Arranged To The Beast Alpha
Secret crushes

JASON'S POV.

Sitting alone in the guest room they'd given me, I stared out the window at the moonlit forest. My heart felt heavy, weighed down by memories I had no way of escaping. Coming back here was a mistake, wasn't it? Seeing Damien again... seeing her again...

Leah.

I let out a sigh, rubbing the back of my neck as the tension settled deeper into my chest. The first time I'd seen her after all these years, it felt like I could finally breathe again. Like the emptiness I'd carried for so long had finally started to heal. But then Damien had to step in, all fire and fury as if he could erase what we were with a single glare.

He didn't even look at me like a brother anymore. Maybe he never had.

We weren't blood-related, not really. My mother had married Damien's father when I was six, and suddenly, I'd been thrown into a world I didn't understand. A world of strength, power, and wolves. I hadn't even shifted yet, and Damien had already been the golden child-the perfect son. He was faster, stronger, more focused. The future alpha of the pack.

And I? I was just the stepson.

I idolized him back then. Everything about Damien fascinated me. The way he carried himself, the way people listened to him, even as a boy. He never seemed afraid of anything, and I... well, I was afraid of everything.

But he was cold to me from the start. No matter how much I tried to impress him, no matter how hard I worked to keep up with him, there was always this distance between us. It was like I didn't belong, and Damien made sure I knew it. Still, I followed him around like a shadow. I wanted so badly for him to see me as more than just the boy his father had been forced to accept into their home.

Years passed, and I grew stronger. Faster. I became part of the pack in ways I never thought I would, but that distance between us remained. I told myself it didn't matter-that I didn't need Damien's approval. But deep down, I wanted it more than anything.

And then, one day, everything changed.

I didn't mean to fall in love with him. It wasn't something I planned, something I could control. It just happened. The more time we spent together, the harder it became to ignore the way my chest tightened whenever he looked at me.

I thought I was careful, that I hid it well. But looking back, maybe I wasn't as subtle as I thought.

The night I told him... God, I was so nervous. I'd spent weeks trying to convince myself not to say anything, but it felt like it was eating me alive. I couldn't keep it bottled up anymore.

I found him by the lake, sharpening a blade in that methodical way he always did. He looked up when I approached, his brows furrowing slightly. "What?" he asked, his tone sharp.

I hesitated, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. "I... I need to tell you something," I said.

He set the blade aside and crossed his arms, waiting.

The words caught in my throat, but I forced them out. "I care about you, Damien," I said quietly. "More than I should."

For a moment, he just stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then he laughed a cold, humorless sound that cut deeper than any blade ever could. "Jason," he said, shaking his head. "You're my brother."

My stomach twisted, and I felt my cheeks burn. "We're not really brothers," I said quickly. "Your dad married my mom. That doesn't make us―"

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted, his voice hard. "You're family. And besides..." He stood up, towering over me. "I'm not gay."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

"I don't know what gave you the idea that something like this would work," he continued, his tone colder than I'd ever heard it. "But it won't. So whatever you're feeling? Forget it. Move on."

I nodded, swallowing hard as I fought to keep my composure. "Right," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Of course. I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything else, just grabbed the blade and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart in pieces.

That was the last time I tried to bridge the gap between us. After that, I kept my distance, even when it hurt to do so.

But then Leah came into our lives, and everything changed again.

I didn't mean to fall for her, either. But Leah had a way of making you feel like you were the only person in the world. She was fierce and kind and utterly intoxicating. And when she kissed me, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could finally move

on.

But Damien... he couldn't stand it. The way he looked at me after that kiss-it was like I'd betrayed him in the worst way possible.

"You don't own her," I'd snapped at him one night when the tension between us had reached its breaking point.

"She's my mate," he'd growled.

"And she's mine too," I'd shot back.

That was the first and only time we'd come to blows. It was brutal, and neither of us came out of it unscathed. But the next morning, Leah was gone, and nothing mattered anymore.

For years, I thought about her. About Damien. About everything we'd lost. And when I saw her again... it was like the world had shifted.

But Damien's still the same. Still cold. Still distant.

Still, the boy I fell in love with.

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "You're an idiot, Jason," I muttered to myself. "An absolute idiot."

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I turned, expecting Damien, but it was Kai.

"The council wants to see you," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Me? Why?"

Kai shrugged. "Something about pack politics. Just don't make a scene."

I sighed, standing up and grabbing my jacket. "When do I ever make a scene?"

Kai smirked. "Do you want the list?"

I rolled my eyes and followed him out of the room. As I walked, I couldn't help but wonder how much longer I could keep all these secrets buried. Because sooner or later, they were going to come out.

And when they did, nothing would ever be the same.