Chapter 3: Claire Confronts Jared

I waited outside Jared’s room, my heart racing in my chest. My hand lingered near the door handle, a shiver coursing through my fingers as I inhaled deeply. This is it. I needed to face and know the truth straight from him, even if it shattered me.

Everything changed overnight, but I still couldn’t dismiss the sense that something more sinister was hidden. Lila’s note, her cunning, Jared’s swift dismissal of me—it was overwhelming. Overly clean. Exceedingly flawless. She had anticipated this moment, this evening. And I needed to help him understand it.

I opened the door, entering the softly illuminated room. Jared was seated at his desk, facing away from me, jotting down something on a sheet of paper. The noise of his pen scraping on the parchment was the sole sound in the room, a persistent reminder of his growing distance.

I cleared my throat, and he tensed his shoulders, his hand stopping abruptly. He didn't immediately turn around, and I could nearly sense the tension in his muscles as he registered my presence.

“Claire,” he replied, his tone sharp, as if he had already foreseen my response.

“Jared,” I responded, attempting to steady my tone. "We need to discuss."

He breathed out sharply, setting the pen aside and turning his chair to look at me. His deep eyes fixed on mine, yet they lacked the warmth they previously contained. There was no sign of the man I had known, the one who had previously made me feel secure, noticed, and cherished. At that moment, there stood merely a distant stranger.

“What is it?” he inquired, his voice more chilling than I had ever experienced.

My heart raced as I walked across the room, facing him. “I’m aware of Lila,” I replied, my words escaping more swiftly than I meant. "I am aware of what she has done." “I am aware of the letter.”

For an instant, his demeanour altered—merely a brief hint of astonishment, succeeded by a rapid facade of apathy. He reclined in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

“Is that what this is all about?” he inquired, his tone quiet, nearly sarcastic. "An envelope?" "Did you come here to discuss a letter?"

“I've arrived to discuss everything,” I retorted, my tone elevating. "Concerning Lila and the events from last night." “Concerning you.”

His gaze tightened, and I observed the barriers rise. He was retreating, shutting me out, but I refused to allow it. I was unable to.

"Claire, you have a mistaken view of her," he remarked, his tone cutting as if intended to wound me. "You have no idea what you're discussing."

“Do I not?” I exploded, anger rising within me. “I possess evidence, Jared.” I noticed the letter. She has been arranging this from the beginning. “She has been taking advantage of you.”

His eyes darted momentarily, yet he swiftly collected himself again. He rose from his desk, heading to the window, turning his back to me again.

"You have to halt this, Claire," he said, his tone nearly soft now, yet I could sense the subtle authority behind it. "You're allowing your feelings to obscure your reasoning." "You’re perceiving things that don’t exist."

"I'm not envisioning anything!" I stepped ahead, my voice breaking. "You believe she’s the best option for you and the pack, but I understand her true intentions." She’s playing you, Jared. She desires it all. “She's exploiting your role for her benefit, and you're too oblivious to notice.”

He turned to look at me, his face displaying no emotions. "You have always been sensitive, Claire." "I’ve attempted to extend you some trust, but now you’re simply... out of touch with reality."

I recoiled, the words striking me more forcefully than I anticipated. "Out of touch with reality?" So, what does it matter? Is this merely my imagination? You’re saying that her behaviour, her manipulation of the pack, and her control over you—none of it matters?

Jared took some time before responding. His jaw clenched, and for an instant, I believed I noticed the slightest glimmer of something in his eyes—perhaps regret. However, it vanished just as fast as it had come.

"She's my Luna," he stated, his voice steady, the certainty in his tone causing my heart to sink. "I've selected her." "You must acknowledge that."

The words hit hard, taking the breath away from my lungs. My chest throbbed, an empty sensation coursing within me, yet I would not allow him to perceive the extent of my pain.

“I wish you wouldn’t pick her,” I murmured, my voice shaking under the pressure of all I had tried to keep inside. "I would like you to pick me." I have always been here for you, Jared. I have always been the person who comprehended you, the one who showed concern. "And now you're simply… discarding that for her?"

He moved nearer, his gaze fixed on mine, and for an instant, I believed I caught a glimpse of something within them—something akin to guilt, or perhaps… sadness. However, he swiftly concealed it, locking away all feelings behind that frigid facade.

"You don’t get it," he replied, his tone unexpectedly softer, yet the resentment remained. "This isn't concerning you, Claire." This concerns the pack. This pertains to what lies ahead. "I've made my decision, and there's nothing you can say to alter it."

"Why did you turn me down then?" I murmured, my throat constricted. “Why did you reject me in front of everyone?” Do you believe I’m unaware of the impact that had on me? "To us?"

His expression became gentler for a fleeting instant, but it vanished before I could grasp it.

"I had no choice, Claire," he murmured, his voice hardly audible. "It was the best choice for the pack." For what lies ahead. I apologize.

I shook my head, the words piercing my skin like knives. "You don't feel regret." You're simply attempting to rationalize it. You no longer care about me. "You truly never did."

His jaw clenched, and he retreated, turning his back to me again. “I believe it’s time for you to go now, Claire." "There's nothing else to mention."

I remained there for a long time, watching his back, my heart breaking into fragments. I was in disbelief at what I was hearing, unable to accept that this was the man I had once adored.

However, I had no intention of departing. Not in this manner.

I compelled myself to speak, my tone calm and even. "You might have picked her, Jared." However, I will never cease to battle for the truth. You'll wish you had if you don't heed my words now. "I assure you of that."

He did not look back.

“You can go now, Claire,” he repeated, his voice final.

And just like that, the last shred of hope I had for us vanished.

I walked out of his quarters, the weight of his rejection pressing down on my shoulders. But I wasn’t done. Not yet.

Lila might have won this battle, but I wasn’t going to let her destroy everything I had worked for.

And Jared… Jared had no idea what was coming.

While I strolled down the hallway, my thoughts swirling, I spotted a figure hiding at the corridor's end. It was too late to reverse course. I accelerated my steps, but then a voice, soft and threatening, halted me abruptly.

“Did you honestly believe you could triumph in this battle, Claire?”

I stood still, my heart racing wildly in my chest. The voice didn’t belong to Jared. It also wasn’t Rowan’s.

And as I turned, my blood chilled to ice.

It was Reynold.