The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. Maybe this whole mate bond was just a lie I clung to. Maybe Briana was his true mate, and I was merely a placeholder.
I stormed into my parents' house, locking myself in my old room. Mom and Dad followed, knocking softly, their concern palpable. But I couldn’t face them. I buried my face in my pillow and sobbed until I was hollow—completely numb.
For the next two weeks, I shut Jasper out completely. I ignored his calls, texts, and every attempt he made to see me. He showed up at the house more times than I could count, but I refused to open the door.
As far as I was concerned, he could burn in hell. I'd never see him again.
Of course, Jasper had perfect timing. The one night I finally decided to pull myself together, he showed up—right when my parents weren’t home.
“Daphne, open the door! I know you're in there!” His fists hammered against the door, his voice booming.
I swung it open and snapped, “What do you want?”
He barged in, not wasting a second. “Why haven’t you answered my calls? Or Briana’s?” His voice dripped with accusation. “She’s been trying to reach you! You know she has a weak heart, Daphne. You’re stressing her out, and it’s bad for her health. You’re being completely unreasonable!”
“Unreasonable?” I scoffed. Was he serious?
“You abandoned me at our mating ceremony, and I’m the one being unreasonable?” I shouted, my voice shaking with fury.
“Yes!” he shot back, without a shred of doubt. His arrogance only fueled my rage. “Briana feels terrible about what happened. She’s been begging me to apologize to you for her. She’s 'genuinely' sorry, Daphne. And you're making her sick with worry!”
I couldn’t believe it. How could he stand there, defending her, after everything they’d done?
“You know what?” I stepped closer, my voice dropping to an icy calm. “I’m done. Go back and keep playing house with your childhood sweetheart.”
Jasper blinked, his confidence crumbling into confusion. “What are you talking about?”
I met his eyes, my chest burning with finality. “I’m rejecting you, Jasper.”
His face twisted in shock, his voice rising with panic. “What?”
I smiled coldly, savoring his disbelief. “You heard me. I, Daphne Stone, reject—”
Jasper’s hand clamped over my mouth before I could finish. His eyes blazed with fury and he seemed about to explode.