From the horse's mouth

Clinton's POV

"You fucking bastard." The words hit me like trash hurled through the air.

Perfect. Just what I need after a twelve-hour day and a migraine grinding behind my eyes.

I stop. Not because I'm scared-though judging by the firestorm coming off her, maybe I should be-but because I feel that familiar snap down my spine. The fuck, not again kind.

Her voice slices through the air, and when I turn, she's already charging. A one-woman army with light green eyes that cut like glass. Her chest heaves like she ran here powered by fury alone. Fists tight. Jaw clenched. Ready to throw down.

And all I can think is: What the hell did Aaron do this time?

Because I know this isn't about me. It never is.

But I'm the one standing here.

Always am.

When she starts in, it's like a dam bursting. I brace for impact. Her words come fast and cracked, like they've been bottling up inside her for weeks-maybe months. Mexico. Dinner. Being ghosted. Lied to. Her voice trembles, but not from sadness. This is rage barely holding itself together.

I feel it settle in my gut, that bitter pulse I've gotten too familiar with.

Aaron.

Every. Fucking. Time.

My grip tightens on the briefcase until my knuckles pop. I want to launch it across the room. Want to yell, You've got the wrong twin, lady. But I don't. Because she doesn't know. Not yet. She's looking at my face and seeing his sins.

And once again, I'm stuck paying for damage I didn't cause.

I lock my jaw and let her talk, taking hit after hit meant for my brother. The human wrecking ball who always vanishes before the fallout.

Nothing she says surprises me anymore. I've heard it all-different words, same mess. Exes. Burned bridges. I'm the guy they find afterward. The cleaner. The fixer. The one who forces a smile and says sorry for shit he never did.

And I hate it.

I hate him for this. For bailing. Again. For dropping a woman like this-raw, broken, still burning-right at my feet.

And I hate me for standing here, taking it like I always do.

She's still going, but her voice starts to crack. Beneath the fire is hurt. Betrayal. It leaks out between every line. Her eyes-sharp, haunted, alive-won't let me look away. Her curls bounce with every step she takes closer, those freckles shifting across her skin like live wires.

I look down. I can't hold her gaze.

Guilt tastes like metal in my mouth.

And the real kicker?

I wasn't even supposed to be here.

I came to Blue Cyber for one damn reason-pack business. Quick meeting with Aaron and Lucas about the missing pack members. Then home. Crash early. That was the plan. But the second I step into his world, it bleeds all over mine.

I finally meet her eyes again. My eyes trail over her long face as I slowly drink in her features; judging from her olive skin and black curly hair, I can tell she's mixed– Arab and Caucasian I think , her height is almost equal to mine in those outrageous heels which is rare considering I'm very tall, a pert nose specked with brown freckles lifted in the air, causing the sharp lines of her jaws to appear even more angular.

She's beautiful.

And I hate that I notice.

I should come clean. Tell her she's got the wrong guy. But I don't. It's too late. At this point, it'd just humiliate her. Like she fell for the same face twice. And no matter how fucked Aaron is, I'm not gonna pile that on her.

So I do what I always do.

I lie.

"I didn't mean to ghost you," I say. The words taste like ash.

Her brows shoot up. Disbelief. Disgust. No surprise there.

She folds her arms. The look she gives me is stone cold. She doesn't buy it. But then why would she?

And me? I'm barely holding my shit together. My body's buzzing-not from nerves, but from all this rage with nowhere to go. My throat's tight. Why the hell am I always the one left with the pieces? Why does he get to break people and disappear, and I get stuck with the wreckage?

"Things just got messy," I mutter. Weak words. Empty. Useless.

Way to go, Aaron.

Something shifts in her. I see it in her eyes. Like she's pulling away without taking a single step. Like she's rewriting every moment with Aaron-and cutting me out in the same breath.

I feel it. Right in the ribs.

Then she says it. My name.

"Clinton."

I run a hand through my hair, gripping the back of my neck until I can feel the shape of my skull beneath. My pulse is pounding like Indian war drums. All I want is to shut this down-not the yelling, not the insults. Just that look in her eyes. That gutting betrayal, like I struck the match myself.

I really should just come clean. But I don't. Because now it'd wreck her twice. And no matter what Aaron's done, I won't let her walk away feeling like an idiot.

Even if I wanted to tell her the truth... I can't.

Not if she's working under Cyber Blue. Not if she's part of his damn Company now.

That puts her under his leadership. His name.If it gets out that the new alpha hooked up with a woman he had no business touching, then ghosted her? A hybrid Alpha with a human? Mother would lose her damn mind.

And it won't just take Aaron down.

It'll wreck what's left between him and our father. And trust me, that rope's already frayed to hell. Dad thinks Aaron's reckless, too wild to lead. One more scandal and he'll yank the title-and it won't come back.

So no. I can't say a word.

Because this isn't just heartbreak.

It's politics. Legacy. Survival.

And I won't be the one to burn it all down.

"I should've handled it better," I say. It's the only thing that's true.

She doesn't move.

If anything, she hardens. Arms tighter. Walls higher.

"I..." My voice dies. Nothing sounds right.

And then I do the one thing that seals it.

I blank on her name.

Now I'm the fucking idiot who forgets his summer fling.

Her face twists like I just cut her. She pulls back-not physically, but emotionally. Like I just confirmed every worst-case thought in her head.

Fuck, I curse under my breath.

"Jannah," she says crisply. There's that tone of predictability in her voice like she's waiting for my next excuse. "Go on."

Apparently my damage control skills have gotten rusty. And just like that, I become him.

The bloody villain.

But even in the fire of her fury, I can see it-this wasn't some casual thing. This mattered. He mattered, at least to her.

Which means now I do too.

Even if only by coincidence.

And yeah, that should make me feel worse. It does.

But beneath the shame, something else flares to life.

My brother's interest in a female human is enough to keep me curious.

Who is she, when she's not tearing me apart over someone else's mess? What does she laugh like? What does she sound like when she's not shaking with rage?

And for the first time, I don't want to walk away. I want to stay

And for the first time too I don't plan on telling Aaron a damn thing.

Not yet.