?Chapter 136:

“Where is he?” I asked, my voice filled with excitement. Seraphina, with an amused expression on her small face, stared at me, obviously trying her best not tough.

Immediately, she told me where he was, and I rushed to meet him. Apart from the rogue incident, I couldn’t remember thest time I had run this fast. The adrenaline coursing through me must have been high because I didn’t stop for a single second to catch my breath. My mind raced with thoughts of his reasons for being here, and I almost began to panic as my thoughts went to my parents, but I shoved them aside. It didn’t matter for now.

“Jason!” I squealed as I ran into his arms. Apart from his now long hair, he didn’t look much different from thest time I’d seen him. His eyes looked troubled, but he managed to put on a wide grin.

“How are you?” I gushed as I ced a kiss on his cheek.

“Ummm…” He scratched the back of his neck, and his eyes moved nervously around the room.

“It’s been a bit tough. Can we go somewhere more private?” Jason shrugged, his eyes staring into something in the far-off distance.

I nodded my head in understanding. If Ryder saw me with him, he was going to be so dead.

“I know somewhere we can go,” I offered. The only ce I knew where no one in the pack really went was theke, where we once went skinny dipping.

“Why do you look like someone’s after you?” I chuckled. We were both seated in the sand, and despite the scorching heat from the sand, the coolness of the water left it feeling refreshing.

“About that,” he paused for a minute, and I knew he was contemting what to say.

“I’m in serious debt, Jaz, and I need some urgent cash. Like ten thousand dors. I was thinking maybe you could help,” Jason said, staring at me with a guilty expression on his face.

Ten thousand dors! That was a lot of money that I didn’t have. I hadn’t even received my sry yet, and I wouldn’t until next week. And I definitely couldn’t ask Ryder… I was stuck. I told him this.

An awkward silence followed, but Jason’s eyes settled on my chest. My gaze moved to it, and instinctively, my fingers touched the diamond ne Ryder had gifted me.

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His gaze bored into mine. Desperation was the only thing I could read, as though he could dig into my thoughts and pull out whatever he wanted. Jason had never looked this desperate. For a guy who strutted around with the ego of a damn god, he looked downright pitiful now. Whatever mess he’d gotten himself into had really taken a toll on him. His hard, rock-like face pulled into a smile as he red at me—no, not me—at the ne.

“Wait, what? How did you get this?” he asked, ring at the ne as if it were the final answer to his unsettled debt. Maybe it was, but I wasn’t ready topromise Ryder’s first gift to me for anything.

“Ryder gifted it to me,” I replied curtly.

“This piece… it’s authentic,” he murmured, reaching toward the ne but stopping short. His eyes gleamed with something close to obsession.

I scoffed. “What, you’re an expert in fine jewelry now?”

His grin was humorless. “This could save me, Jasmine. This ne, it could get me out of debt, and if we sold it, we’d make a killing.” He stepped closer, so close I could smell his colognevender, of all things. The same scent that used to make my knees wobble when I was young and foolish. Back then, I might have entertained one or two questionable fantasies involving Jason. But now? Not a chance.

I gaped at him. “I’m sorry—what? You think I’d sell the ne Ryder gave me just to bail you out of some mess you won’t even exin?”

He let out a frustrated sigh, as though I were being unreasonable. “That piece is worth a hundred thousand dors. Minimum. Jasmine, do you even know what you’re wearing?”

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