Jade’s POV
Alpha Ashford moved closer to slowly, deliberately, until the warmth of his presence swallowed the air around my lungs. The room suddenly felt too small, the walls pressing in, my heart hamring so loud I was sure everyone could hear it.
Then he leaned down.
His breath brushed my ear.
“I’ve set everything for you, Jade,” he whispered, his voice smooth, almost indulgent. “All you have to do is be a good mate during the trip. Sleep with my sons. Get pregnant.”
My entire body went rigid.
“There will be no excuses this ti,” he continued softly, like he was discussing the weather. “If you fail...” He paused, letting the silence stretch, sharpen. “Your mother will not live to see the next day.”
Sothing inside cracked.
Not loudly. Not dramatically.
Just a quiet, internal shatter, like glass splintering beneath skin.
My vision blurred, my hands trembling at my sides. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t scream. Couldn’t even step away as his words wrapped around my throat likke invisible chains.
He straightened, already done with .
“As I said,” Alpha Ashford added casually, walking away, “everything is prepared, and you leave tomorrow.”
And just like that, he was gone.
I stood there, frozen, my face locked into a mask I didn’t recognize. My chest felt hollow, like my heart had dropped straight through and shattered sowhere far below.
Sex.
Pregnancy.
My mother’s life.
The words circled my mind relentlessly, tearing through every fragile layer of denial I had left.
I turned and started toward my new room on instinct alone. My legs felt weak, like they didn’t belong to anymore. I needed space. I needed air. I needed....
“Co, Jade.”
A hand looped around my arm.
I flinched violently.
Linda smiled up at , her expression soft, concerned, gentle enough to fool anyone watching.
“Let go with you,” she said sweetly. “You don’t look well.”
I wanted to pull away. I wanted to tell her to leave alone.
But exhaustion won.
I nodded.
She stayed close as we walked, her grip possessive despite the warmth in her tone. The mont we reached my room, she followed inside without waiting for an invitation.
The door clicked shut.
Then locked.
The sound echoed like a gunshot.
I turned.
Linda was no longer smiling.
The softness drained from her face like a lie exposed. Her eyes hardened, lips twisting with restrained fury, all pretense slipping away in a heartbeat.
“So,” she said coldly, crossing her arms. “Let’s talk about the little drama you pulled at breakfast.”
I swallowed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, you hurt my mother you should be apologizing.”
She laughed, a sharp, humorless sound.
Then she stepped closer.
“You’ve always been good at this,” Linda continued, her voice dripping with contempt. “Playing the victim. Acting like everyone’s out to get you when you’re really just... nothing.”
The word hit harder than a slap.
“You’re plain, Jade,” she went on. “Unremarkable. No grace. No charm. Do you really believe any of them want you? That you belong here?”
Her eyes flicked over , judgntal and cruel.
“You’re just a placeholder. A mistake.”
I clenched my fists.
“And that honeymoon trip?” Linda tilted her head, smiling again, but this ti it was sharp. “You’re not going.”
My heart stuttered.
“What?”
“You’re going to tell Alpha Ashford you’re not feeling well,” she said calmly. “That you can’t travel.”
My pulse roared in my ears.
“And instead,” she continued smoothly, “I’ll offer to go. As a friend, of course. Soone who doesn’t want his efforts to go to waste.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“You expect to just... step aside?”
She scowled. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Why would I do that?” I asked, my voice shaking.
Linda leaned in, her smile gone entirely now.
“Because unless you do,” she said quietly, “I will make your life far more miserable than it already is.”
Her gaze burned into mine, daring to challenge her.
"I guess this is settled then, I’ll go and prepare for my trip" she straightened, turned, and walked out.
The door slamd behind her.
I stared at the empty space she left behind, my breath coming in uneven gasps.
For a long mont, I didn’t move.
Then I shook my head slowly.
“No.”
The word felt foreign.
I used to be scared of Linda.
Not anymore.
Not when my mother’s life was hanging by a thread.
Alpha Ashford had made his threat painfully clear. If I didn’t do what he demanded, if I didn’t give him what he wanted, my mother would pay the price.
And I wouldn’t allow that.
Whatever Linda thought she had planned for , whatever cruelty she was preparing, it didn’t matter.
I had one goal now.
Survive.
Protect my mother.
Which ant I had to focus on the impossible.
Seduce my mates.
The boys who barely looked at . Who avoided . Who I was certain despised .
I let out a weak laugh as I collapsed onto the bed.
“How hard can it be?” I muttered bitterly.
Three boys who were supposed to be mine... but cannot stand being near .
Easy, right?
I sighed, staring at the ceiling.
I knew nothing about seduction.
Nothing about makeup, clothes, confidence, desire.
I had nothing.
I had already failed before I even started.
Then....
A thought struck so suddenly I sat upright.
My heart pounded.
I didn’t waste ti second guessing it.
I stood, dried my hair quickly, changed clothes, and dug into my bag until my fingers brushed against smooth black tal.
The card.
I grabbed it.
And ran.
The air outside was cool against my skin as I sprinted away from the mansion, my lungs burning, my thoughts racing faster than my feet.
The beauty parlor stood like a glowing sanctuary in the park, elegant, polished, impossible to miss.
I burst through the doors, breathless.
The receptionist looked up, startled.
“You look.... familiar,” she began.
I didn’t have ti.
I pulled out the black card, holding it up with trembling fingers.
“Mr. Valerio,” I panted. “I need to see Mr. Valerio.”
Her eyes widened.
Without another word, she stood and led through the halls, past mirrors and soft music, straight to a sleek office door.
Inside, Mr. Valerio stood up imdiately.
He looked immaculate as always, tailored suit, perfectly grood hair, nails painted in elegant detail.
“Jade,” he said softly, pulling into a hug. “I thought you’d never reach out to .”
I nodded, my throat tight.
He pulled back, studying my face.
“You need again, dont you!” he said gently.
“Yes,” I whispered.
I t his eyes, no hesitation left in .
“I need you to tell how to seduce my mates,” I said. “And how to make them want to fuck .”
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