Arranged To The Beast Alpha
Handsome stranger

LEAH'S POV.

The garden was quiet, but my mind wasn't.

I sat on the cool stone bench, staring at the flowers around me. The sun was high, its warm rays kissing my skin, but I didn't feel warm inside. My heart was heavy. Damien had barely spoken to me since we got back. He avoided me, his coldness cutting deeper than any words ever could.

I tried to push away the pain, to focus on the beauty around me. The vibrant roses, the soft rustle of leaves, the gentle hum of bees-all of it should have been calming. But it wasn't.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Maybe if I just sat here long enough, I'd find some peace. I tried to empty my mind, to concentrate on the stillness, but it was impossible. Thoughts of Damien kept intruding. His cold stares, the way he ignored me during the car ride home, how he walked away from me like I didn't matter.

I pressed my palms together, my breathing uneven. Why did he hate me now? What had I done wrong? The questions swirled in my head, growing louder and louder until they were all I could hear.

Before I knew it, my hands were trembling, and my eyes stung. I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay, but it was no use. A single tear slipped down my cheek, then another, until I was crying-silent, desperate sobs that I couldn't stop.

My body shook, and I buried my face in my hands, hoping no one would see me like this. I didn't want to be weak, not here, not now.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to."

The voice was deep but gentle, startling me. I looked up quickly, wiping at my cheeks. Standing a few feet away was a man I had never seen before or so I thought. He was tall, with dark hair that curled slightly at the ends and bright green eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. His smile was soft, and reassuring, as if he wasn't judging me for breaking down.

"I-I'm fine," I stammered, though my voice cracked.

He tilted his head, stepping closer. "Doesn't look like it. Crying in a garden doesn't scream fine to me."

I swallowed hard, trying to compose myself. "I just needed some air."

"Air doesn't usually bring tears," he said lightly, though there was no teasing in his tone. "Mind if I sit?"

Before I could answer, he lowered himself onto the bench beside me.

"I don't even know you," I said, my voice low.

He smirked. "That's true. But that doesn't mean I can't help."

His confidence was strange-familiar, almost as if he knew more than he let on. There was something about him that made me feel both uneasy and curious. "What's your name?" I asked cautiously.

"Jason,” he replied easily, leaning back against the bench.

Jason. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it. "I'm Leah."

"I know," he said, his smile widening.

"You... know me?" I asked, my brows knitting together.

"Something like that," Jason said, his tone cryptic. "Let's just say I've heard a lot about you."

Before I could ask what he meant, the sound of hurried footsteps reached my ears. I turned just as Damien appeared at the edge of the garden. His eyes locked on me instantly, and his expression was a mixture of anger and something else something like fear.

"Leah," Damien said sharply, his voice cutting through the air. He strode toward me, his movements tense, his jaw clenched. "What's going on here?"

Jason didn't move. If anything, his smirk deepened. "Hello, Damien."

Damien froze, his body going rigid. His gaze darted between me and Jason before finally settling on Jason. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just chatting with Leah," Jason said casually, as if Damien's presence didn't bother him. "She looked like she needed a friend."

Damien's fists clenched at his sides, and I could see the tension radiating off him. His breathing was uneven, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "She doesn't need you," Damien said, his voice low and dangerous. "Leave."

Jason stood, towering over Damien but somehow still looking relaxed. "Is that any way to greet me, brother?"

The word hit like a bomb. My eyes widened, and I looked at Damien, expecting him to deny it. But he didn't. "Jason," Damien growled, his voice thick with anger.

Jason raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, I'll go. But this isn't over, Damien. You know it."

With one last glance at me, Jason turned and walked away, disappearing into the trees at the edge of the garden.

I looked at Damien, my mind racing. "Damien... what-"

"Go inside," he said, cutting me off.

"But-"  

"Now, Leah," he snapped, his voice like ice.

I flinched, the sharpness of his tone slicing through me. Without another word, I turned and walked toward the house, my heart pounding.

As I reached the door, I glanced back. Damien was still standing there, staring in the direction Jason had gone. His shoulders were tense, and his face was a storm of anger and something else something deeper, something I didn't understand.

I stepped inside, my chest tight. Who was Jason, really? And why did Damien look so afraid?

With each step I took my heart hammered against my chest, I couldn't shove it off my mind, the gaze both men exchanged, they had a past, I was certain now but whatever that past was I'm certain it wasn't a pleasant one

A cold chill ran down my spine as a horrid image formed in my mind, both men jumping at each other. Ripping each other's heads off, Jason mostly looked calm and collected even when we barely spent an hour together, he looked just like the type of man one could trust.

I couldn't say the same about Damian now he's been acting out, and somewhere in my thoughts, I knew he hated Jason's guts, I had felt it in his glare.