Chapter 5

• Alpha Jason’s POV
• “She has to choose.”
• I kept my voice low, standing just outside the hospital room where she rested. The faint hum of machines barely registered in my ears as I turned my gaze toward the glass window. Inside, my brother James, and my stepbrother, Michael were still watching her like she was the center of their world.
• Which, for some cursed reason, she was.
• I hated the thought of sharing what belonged to me. I’d already shared my life James, and my father with Michael, why her? Can’t the moon goddess just let me have her for myself? James didn’t say anything, his posture relaxed as always, surprisingly, he was sober. Michael stiffened, his jaw tightening. He turned toward me, his hazel eyes flaring with irritation.
• I rolled my eyes, here we go again.
• “You’re only saying that because she asked if she could stay with you,” Michael shot back, his voice clipped. “That means nothing.”
• I glared at him. The nerve of this man to challenge me like that. I opened my mouth, but James stepped between us before the words could leave my lips.
• “Enough.” His voice was calm but firm, his green eyes flicking between the two of us. “Not here. Not now.”
• Typical James. Always the mediator, the voice of reason. It was infuriating how he could remain so collected while Michael and I were one insult away from tearing into each other.
• “She asked to stay with you because you were closest,” Michael added, his tone still sharp but quieter now. “She felt the mate bond from all of us, but perhaps our Alpha status superseded Michael’s. Don’t make it more than it is. She’s our priority until we figure this out. ”
• I folded my arms, unwilling to let him have the last word. “Here you are, staring at her like she’s your next patient. Maybe focus on doing your job, Doctor.”
• Michael took a step toward me, but James placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
• “Jason, Michael,” James said, his tone carrying a note of warning. “We’re not doing this here.”
• I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to look away from Michael. My eyes drifted back to the woman in the room. Katherine.
• She wasn’t just any woman—she was ours. My mate. Our mate.
• It was maddening. Three mates. Two Alphas and a doctor. It was unheard of, unnatural, and yet here we were, bound by a force we couldn’t explain.
• Before the tension between us could escalate further, the sharp sound of someone shouting from down the hall drew our attention.
• “Where is she?”
• I turned to see a man storming into the hospital. His hair was slicked back, his eyes blazing with anger, and his fangs were bared for everyone to see. Nurses scrambled to get out of his way, their heads bowed in submission.
• “Alpha Wendal,” I muttered, my voice laced with irritation. I’d left this man back at my office, why was he here?
• Wendal was the kind of man who clung to power like a leech, using it to control and belittle those around him. I’d heard of the Alpha, he was a contender for regional Alpha two years ago but I shot him down. I needed to choose someone who knew what they were doing, not a small-time Alpha crowded by the little power they had.
• He spotted us, and his furious expression instantly shifted. His fangs disappeared, and he bowed deeply, a slimy smile stretching across his face. Wendal treated James and I like gods, like we were the popular kids in school and he was the geek trying to get accepted. I hated his kiss-ass persona. More so, his disregard to anyone not serving his purpose. He was a small man with a big ego.
• “Alpha Jason Moon,” Wendal greeted, his voice dripping with false reverence. “What an honor.”
• I didn’t return the smile.
• “And Alpha James Moon,” he continued, his bow deepening as he acknowledged my brother.
• James barely inclined his head, his disinterest palpable.
• “What’s going on, Wendal?” I asked, my tone cold.
• Wendal straightened, his fake smile faltering slightly. “Someone hit my second wife with a car,” he growled. “Brought the bitch here. I’ve come to collect her.”
• Anger flared in my chest at his choice of words, but I kept my expression neutral. My mind took me back to our earlier discussion in my office.
• "Funny story, actually. I was supposed to marry someone else today. Yeah, some boring arrangement from years ago. But then I met my true mate this morning. The goddess works in mysterious ways, right? Better to let the other one fuck off than settle for less than-"
• The flashback of Wendal’s words sent a chill over my spine. An ugly feeling settled at the bottom of my stomach.
• “She’s here?” I asked, my voice calm.
• Wendal nodded, his eyes scanning the hospital hall. Then he froze. His gaze locked onto the glass window behind us, his expression twisting with disbelief and fury.
• “There she is,” he snarled, pointing toward our mate’s hospital room.
• I saw red.
• Before I could even react, Michael moved. He was a blur, stepping past me and James with a speed that caught even me off guard.
• His fist connected with Wendal’s face with a sickening crunch. The force of the blow sent Wendal staggering backward, his body collapsing onto the floor in a heap.
• The hallway fell silent, every pair of eyes fixed on Michael as he stood over Wendal, his chest heaving with barely restrained fury.
• “Don’t disrespect our mate like that,” Michael growled, his voice low and dangerous.