Jade’s POV
Dumped.
The word slamd into harder than the rest.
I stared at her, my ears ringing. “That’s... that’s not funny,” I whispered. “You shouldn’t joke about things like that.”
She didn’t blink.
“She’s dead,” the woman repeated, still emotionless.
Sothing inside shattered completely.
“No,” I scread. “No, you’re lying! You’re all lying!”
My knees buckled, but strong and steady hands caught .
Ronan, Ryder and Renzo.
But I fought them to leave alone.
“Let go!” I sobbed. “She’s not dead! She’s not!”
“If you don’t believe ,” the head of the kitchen said flatly, wiping her hands on her apron, “then go and see for yourself. The barn is at the back.”
The words barely finished leaving her mouth before my body moved.
I didn’t think.
I didn’t breathe.
I just turned and ran.
My feet hit the ground hard, skirts clutched in my fists as I bolted out of the kitchen, out of the servants’ quarters, past faces that wouldn’t look at , past whispers that felt like knives scraping my skin.
Behind , I heard footsteps.
Heavy ones. Fast ones.
Ronan. Ryder. Renzo.
They followed, but not closely. I noticed that even through the haze flooding my head. They slowed, deliberately, as though giving space. As though they knew this was sothing I had to walk into alone.
The barn lood ahead.
I had always hated it.
It sat far from the main estate, old and half forgotten, a place where broken things were sent when no one wanted to deal with them anymore. The sll hit first, strong, sour, overwhelming. Hay mixed with animal waste. Horses shuffled in their stalls, snorting softly, unaware that my world was ending right there among them.
“No,” I whispered as I pushed the door open.
The barn was dim, sunlight filtering through cracks in the wooden walls. Flies buzzed lazily in the air. Dung littered the floor. Mud clung to my shoes, sucking at my feet as I stepped inside.
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
And then I saw it.
A body.
Lying face down in the dirt.
Right in the middle of the barn.
My breath left in one sharp, broken gasp.
My entire body went cold, like all the blood had drained out of at once. My hands began to shake violently, my knees threatening to give out beneath .
No.
No no no no no.
That could be anyone.
Anyone.
I shook my head hard, as if I could dislodge the sight from my vision. “It’s not her,” I whispered desperately. “It’s not.”
Behind , the footsteps stopped completely.
They didn’t co closer.
They didn’t say my na.
They let walk.
Tears were already streaming down my face as I forced my legs to move, each step heavier than the last. The sll grew stronger. My stomach churned violently, bile rising in my throat.
I knelt beside the body.
My hands hovered, trembling, refusing to touch.
Please.
Please.
With a sob ripping from my chest, I reached out and turned the body over.
The world shattered.
It was her.
My mother.
Her face was pale, too pale. Her eyes were closed, lashes resting softly against skin that no longer held warmth. Her hair was tangled, dust and straw clinging to it. One arm lay twisted at an unnatural angle.
She wasn’t breathing.
“She’s sleeping,” I whispered frantically. “She’s just... she’s tired.”
I shook her gently. “Mum?”
Nothing.
I shook her harder. “Mum, wake up.”
No response.
“No!” I scread, my voice tearing out of as I collapsed over her body. “No, no, no please!”
I grabbed her shoulders, shaking her violently now, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe. “You can’t leave ! You can’t! You promised to always be with , you promised!”
My cries echoed off the barn walls, raw and animalistic. I wailed until my throat burned, until my chest ached, until there was nothing left inside but pain.
Sowhere behind , I felt hands reach out, but stop. I felt their presence, their grief pressing in, but they didn’t pull away.
I clutched my mother’s body, pressing my forehead to her cold cheek.
“I’m here,” I sobbed. “I’m right here. Please co back.”
The world tilted.
And darkness suddenly swallowed whole.
....
When I woke up, everything felt wrong.
The bed beneath was too soft. The air too clean. My head throbbed dully, like soone had wrapped my skull in cotton.
For a mont, I didn’t know where I was.
Then I rembered
The barn.
Her face.
Her body.
“She’s dead,” I whispered, and my chest caved in.
I shot upright with a strangled cry and stumbled out of the bed, legs weak beneath . I yanked the door open and ran....
Straight into them.
Ronan. Ryder. Renzo.
They stood right outside my room.
Lke they were guarding it.
“Jade,” Ronan said urgently. “You need to rest....”
I ignored them.
I shoved past them and ran down the stairs, my bare feet slapping against the cold floor.
I needed to see her again.
I needed to make sure.
Maybe I imagined it.
Maybe my mind had broken.
I burst out of the house and sprinted toward the barn.
Hands caught .
“Jade!” Ryder grabbed my arm gently but firmly. “Stop!”
I struggled wildly. “Let go! I need to see her!”
Renzo stepped in front of , eyes dark, voice strained. “She’s not there anymore.”
I froze.
“What?”
They exchanged a look.
“We took her to the morgue,” Ronan said softly. “She’ll be cleaned. Prepared. She’ll get a proper burial.”
I stared at them blankly.
“That’s not what I want,” I whispered.
My voice broke completely.
“I don’t want a burial. I want my mother alive.”
Silence fell heavy around us.
Then tires crunched against gravel.
A car pulled into the courtyard.
I turned just as Alpha Ashford stepped out.
Sothing ugly and violent surged through .
I ran at him.
“We had a deal!” I scread, slamming my fists into his chest. “You promised! You said you’d keep her safe!”
Guards surged forward, hands reaching....
“Touch her,” Renzo growled, his voice vibrating with sothing feral, “and you’ll lose your hands.”
They stopped.
Alpha Ashford raised a hand calmly, eyes cold as he looked down at .
“I’ll excuse this,” he said smoothly. “You’re emotional.”
I laughed hysterically. “Emotional? You let her die!”
He sighed. “It was an accident. A natural one.”
My breath hitched.
“She was delivering breakfast to Linda,” he continued casually. “She slipped down the stairs on her way back.”
Linda.
The na slamd into like thunder.
“Linda?” I whispered.
My head snapped up, eyes wide.
“Linda is involved in this?”
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