?Chapter 135:

Her only response was a soft, contented sigh as she nuzzled closer to me, her fingers curling against my chest. I held her tighter, my eyes staring up at the ceiling as a wave of certainty washed over me.

Jasmine was mine, and nothing was going to take her away from me.

Not Isabelle. Not anyone.

Jasmine’s POV

Pure bliss—that was the only word to exin how I felt. How it felt to wake up every day in Ryder’s arms, his manly scent filling my nostrils, his toned arms wrapped around my shoulders, down to my waist…

This was my dream, and every woman’s dream, literally. It was like thea had sent me into a lycan fairy tale with an almost perfect life: a doting, handsome man who now drove me to work while we chatted all the way, and picked me up from work, too.

My haters… I almost left that part out. I’d never seen a group of kiss-ass folks like my colleagues. Maybe they had their memories wiped or something, but it seemed like everyone had forgotten about my encounter with Isabelle. It was as if they’d forgotten she’d said really nasty things about me, and yet, they hadn’t even tried to make peace, let alone stop her. Their smiles made my stomach churn. As hard as I tried, most times it was too difficult to return their smiles.

Isabelle’s cronies avoided me like the gue. Even their spiteful res had ceased. Was I d? Hell yes! I’d thought about giving them a taste of their own medicine a few times, but I figured it wasn’t the right time.

While it was more than satisfying to watch and enjoy Ryder ying the doting… well, boyfriend—or whatever he was to me—the emptiness that had separated me from him before his trip was still there. Too many holes needed filling, tears needed patching, questions needed answers…

I was never going to be satisfied with being a mere mistress, with being his favorite for the moment. I wasn’t like Isabelle, who was content with less. I wanted it all. I craved every piece of Ryder. I wanted to be his… to be his mate. And what hurt now was the realization that it was beyond my control. It was left to the moon goddess, and that was what made it scary.

I already had a mate—Jason—and even though he clearly didn’t want me, I hoped the moon goddess would at least give me a second chance at love. It really wasn’t my fault Jason had dumped me. The thought alone made me feel sick, and I tossed to the left side of my bed.

My eyes darted to the open French windows. Some birds were singing happily on an apple tree branch. They looked like a family. They looked happy. Shutting my eyes, I let out a groan before opening them again.

Fresh content avable now gα?ησv????s

A pang of guilt gripped my conscience so hard that I found myself tracing aimless patterns in the air. I sighed as my thoughts returned to Jason. My family—God! I missed them so much. Maybe too much for my own good. It had been, what, three months? And I still hadn’t heard from them. Not that I had thought I would, but I had hoped Ryder might soften his rules. Well, that was a silly assumption on my part. The image of Ruby’s smile shed in my mind, and I found myself smiling too.

“I miss you too, girl,” I whispered softly into the air, the silence in the room reminding me of my present loneliness. Ryder was at work; I, on the other hand, didn’t feel like doing anything. So, I had taken advantage of my position once and for all and spent the day in the house. It only dawned on me now that I probably should’ve gone out.

The door handle creaked, and the door slid open. I didn’t bother turning to look. The hurried patter of feet told me it was Seraphina. I turned to face her.

“You have a visitor, Mistress,” she bowed quickly and raised her head.

With arched brows, I sent her a questioning stare, but she looked away. The only person who could possibly pay me a visit was either Dr. Lee for a check-up, or Sophie, my second guess.

“It’s your brother, Mistress,” Seraphina announced, her voice a low whisper as her eyes scanned the room.

My eyes widened at the mention of Jason’s name. With a loud squeal, I hopped around excitedly, a heartyugh bubbling from my lungs.

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