The warm, peaceful morning shattered with a sharp knock against Jase's door.
Celeste had just finished setting down their breakfast plates, the scent of fresh bread and honey still lingering in the air. The day had started soft, intimate, perfect—Jase had barely let her leave the bed, stealing kisses between lazy stretches, his hands lingering on her waist every time she tried to move.
And now—this.
Jase sighed, pushing back his chair. "Probably Lucas or Amy," he muttered, stretching as he made his way to the door.
The moment Jase opened the door, he stilled.
"Jase!"
Before he could react, a woman threw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders with a familiarity that made Celeste's stomach tighten. Jase stiffened, his entire body going rigid, a muscle in his jaw ticking sharply.
Celeste froze, her fingers tightening around the edge of the dining table, her heart kicking up a notch as she turned fully to take in the stranger who had just barreled into their home.
Beautiful.
There was no denying it.
She had long, flowing auburn hair that cascaded over her shoulders in perfect waves, bright emerald eyes that sparkled mischievously, and an air of effortless confidence that made it painfully clear—she knew Jase. Far too well.
"I finally found you!" Mirelle pouted, clinging onto Jase's arm as she tilted her face up at him, her lips forming a perfect little mock-pout. "It's been forever! You didn't even tell me where you were staying!"
Jase immediately stepped back, carefully unhooking her grip from his arm. Celeste saw the irritation flickering through his golden eyes, the way his posture turned like he was already tired of whatever this was.
"Mirelle," he said, his voice calm but laced with warning, "what are you doing here?"
Mirelle simply giggled, flipping her hair over one shoulder as she invaded his space again. "Visiting you, of course." She trailed a delicate finger down his arm, slow, teasing, deliberate, before stepping past him as if she belonged there.
Her gaze finally settled on Celeste.
Celeste stilled, feeling the shift in the air almost immediately.
The way Mirelle's smile curled just a little too sweetly.
The way her eyes flicked over Celeste—calculating, assessing.
"Ah," Mirelle purred, amusement dripping from her voice. "You must be Celeste."
Celeste lifted her chin, meeting her gaze steadily.
Mirelle's lips curved, amused, like she had already decided something about her.
"Jase's… new companion?"
The words were gentle, wrapped in honeyed politeness—but the challenge beneath them was undeniable.
Celeste's fingers tightened around the chair she had been about to sit in, her grip steady even as something deep in her chest twisted.
As if she were temporary. As if she were just another name in Jase's past, a fleeting presence in a history she hadn't been a part of. As if Mirelle had seen it all before—had seen others come and go.
Celeste lifted her chin, keeping her expression composed, but she felt the unspoken weight of the moment settle over the room. Mirelle's emerald eyes flickered with something sharp, something too knowing, as she looked her up and down, assessing, searching for weakness.
Jase stiffened immediately, his golden eyes flashing with warning as he took a step closer to Celeste, his presence solid, unwavering.
"Mirelle," his voice was cold now, clipped, "that's enough."
But Mirelle only let out a dramatic sigh, tilting her head as if his words amused her.
"Oh, come on, Jase," she cooed, deliberately ignoring his warning. She turned back to Celeste, her lips curling in that same too-sweet smile. "It must be hard, hmm? Keeping up with a Luminary's world?"
Celeste's pulse stumbled, the sting of the words cutting sharper than she wanted to admit.
Jase's jaw clenched, his posture turning even more rigid, but Mirelle wasn't finished.
She ran a slow hand along his shoulder, feigning familiarity, her touch too easy, too natural—a move meant for Celeste to see.
Jase immediately stepped back, pulling himself out of reach, his eyes flashing with barely concealed irritation. "Don't," he warned.
But the damage had already been done.
Celeste felt the doubt slithering in, quiet but persistent.
Because Mirelle knew him.
Knew how to push his buttons, how to touch him like it had been effortless, like it had been done before. And while Celeste had never questioned Jase's devotion, never doubted the depth of his love for her, there was something about Mirelle's presence, about her boldness, that made her stomach twist.
Mirelle smirked, satisfaction flickering in her emerald gaze as she turned away, knowing she had planted the seed she wanted.
Celeste exhaled slowly, forcing herself to maintain composure even as her chest felt heavier.
She refused to let Mirelle see her waver.
Instead, she pushed back her chair and stood.
"I suddenly lost my appetite," she murmured.
Jase's eyes snapped to hers instantly, sharp with concern, but Celeste was already turning away, heading toward their bedroom without another word.
Jase sighed, rubbing his temple as he turned back to Mirelle.
"Mirelle." His voice was dangerously low now.
Mirelle batted her lashes, too pleased with herself. "What? I was just catching up."
Jase's patience snapped.
"Don't test me."
Because no one ever dared to make Celeste doubt her place beside him.
Jase had faced countless battles, countless enemies, but nothing had ever struck fear into him like the sight of Celeste walking away.
The door shut softly behind her, but the sound echoed in his head like a deafening blow. He stood frozen, his breath unsteady, his mind reeling from the weight of what had just happened. Celeste, his mate, his everything had just looked at him not with love, but with doubt.
And it wrecked him.
Mirelle.
Jase's jaw tightened, a growl rumbling in his chest as he turned back toward the dining room. The woman who had caused this, who had dared to plant doubt in Celeste's heart, still stood there, her emerald eyes watching him with amused curiosity, as if she hadn't just set a match to something sacred.
"Mirelle."
His voice was low, sharp, cold, the weight of a warning, a threat.
She blinked innocently, flipping her auburn hair over one shoulder. "What?"
Jase closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, his towering frame casting a shadow over hers, his golden eyes burning with restrained fury.
"I told you," he said, his voice dangerously calm, "don't test me."
Mirelle's smirk wavered, just slightly.
"Oh, come on," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "You can't blame me for wanting to see you again. We have history, Jase."
Jase's expression darkened. "We have nothing."
Her lips parted slightly at the sharp finality of his words, but Jase wasn't finished.
"You came here to prove something—to make Celeste feel like she doesn't belong." His voice was cold steel, unwavering. "You wanted to remind her of who I used to be. Of what I used to be. But let me make something very clear, Mirelle."
He took another step forward, his presence commanding, lethal.
"Celeste isn't temporary. She isn't in some passing phase. She is my mate, my equal, my forever. And if you thought for even a second that you could shake that—you made the biggest mistake of your life."
Mirelle's playful expression finally faltered, her fingers twitching at her side. She looked at him then, really looked at him, and she saw it—the truth written in his every word, his every breath.
Celeste was it for him.
And she always would be.
With a slight scoff, Mirelle smoothed her hands down her dress, regaining what little composure she had left. "Well," she murmured, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "I guess congratulations are in order."
Jase didn't respond.
He just watched as she turned, walking toward the door, knowing she had lost.
But winning against Mirelle meant nothing when Celeste was still out there, hurting, questioning and doubting.
Jase exhaled shakily, running a frustrated hand through his hair. He needed to find her. Now.
Because Celeste was his heart, his home.
And he'd be damned if he let her believe anything else.
*****
Celeste walked down the quiet streets, her mind a chaotic mess of emotions, her heart still raw, still aching. She knew she shouldn't let Mirelle's words get to her, knew she had been playing a game—but it had worked.
Because Celeste had spent her whole life feeling like she didn't belong. And today, Mirelle had dug her claws into that insecurity and ripped it wide open.
She sighed, rubbing at her arms, trying to chase away the lingering sting.
Then—footsteps.
Fast, determined.
Celeste barely had time to turn before a warm, familiar grip caught her wrist, pulling her to a sudden stop.
Jase.
His golden eyes were wild, his chest rising and falling with sharp, uneven breaths. He had chased after her.
And the moment she saw the pure desperation in his gaze, something inside her wavered.
He was afraid.
Not losing a fight. Not of an enemy.
But of losing her.
"Celeste," he breathed, his grip gentle but unrelenting, like he was terrified she might slip through his fingers if he let go.
She swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure, trying to hold onto the wall she had started building.
"I told you, Jase," she said softly. "I just need to think."
But Jase shook his head, his grip tightening just slightly, his voice hoarse, breaking.
"Then think with me."
Celeste's breath hitched.
"Don't walk away from me," he continued, his voice pleading, raw. "Don't let her words undo everything we've built."
Celeste looked away, but Jase wasn't done.
He stepped closer, closing the space between them until their foreheads nearly touched, until she could feel the warmth of him, the quiet tremor in his breathing.
"I love you, Celeste," he whispered, his voice breaking under the weight of it.
Her heart clenched.
"I know," she whispered back.
Jase exhaled sharply, his hands lifting to cradle her face, forcing her to look at him, see him.
"No, you don't," he murmured, his voice rough, filled with something more than love, something deeper, unshakable. "I love you in a way that makes everything before you feel meaningless. In a way that terrifies me. In a way that no one—no one—could ever take away."
Celeste swallowed past the lump in her throat, the pain, the doubt, the fear beginning to splinter.
Jase's thumb brushed over her cheek, his hands steady, grounding.
"You are not an outsider to my world, Celeste," he said softly. "You are my world."
The words hit her like a wave, knocking the air from her lungs, stealing away every last defense she had.
Because they were true.
Because Jase had never given her a reason to doubt him—only others who had tried to shake what they had.
And she wouldn't let them win.
Celeste exhaled slowly, her fingers reaching up to grasp his wrists, holding onto him like he had held onto her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, guilt twisting in her stomach. "I just—"
"I know," Jase interrupted gently. "And I should have been faster and firmer. I should have made it clear that she has no place in my life, that no one does but you."
Celeste's chest ached, but this time not with doubt. With love.
She nodded, swallowing back the last remnants of uncertainty, before pulling him into a fierce embrace.
Jase held her just as tightly, burying his face into her hair, breathing her in like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to this world.
"Come home," he murmured, voice low, strained.
Celeste pressed her forehead to his, breathing him in, feeling the love radiating from every inch of him.
She closed her eyes and whispered,
"Take me home."
*****
Celeste had barely stepped out of the steaming shower, her hair still damp, skin flushed from the warmth, when strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into something solid, unyielding—familiar.
"Jase—!" she gasped, caught off guard, but before she could protest, he lifted her effortlessly, cradling her against his chest as if she weighed nothing.
"You kept me waiting all day," he murmured, his golden eyes dark, unreadable, filled with something that made her stomach flip.
Celeste shivered, her breath catching as his fingers traced slowly down her spine, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
She barely had time to respond before he tilted her chin up, his gaze locking onto hers for a single heartbeat—then his lips claimed hers in a deep, slow, consuming kiss.
Celeste melted.
Her fingers slid into his damp hair, pulling him closer, wanting more.
Jase let out a low, guttural sound, his body pressing flush against hers, heat radiating between them.
God, how did he always do this to her?
His lips left hers, only to trail lower, tracing a path over her jawline, down the delicate curve of her neck.
Soft kisses. Slow. Intentional.
Driving her insane.
His hands gripped her waist, his thumbs brushing just beneath the hem of the towel wrapped around her, his touch possessive yet worshipping.
"You drive me crazy," he whispered against her skin, his breath hot against her throat.
Celeste's heartbeat stuttered, her body arching instinctively into his.
"Then we're even."
Jase let out a low growl, the sound vibrating against her skin, making her shiver.
His grip on her waist tightened, and then—
The towel slipped to the floor.
Celeste barely had time to react before Jase's mouth found hers again but this time, it was deeper, hungrier, more desperate, as if he couldn't get enough of her.
She clung to him, her fingers dragging down his back, feeling the way his muscles tensed beneath her touch.
Jase broke the kiss only long enough to lay her down onto the soft sheets, his body following\ instantly, covering hers, fitting perfectly against her like they had always been meant to be this way.
His golden eyes burned, tracing every inch of her, memorizing her as if this was the first time all over again.
Celeste didn't look away.
She wanted him to see it, the way she needed him just as much, the way she was already his, in every way that mattered.
Jase inhaled sharply, his fingers brushing up her thigh, slow and teasing, his touch setting her on fire.
"Celeste…" His voice was rough, wrecked, as if just saying her name wasn't enough.
Her hands slid over his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath her palm, knowing that he was just as lost in this as she was.
She pulled him down again, whispering against his lips.
"I'm yours."
That was all it took.
Jase snapped.
The rest of the night blurred into warmth, whispered names, and tangled sheets, their closeness consuming everything else.