Free Web NovelChapter 36: Chapter 36 A Fucking Obstruction
Ryder’s POV
I watched the servant quarters disappear in the rearview mirror as Renzo pressed harder on the accelerator.
Jade was still standing there when we turned the corner.
Wrapped in my jacket. Bare feet on cold concrete. Looking like she’d been dropped out of a storm with no explanation.
Something in my chest twisted hard.
Renzo didn’t say a word the entire drive back to the mansion.
Not a single syllable.
The silence was thick, unnatural. Ronan stared out the window, jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack. I leaned back in my seat, hands clasped together, trying to make sense of what the hell had just happened.
Because none of it made sense.
Not the party. Not Jade. Not us.
And definitely not Renzo.
The gates opened automatically as we pulled into the mansion grounds. Gravel crunched under the tires as Renzo drove straight into the yard instead of the garage, stopping abruptly like he couldn’t wait one second longer.
He got out first.
Didn’t look back.
Didn’t wait.
We followed.
Inside the mansion, the air was cold and quiet, the way it always was when our father wasn’t around, which was most of the time. The place felt too big tonight. Too empty.
We went straight to the common room.
Our room.
The one space that was ours, where we fought, laughed, planned, and tore each other apart when things got complicated.
Renzo walked in first and dropped onto the couch like his bones had suddenly turned to stone. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped, head bowed.
Ronan came in last and shut the door hard behind him.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded immediately.
I turned to him. “What do you mean?”
He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “What do I mean?” He paced the room, running a hand through his hair. “We went to Linda’s party, Ryder. Linda’s. And instead of being with her, we were literally seconds away from fucking that slutty Jade in front of everyone.”
His voice rose. “In front of everyone!!!”
I snapped.
“You’re annoyed?” I shot back. “If I remember correctly, Ronan, Renzo and I were holding ourselves back. You’re the one who lost it and punched that guy just because he was about to touch Jade.”
Ronan stopped pacing.
His anger faltered.
For a moment, the fire in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something unsettled. Vulnerable.
“That was... a temporary lapse in judgment,” he said slowly. “I.... I don’t know what happened to me.”
He exhaled, rough and shaky. “It was like I was being pulled by some stupid but insanely strong bond I couldn’t fight. My wolf ...” He shook his head. “It was out of control. Seeing Jade like that... scared, cornered, about to be taken by another man who wasn’t us, I just couldn’t stop myself.”
He looked up at me, jaw tight. “And honestly? I didn’t want to stop myself.”
That admission hung heavy in the room.
“That’s exactly why we should reject her as soon as possible,” Ronan continued. “This mate bond, it’s terrifying, Ryder. It made me feel things for her. Real things. When we touched her together tonight...” He swallowed. “It felt electric. It felt right.”
His voice dropped. “We didn’t even go all the way, and it was still unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”
I huffed out a breath, rubbing my face.
“Tell me about it.”
He looked at me.
“That moment,” I admitted quietly. “The way it felt. How complete it was. Like something locked into place.” My chest tightened. “I didn’t want it to end.”
“For the first time ever,” Ronan added bitterly, “Linda was right there and we didn’t care. We disrespected her at her own party and walked out like she didn’t matter.”
He turned sharply toward the couch. “Why the hell did we leave like that?”
“He made us,” I said, nodding toward Renzo.
Renzo hadn’t moved.
Hadn’t looked up.
He was still sitting there, lost in thought like the rest of the world had stopped existing.
We walked toward him.
“What happened, brother?” I asked carefully. “Did you suddenly come to your senses? Is that why you stopped it?” freewёbnoνel.com
“Yeah,” Ronan pressed. “What changed?”
Renzo finally lifted his head.
His eyes were dark, not angry, not cold. Focused.
“Why do we despise Jade?” he asked.
The question threw me off completely.
“What kind of question is that?” Ronan scoffed. “Because she’s a slut and she betrayed us.”
Renzo’s gaze flicked to him. “How?”
Ronan opened his mouth, then hesitated.
Renzo looked at me instead. “You answer.”
I frowned, unease crawling up my spine, but I answered nevertheless.
“After her father was killed for being a traitor, we were worried sick about her,” I said. “We looked everywhere for her because we cared. She was our friend. Even though we weren’t officially dating, we made a pact. We promised each other.”
My jaw tightened as old anger resurfaced.
“She promised she wouldn’t let another man touch her unless it was us. And we believed her. Then Linda came and told us she’d been a slut all along, sleeping with all the guys in the basketball team while we were out of our minds looking for her.”
My voice hardened. “Linda showed us. We saw it.”
“Only we didn’t actually see her fucking the entire basketball team, did we?” Renzo said calmly.
Ronan snapped, “We did.”
“No,” Renzo said sharply. “We didn’t.”
He stood up slowly, commanding the room without raising his voice.
“When Linda took us to the hotel, Jade was already coming out of the room. We didn’t walk in on anything. We didn’t see her with anyone. We saw what Linda wanted us to see.”
My stomach dropped.
“What are you driving at?” I asked.
Renzo looked at both of us.
Steady. Certain.
“Jade,” he said, “is still a virgin.”
The words hit me like a punch to the chest.
“What?” Ronan breathed.
“That’s impossible,” I said automatically.
"I know what I felt and I was not mistaken, when I placed my finger in there, inside her, I felt an obstruction, if I had pushed harder, she would have bled right there, she’s been saying it all along but we never believed her, she is still a fucking virgin!"
