Free Web NovelChapter 45: Chapter 45 Claimed by my Bullies
Jade’s POV
The hall was already full when they brought me in.
It was larger than I actually thought it would be, though it seemed most of them came only out of respect for Alpha Ashford and his sons, and the others, they came to mock me.
There were long rows of polished wooden benches stretching endlessly on both sides of the hall, chandeliers hanging low from the vaulted ceiling, their crystal prisms catching the light and scattering it like shards across the walls. Every seat was occupied. Nobles. Elders. Warriors. Pack leaders. Faces I recognized and faces that looked at me as if I were something out of place that shouldn’t be here.
Like I didn’t belong at the center of something this important.
My steps felt heavy, as though the floor itself resisted me. Each movement forward felt like a surrender, not a choice.
And beside me, walking with perfect posture and effortless grace, was the person I hated more than anyone else in the world.
Linda.
She looked radiant.
Of course she did.
Her gown shimmered under the lights, fabric woven with golden thread that caught every flicker of movement. The neckline was elegant, showing a bit of her cleavage, the fit flawless, the stones at her waist sparkling like stars. She looked.... elegant. Important. Celebrated.
She looked like the bride.
I glanced down at my own dress and felt the sting sharpen. Mine was plain in comparison, beautiful in a quiet, muted way, but forgettable. Acceptable. Safe. Chosen not to draw attention.
Chosen so no one would notice me too much.
Linda’s arm was looped through mine, her touch light but possessive. Her smile was fixed, practiced, sweet in a way that made my skin crawl. She beamed at everyone we passed, elders, nobles, even the priestess, accepting nods and admiration as if it all belonged to her.
I kept my eyes forward.
Do not break, I told myself.
But my gaze betrayed me anyway, sweeping through the crowd, desperately searching.
Mother.
I scanned face after face, heart pounding harder with every step. I searched the noble section. The elders. The outer rows.
Nothing. She wasn’t here.
My chest tightened.
She was supposed to be here. She had to be here. Even if she wasn’t allowed to sit among them, even if she had to stand at the back, she wouldn’t miss this. She wouldn’t.
My vision blurred.
I swallowed hard, blinking rapidly, forcing the tears back. Not here. Not now.
Then I looked forward.
And there they were.
Renzo. Ryder. Ronan.
They stood at the altar like something carved from myth, three figures dressed in perfectly tailored black tuxedos, each one different, each one devastating alluring in his own way.
Renzo stood in the center, tall and imposing, his dark hair neatly styled, his posture rigid with control. His sharp features were unreadable, jaw clenched, eyes forward and cold. He looked every inch the future Alpha, commanding, untouchable.
Ryder stood to his right, broader, shoulders squared beneath the fine fabric. His brown hair was slicked back, his expression closed off, lips pressed into a hard line. He looked.... distant. Like he’d already retreated somewhere far away.
And Ronan, sweet, reckless Ronan, stood on the other side, his dark eyes shadowed, his usual warmth completely gone. He looked younger like this, stripped of his smile, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
They looked unreal.
So beautiful that for a heartbeat, I forgot everything else.
The humiliation.
The fear.
The trap.
My wolf stirred then.
Not cautiously. Not warily.
She surged forward with joy.
Mates, she whispered, voice bright and breathless. Ours. We are home.
The sensation hit me hard, warmth spreading through my chest, through my veins, a pull so deep it ached. My steps faltered slightly, and Linda tightened her grip, steadying me as if she were helping.
I wanted to tear her hand away.
We finay reached the altar.
The priestess stood before us, draped in ceremonial white, her presence heavy with ancient authority. She raised her hands, and the hall fell silent.
Linda released me and stepped aside, taking her place with the confidence of someone who believed she belonged at the center of everything.
The boys barely looked at me.
No smiles. No softness. Not even anger.
Just blank expressions.
Like they didn’t want to be here.
My heart cracked quietly.
The ceremony began.
The priestess spoke of bonds older than memory, of fate and duty and the sacred joining of wolves. Her voice echoed through the hall, each word pressing down on me like weight.
I stood between them, hands trembling slightly at my sides.
Just before the final joining, I glanced into the crowd one last time.
And then I saw her.
My mother.
She stood at the far edge of the hall, half hidden among the servants preparing the tables for the feast. Her clothes were plain, her hands busy, but her eyes were fixed on me.
On me.
Tears streamed freely down her face.
A sob caught in my throat.
She pressed her hand to her chest, as if feeling my pain from across the room, and nodded once, small, steady, proud.
I broke.
A tear slipped down my cheek, then another, but I didn’t wipe them away. I couldn’t. My voice shook as I completed the final vows, words tasting like grief and surrender all at once.
The priestess lifted her staff.
“Step forward, and mark your mate” she commanded the three of them.
My breath hitched.
They moved at the same time, closing in around me, forming a circle.
They stepped closer.
All three of them.
The space around me shrank until there was nothing but heat and breath and the unmistakable weight of their presence. Renzo was behind me, close enough that I could feel the solid line of his chest at my back. Ryder stood to my left, Ronan to my right, boxing me in, surrounding me completely.
Claiming me.
My pulse thundered so loudly I was sure the entire hall could hear it.
I inhaled, and my breath hitched.
Their scents crashed into me all at once, steel and smoke, pine and fire, something dark and intoxicating that made my knees weak. My wolf surged forward eagerly, pressing against my ribs, purring, begging.
Mates, she whispered again, reverent and aching. Take us. Claim us.
Renzo’s hand lifted, steady and warm, settling at my waist. Not rough. Not gentle. Possessive. Like he already knew my body belonged there. Ryder’s fingers brushed my arm, slow and deliberate, sending a shiver racing up my spine. Ronan leaned closer, his breath fanning over my neck, warm enough to make my skin prickle.
I gasped softly.
Their eyes had changed, darkened, pupils blown wide with hunger and need. Want. Recognition.
Their fangs descended into in unison.
The sight alone made made the whole crowd go still.
I barely had time to breathe before I felt them, three distinct points of pressure, sharp and decisive, sinking into my skin at different angles along my neck. The sensation was not pain.
It was fire. freewёbnoνel.com
Heat exploded through me, white hot and intoxicating, curling low in my belly and spreading outward like a living thing. My back arched involuntarily, a broken gasp slipping from my lips as the bond slammed into place.
Oh Goddess.
I could feel them.
Not just their mouths at my neck, but them, their emotions, their hunger, their shock, their buried desire, all flooding into me at once. Renzo’s control trembled, cracking under the intensity of the bond. Ryder’s restraint burned hot and furious, barely holding. Ronan’s was wild and overwhelming, a rush of raw emotion that made my chest ache.
Their grips tightened.
Renzo’s arm wrapped fully, tightly around my waist, holding me upright when my legs threatened to give out. Ryder’s hand slid to my back, steadying, grounding. Ronan’s fingers curled into the fabric of my dress like he was afraid to let go.
My wolf howled in ecstasy.
The bond pulsed, once, twice, each beat stronger than the last, tying us together so tightly it felt like my soul had been stitched into theirs. I felt claimed. Chosen. Branded in a way no one could ever erase.
When they finally withdrew, I was shaking.
Their marks burned against my skin, not painful, just alive, thrumming with power and connection. I could still feel their mouths there, phantom heat lingering, the bond humming softly between us.
They stayed close.
Too close.
Renzo’s forehead rested briefly against my temple, his breath uneven. Ryder’s hand lingered at my back longer than necessary. Ronan swallowed hard, his gaze locked on me like he’d just realized something dangerous and irreversible had happened.
Because it had.
I was theirs.
And whether any of us wanted it or not....
They were mine.
Forever.
