Chapter 59: Chapter 59 When Restraint Finally Shatters

Ronan’s POV

The alarm was sudden and violent.

There was no gentle build up, no soft chime meant to ease us awake. It blared like a warning siren, sharp and unrelenting, slicing straight through my sleep and yanking my consciousness to the surface.

“What the....” Ryder groaned beside me.

Before I could even sit up fully, a calm, professional voice followed through the intercom mounted discreetly on the wall.

“Good morning. This is your wake up call. Please begin preparing for the day. Your scheduled activities will commence in one hour.”

The alarm finally cut off, leaving behind a thick, groggy silence.

I dragged a hand down my face and sat up, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the sheer curtains. My body felt heavy, warm, too aware of everything around me.

Then reality hit.

We had all slept on the same bed.

A massive bed, yes, but still the same one.

Somehow, impossibly, we’d managed not to touch.

Not each other.

Not her.

Jade lay on the far side, curled slightly on her side, the sheet pulled up to her waist, her breathing slow and even. Her hair was spread messily across the pillow, dark against white linen. She looked... peaceful. Soft. Untouched by the tension that had wrapped around the room like a living thing all night.

I swallowed hard.

The mate bond stirred instantly, like it had been waiting for me to wake up.

Ryder shifted, sitting up fully now, his brow furrowed as he glanced between us. Renzo was already upright, back straight, expression carefully blank, but I knew him too well. His jaw was tight.

This was awkward.

Painfully so.

None of us knew what to say. What could we say? Good morning, to the mate we barely acknowledge? The weight of everything, yesterday, the trip, the bond, the..... lust, pressed down hard.

Then Jade moved.

She stirred, stretched slightly, and opened her eyes.

For half a second, confusion flickered across her face, then awareness settled in. Instead of shrinking, instead of freezing like she used to... she smiled.

A confident, easy smile.

“Good morning,” she said calmly, like this was the most normal thing in the world. “I’ll use the bathroom first.”

And just like that, she stood.

The sheet slipped away as she rose, revealing that she was fully clothed in sleepwear, loose, simple, but it didn’t matter. Every movement felt deliberate. Grounded. Unafraid.

She walked past us and disappeared into the bathroom, the door clicking shut softly behind her.

For a moment, none of us spoke.

Ryder was the first to break the silence. “Is it just me,” he said slowly, “or is there something.... different about Jade now?”

I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. “It’s not just you.”

Whatever it was, confidence, resolve, something else, it was unmistakable. The bond responded to it instantly, tightening, pulling, demanding attention.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Ryder admitted, voice low, strained, “but it’s getting to me. Every time she’s near, I feel like I’m losing control. I just....” He cut himself off, fists clenching. “I want to touch her, caress her, fuck her. I want to claim her so bad it hurts.”

The honesty in his voice sent a ripple through me.

Renzo finally spoke, his tone calm, clipped, controlled. “Keep yourselves in check. Your emotions are yours alone. Jade has made it clear she doesn’t want us. What you’re feeling is nothing but the mate bond playing tricks on you.”

I turned to him sharply. “What about you brother, you really feel nothing? Not even now?”

Renzo hesitated, just a fraction of a second too long.

“I feel nothing,” he repeated firmly. “And neither should you. Do not confuse biological pull with real emotion.”

Before I could respond, the bathroom door opened.

All three of us froze.

Jade stepped out wrapped in a towel, one secured snugly around her body, another twisted around her hair. Tiny droplets of water clung to her skin, catching the light. Her shoulders were bare. Her collarbones. The soft curve of her neck.

The mate bond roared.

My wolf surged forward so violently it stole my breath. Mine, it growled. Ours.

Ryder sucked in a sharp breath. Renzo went completely still.

No one spoke.

Jade tilted her head slightly, clearly noticing our collective silence. “There are actually two bathrooms in there,” she said lightly. “So two of you can go ahead and use them.”

We didn’t move.

“...Did you hear me?” she asked, amusement flickering in her eyes.

That snapped Renzo out of it. “Yes,” he said quickly, standing. “I’ll go.”

“I’ll go too,” Ryder added just as fast.

They disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, leaving the door shut behind them.

Leaving me alone with her.

My heart thudded painfully against my ribs.

Jade walked toward the the dressing room, I could hear her rifling through her bag like this was nothing. Like being alone with me, barely dressed, fresh from the shower, wasn’t driving me insane.

I shifted, suddenly hyperaware of my body, of the way the towel hugged her curves, of how close she was.

I needed space.

Air.

Anything.

My eyes darted around until they landed on the balcony doors.

Yes. Perfect.

I stood up quickly. “I’m just.....” I gestured vaguely. “I’ll get some air.”

I was halfway to the door when her voice stopped me.

“Ronan?”

I froze.

Slowly, I turned around.

She stood in front of the full length mirror now, blow dryer in hand, towel still wrapped around her, her wet hair cascading down her neck and shoulder. Her gaze met mine in the reflection, steady, unreadable.

“If you don’t mind,” she said softly, “could you help me dry my hair? My arm gets tired doing it myself.”

My throat went dry. I said nothing.

“If you don’t want to,” she added quickly, “it’s fine. I didn’t mean to... ”

“No,” I said immediately. Too quickly. “I don’t mind.”

She handed me the dryer.

I stepped behind her.

The mirror framed us together, her in front, me behind, close enough that I could feel her warmth without touching. When I turned the dryer on, the hum filled the room, vibrating straight through my chest.

I lifted sections of her hair carefully, fingers brushing against damp strands.

My wolf was losing its mind, pacing, snarling, demanding. Touch her. Claim her. She’s ours.

I kept my movements controlled, deliberate. Professional. Barely.

Her scent, clean, warm, uniquely her, wrapped around me, sinking deep. My chest felt tight, my control fraying thread by thread.

She shifted slightly, and her back brushed my chest.

I nearly lost it.

When I finally turned the dryer off, the silence was deafening.

She turned around to face me. “Thank you.”

That was all she said.

That was all it took.

The restraint I’d been clinging to shattered.

I dropped the dryer.

It hit the floor with a dull thud as I grabbed her, pulling her flush against me, one hand fisting in her hair, the other gripping her waist tight.

My mouth crashed into hers.

Kissing her.

The kiss was rough. Desperate. Heart stopping.

She gasped, but didn’t pull away.

The mate bond exploded between us, white hot and undeniable, roaring its approval as my wolf surged forward, triumphant.

My hand slid from her waist up her back then to her bare thigh as I sucked her lips ravenously. I couldn’t even think of anything else, all I knew was Jade and being wrapped around by her scent as my lips intertwined with hers.... and the throbbing feeling down my crotch as my dick rose painfully hard aching for me to fuck her.