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Chapter 44
~Jade’s POV~
I frowned. "aning?"
His eyes finally t mine. "Not just the bond, not claiming, and definitely not spending ti." His voice lowered. "All three of us must mate with her before we reach twenty-five... or the curse becos permanent."
My thoughts stopped. Not slowed, just stopped. For a mont the room felt too small to hold that sentence.
"You an..." My throat dried. "You an together?"
No one corrected .
My ear buzzed for a second there. They ant together. All of them at the sa ti.
"Look, I know this sounds absurd, but we never wanted to rush you. We..." Xavier paused, unsure of how best to explain this to . "It was also why we did not claim the matebond quickly."
"Because you thought I was weak?"
"Not really. We did not want to risk losing a mate if she wasn’t strong to break this curse with us," Xavier explained once more.
His hands trembled slightly. I could see he was holding back.
"That’s what this is all about," Xander added.
"Okay..." I averted my gaze from Xavier. Everythingw as happening too fast for .
Yesterday I was worrying about training. Now this was my life.
"How did you get cursed?" My voice was small. I hoped they didn’t hear. Sadly, judging by the look on their faces, they did. "It’s okay if you don’t want to tell ."
"No," Xade refuted. "We don’t know exactly but it’s more or less inherited from our lineage. Should the curse not break, we would go feral or die."
The words landed like stones in still water. Ripples spread through —shock, fear, a strange kind of hope I didn’t know I was allowed to feel.
I looked between them. "So what happens now?"
Xavier brushed my hair back gently, like I might break. He glanced at his brothers first then back at . "We won’t force you," he said softly. "But we can’t outrun this anymore either."
The words settled over heavier than fear.
Three mates. A curse. A choice that wasn’t really a choice.
My heart hadn’t slowed since he kissed , and now I wasn’t sure it ever would.
His voice lowered. "We need you, Jade. And it can only happen with your consent."
I bit my lower lips. I did not know the best answer to give right away either.
Xade tucked his hand in his pockets. "And whatever you decide... it won’t be easy."
"I never asked for easy," I whispered, swallowing past the lump in my throat though I wasn’t sure who I was trying to sound brave for. Myself or them?
Xade gave a faint laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. "Good," he murmured. "Because nothing about us has ever been kind."
And for the first ti since eting them, I realized this wasn’t just dangerous for them. It was going to change too.
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~Xavier’s POV~
That day we did not train. After we spoke to Jade, I gave her a free pass to go back ho and relax.
Any form of interaction with her was sending Ace bunkers.
The house carried her scent from the night before and was impossibly present in every corner. The couch. The hallway. Even the air near the stairs still held the faint sweetness of her skin.
Ace would not quiet down.
He prowled beneath my ribs, restlessly, pushing images into my mind I did not ask for. Her lips. The tremble in her voice. The way she looked at us after hearing the truth.
He wanted to take over, to have her, and to mate with her. It took every bit of will and every muscle in to keep him in check without going bonkers in my head.
The gym was empty when I entered it, exactly how I needed it.
I wrapped my knuckles slowly, tightening the tape more than necessary just to give my hands sothing else to focus on. The sll of leather and iron grounded , but it did not erase her. Nothing did.
My jaw tightened as I hit the bag.
The first strike helped. The second grounded . By the tenth, my knuckles burned, but the heat inside only spread wider.
Her scent.
It lingered on my shirt.
I ripped it off and threw it aside, breathing harder than I should have been. Sweat rolled down my back, but it did nothing to cool the fever crawling under my skin.
Each punch was ant to force my thoughts into silence, but Ace did not quiet down.
"Her lips.Her breath. Got to her, Xav."
My fist slamd into the bag harder.
The chain rattled violently as the bag swung back toward . I pivoted and drove another punch into it, putting my weight behind the blow. Pain flared across my knuckles.
But it did not stop the heat.
I kept punching. Harder. Faster. I forced my mind into the rhythm of impact, leather against bone, air leaving my lungs in asured breaths. Control had always been simple for . Control was discipline. Control was survival.
But today control felt like holding back a flood with bare hands. A low groan escaped before I could stop it as heat surged through my spine again.
The door suddenly opened.
"You’ve got to—" Xander started.
My fist drove forward. The bag split open with a violent tear, sand bursting outward and scattering across the mat.
Silence followed. The only sound was that of my ragged breathing.
"You see, nothing helps. We need her. You must mate with her."
The training room door opened at that mont, thankfully.
"You’ve got to—" Xander began.
Xade’s hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him when he saw the torn bag and my stance. Neither of them spoke for a mont.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my hands to unclench. "I lost control." My voice sounded steadier than I felt. "I shouldn’t have touched her like that," I said, eyes fixed on the ruined bag. "She didn’t deserve to learn about the curse that way."
Xander leaned against the wall, close to where I stood with his arms crossed. "Perhaps it happened for a reason."
I glanced at him.
He shrugged slightly. "I’ve been thinking about how to tell her for weeks. None of us was going to say it. Not until it was too late."
Xade moved closer, studying carefully. "You scared her."
"I know."
The admission ca easier than expected. Harder was rembering the look in her eyes—not fear, but confusion... and sothing dangerously close to wanting.
Xade rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you think she’d even agree to... You know. To all of this?"
I shook my head imdiately. Xander didn’t.
"No one wants to lose their mate," he said calmly. "Jade won’t either. She’ll agree."
I did not answer. I wasn’t certain if he was right or if he was hoping. The room fell quiet again until Xade’s expression shifted into sothing lighter.
"So," he said casually, "how was the kiss?"
I turned toward him slowly. "Say that again, and I will punch you."
Xade grinned. "Worth asking. You really looked like you were going to fuck her right there had we not intervened."
"Xade..." I grunted, holding back because what he said was correct. I really... even now I wanted to kiss her again and really fuck her like my body wanted but... no.
I couldn’t.
Xander looked between us, thoughtful. "Am I the only one here who hasn’t kissed her yet?"
Xade and I exchanged a brief glance. "Yes," we said at the sa ti.
Xander arched a brow. "No offence, brothers, but that has to change."
Xade snorted. "What happened to taking it slow?"
Xander pushed off the wall. "You two should have thought of that before digging into her mouth with your tongue."
I grabbed a towel from the bench and threw it at him, but neither of them missed the fact that I didn’t deny it.
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~Jade’s POV~
The obstacle course was supposed to be simple. Balance beams, climbing walls, and speed drills. Normal training was ant to improve reaction and control.
Except Xander had none today.
He corrected three students too harshly, snapped at another, and when one of the younger wolves stumbled during a jump, his eyes flashed red for a full second before he looked away.
I walked toward him during break. "You should go ho."
He frowned. "I’m fine."
"No," I said gently. "You’re not. You’re overheating, and you know it. Waiting it out is safer than forcing yourself."
His jaw tightened. "You think I can just leave?"
"I think you need to before you hurt yourself."
Sothing shifted in his expression then. Not anger or pride, just strain. Xander’s voice dropped. "You don’t understand what it feels like."
I swallowed. "Then help understand."
He stepped closer before I realized he moved.
The air between us grew tight.
"I can hear your heartbeat from across the field," he said quietly. "I know exactly where you are every second. I can sll when you get nervous."
My breath caught. "Xander—" His lips captured mine before I got the chance to protest.
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