Page 33 of Jilted By Jack Frost

“It’s not a game!” I lean forward, bracing my hands on his desk. “Your father—”

Jack slams his hands on the desk, sending papers flying. The temperature plummets until my breath comes out in white puffs. “You dare speak of my father? After breaking into private sections of my library? After violating my trust?”

Shit.“I didn’t break in. The door was—”

“Get rid of that journal.” His eyes flash arctic blue. “Now.”

“Gabriel—” I try to tell Jack about Gabriel in this moment of silence, but my throat locks up. My tongue freezes in place, refusing to form the words.What the fuck?

I try again, but it’s like invisible hands are chopping off my voice.

Then it hits me—the bargain. That smug bastard Gabriel made me swear not to tell anyone about our deal. Fae magic binds my tongue, keeping his secrets locked inside my head whether I like it or not.

Fucking fantastic.

“Look, your father’s the one who—” Jack’s hand slams his desk, cutting off my words. My heart pounds against my ribs as his massive form looms over me.

“Silence!” Power rolls off him in waves, frost coating the walls. “You know nothing of my family, my realm, or me.”

My chest aches. “I know you’re scared. I know you’re alone. And I know everything you believe about mates is based on lies.”

Jack stalks around the desk, towering over me. His skin takes on that ethereal blue glow that signals his barely contained power. “Leave. Before I do something we’ll both regret.”

Tears freeze on my cheeks. “Jack, please—”

I gasp as my gaze drops to the swirling portal next to Jack’s desk. Through the shimmering surface, I catch glimpses of my hometown—the familiar streets now covered in a thick blanket of unseasonable snow.

But something’s wrong. The magic ripples, focusing on the hospital where Alana works. My best friend’s faceflashes across the portal’s surface, her features twisted in pain as frost creeps up the hospital walls.

“Fuck.” My heart hammers against my ribs. “That’s why you’ve been watching. The ice—it’s spreading there, isn’t it? And Alana...” My voice cracks. The person I love most in the world is right in the path of this supernatural disaster.

I lean closer to the portal, my fingers hovering just above its surface. The magic pulses, showing me more—corridors filling with ice, patients being evacuated, and Alana trying to help while clearly suffering from the cold herself.

“You knew.” I whirl to face Jack, fury and fear warring in my chest. “You knew she was in danger and you didn’t tell me?”

The temperature plummets. Jack rises slowly, his eyes blazing with otherworldly power. “Get out.”

“Jack, please—”

“Get. Out.”

“Guards!” His voice booms through the castle. Two frost giants materialize in the doorway. I back away from Jack, clutching the journal to my chest.

“Escort Miss Jones to her chambers. She is not to leave until summoned.”

“Fine.” My voice cracks. “Stay trapped in your father’s prison. See if I care.”

But I do care. And as the guards lead me away, leaving Jack alone with his maps and his isolation, I’ve never felt more helpless.

I pace back and forth in my room, the journal clutched tightly in my hands. The image of Alana, suffering in that hospital won’t leave my mind. I can’t just stay here, not when she needs me. But leaving means defying Jack, maybe even hurting him. My chest aches at the thought.

Damn it, Violet. You can’t have it both ways.

I sink onto the bed, tracing the journal’s worn cover. Jack’s father did this to him, to his kingdom. All because he feared emotion, feared love. And now, Jack’s pushing me away for the same reason. He thinks he’s protecting his realm, but he’s really just trapping himself in his father’s icy prison.

And if I leave, I’m just confirming his fears.

But Alana... She’s been there for me through everything. When my parents died, when I doubted my career, when I just needed someone to laugh with. She’s my rock, my comfort, my chosen family. And she’s in trouble.

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