Jade’s POV
I finally left the bathroom and went through the rest of my classes alone.
Not physically, there were people everywhere, voices, laughter, desks scraping the floor, but internally, I was completely by myself. Isolated in a way that had nothing to do with distance and everything to do with the storm in my head.
I took my usual seat at the back in Literature, eyes glued to the page without reading a single word. History passed in a blur of dates and wars I couldn’t bring myself to care about. In Biology, the scent of disinfectant made my stomach twist, and I had to clamp my teeth together just to keep my breathing even.
Because every ti I tried to focus, my mind betrayed .
Ronan.
Ryder.
Renzo.
They slid into my thoughts like they owned the place, uninvited, unavoidable. My brain played a very vivid image of them at the orgy party Linda is organizing, they were on the bed naked and Linda and so other naked and sexy girls surrounded them, kissing their body and sucking their dick.
I swallowed hard and dug my nails into my palm beneath the desk.
Stop it.
But my wolf didn’t listen.
We must stop it, Jade, we must stop them from going.
Her voice wasn’t loud. It never needed to be. It was sharp, insistent, vibrating under my skin.
They can’t go.
My pen snapped between my fingers. Ink bled onto my notes, a dark blot spreading like my thoughts.
“But how do I do that?” I muttered under my breath, barely audible.
You know how. Do whatever it takes to stop them.
I shifted in my seat, heat crawling up my neck. The classroom suddenly felt too small, the air too thick.
We are not ant to share them, my wolf pressed. Not with Linda. Not with anyone.
The teacher droned on at the front of the classroom, oblivious about the turmoil in my head.
Another image slamd into my head without warning. Ronan’s sharp jaw tilted down in a smile that never belonged to but to Linda. Ryder’s hands, strong and big, resting on soone else’s tiny and naked waist. Renzo’s soft laugh, aid at a girl who wasn’t .
My chest tightened painfully.
Stop them, my wolf urged. Do sothing.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
Its not that you cant, you just won’t.
My leg bounced uncontrollably under the desk. The pressure built and built, my pulse roaring in my ears.
They are ours.
“Shut up,” I breathed.
Jade....
“Shut up!” I snapped.
The word rang out louder than I intended.
Too loud.
The room went silent.
I froze.
Every head turned toward . Rows and rows of eyes stared like I’d just confessed to sothing unforgivable. My heart slamd violently against my ribs as realization hit.
I’d said it out loud.
Heat flooded my face. My throat closed, and for a second, I honestly thought I might cry right there.
The teacher frowned. “Miss Knight. Would you like to share what’s so important that it needs to interrupt my class?”
“I.... I...." My voice caught. I shook my head quickly. “No. I’m sorry.”
A few students snickered. I could feel it crawling over my skin, the judgnt, the curiosity. The whispers would start soon. They always did.
“Clearly, you’re not in the right state of mind to be here,” the teacher said sharply. “Step outside.”
I nodded, unable to argue. My legs felt unsteady as I stood, the scrape of my chair echoing too loudly in the quiet room. I kept my head down as I walked past the rows of desks, past the stares, past the humiliation.
The door closed behind with a soft click.
I leaned against the wall in the hallway, chest heaving, anger and embarrassnt twisting together inside .
“This is your fault,” I hissed under my breath.
My wolf didn’t apologize.
You’re the one ignoring what’s right.
I pushed off the wall and started walking, just to put space between and the classroom, between and the echo of my own mistake.
That was when I saw him.
Ryder.
He was walking down the hallway like he owned it, relaxed, confident, shoulders broad beneath his uniform. His presence hit like a physical force, and my steps faltered before I could stop myself.
I shouldn’t talk to him.
I knew that.
But my mouth betrayed just like my mind had.
“R...Ryder.”
He stopped.
Slowly, he turned around.
His eyes landed on , sharp and unreadable. Disgust flickered there almost imdiately, like it always did, and my stomach dropped.
“What now?” he asked coolly. “What kind of mischief are you planning this ti that you need my attention?”
“I.... I’m not planning anything,” I said quickly, hands twisting together in front of . My fingers wouldn’t stay still. “I just... I heard sothing. I heard soone is organizing so kind of party and I wanted to know if you and your brothers will be going for it”
He raised an eyebrow. “And why are you suddenly interested in keeping tabs on and my brothers?”
I didn’t have an answer for that question. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. My mind scrambled for sothing safe to say.
My wolf nudged forward.
Tell him. Tell him the truth.
“I just wanted to know,” I said softly, though my heart was pounding, “if you’re going to any party tonight. I am only asking out of curiosity.”
Ryder stared at for a long mont. “And if I am?”
The hallway suddenly felt too quiet. Too exposed.
“Why does it matter to you?” he continued, voice edged with suspicion. “Have you beco deaf or dumb that you can’t answer a simple question?”
I flinched.
I clenched my fists at my sides, grounding myself. Then I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, and let the dam break.
“I heard Linda is organizing a party,” I said, the words spilling out faster now. “And I heard what kind of party it is. I heard there will be a lot of sexy naked girls and I don’t want you or your brothers to go.”
My pulse thundered as I spoke
“Just the thought of you with soone else, of any of you with soone else, drives my wolf mad, and it is also driving crazy” I continued, voice shaking but steady enough to finish. “And I want to tell myself that nothing will happen, but who am I kidding? Linda will be there. Other girls will be there. I already heard them talking, planning to seduce and fuck you guys."
I opened my eyes.
“So I’m asking,” I said quietly, the vulnerability cutting deep, “out of respect for the mate bond we have.... don’t go.”
The words hung between us.
For a second, Ryder just stared at .
Then he laughed.
Not a small laugh. Not a cruel one.
A deep, genuine burst of sound that echoed down the hallway.
I blinked, stunned.
I hadn’t said anything funny.
But I couldn’t look away.
His face softened when he laughed, sharp lines easing, eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. He looked devastatingly handso like that, dangerously so. My heart picked up speed, thudding hard enough that I could feel it everywhere.
I hated it.
I hated how my wolf purred at the sound of his laughter.
I hated how my instincts leaned toward him despite everything.
Warmth spread through , sudden and unwelco, pooling low in my body.
Just the sight of him laughing was getting wet.
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