Wrong love

Chapter Nineteen: Go

The humiliation lingered.

Every word.

Every laugh.

Every look from his family.

Especially Max.

Jace hated it.

For days he had convinced himself Max was wrong.

That he didn't care.

That Elara Vale was still his enemy.

Still a vampire.

Still a target.

Yet Max's words continued to echo inside his head.

You've fallen for your own target.

Ridiculous.

Impossible.

And still...

the thought wouldn't leave.

The next morning, Jace walked into school determined to prove everyone wrong.

Including himself.

He passed Elara in the hallway.

For the first time since they'd met...

he didn't insult her.

Didn't glare.

Didn't argue.

Instead—

He smiled.

A small smile.

Barely noticeable.

But enough.

Elara nearly walked into a locker.

Jace kept walking.

Pretending nothing had happened.

Behind him, Elara stood frozen.

"What..."

She blinked.

"...was that?"

---

That night, the woods were quiet.

Moonlight filtered through the trees.

Silver light dancing across the forest floor.

Elara walked alone.

Thinking.

About school.

About Max.

About Jace.

Especially Jace.

The smile this morning had unsettled her more than any insult ever could.

Then—

A branch snapped.

Behind her.

Instantly, she turned.

Too late.

Jace was already moving.

Fast.

The attack came without warning.

The two collided.

Years of training meeting years of training.

Strike.

Block.

Counter.

Dodge.

The fight exploded through the forest.

Neither willing to give ground.

Neither willing to lose.

Yet tonight felt different.

Jace fought harder.

More aggressively.

Like he was trying to prove something.

To her.

To himself.

To the entire world.

Eventually—

He succeeded.

Elara stumbled.

Jace caught her wrist.

Twisted.

Her weapon hit the ground.

A second later she was pinned.

Unable to move.

Breathing heavily.

For several seconds neither spoke.

The forest fell silent.

Jace slowly reached into his jacket.

Then pulled out a dagger.

The blade gleamed beneath the moonlight.

Its tip forged from bright silver.

Deadly.

Lethal.

To wolves.

To vampires.

To almost anything supernatural.

Elara's eyes widened.

She understood immediately.

This was it.

The end.

After everything.

After every fight.

After every argument.

This was how it ended.

Jace raised the dagger.

His silver eyes locked onto hers.

Cold.

Unmoving.

Determined.

Inside his head, a voice screamed.

Do it.

She was a vampire.

A hunter.

His enemy.

His target.

The one person he was supposed to destroy.

Do it.

The dagger trembled.

Slightly.

Jace frowned.

Then tightened his grip.

Kill her.

His hand refused to move.

The blade remained suspended.

Just above her.

His heartbeat thundered.

The voice inside grew louder.

DO IT.

Still nothing.

His body wouldn't obey.

Jace gritted his teeth.

Anger flooding through him.

At her.

At himself.

At everything.

The dagger lowered another inch.

Then stopped again.

As if an invisible force held it back.

Elara watched him.

Confused.

Then she noticed something.

Not anger.

Not hatred.

Pain.

The look on his face wasn't victory.

It was heartbreak.

Slowly, tears formed in her eyes.

She didn't know why.

Maybe because she genuinely thought she was about to die.

Maybe because she suddenly understood he was fighting a battle she couldn't see.

The tears slipped down her cheeks.

Shimmering beneath the moonlight.

Jace saw them.

And something inside him broke.

The dagger fell from his hand.

It landed in the leaves with a dull thud.

Silence.

For a long moment neither moved.

Then Jace stepped back.

Disappointment etched into every line of his face.

Disappointment in himself.

Elara slowly sat up.

Still staring.

Still confused.

Still alive.

Jace couldn't even look at her.

Finally, he spoke.

His voice barely above a whisper.

"Go."

Elara blinked.

"What?"

"Go."

The word sounded painful.

Like it physically hurt him to say it.

She stared.

Unsure she'd heard correctly.

"You're joking."

Jace laughed.

A bitter laugh.

Empty.

Broken.

"No."

He looked away.

Toward the darkness between the trees.

Anywhere but her.

"Go before I change my mind."

The sadness in his voice shocked her.

This wasn't triumph.

This wasn't mercy.

It sounded like defeat.

Like he'd lost something.

Or perhaps discovered something he never wanted to know.

Elara slowly stood.

Neither moved.

Neither spoke.

Then Jace turned.

And began walking away.

Not angry.

Not victorious.

Just tired.

Every step looked heavier than the last.

As though the fight had exhausted something deeper than his body.

Elara watched him disappear into the darkness.

Confusion twisting inside her chest.

For the first time since they'd met...

she wasn't afraid of Jace Ryder.

And somehow...

that frightened her more than anything else.