Jaylen’s P.O.V

I opened my eyes to the blinding sun coming through the curtains. I closed my eyes, hoping to fall back asleep, refusing to face the day I wanted to sleep a bit more. Yesterday’s me should’ve shut the bloody blinds properly. My head felt groggy for some reason. I must’ve been more tired than usual. I steered to turn around, avoiding the sunlight, but I felt a warm body against my chest. A smile made its way on my lips as I pulled him in closer to me, nuzzling the crook of his neck and inhaling his intoxicating scent. He steered a bit, and his hand made its way to my arm, warped around his waist, tracing the veins. My smile widens. It's always been his favourite thing to do.

“Good morning, baby,” My voice came out horsed, and my throat felt parched. His breath hitched for a reason, and I felt his body tense slightly before relaxing again. Now that I have noticed, he seemed slimmer than usual, was he not eating properly?

“Aiden? Are you okay?” I said as I opened my eyes, and reality came crashing down as soon as I did.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

The hand that was tracing my arms dropped to the bed, mimicking the drop in my stomach as hazy memories of yesterday came back. FUCK!

“Dario, I’m so-”

“Don’t. Just don’t.” his voice was shaky as he spoke.

I stayed frozen, unable to move or speak, until I heard the sniffles and whimpers coming from him. Oh goddess, what have I done? I’ve hurt him yet again.

“Dot, please don’t cry. I am so sorry. My head wasn’t in the right space, and I just got confused.” I word vomited, wincing at my lame excuse, which even to me sounded appalling.

He attempted to move away from me, but I kept him against me, not wanting to let go. I know I should let him go, let him get away from me, get away from this broken shell of a man he was mated to, but I can’t seem to do it.

“Dot, plea-”

“Let me go, Jaylen.” he snarled, unable to refuse him. My hold softened around his waist, and he slipped away into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

FUCK.

I turned to face the ceiling, running my hands through my hair in frustration. How the fuck am I supposed to fix this? Damn it. I walked myself through my hazy memories, remembering him coming to me at the front door as I attacked him, me clinging to him like a starved idiot, his soft laugh as he held me. Dear goddess, what have I done? I heard the bathroom door slam open before he stomped angrily towards the closest, taking out his gym clothes before changing. Not once did he meet my eyes or acknowledge me, not that I blamed him, but I deserved that and more. At least I knew where he will be for the rest of the day.

I untangled myself from the sheets and moved to the bathroom to wash up. I made it to the bathroom and turned the shower on. The steam filled the bathroom, enveloping me in a warm, misty hug as I entered the shower. The hot water cascaded down my back, soothing my tense muscles but doing little to calm the turmoil churning inside me. I reached for the soap, my movements automatic, but my mind was elsewhere, focused on the mess I'd created with Dario.

I closed my eyes, letting the water wash over my face, and I saw his expression again—hurt, confused, and disappointed. The image stung, a sharp reminder of how carelessly I'd acted. "How could I have been so thoughtless?" I muttered to myself, the sound of my voice lost in the noise of the shower.

You’re an idiot. Zyler’s voice boomed through my head with anger. Damn it, I forgot about him.

Good morning, Zy, I said in a chirpy voice, hoping to ease his anger towards me.

You keep hurting our mate, you fucking coward, and like the angel that he is, he keeps on forgiving you. How dare you hurt him like that? And for what? The asshole that left us? Are you willing to lose your true mate for someone who left you? Goddess, help me. If you don’t fix this, I will rip you apart. His words are like a knife stabbing my heart.

I know Zyler, I know. I sighed. But my heart won’t let him go. He was my everything. I built this pack with him and pictured my whole future with him. Every time I close my eyes, I imagine him next to me. How can I just let go of it all just like that? I answer.

Do you think I don’t know that? I thought Max was it for me, too. But they’re gone, both of them are gone. They chose someone else and moved the fuck on, so you need to get your head out of your fucking ass and move on before we lose him, and Jay, if we lose him, I will never forgive you. His anger smashes into me like a brick wall.

I’m sorry, Zy. I will fix this, I promise. He doesn’t even reply before disappearing, leaving me to stew with my thoughts yet again. He’s right, though. Losing Dario was not an option. A plan began to form as I lathered the soap between my hands. Apologies were a good start, but actions spoke louder than words. I needed to show Dario that I was committed to changing my behaviour. Perhaps I could start by suggesting we spend some time together, doing something he loved. It would be a way to rebuild our connection and prove that I was paying attention to his needs and interests.

The water turned from hot to lukewarm, a subtle reminder that I couldn't hide in the shower forever. Turning off the tap, I stepped out and reached for a towel, wrapping it around my waist and wiping the steam off the mirror to stare into my reflection. I looked as wrecked as I felt even a shower couldn’t save me.

I walked to the closest to change and went to the office to finally start working. Since I woke up late, I had a lot to catch up on. I opened the door to my office and found an angry Ray waiting for me at the desk. Goddess, what now?

“What did you do this time, dumbass?” he asked, my brow ticked at the blatant disrespect. He would be buried six feet underground if he wasn’t my best friend.

“Good morning to you too, Ray,” I answered, ignoring his question.

He scoffed, giving me a pointed look as I made my way to my desk to start doing some paperwork.

“He’s punching the hell out of the punching bag, Jay. He broke three already. What did you do?” Ray asked again as he leaned in over my desk.

“I… I accidentally called Aiden’s name while he was in my arms.” I sighed, closing my eyes, bracing myself for the second earful of the day, but nothing came my way. Opening my eyes, I found Ray's jaw had dropped.

“Um, let me just… close that for you there,” I said as I got up to close his mouth.

“I- he- how- WHAT?” he stammered. “You did what?” he asked again, seeming not to comprehend what I had told him.

“I know I fucked up,” I sighed again.

“Oh no, no, no. Buddy, this was not a simple fuck up. This was a major he’s going to leave you fuck up.” he slumped down onto the chair with a huff.

“There’s more,” I added, Ray, giving me a sceptical look as if to tell me yeah, as if there was worse.

“I did it yesterday too… while I was… well, you know.” my hands found their way into my hair again, pulling at it, hoping it would solve all my problems.

“Dear goddess, that poor soul, no wonder he’s ripping the punching bag a new one. He would’ve killed you if those punches were aimed at you instead.” Ray sighed, “You can’t keep doing this, Jaylen. His heart can only handle so much, and I think he’s at his wit's end. I can see that he’s going to snap any day and leave.”

“Yeah, you and Zyler said the same thing. I know it’s wrong. I know I’m supposed to move on, but everywhere I look, I see him. In our room, in my office, against the big tree outside where he loved to read, he’s everywhere, Ray. Two years was not enough to erase the six years we had together. Even hating him doesn’t ease the pain I feel in my chest every time I remember his smile or the way his eyes sparkled when I called his name.” a tear slipped past my attempt to keep them at bay, sliding down my face.

“Jay,” Ray’s voice filled with sympathy. “Aiden was the past, Dario is your future. He’s the one standing next to you, and he is the one fighting for your attention. Take one look at him, and you’ll see the love he holds for you. Dario is here, Jay. He’s your mate, and you’re Luna, who will fight alongside you. The one that fought rouges yesterday to protect your pac-”

“What?” I interrupted him. “There was a rouge attack yesterday? Why wasn’t I informed.” I

roared.

“Because your ass was knocked out from the rut,” he mumbled.

“Right, so you’re saying after I attacked him calling someone else’s name, he went and fought rouges, after which I clung to him and called said name again this morning?”

“Yup.” he deadpanned.

“Jesus,” I exclaimed.

“Why bring Jesus into this? Leave him out of your mess, man,” Ray replied.

“I am going to need a fucking miracle,”

“That’s the understatement of the year.” he scuffed.

Thankfully, we changed the subject soon after to talk about the events of yesterday’s attack. We go through all the details and discuss ways to prevent it from happening again. I will need to tighten the patrol around the borders. After finishing up the details, Ray left to attend the training session for today since it was his turn to lead. I finished up all the paperwork needed for the day before packing up to join the patrolling team. I need to find out where our weakness is. This had been the third attack in three months. Something was not right here.

Finishing up with the patrol, I made my way to the suite but found it empty. The whole place was in complete darkness. Usually… on good days, I find Dario on the living room couch channel surfing, or he pretended he was, only to turn around giving me that adorable smile while saying, “Oh hi, welcome home.” The emptiness of the house stings and Ray was right, Dario my dot, is my future. I remembered the first time I called him Dot out loud. The way he blushed in response still makes my heart soar with happiness. The name just came naturally to me since he was so small in stature but big in his attitude and stature, like a dot small but very powerful at the end of a sentence. Ray doesn’t see it, but I do, and Dario loved it. Looking at the time reading 9 PM, I knew where he was now, so I went out of the house and back into the woods to find my mate.

The moon hung low in the sky, a silver orb casting a soft glow over the landscape as I made my way to the cliff. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and earth, a familiar path under my feet leading me to the one place I knew he would be. My heart had raced, not just from the climb but from the anticipation of what was to come. I had to find Dario to make things right between us.

As I approached the edge, there he was, a solitary figure outlined against the vast night sky, staring out over the endless expanse below. Dario had always found peace here, in this secluded spot that seemed to understand the depth of his emotions better than anyone else.

He hadn't heard me approach, lost in his thoughts, but when he sensed my presence, he stiffened, his posture rigid with tension.

"How did you find me here?" Dario had asked, his voice laced with surprise and a hint of the pain I had caused.

I took a step closer, my resolve firm. "I know more about you than you think, Dario," I had said, my voice gentle but confident. "I know this is where you came from when the world becomes too much, and you needed space to think and feel."

He turned then, his eyes meeting mine in the moonlight, searching for sincerity, for understanding. "Jaylen," he had begun, but I held up a hand, needing to say what had been burning inside me since the moment I realised what he truly meant to me.

"Dario, I fucked up," I admitted, taking another step closer. "I am still living in the past, letting it control me. I’ve never spoken to you about him; maybe this needs to change. If we’re going to move past this, we need to do it together."

A silence had fallen between us, heavy with unspoken words and emotions, as Dario waited, his expression unreadable.

"I want to try, Dot," I continued my heart in my throat. "I want to give us a chance. I know it won't be easy, and there will be obstacles and misunderstandings. But I believe-No, I know you are my future. I will fight for that and you if you let me."

His gaze had held mine, several emotions flickering across his face before settling on a cautious hope. "Why now, Jaylen? Why after everything?"

"Because I don’t want to lose you," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "Not now, not ever. I want to make this work with you.”

For a moment, he was silent, the sound of the wind and the distant call of night creatures the only noise. Then, Dario slowly stepped forward, closing the gap between us. "We have a lot to talk about, Jaylen. A lot to work through."

"I know," I agreed, my heart lifting at the possibility of a future with him. "And I am ready for that, for everything."

He nodded, a tentative smile breaking through the shadows of doubt. "Okay, Jaylen. One last chance."

“Thank you. I promise to do my best not to hurt you again. My ass was on the line with Zy, you know.” I said, hoping to lighten up the mood, and thankfully, I succeeded, hearing him giggle quietly.

“Good to know he’s on my side then,” Dario smirked.

Always my beautiful mate, this asshole may not see it, but I do. Zyler says proudly, puffing his chest.

He can’t hear you, you know.

I know, but you can. He said it as a matter of fact before going back into hiding. Yeah, I deserved that. 

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Hello, beautiful humans. welcome to another chapter. Went a bit different with the POV heheh. I hope you enjoyed it, and as usual, don't forget to like and comment. I will see you all in the next one. 

Izzy out :)