Shunned By An Alpha, Cherised By A Lycan

Chapter 256:

It was the hope I was clinging to. Desperately. I needed that bond to disappear. I needed Jason to be gone from her, from us. It was the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart.

The Viper King had sent his request, wanting to see his daughter. But I couldn’t let that happen. Not yet. Jasmine was barely holding on, and the last thing she needed was more pressure, more reminders of the past that was still clawing at her mind. Enzo understood, at least. He’d confirmed she was safe and promised to give her time. But I knew it was only a matter of days before they came knocking again.

I just wanted her to have a chance to heal, to breathe, without breaking down every other moment.

Her breathing was soft, steady against my chest. It should’ve been comforting, but the fear inside me never let go. I was always waiting for the nightmares to come back, for Jason’s ghost to pull her away from me.

And just like that, it happened.noveldrama

Her body stiffened, and a low whimper escaped her lips. It was a sound that twisted my insides into knots. Then the whimper grew into a scream, sharp and raw, the kind of sound that made my heart shatter.

“Jason!”

Her voice was desperate, broken.

I froze for a moment, the name slicing through me like a blade. Ace snarled, his fury vibrating through my mind. But underneath the anger was something worse—the ache of helplessness.

I quickly sat up, gently but urgently pulling her away from my chest to look at her face. Her eyes were clenched shut, tears streaking down her cheeks as she writhed in my arms. Her fingers clawed at the sheets, at her own skin, like she was trying to tear away something invisible.

I felt sick.

Then my eyes caught it—the mark on her neck.

gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝗈𝗺 – 𝗟𝗲𝗚𝗜𝗧 𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧

The mating mark.

It was faint, barely there, like a scar trying to fade but refusing to disappear completely. My breath caught in my throat. How was it still there? We were told the bond would break. Jason had rejected her, and she’d accepted it. But the mark—the mark was still there, weak but present.

I reached out with a trembling hand to touch the mark, and just as my fingers hovered over it, I felt it. A light trail, a faint whisper of Jason’s presence. It was like poison seeping into my veins. My vision blurred, the edges darkening as my rage surged forward, too powerful to contain.

Ace howled in my mind, a mournful, agonized sound that echoed how I felt.

Why is he still there?

I wanted to rip it off her, to tear away that last piece of him that still clung to her like a curse. My jaw clenched until my teeth ached, my whole body trembling with the need to fix this, to make it right. But there was nothing I could do.

I was failing her again.

She screamed his name once more, and my heart splintered. The sound of Jason’s name on her lips made me want to break something—or maybe break myself. I should’ve been the one she called for. I should’ve been the one who haunted her dreams, not that monster.

I took a shaky breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. I leaned closer, brushing her damp hair away from her forehead. “Jasmine,” I whispered, my voice raw. “It’s me. It’s Ryder. You’re safe.”

Her body shuddered, and for a moment, I thought she was coming back to me. But then her eyes snapped open, wild and full of terror. She wasn’t seeing me. She was still lost in that nightmare, trapped with him.

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