Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42 A Deal
Jade’s POV
The ride back was quiet.
But my mind was not.
What the hell is going on?
I still couldn’t wrap my head around that fact that I am being threatened into marrying Renzo, Ryder and Ronan, tonight.
Alpha Ashford sat beside me, his presence heavy, unmoving, serving as a constant reminder that my life, my choices, were no longer mine.
He had made his intentions clear.
Painfully clear.
And as much as every part of me wanted to scream, to fight, to claw my way out of that car and run until my legs gave out, I didn’t.
Because he had said my mother’s name.
Because he had spoken about her life as if it were a coin he could flick into the gutter without a second thought if I refused to obey him.
So I sat there. Silent. Rigid. Swallowing every protest until my throat burned.
The estate gates opened, tall and imposing, wrought iron curling like claws against the sky.
As the car rolled forward, I watched the familiar path veer away from the servant quarters.
My heart stuttered.
“That’s... that’s my place,” I said, turning to him, confusion and dread tangling in my voice. “Why aren’t we stopping? That’s where I stay with my mum.”
Alpha Ashford didn’t even look at me.
“You are going to be wedded to my sons, Jade,” he said calmly. “I can’t have you continuing to live in the servant quarters.”
My breath caught.
“Then.... then what about my mum?” I asked quickly. Panic clawed its way up my spine. “I can’t just leave her there alone. Is she coming with me? Wherever you’re taking me, she has to come too.”
That was when he finally turned.
And the look in his eyes shattered whatever fragile hope I had left.
“You are the one marrying my sons,” he said flatly. “Not your mother.”
I stared at him, my ears ringing.
“This does not erase your origins,” he continued. “Your family betrayed me. Your mother is still paying the consequence. She remains a servant regardless of what your status is about to become.”
Something inside me broke.
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.
“No,” I whispered. “No, that’s... that’s not fair. You can’t do this. You’re forcing me into this marriage. You’re blackmailing me into.... into giving you a grand heir, and you’re still going to punish my mother?”
My voice shook as I turned fully toward him.
“That’s not justice,” I said. “That’s cruelty.”
He studied me for a moment, then sighed, like I was an inconvenience, not a person.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s make a deal.”
My heart jumped painfully.
“When you finally get pregnant for my sons,” he continued, “I will nullify your mother’s servant status. She’ll be allowed to live in the main mansion with you.”
Then he added, coolly, “So, Jade, you have your work cut out for you.”
I felt sick.
Helpless.
Small.
My future reduced to a transaction. My body turned into currency. My mother’s freedom dangled like bait at the end of a leash.
Now I know where Renzo, Ryder and Ronan got their cruelty from.
I looked out the window so he wouldn’t see the tears spill freely now.
I hated him.
I hated this pack.
I hated fate, the goddess, tradition. every invisible hand that had decided my suffering was necessary for someone else’s power.
The car finally stopped in front of the Alpha’s main mansion.
The doors opened.
I stepped out like someone walking toward an execution.
Alpha Ashford instructed a servant to take me to the room I’d be staying in and left with his beta without looking back at me.
The servant didn’t meet my eyes as she led me down the long, polished hallways. Everything smelled expensive, lavender, polished wood, cold air, but none of it felt welcoming. I felt like an intruder in a place that would never be mine.
She stopped in front of a large door and pushed it open.
“This will be your room,” she said softly before leaving.
The door closed behind me.
And that was it.
The silence hit me like a wave.
I took two steps inside before my knees gave out.
I collapsed onto the floor, the sob tearing out of me raw and ugly. I cried like I hadn’t cried since the day my father was executed, loud, broken, desperate. My hands dug into the carpet as if it could anchor me to something real.
I didn’t know how long I stayed like that.
Minutes. Hours. An eternity.
Then there was a knock.
I flinched, wiping my face frantically, dragging in shaky breaths.
“C...come in,” I croaked.
The door opened.
“Jade...”
My head snapped up.
“Mom.”
She stood there holding a tray of food, her eyes already red, her face drawn with worry and pain. I surged to my feet, rushed to her, took the tray from her trembling hands and set it aside carelessly before throwing myself into her arms.
“Mom,” I sobbed. “Mom, I’m so scared.”
She wrapped her arms around me tightly, like she was afraid someone would tear me away again. We cried together, clinging to each other as if that embrace was the only thing keeping us both from falling apart.
“I heard,” she whispered eventually. “They said you’re getting married... to the Alpha’s sons. Tonight.”
I nodded against her shoulder.
She cried again, then cupped my face gently, forcing me to look at her. freewёbnoνel.com
“Listen to me,” she said, voice shaking but firm. “You are your father’s daughter. He was strong. He was brave. And so are you.”
Tears streamed down my face.
“You can survive this,” she continued. “Storms don’t last forever, Jade. No matter how violent they are.”
I wanted to believe her.
I really did.
Then....
There was a clap.
The sound echoed sharply through the room.
I froze.
My mother stiffened.
I turned toward the door.
Linda stood there, smiling, clapping slowly like she’d just witnessed a performance she enjoyed.
“Isn’t this just.... beautiful?” she said mockingly. “So emotional.”
Rage exploded in my chest.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped.
Her smile widened.
“Haven’t you heard?” she said sweetly. “I’m your chief bridesmaid tonight.”
