Ronan’s POV
The mont I saw her, my chest caved in.
Jade stepped into the hall beside Linda, and the world narrowed until there was only her, her stiff posture, the way her hands trembled as she gripped the fabric of her gown, the tears she tried and failed to blink away. Her eyes shone too brightly, glassy, like she was holding herself together by sheer will.
My mate.
Crying.
Because of us.
My wolf snarled low in my chest, furious and restless, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t reach for her. Couldn’t even let my expression change too much because he was watching.
Father stood there like a shadow carved from stone, his gaze sharp and unyielding as it cut through us. He didn’t need to say a word. The ssage was clear, One mistake, and I’ll remind you who holds the leash.
I hated him for it.
I hated myself more.
So stupid, fragile part of had hoped, truly hoped, that the bond would soften things. That when Jade realized what she was to us, she might feel what we felt. That she would want this. That she would walk toward us with sothing other than fear and heartbreak written all over her face.
But she didn’t.
She cried.
Quietly. Constantly. Like every step toward the altar was another piece of her breaking off and falling away.
Renzo’s jaw was clenched so tight I thought it might crack. Ryder’s hands were fisted at his sides. I knew they felt it too, the pull, the guilt, the ache of wanting to tear this entire ceremony apart and drag her sowhere safe.
But safety didn’t exist anymore.
Not for her.
Not for us.
When the priestess finished and the bond locked into place, it felt like lightning ripping through my spine. Powerful. Overwhelming. Irrevocable. My wolf surged forward, elated, triumphant, and then recoiled at the taste of Jade’s pain bleeding through the connection.
She wasn’t happy.
She was trapped.
And now, now the ceremony was over.
They took her away from the hall before we could say a word, before I could even catch her eyes properly. The doors closed behind her, and the emptiness she left behind was unbearable.
I barely registered the congratulations, the murmurs, the weight of tradition settling around our shoulders like chains.
When it was ti, we followed.
The walk to the room felt like a march to execution.
Just before the doors, Father stopped us.
“You know what is expected of you tonight,” he said calmly, as if he were discussing pack duties instead of destroying lives. His eyes flicked between us, daring one of us to resist. “Do not fail .”
Then he stepped back.
The door opened.
And everything changed.
Jade stood inside the room, bathed in soft, dim light. She wore a red nightgown, deep, sinful crimson that clung to her curves and pooled around her sexy thighs. It wasn’t vulgar. It wasn’t revealing in the way Linda would wear sothing.
But it was intimate.
Too intimate.
My breath left my lungs in a sharp rush.
The bond surged, alive and hungry, responding instantly to her presence. Desire slamd into so hard I had to grip the doorfra to keep myself steady. My wolf rose, alert and aching, drawn to her like gravity.
She looked.... unreal.
Not just beautiful, vulnerable. Exposed. Like she’d been placed there as an offering, whether she wanted to be or not.
For a mont, none of us moved.
We just stared.
The air between us thickened, charged with unspoken want and unbearable tension. I could feel my brothers through the bond, Renzo’s shock, Ryder’s barely restrained hunger, all of it tangling together with my own.
This wasn’t supposed to be like this.
And yet.... it was.
Jade’s POV
The nightgown felt wrong the mont they left alone in it.
Too soft. Too red. Too transparent
I crossed my arms over my stomach, suddenly aware of every inch of skin the thin fabric touched. I felt bare even though I wasn’t. Exposed in a way clothes shouldn’t be able to make you feel.
Then the door opened.
And I forgot everything.
They stepped inside, Renzo, Ryder, Ronan, and the world tilted violently on its axis.
The bond flared like a living thing, roaring to life inside . Heat curled low in my belly, spreading outward, sinking into my bones. My wolf stirred, restless and eager, practically purring as she pressed against my consciousness.
Mates, she whispered, breathless and delighted.
I swallowed hard.
The way they looked at , Goddess.
Their eyes were dark, heavy with sothing that made my pulse stutter. Desire, yes. But also conflict. Guilt. Want tangled with restraint so tight it made the air vibrate.
For a heartbeat, none of us moved.
We just stared at each other, frozen, like the bond itself had pulled invisible strings and knotted us together in that mont. I felt it tugging, urging us closer, urging to step forward.
My body wanted to.
My wolf definitely wanted to.
And then Alpha Ashford’s voice echoed in my mind like a blade pressed to my throat.
Get pregnant. Or your mother dies.
My chest tightened painfully.
I didn’t want this. I hated the way my body betrayed , the way my pulse quickened as they moved closer, slowly, unconsciously, all three of them advancing at the sa ti like the bond was guiding their steps.
I valued myself. I valued the part of I had kept untouched, protected, my virginity
But my mother..,
My mother mattered more than any virginity.
If this was the price.
If this was the only way to save her from a life of endless suffering, or worse, death.
I would pay it.
I lifted my chin slightly, forcing my shaking hands to relax at my sides. My heart hamred as I tried to think, tried to figure out how to do this, how to make them want enough, how to cross a line I had never planned to cross.
Their eyes burned hotter as they drew closer.
The bond pulsed.
I opened my mouth to speak...
And the door burst open.
“Help! Please, help !”
Linda’s scream shattered the mont like glass.
She stumbled into the room, tears streaming down her face, collapsing straight into their arms as if she belonged there. As if this, this was her rightful place.
The bond recoiled violently inside .
My breath hitched.
And just like that, the fragile, dangerous mont snapped.
Leaving standing alone in red, with my heart in pieces at my feet.
And Linda in there eyes crying dramatically
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