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Chapter 39
~Jade’s POV~
I sat on the edge of my bed with my hands folded in my lap, staring at the pale stretch of moonlight across my floor.
The house felt too quiet, as if it was holding its breath along with . Downstairs, a cupboard door shut softly. Pipes groaned in the walls. Normal sounds all felt distant.
I had caged my wolf.
The words would not stop replaying in my mind, and all of a sudden, my room felt small. A gentle knock ca at my door, followed by my mother’s voice.
"Jade?"
My mother did not wait for an answer before pushing the door open. She stood there for a mont, studying as if she were trying to asure sothing she could not quite na.
She wore her old denim jacket and jeans, her palms rubbing absently over the fabric as she stepped inside. She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear before coming to sit beside on the bed.
"I wanted to tell you sothing," she began carefully, avoiding my eyes. My brows furrowed. "I’ll be away this weekend. Just a short trip. Work."
I nodded. "Okay."
She searched my face. "Are you going to be alright on your own? Or should I have a friend co over? So that you’re not alone."
I let out a soft breath. "Mum, I was alone for over a month. Rember?"
Her mouth curved into a faint smile, but it did not quite reach her eyes. "Well, look at how that turned out. You were taken away." She hesitated, then her shoulders dropped. "I know I haven’t always been the greatest of mums, but Jade, I do care and I worry. Please, can I just... have soone co over?"
There was sothing fragile in her voice that I had not heard in years.
I swallowed. I had grown used to carrying myself, to not needing or asking. That month alone had not broken . It had only confird what I already believed about myself.
But she was still sitting there, palms rubbing over denim as if she did not know what to do with her hands.
I looked away. "Fine."
She blinked. "Fine? You know I can call Kael and ask him for a favour..."
"You can ask Ms Cox," I cut in, muttering. "If it makes you feel better."
I knew the last thing she wanted was to see her ex after all this ti, but for , she was making a try.
Relief softened her features. "Thank you." She reached out, brushing my shoulder in a rare, awkward gesture of affection. "I’ll speak to her tomorrow."
When she left, the room grew heavy again. I lay back against my pillows and stared at the ceiling.
All I could feel was silence. Not just in the house, but in my mind.
"Javelin?" I whispered internally.
No one answered.
I closed my eyes and tried to reach her the way I used to, letting my senses stretch inward. I tried to let the shift rise, just a fraction. The familiar prickle along my spine flickered to life as warmth gathered beneath my skin.
Then it stalled like so sort of resistance pressing against a closed door. The warmth faltered and faded, leaving cold.
A forest flashed behind my eyelids. Trees rushing past. The scent of pine and wet earth. The pounding of paws against soil that was not the palace grounds.
My eyes snapped open when I heard a sharp sound that rang through my eardrums.
"Why do you keep showing that?" I whispered, not sure if it was Javelin or sothing else.
This ti, there was a faint stir.
"I don’t want to hurt you," Javelin’s voice finally echoed in my mind, softer than I had ever heard it. "Let alone have you be embarrassed by ."
My chest tightened. "That’s not it."
"Then what is it?" she asked.
I opened my mouth, but no words ca. The truth sat sowhere deep and unford. Fear, yes. Sha, maybe. But there was sothing older than that, sothing I had buried long before I knew I had a wolf.
"Yeah," she murmured bitterly. "Shut out like you’ve done everything in your life so far, Jade."
The words struck harder than they should have. I swallowed. "That’s not fair."
But she had already retreated. The faint warmth that ant she was present dimd further.
I pressed my palms to my eyes. I had not ant to push her away. I had only wanted control and to avoid another mistake, of everyone watching fail or people hating her...
My phone buzzed against my bedside table.
I flinched before reaching for it.
Xavier: Are you alright?
The simplicity of the ssage made my throat tighten. I stared at the screen, unsure how to respond. Yes, would be a lie. And no, would open sothing I wasn’t ready to explain.
Before I could type anything back, a small tap hit my window.
I frowned. Another tap followed. A soft knock of stone against glass.
I pushed myself up and walked to the balcony doors, pulling the curtain aside. My thoughts were that maybe a student was picking on . It was no news.
But how shocked I was when I reached and saw Xade standing there, one hand braced against the railing.
He wore simple black clothes, no jacket. Without the sharp lines of leather, he looked younger. Wilder in a different way. He had always been handso. Tonight, he looked unguarded.
I slid the door open.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, though there was no heat in it.
He stepped closer, studying my face in the pale light. "How are you?"
The question undid more than any accusation could have. "I’m fine," I began, but my voice broke on the second word.
His expression shifted instantly. He crossed the small space between us without hesitation, his hands coming up to cradle my face. "Don’t," he said quietly. "Don’t lie to ."
My breath hitched, and before I could respond, he leaned in and kissed .
It was not rushed or demanding, just grounding, as if he was anchoring back into myself. His thumbs brushed lightly along my cheekbones, holding there as though I might disappear if he let go.
For a mont, the noise in my head quieted.
Even Javelin stirred faintly.
My hands curled into his shirt, and I let myself lean into him, just this once, without thinking about control or fear of things I did not rember.
"I’m sorry," Xade said as he broke the kiss.
"For?"
"For my reaction earlier today. I..."
"Jade? Are you okay? I thought I heard noise from your room."
My eyes widened, and I pulled away from Xade instinctively.
"Jade?"
"M..." I hesitated, unsure of how best to lie to her or where to hide Xade.
"Answer before I co in."
"I’m coming. It was nothing. I was on a..." I glanced at Xade, about to shoo him into the bathroom, when suddenly I noticed he wasn’t there. "Xade?" I muttered softly.
But there was no answer.
My eyes glanced back at the door, to see it slightly open. He was gone.
"Jade!" Just then, the door opened, and Mum walked in. "Jade?" I hurried to intercept her by the door. "What’s going on?"
"Umm, nothing. I was in the bathroom earlier and was on a call. Sorry it took long."
Mum gave that doubtful stare. "You sure?"
"Yeah." She sniffed, and I panicked. "Mum, can I have my privacy now?"
Her eyes narrowed, then she pushed my hair back. "Why are your cheeks flushed?"
"Mum, Isa was just teasing . Now, can we just..."
She lifted her hands in mock surrender, but after glancing at my room, she finally stopped, kissed on the cheek and walked away.
"Goodnight, sweetie."
"Goodnight, Mum."
She left, and I locked the door, then rushed out to my balcony to do a double check. The only thing that greeted was the howling wind and Xade’s scent.
No way she believed . She had been in my room earlier and not perceived him, so now...
I shook my head, locked up, and got into bed as my fingers wandered back to my lips.
******
The next day swung by in a blur, and as much as I was nervous, I could not help imagining my training with my mates today.
By the ti I arrived at their house after school, the mansion was nothing short of beautiful, magnificent, and empty.
The security had let in through the gates when I said my na, but as to how I was going to find them? He said nothing.
I was about to knock on the door at the entrance when sothing made Javelin stir in my mind.
"Go left."
I wasn’t sure she was talking to , but I could feel the anticipation in her voice as she directed .
True enough, I walked down the stairs and headed left.
The path led into the garden and through it till I ca to the back of the house, where... The sound of running water filtered through my senses, and I swallowed, already guessing what I was going to see.
The pool area.
Still, my feet kept moving until I stepped fully into view, and my breath left .
Right before my eyes, all three of them — Xade, Xander, Xavier — placed their hands on the edge of the pool and lifted themselves out in one fluid motion.
Water cascaded down their skin, and my heart stopped.
I had seen them as dangerous. I had seen them angry, clothed in authority and power, but I had never seen them like this.
Bare except for the minimal clothing clinging to them.
Every instinct inside flared at once. Heat rushed up my neck, across my cheeks, down into my chest. My pulse pounded so loudly I was certain they could hear it.
Javelin stirred sharply in response.
"Mine."
I gulped, unable to look away even though I knew I probably should. And then I saw it. My heart skipped a beat for a second there.
On each of them, over their hearts, ink marked their skin in the form of a tattoo
A wolf with a star and moon clenched between its teeth.
My birthmark.
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