Free Web NovelChapter 85: Chapter 85 If I Stay, I Die
Jade’s POV
The moment the door closed behind me, I collapsed.
My back slid down the wood until I was sitting on the cold floor of the small room that used to be my whole world.
Our old room.
Mine and my mother’s.
The air still smelled faintly like the lavender oil she used to rub on her wrists before bed. The small window above the narrow bed let in a thin slice of moonlight.
For a few seconds, I let myself break.
I covered my mouth with both hands to muffle the sobs. My shoulders shook violently. Everything I had held in came crashing down at once.
Renzo’s arms around me.
His promise.
The way he kissed my forehead.
The way he believed I would still be here in the morning.
“I am sorry,” I whispered into the darkness.
I was not sorry for leaving.
I was sorry for lying.
But if I told him the truth, he would not have let me go.
And if I stayed, Linda would finish what she started.
Just like she did with my mother.
The thought hardened something inside me.
I forced myself to breathe.
Slowly.
Deeply.
Then I stood up.
There was no time to cry.
I crossed to the small window and pushed it open carefully. The night air rushed in, cool and sharp against my skin.
I leaned out slightly and looked down.
No one below.
I stayed still for nearly a full minute, listening carefully.
Footsteps in the distance.
A door closing somewhere far off.
But not Renzo.
He was gone.
I pressed my palm to my stomach again.
“This is for you,” I whispered.
Then I lifted the small bag over my shoulder and slipped out of the room.
The corridor was empty.
My heart pounded so loudly I was certain it echoed off the walls. freewebnøvel.coɱ
I moved quickly but carefully, keeping to the shadows. The back servant exit was only a short distance away.
The door creaked softly when I opened it.
I froze.
Waited.
Nothing.
Then I stepped outside into the night.
The air felt different.
Free.
Terrifying.
The mansion stood behind me, tall and imposing, windows glowing softly. My mates were inside.
Sleeping.
Believing I was just grieving.
I turned away before I could change my mind.
The beauty parlor was not far from the lower district. So I ran.
My lungs burned quickly. I had not run like this since before the pregnancy.
Streetlights blurred past me. My bag bounced against my hip with every step.
Please still be open.
Please still be there.
The beauty parlor was famous for its late hours, especially for high ranking families. Brides, events, ceremonies. It often stayed open past midnight.
But when I reached the building, my heart dropped.
The large glass doors were dark.
The lights inside were off.
Closed.
“No,” I breathed.
I rushed toward the entrance anyway, pressing my hands against the glass as if it might magically unlock.
Nothing.
My chest tightened painfully.
Had I come too late?
Then I heard it.
The sound of an engine.
Headlights flickered on from the side parking lot.
A sleek black car began pulling toward the exit.
Hope surged through me.
I ran.
I darted in front of the vehicle, forcing it to brake sharply.
The tires screeched.
The driver’s door flew open.
“Are you insane?”
Mr Valerio’s voice cut through the night.
He stopped mid step when he saw my face.
“Jade?”
His expression shifted instantly from irritation to alarm.
“What happened?” he demanded, stepping closer.
I must have looked wild. Breathless. Pale. Desperate.
“I need your help,” I said.
He guided me quickly to the passenger side and opened the door.
“Get in.”
I slid into the seat, still shaking.
He got behind the wheel and locked the doors before turning to look at me fully.
“You are trembling,” he said softly. “Talk to me.”
I swallowed hard.
“I am pregnant,” I said.
His eyebrows lifted slightly. “I know. News travels fast in this pack”
"I need you to help me leave.”
The weight of my words settled heavily inside the car.
“Leave,” he repeated carefully.
“Yes.”
“Leave as in go somewhere for a few days?”
“No,” I whispered. “Leave the pack. Forever"
His face hardened.
“Jade.”
“I am not safe,” I said quickly. “Linda is coming for me. She tried to frame me. She threatened my baby. The Alpha restricted my movement. If I stay, I will end up like my mother. Dead"
He inhaled sharply at that.
“You are making a dangerous accusation.”
“I know,” I said. “But I am not wrong.”
He studied my face for a long moment.
“You understand what you are saying,” he said slowly. “You are carrying the grand heir. If you disappear, the entire pack will search for you. They will not rest.”
“I know.”
“And if they find you, the consequences will not be light.”
“I know.”
He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand over his mouth.
“I have always helped you,” he said. “But this is not a makeover or a dress fitting. This is rebellion.”
“It is survival,” I replied.
Tears blurred my vision but I refused to let them fall.
“If I leave, I have a chance,” I said. “If I stay, I am condemned. I will not wait to be killed.”
The car filled with silence again.
Finally, he nodded once.
“Put your seatbelt on.”
Relief flooded me so suddenly I nearly collapsed.
He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
As we drove, he made a few calls from the dashboard phone. His voice was calm but urgent.
“Yes. Now. Border side. Same arrangement.”
He hung up and glanced at me.
“You are certain?” he asked one last time.
“Yes.”
The city lights faded as we drove toward the outer roads.
My heart pounded with every passing mile.
There was no turning back now.
After nearly thirty minutes, he slowed the car near a darker stretch of road close to the border woods.
He pulled over.
Headlights appeared in the distance.
A smaller vehicle approached and stopped a few feet away.
A short, agile man stepped out. He moved with quick, efficient energy.
Mr Valerio stepped out of the car and motioned for me to follow.
The night air was colder here.
“This is Tomas,” Mr Valerio said quietly. “He knows these borders better than anyone. He will take you through routes that patrol does not watch closely.”
The man nodded once at me.
“He will take you far from here,” Mr Valerio continued. “Far enough that it will take time to trace you.”
My chest tightened.
Mr Valerio reached into his coat and handed me a phone.
“Use this. Do not use your own unless absolutely necessary. I will stay in contact through secure lines.”
My fingers trembled as I took it.
“You are risking everything,” I whispered.
He gave me a sad smile.
“I owe your father. He was really a great friend to me.”
That nearly broke me again.
He pulled me into a tight hug.
“Stay alive,” he murmured into my hair. freeweɓnovel.cøm
“I will.”
When he stepped back, I felt the finality of it.
He returned to his car.
Tomas motioned toward the tree line.
“Quiet,” he said simply.
I took one last look at the road behind me.
At the direction of the pack.
At everything I was leaving.
Then I followed the man into the darkness.
And I did not look back.
