a dramatic flip of her hair, she strutted out of the gallery, leaving tension in her wake.

As the room started to settle, Maverick turned to me, his expression softening. “Are you okay? Where does it hurt?”

I nodded, though my scalp still throbbed where Isabelle had yanked at my hair. I was too overwhelmed to speak, my mind clouded with anger, frustration, and shame.

Sophia appeared by my side, her face full of concern. “Let’s get you out of here. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

As they led me away, Maverick leaned in and whispered, “Ryder will handle Isabelle. Don’t worry.”

But worrying was all I could do. Ryder knew exactly what kind of she-wolf Isabelle was, and yet, he left me to fend for myself. Why wasn’t she punished? Why did she get to tear me down without consequence?

JASMINE

Days blurred into one another, each a reminder of Ryder’s silence. No calls, no texts, nothing. I was left alone to deal with the pack’s hostility. One week without a word from him, and it was pure hell.

Every time I stepped out of the pack house, I walked into a gauntlet of whispers and res. Even when I tried to ignore their hateful looks, work reminded me of the situation—especially after that episode with Isabelle. Her little minions scattered throughout the pack made sure I never forgot my ce.

“Look at the breeder, thinking she’s one of us,” some pack member had sneered justst night while I was at work. Their words, their attitudes, it all chipped away at me.

It wasn’t just their insults. Their words ripped into me, dragging up old wounds I thought I’d buried after Jason rejected me as his mate. Work wasn’t much better. The gallery had turned into a toxic war zone. Except for Sophia, who tried to keep me sane with her goofy jokes, everyone else acted like I didn’t exist. The braver ones sabotaged my work at every chance.

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