Jade’s POV

The screen of my phone glowed in the darkness of my room.

My hands were shaking so badly that I had to grip the edge of the bed to steady myself.

The deal is off. I am coming for you and your baby.

I read it again.

And again.

And again.

The air felt thin. Like the walls had moved closer while I was not paying attention.

There was no deadline anymore. No tomorrow night. No twisted bargain.

She was not waiting.

She was coming.

A strange calm settled over me then. Not the kind that brings peace. The kind that comes right before something breaks.

I had told the boys. They hesitated.

I had accused Linda. They asked for proof.

I had sworn I was innocent. They needed time to think.

Time.

Linda was not giving me time.

I pressed my palm flat against my stomach.

“You are not dying here,” I whispered.

That was the moment the truth became solid inside me.

No one was coming to save me.

Not even my mates.

And that hurt more than Linda’s threat ever could.

They loved me. I knew they did. I thinkk

But they were sons of an Alpha first. Protectors of legacy. Guardians of stability.

If chaos came, they would choose the pack.

If doubt lingered, they would hesitate.

And hesitation could get my child killed.

I slid my phone under my pillow and stood up slowly.

If I stayed here, waiting for them to finally believe me, I would be gambling with my baby’s life.

I could not do that.

I would leave.

The next morning, a servant knocked on my door before I could even finish dressing.

“The Alpha requests your presence in his study.”

Of course he did.

I followed her downstairs with two guards trailing several steps behind me. I noticed it immediately. They were not subtle.

The study door opened, and Alpha Ashford stood near his desk, hands clasped behind his back.

“Sit,” he said calmly.

I obeyed.

“I will speak plainly,” he continued. “The events of last night have created tension within the household.”

I said nothing.

“Until this instability settles, your movements will be restricted.”

The word struck harder than I expected.

“Restricted?” I repeated quietly.

“For your protection,” he said smoothly. “And for the protection of my future grandchild.”

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach.

“Your emotional state appears volatile,” he added. “Pregnancy hormones can impair judgment.”

I swallowed the sharp response rising in my throat.

“You believe I am unstable.”

“I believe the grandheir must not be exposed to unnecessary risk.”

Guards outside my floor. Servants watching me. My freedom slowly shrinking.

If I waited much longer, I would not be able to leave at all.

“I understand,” I said, even though I did not.

He dismissed me with a nod.

As I walked back upstairs, I felt the invisible cage tightening.

Later that afternoon, I stepped into the garden for air. One guard stood near the archway. He pretended not to watch me.

Linda appeared from behind a hedge.

Alone.

Her ankle looked perfectly fine.

Her smile was soft.

“You look tired,” she said gently.

“What do you want?”

She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

“The deal is off.”

My stomach clenched.

“You tried to expose me,” she continued. “You forced my hand.”

“You slipped on your own trap,” I said quietly.

She laughed under her breath.

“It worked, did it not?”

My silence was answer enough.

She leaned closer. I could smell her perfume.

“I do not need you to confess anymore,” she whispered. “I just need you gone.”

My pulse thundered in my ears.

“How?” I asked.

Her eyes glittered.

“You will not see it coming.”

Then she straightened and walked away as if we had discussed the weather.

I did not need further warning.

If I stayed another night, something worse would happen.

That evening, as the sun began to sink, there was a knock on my door.

I stiffened.

“Jade,” Ronan’s voice called softly.

I opened it.

All three of them stood there.

Ronan. Ryder. Renzo.

For a moment, I forgot everything. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Ryder stepped forward first. “Can we come in?”

I nodded.

They entered and closed the door behind them. The room felt smaller instantly, filled with their presence, their warmth.

Renzo ran a hand through his hair. “We hate this.”

“We are trying to understand,” Ronan added.

Ryder’s eyes were softer than I had ever seen them. “But there is one thing we know.”

He stepped closer and cupped my face gently.

“You are ours. And we’ll always be here for you"

My breath caught.

Ronan pulled me into his chest suddenly, his arms strong around me. A second later, Renzo joined, his hand resting protectively on my back. Ryder’s palm slid down to my stomach.

“We will protect you,” he whispered against my hair.

Tears burned behind my eyes.

This was everything I had ever wanted.

Their arms around me.

Their scent grounding me.

Their hands resting over my belly as if shielding our child from the world.

For one dangerous moment, I almost told them about the new message.

About the deal being off.

About Linda coming.

I almost collapsed into them and begged them to believe me fully.

But then I remembered their hesitation.

Their silence.

Their need for proof.

And if Linda struck again, would they hesitate once more?

I could not gamble on that.

Renzo pressed his forehead gently to my stomach. “We are here.”

The words broke something inside me.

I loved them.

That was the cruelest part.

When they finally left, promising to check on me again before bed, I sat on the edge of the bed and let silent tears fall.

“I am sorry,” I whispered to the empty room.

Then I wiped my face and stood up.

If I was leaving, I had to plan carefully.

Mr Valerio.

The thought came to me like a lifeline.

The owner of the most popular beauty parlor in the pack. The man who transformed me before my honeymoon. The one who used to tell stories about my father.

He had once told me, laughing, “If you ever need help, little one, you come to me.”

His shop was near the lower district, closer to the border roads.

If I reached him, he could help me disappear.

He had connections. Transport. Influence outside the pack.

He would not turn me away.

I moved quickly.

I packed only what I could carry in a small bag. A few clothes. Jewelry I could sell if necessary. My mother’s necklace. My phone.

I saved the threatening messages. I did not delete them.

I changed into simple clothes. Dark. Easy to move in.

Outside my door, I heard guards shifting occasionally.

I needed timing.

I remembered that the evening guard rotation happened shortly after sunset.

There would be a brief window of distraction.

That was my chance.

As the sky turned orange and then purple, I stood by the window, watching the light fade.

For a moment, I hesitated.

What if I was wrong?

What if the boys would eventually choose me?

What if I was about to destroy everything?

I remembered our honeymoon. Their laughter. The way they looked at me as if I was something precious.

Love was not the problem.

Doubt was.

And doubt could kill.

I placed my hand over my stomach again.

“I am choosing you,” I whispered.

Footsteps echoed faintly in the hallway.

The shift was changing.

Voices murmured.

Doors opened and closed.

This was it.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and walked quietly to my door.

I opened it slowly.

The corridor was dim.

Two guards stood near the far end, speaking to each other. Their attention was divided.

My heart pounded so loudly I was certain they could hear it.

I stepped out.

Closed the door gently behind me.

One step.

Two.

Three.

I kept my head down and moved toward the servant staircase at the end of the corridor.

If I reached that staircase, I could slip down through the kitchen level and out the back garden gate.

Almost there.

My fingers brushed the cold railing of the staircase.

And then I heard it.

“Jade?”

My blood turned to ice.

Slowly, I turned around.