Ethan glares at him, then glances past Jasper’s shoulder to me. “You always were weak, Anita. Running to stronger men to protect you instead of standing on your own. Pathetic. That’s exactly why we let you go.”
Jasper moves without warning, his arm snapping forward in a brutal arc. His knuckles connect with Ethan’s nose with a sickening crunch, and Ethan’s head jerks back as blood instantly bursts free, bright red against the white snow.
I gasp, the sound tearing out of me.
Ethan stumbles, losing his footing completely, and goes down hard on his ass with a startled, pained shout. Blood pours between his fingers as he grabs his face. “Fuck! Jesus Christ!”
A few people nearby turn at the noise, their conversations cutting off as they stare.
Jasper doesn’t even glance at them.
He steps forward instead, shoulders broad, looming over Ethan where he sits sprawled and scrambling. I’ve never seen Jasper like this before. Still. Silent. Dangerous in a way that makes the air feel thinner.
“If you ever speak to her again,” Jasper growls, each word deliberate, “I won’t stop at one.”
Ethan scrambles backward, slipping slightly on the icy pavement as he pushes himself upright, blood still streaming from his nose.
“Fuck, man,” he spits, his voice thick and furious and afraid all at once. “I don’t want any trouble, you big idiot.”
His eyes flick toward me, full of bitterness. “She’s yours, then. Fuck you both.”
He turns abruptly and hurries off, one hand still clamped over his face, disappearing into the darkness without another word.
My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it might crack my ribs.
Jasper stays where he is for a second longer, watching until Ethan is truly gone. Only then does he turn to me, and the violence drains from his expression, replaced instantly by concern.
He steps close, his hands coming up to cup my face with surprising gentleness, his thumbs brushing my cheeks.
“Did he hurt you?” he asks quietly. “Did he touch you?”
I shake my head quickly, trying not to cry. “No. I just wasn’t expecting to see him here. And I fucking hate him so much. So much it still hurts.”
He pulls me into his arms, hugging me tightly against his chest. “Come on. I’ll walk you to the bathroom and wait right outside, then we can head home. Get you somewhere safe. What do you say?”
“I’d love that,” I whisper into his chest, breathing in his comforting scent.
We walk together, his hand firmly gripping mine, and I can’t help glancing back over my shoulder.
Ethan is now with two other people near his car. A tall guy and a petite girl. Are they his new pack? His replacement Omega? Are they better than we were? Better than me?
I shake it off, trying not to care, but the ache of rejection still lingers deep in my chest like an old wound that never quite healed.
Except now I have a better pack. A pack that actually wants me. Values me. Protects me.
Jasper stops walking and turns me to face him, kissing me gently on the lips.
“You never have to worry about assholes like that again,” he says fiercely.
I nod, letting him lead me toward the bathrooms, and for the first time since seeing Ethan, I can actually breathe properly again.
Because I’m theirs now.
And they’re mine.
And that’s all that really matters anymore.
27
