Alpha submitted

;Run?; Chapter 92

;Jet Moon;
Pov: Jax

Aztec attempted to comfort me by rubbing his hand over my back. His words sinking in, making his attempt at comfort feel like electric shocks coursing through my vines. Everywhere he touched, only intensifying my irritation rather than easing it.

He'll stop?

Summoning the last of my strength, I thrust my hand against his chest, shoving him back. Aztec's eyes widened in shock as he stumbled back. For a brief moment, a look crossed his features, that I couldn't quite pinpoint; before his gaze hardened. Gritting my teeth, anger and irritation boiling beneath the surface, "Stop what Exactly?" I spat, my accusation laced with venom.

Aztec's expression darkened at he bit his lower lip, a subtle sign of his unease. I straightened up, my gaze fixed on my best friend, waiting for his answer. The silence so heavy it was deafening. He had no excuse this time, and we both knew it.

"I- I'll stop trying to listen to the elders" Aztec sighed, his voice wavering slightly. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and I felt my fists clench at my sides. It was the first time I'd ever seen him so nervous in my presence, it was a little unsettling, but I chose to ignore the feeling, and focused on the words.

"Will you now?" I scoffed, my frustration boiling over. I rubbed my temples, trying to calm my racing heart. "Will you stop pretending my mate is yours!?"

Aztec stood perfectly still, an unusual sight considering his usual outburst of anger. Elizabeth's wails of despair faded into the background, the eerie silence contrasted sharply with the tense energy brewing and crackling around us.

For once, the tables had turned, and I was the one who felt like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption. Aztec, was usually the fiery one who needing soothing, was standing still, completely oblivious to the simmering tension within me. Throughout the years, he'd never quite grasped the art of calming me down.

As I struggled to contain my frustration, I couldn't help but feel a pang of irony. Here I was, typically the composed one in our friendship, now teetering on the edge, while my best friend remained oblivious to my inner turmoil. All our lives I had always been the one to calm his outbursts, but now with Aztec rooted in place, it was as if the roles had been reversed.

"Didn't you say that when you began this charade?" I couldn't help but burst out, my voice strangely calm despite the boiling anger inside me. "Now my mate won't even meet my eyes!" Tears threatened to spill, but I pushed them back refusing to show any vulnerability in front of my best friend; no my Alpha.

My chest hurt, throbbing with a pain that made it almost difficult to breathe. The familiar scent of roses and marigold; the scent that would normally calm me, only irritated me. I could feel the sympathy emanating from my best friend, causing Griffin to howl out in pain. The weight of betrayal and heart ache pressed down, suffocating any sense of ease or calm.

"I don't love her," Aztec said bluntly, and I could tell he was being serious, but it was too late. Elizabeth had fallen in love with him, someone who wasn't her mate, and she was willing to let him mark her. That thought alone tore at my heart causing my wolf to whine out in my mind.

As if she was ripping our relationship apart like a piece of paper. I replied with a heavy heart, "I know you don't Aztec, but she loves you.." Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I cursed myself for showing such vulnerability in front of Aztec once more. I felt lost, torn between the fear of losing my best friend and the painful realization that I already lost my mate. It was as if everything was slipping away, and I didn't know how to hold on.