How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 22: Protecting Who?

AIDEN’S POV

The silence after Jasmine’s outburst was deafening.

I stood outside her door long after she kicked me out, listening to her quiet sobs through the thick wood. Each broken cry felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest, causing pain that no blade could compare to.

Every instinct inside me—every ounce of my wolf clawing beneath my skin—screamed to tear the door off its hinges, to force my way back in, to fix this.

But I didn’t.

Because I was the one who broke her.

Because I didn’t deserve to touch her right now.

I slumped down against the wall across from her door, feeling heavy and worn out. My head rested against the cool wood as I tried to steady my breathing, struggling to cope with the chaos within me.

Ace was pacing restlessly in my mind, growling with frustration.

"She’s scared of you now." His voice and words were rough.

"I know," I rasped.

"She should have known sooner. You should have told her before she found out."

"I know," I whispered again, shutting my eyes against the crushing weight pressing down on me. "I thought I was protecting her."

Ace let out a sound — half-bitter laugh, half-snarl — and it cut through the silence.

"Maybe you weren’t protecting her. Maybe you were just protecting yourself."

I didn’t answer.

Because he was right.

I thought I was giving her time. I thought I was sparing her. I thought, stupidly, that maybe if I pretended hard enough, fate wouldn’t catch up with us.

And now here we were.

For a while, I just sat there. Bleeding without bleeding. Hurting without any visible wounds.

Finally, I dragged myself up and headed for my room. Once I was in, I grabbed my phone and dialled Greg. He answered on the first ring.

"She knows," I said in a low and wrecked voice.

A heavy sigh crackled through the line. "You told her, or she found out?"

"She found out."

"Damn it, Aiden."

"I know."

Greg promised to come over first thing the following day, but asked me to keep her safe. Rogues could smell disruption in a bond—they fed on chaos, and nothing smelled louder than a broken and scared mate.

After that, I texted Kieran: We were attacked. She knows. Come over tomorrow morning as soon as possible.

His reply was instant: Okay, Alpha.

I dropped the phone back on the side table and sat on the edge of the bed, my face in my hands.

The horrible truth gnawed at me.

If Jasmine rejected the bond... if she truly ran from me... it wouldn’t just destroy me.

If I lost her completely and she turned away from the bond that the goddess forged between us, it would awaken the dark curse within me—the curse I’ve spent my whole life trying to suppress.

Losing her would mean losing control of Ace, and that would lead to losing everything I hold dear.

I finally pushed myself to my feet and stumbled toward the bathroom, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I passed.

Bloodstains smeared across my ribs. Dirt ground into my skin. Sweat dripping from my hairline.

And my eyes—gods, my eyes—they looked hollow. Haunted.

No wonder she had looked at me like I was a monster.

I stripped in harsh, jerky movements and stepped into the shower, letting the scalding water burn me clean.

It didn’t work.

Afterwards, dressed in dark jeans and a black T-shirt, I headed downstairs, desperate for something normal. Something human.

Coffee.

I poured myself a cup, my hands trembling slightly as the strong, bitter aroma filled the air.

Then I noticed something else — a light hint of jasmine and the chill of fresh air. Her scent. Clean and refreshing, drifting away from the kitchen.

Hope flared foolishly in my chest.

Perhaps she had come downstairs for coffee as well. Perhaps she had calmed down enough to—

I grabbed a second mug and walked softly down the hall toward her room, heart hammering against my ribs like a drumbeat.

I just needed to hear her heartbeat—just one soft thump. Just to know she was still here.

I stopped outside her door and listened.

Nothing.

No breath. No heartbeat.

My stomach dropped like a stone.

"Jasmine?" I called softly.

Silence answered me.

A wave of fear hit me suddenly. I pushed the door open, but it was empty?

The bed was untouched. The bathroom door was ajar; the lights were off.

An alarm instantly goes off in my head.

Immediately, I turned, following the scent trail like a lifeline, my muscles locking tighter with every step. Past the staircase. Past the study. Past the kitchen.

Straight to the side exit.

The staff door.

The door was slightly open.

I gripped the coffee mug tightly, but it slipped from my hand and broke apart on the marble floor, sending shards flying around.

Dashing down the stairs, I rushed through the hallway and burst out the door into the sharp, cold night air, feeling the ground rushing beneath me.

Ace surged inside me.

Shift. Now.

I ripped the shirt over my head, my body already convulsing into the transformation. Bones cracked, stretching and reforming. My spine snapped with a sickening pop. Fur tore through my skin. My jaw elongated.

I tore the shirt off my head as my body started to shake with the transformation. Bones cracked as they stretched and reshaped. I heard a terrible pop as my spine broke. Fur ripped into my skin. My jaw stretched out.

In just a few seconds, I was on the cobblestone path, running hard, with my paws hitting the ground and my nose close to the ground to follow her scent.

Her trail was fresh. Strong. Panicked.

She was running. Fast. No direction. Pure instinct.

I tore through the woods, heart hammering harder than the earth under my feet.

If I lost her, I would lose myself.

Ahead, faint headlights cut through the trees.

There.

Jasmine stood at the edge of the old mountain road, waving frantically at an approaching car. Desperation was etched into every line of her body.

She was trying to hitchhike. Alone. At night.

I pushed harder, lungs burning, closing the distance—

But I wasn’t the only one.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a movement in the trees.

A rogue wolf was lurking nearby, probably biding its time for the perfect moment to attack. Suddenly, it lunged at her, and my vision blurred with rage.

Jasmine’s terrified scream filled my ears, and without thinking, I rushed forward, allowing my instincts to take over.

I slammed into the rogue mid-air, crushing it to the ground. Its snarl turned into a choked gasp as my teeth found its throat. One sharp twist and I heard the crack of bone.

The rogue went limp.

Dead.

I shifted back without thinking, half-wolf, half-man, fur and skin blending together in a grotesque mess. But none of it mattered.

Only she mattered.

Jasmine stumbled backwards, panic filling her eyes. She gasped for breath, struggling to scream, but it turned into a sob before she could finish.

Next thing I knew, her legs gave out as she passed out, but I caught her before she fell, wrapping her shivering body in my arms.

Her skin felt icy, and her heartbeat raced against my chest like a fragile butterfly.

I cradled her close, whispering over and over again into her hair, my voice breaking apart:

"I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re safe, Jasmine. I swear it. You’re safe."

But deep down, as I held her shaking in my arms, I knew the truth.

She wasn’t safe.

Not from fate.

And maybe... not even from me.