Chapter 153: Chapter 153 Regret
Jasper
With her last scrap of power torn away,Mia decided to obliterate everything around her. She laughed with the unhinged ferocity of a she-wolf with nothing left to lose,her eyes wild with vengeful delight.
"Want to know what I found stuffed in your precious Maybach?" she taunted,her voice carrying across the stunned office. "Freya’s torn panties! You two rutted like animals in there,didn’t you? What a pathetic excuse for a mate bond—eight years as your secret plaything,and that desperate little Gamma just kept crawling back for whatever scraps of attention you’d throw her!"
Her words hung in the air like poisoned arrows,each one finding its mark as Jasper’s expression darkened dangerously. The pack members shifted uncomfortably,some averting their eyes from this raw display of pack hierarchy dysfunction.
"Face reality,Alpha," Mia spat the title like an insult. "YOU were the one who refused to believe her when she told you about Reed. YOU watched while I made her serve drinks at her own birthday celebration. You think I drove your precious Freya away? Take a good look in the damn mirror!"
With each accusation,Jasper’s jaw clenched tighter,the tendons in his neck straining as his inner wolf howled with rage and shame. His knuckles turned white as he battled the primal urge to physically silence her.
"You still don’t understand what you’ve done,do you?" he growled,his voice dropping to that dangerous Alpha timber that made everyone’s inner wolves instinctively submit.
With a sharp hand signal,he summoned the security wolves who immediately flanked Mia. They grabbed her arms,their grips unforgiving as they dragged her away. Her screams echoed through the office,a haunting soundtrack to her fall from grace as employees watched in stunned silence,their wolf instincts processing this dramatic shift in pack dynamics.
Back at the penthouse,Jasper had security lock Mia in the basement quarters—the same area where she’d once banished Freya to work as kitchen staff. Now she would experience firsthand every humiliation she’d inflicted on the woman who had truly held his pack together.
She was forced to carry scalding dishes that left her hands blistered and raw,her once-perfect manicure ruined as her soft skin cracked and bled. She was made to kneel for entire days at a time on the hard stone floor—continuing even after passing out from exhaustion and waking again to the same punishment.
Throughout her ordeal,Jasper never once checked on her. His wolf had completely detached from any connection they might have shared. He had more pressing matters—his bond with Freya had been severed by his own blindness,and he was desperate to repair it.
Having finally admitted his feelings aloud,both to himself and his pack,he was hellbent on winning Freya back. His wolf paced restlessly inside him,howling for their missing mate.
He showed up at Elena’s apartment loaded with shopping bags from exclusive European boutiques,knocking anxiously on her door,his usual Alpha confidence nowhere to be found.
She answered quickly,her welcoming smile freezing when she recognized him. Her expression morphed into pure disdain,her wolf’s loyalty clearly tied to Freya rather than her blood relative.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded,blocking the doorway with her body in a clear protective stance.
Knowing full well he was in the doghouse with his sister,Jasper lifted the designer bags in a peace offering,attempting a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"Haven’t seen you since you got back from Paris. Brought you some things,El."
Elena wasn’t remotely swayed by his transparent act,but as Freya had once noted—blood ties ran deep in wolf culture. With an icy glare that would make their father proud,she reluctantly stepped aside to let him in,cutting straight to business the moment the door closed.
"You’re here for Freya’s contact information. I already told you—not happening. Get over it,brother."
Jasper carefully set down the peace offerings and lowered his voice to a gentle rumble—the same tone he’d once used to comfort Elena during childhood thunderstorms.
"El,I know I fucked up royally. I want to fix things. Just tell me where she is? I swear on our parents’ graves,Mia’s completely out of the picture. I’ll do right by Freya this time." His eyes softened with genuine emotion. "You two are best friends—if we reconnect,you’ll see her all the time. Our pack needs her."
Elena cut him off with a sharp laugh that held no warmth.
"Freya and I are solid with or without you in the equation. As long as she’s happy,I don’t care if she’s in Antarctica. You actually think after everything you’ve put her through,you deserve another shot?" Her eyes flashed with wolf-gold anger. "Wasn’t it you who told me just weeks ago that Mia was going to be my sister-in-law? That I needed to ’accept the mate bond’ and ’show proper respect’?"
His comeback died in his throat. Elena had always been a firecracker,even as a pup,and Freya’s suffering had only fueled her protective rage. Seeing his uncharacteristic silence,she went for the jugular.
"You slapped me across the face for questioning Mia,and you stood by while Freya was publicly humiliated at her own birthday celebration. Now suddenly you’re sorry?" She shook her head in disgust. "Too fucking late,Jasper. For your information,Freya’s thriving overseas!"
Hearing this confirmation that Freya had left the country,Jasper physically recoiled as though struck. His wolf whined pitifully inside him. He took a steadying breath and,for the first time in his life,humbled himself before his little sister.
"Elena,I messed up bigger than any Alpha in our bloodline ever has. I’ve dealt with Mia—I can prove it if you want." His voice grew increasingly desperate. "Just tell Freya I understand now. She loved me for eight years without conditions. She’ll forgive me... Please,El. Just this once. I’m begging you."
His words tumbled out faster and more frantically,like a drowning wolf grasping for anything to stay afloat. His eyes grew red-rimmed with emotion. To Elena,he looked utterly pathetic—she’d never seen her untouchable Alpha brother reduced to this broken state.
"You knew she loved you for eight years,and how did you treat her?" Elena’s voice dripped with contempt. "Like a convenient bed warmer,a personal assistant with benefits,someone you could use whenever your Alpha urges needed satisfaction! You burned through every ounce of her devotion,and now that she’s found the courage to break the bond,you’re suddenly sorry?" She leaned in closer. "Newsflash—she’s a wolf with feelings,not your emotional chew toy!"
Her words cut like silver-edged daggers,deepening his already profound regret. He dropped to his knees before her.
"Elena,just let me see her once. One time. If she tells me to go to hell,I’ll accept the rejection and never contact her again."
In all his privileged life as the Stone Lake Alpha heir,Jasper Kane had never begged anyone for anything. Yet here he was,kneeling before his baby sister,all dignity abandoned for a chance to reclaim the woman his wolf recognized as their true mate.
Even Elena was momentarily stunned by how far the mighty had fallen. His wolf submission was genuine—she could sense it. But betraying her best friend’s trust wasn’t an option either.
She caved slightly,rolling her eyes as she sighed heavily.
"I’ll ask if she’s willing to see you. IF she says yes—and that’s a massive,moon-sized if—I’ll give you her address."
His hopeless expression suddenly brightened with desperate hope as he nodded like an eager pup being offered its first hunt,his Alpha pride completely forgotten in the face of potentially reconnecting with his true mate.