How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 58: Safe Haven...

JASMINE’S POV

My car screeched into Sophia’s driveway twenty minutes later, tires kicking up gravel like dust from the past I couldn’t outrun.

I barely had the engine off before I was out, slamming the door and sprinting through the pouring rain. My fists pounded against her front door so hard I thought the hinges might come off.

She yanked it open almost immediately. "Jazz?!"

I must’ve looked insane—barefoot, in soaked shorts and a thin T-shirt, hair plastered to my skin, trembling like a ghost. Her eyes widened, scanning me for injuries.

"What the hell—what happened?"

I tried to speak, but no words came out. I just shook my head, my breath catching painfully in my chest.

"I... I didn’t know where else to go."

Sophia didn’t hesitate.

She grabbed my wrist and yanked me inside, slamming the door shut behind us. The warmth of her apartment wrapped around me like a second skin, but it did nothing to melt the ice in my bones.

"Jazz," she said again, softer now. Her brows were drawn tight in worry. "You look like you just saw the devil or something."

I stumbled onto her couch, curling into myself, fingers still trembling.

Everything from the last thirty minutes played on repeat in my mind: the wildness in Aiden’s eyes, the weight of his body pinning me, the way his claws had trembled beside my neck.

Sophia was gone for all of ten seconds, then returned with a thick, knitted blanket. She wrapped it around me, tucking it in at the sides like I might shatter.

Then she disappeared again and came back with a steaming mug.

"Here." She handed it to me with both hands. "Now, I want you to calm down, take deep breaths, and tell me what the fuck is going on."

I blinked at her.

"Where’s Aiden? Should I call him to come pick you up?"

The moment his name left her lips, I flinched. I shook my head so hard the tea almost spilled.

Sophia’s jaw clenched. "Jasmine... what happened? Did he hurt you?"

"No," I croaked. "I think... I think I hurt him."

She crouched down in front of me, brushing the wet hair out of my face. "Talk to me." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

I looked at her. "Something’s happening to Aiden."

She went still, all her humor and sarcasm stripped away in an instant. "What kind of something?"

"The kind where he looked at me like I wasn’t even a person anymore. Like I was a scent. A trigger. Like something inside him snapped."

"Jesus," she whispered. "Okay. So... what, he’s having some kind of mental break or what?"

"No, not exactly. I think..." I paused, forcing the words out like peeling skin. "I think it has something to do with the bond. And the seal. And me."

Sophia blinked. "Bond? Seal? Is this like a psychic thing? Like soulmates or... Twilight nonsense?"

I almost laughed, but it came out broken. "It’s real. The matebond. It’s... chemical, emotional, supernatural. All of it. It links two werewolves together permanently. It’s why we—" I cut myself off too late.

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "We?"

I went still.

"You said ’we,’ Jasmine."

I didn’t respond.

"Jasmine," she said again in a low and serious tone now, "what aren’t you telling me?"

I looked down at the mug in my hands. "I’m not human, Soph."

The silence that followed was so thick it almost suffocated me.

"You’re... not what?"

I lifted my gaze. "I’m a werewolf."

She blinked. "Okay. So. That’s... wow. Um. Is it April 1st or what prank are we playing?"

"I’m serious, Soph."

A dry, nervous chuckle escaped her lips. "Okay, okay, okay. So, uhmmm. Is it a full moon situation? Do you need a leash or—oh my god, is this why you always order your steak rare?"

"That’s not how it works," I muttered.

She sat back on her heels. "Right. Sorry. Processing. Just processing."

I waited.

"Wait, you are serious?"

"Do I look like someone in the mood for a joke?" I asked, frowning.

And from there, I went on to explain the part of my life I hadn’t told anyone, as simply as I could put it.

She swallowed as she pointed at me. "So you’re a werewolf, and Aiden’s a werewolf too?"

I nodded.

"And this... bond thing is like... an arranged thing?"

"No. It’s fate. Or instinct. It chooses. We don’t."

Sophia looked down. "So, what happened tonight?"

I sucked in a breath. "Something in him changed. He came to my room, and I could feel it. The pull. The pressure. He couldn’t control it. He almost marked me."

Her brows shot up. "Marked?"

"Bitten," I said quietly. "Claimed. It’s a permanent bond. Deeper than the one we already share. Usually... it’s done with consent. But tonight..."

I didn’t finish.

Sophia stood abruptly, pacing the living room with a hand pressed to her mouth. "Okay. So you’re saying he almost lost control and basically tried to—what? Bite you? Like a dog?"

I flinched.

She froze. "Shit. Sorry. That was insensitive. I just... damn it, Jazz. Are you okay?"

"I ran," I said. "I kneed him. And I ran."

Sophia blinked at me. "Good. You should’ve."

Sophia blinked at me again, still frozen mid-pace. "Good. You should’ve."

"I’m not going back," I said suddenly, voice sharp and brittle.

She stopped. "Wait—what?"

"I’m not going back to that house." I hugged the blanket tighter around myself. "I don’t care what happens. I’ll sleep in my car if I have to."

"Jazz..." Her voice softened, stepping closer. "You and Aiden live together. You’re married. You can’t just not go back."

"You didn’t see him." My voice cracked. "He wasn’t Aiden. He was... something else. Like he wasn’t seeing me. Just reacting. Like I was a scent or a command, not a person."

Sophia sat beside me again, gently pulling the mug from my hands and setting it on the coffee table.

"Okay. But listen to me. I’ve been around the two of you for a while now. He’s been good to you, Jazz. He’s been patient and protective and—hell, he looks at you like you invented gravity."

"That’s before," I whispered, trying to come to terms with my messed up thoughts.