Chapter 31: THIRTY-ONE

J A D E

I waited for what felt like hours, but could have been a couple of minutes inside the abandoned dungeon I was thrown into, wondering how the hell this could have happened.

One minute, Markov and I were talking, and then the next, we were arguing.

And now, I'm locked away, and I don't even know what I did wrong.

All I did was explore, and then found a hidden room that seemed like a study, and when I went up, there were these weird pictures that seemed so familiar, yet so unknown.

Markov was acting like I did something wrong, when all I did was explore, and he didn't have to make such a big deal out of it.

He was overreacting.

What was so bad about wanting to explore?

The pain in my chest grew, and the longer I sat here, the more I cried. Was scared, cold, and lonely, and the feeling was so familiar, that it felt like déjà vu.

I didn't like it, and I wanted out.

I hated being locked away, and the fact that Markov, the man who saved me and treated me with nothing but love, was the one to throw me in here, hurt the most.

He had given me hope, a new life, and the thought of him throwing it all away hurt more. I didn't want to think he was just like Mason, but the image of him glaring down at me, his eyes filled with nothing but hate, had tears falling from my eyes.

"Please, open the door." I whispered.

My body ached, and I wanted to shift, but the feeling of loneliness was getting stronger, and the thought of being locked in a cage, had my wolf pulling away, and refusing to show herself.

I felt helpless, and all I could do was sob. I sat down on the cold floor, as I heard the sound of crashes and bottles shattering coming from the distance.

He wasn't just angry. He was enraged. I could see the rage in his eyes. He had almost shifted into his wolf. He had lost so much control in that instance and could have seriously hurt me.

He could have done more damage than this.

But, that doesn't change the fact that he still left me in here, alone.

I don't know how long I sat there, feeling so lost and confused. I could have slept and not realized, but suddenly, the sound of the door opening, and the light coming in, had my eyes shooting up.

And that was when I saw that it was morning. I had spent the night locked in this place.

"Markov?" I said softly.

My voice was hoarse, and my eyes were heavy.

I didn't have a good sleep, and I was tired.

"It's... It's Tristin." Markov's beta walked in, and the moment his eyes landed on me, he let out a deep sigh, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Fucking hell, Markov. What the fuck?"

He immediately rushed to me, and the moment his hand landed on my cheek, I flinched away, and a growl escaped his lips.

"You're okay. You're safe now. Come, let's get you out of here. You need a bath, and some rest."

"Is... Is he out there? I don't want to see him. Please. I'll stay here. Don't make me see him."

"Hey, hey. Look at me. Everything will be okay. Markov won't hurt you, not anymore. Come, let's go. You'll stay at my place until things calm down. Don't worry. I won't leave your side. Markov has... He has left, and won't be back until later. Just stay with me, okay?"

I nodded, and let him pull me up, and immediately, the soreness in my body made itself known, and a whimper escaped my lips.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"N-no. It's okay. I just... My body is sore. I slept off while sitting, so it's fine. I'm okay."

"I'll carry you."

Before I could object, he picked me up and held me against his chest.

I felt embarrassed, and I wasn't even wearing proper clothes. I had on shorts, and a tank top, so my body was completely exposed.

But, Tristin didn't even spare a glance, he only held me tight, and carried me back to his place.

The moment we arrived at his house, Ava immediately rushed to my side, her eyes filled with panic. "What the hell? What happened?"

"Markov called me this morning. Told me he locked her in his dungeon for going into his personal library. Made her pass the night over there, and when I got there, she was in a mess. She didn't sleep well, and she's bruised. Fucking hell, Markov. I'm going to kill him."

Ava gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "What? That fucking bastard! Hasn't he done enough already? Seriously, Tristin, I don't think Jade should keep condoning this! We have to tell her the truth. How is she suffering for someone who doesn't even deserve her. We can't sit back and watch Markov continue to walk all over her. That's not how this is supposed to work. We should have never agreed to this!"

"Ava, not right now. Let her settle, and we'll talk later. This isn't the right time."

"Well, when is it, then? This is my friend were talking about here! If both of you are not going to do anything, then I will. She doesn't deserve this, and I refuse to sit back and watch him treat her like a damn dog!"

"Ava. Not now. Don't you see her? She's hurt, and she needs us. We can deal with Markov later, but not now."

She looked at me, and the anger left her eyes, and guilt took over. "Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. You okay? Here, let's take a look at your wounds. Go run a bath. I'll tend to her injuries."

I didn't say anything, not knowing what was happening.

What were they hiding? What were they not telling me? And why was Markov not himself?

Tristin nodded, and went to go run the bath.

"Come, sweetie. Let's have a look. Are you okay?"

"Why didn't he let me out? What did I do to him? He won't let me out of the house, and he also wouldn't let me walk feely inside the house? What sort of relationship is that? What different is he from Mason? He's just like him. I can't believe I allowed myself to trust him."

"Shh, shh, sweetie. Don't say that. It's not true. You're safe, okay. You're away from them now, and no one will ever harm you. No one. You have to trust me on that, okay? Markov won't hurt you. He let his anger get the best of him, and for that I apologize."

"Why you? Why not him? Why didn't he come get me out of there by himself? Why did he have to send someone else to do it? What was he thinking? Was it all a lie? Was he ever serious about loving me?"

"Of course not. He loves you, sweetie. That man would give his life for you, if that's what it takes to save you. He won't hesitate."

"Don't say that, Ava. Someone who claims to love you would never treat you like that. Has Tristin ever left you alone, not knowing where you were? No, he didn't. So why did Markov leave me alone in a cold dark dungeon overnight. And not just that, he had the audacity to yell at me, and act like it was my fault. I don't know him anymore. I feel like i never even knew him. I've been leaving with a stranger who I thought I knew, but apparently, I didn't."

"Oh, Jade. You didn't deserve that, not from him. He'll apologize. I promise. Once his mind clears, and he sees what he did, he'll realize. He'll regret his actions, and you'll forgive him. Markov would do anything for you, sweetie. Anything. And I know that."

"No. I don't want to see him. Please tell him to not come looking for me. I do not want him near me. Not anymore. He had his chance, and now, I've had enough. I can't do this. I won't let him use me anymore. It's either him or Mason. I don't know who's worse, and honestly, I don't want to know. If he really cared, he would have come to get me, but he didn't. He sent his beta to do the job, and now, that's a red flag. A huge one."

"Jade.."

"No, Ava. I've had enough. He's been treating me like his property. The moment someone gets close, he has to act all tough and scary. But, I can't live like this anymore. I'm not his property. The whole purpose of running away from my pack was to have my freedom, but instead, it seems like I traded one prison for another. I've had enough, and this is not fair. I won't live like this. I refuse. If he wants me, then he can go work on himself and stop treating me like his slave. Until then, I'm done."

Ava looked at me, her eyes filled with sadness, and guilt.

She nodded her head, and stood up. "You're right. It's not fair. Markov is just... He's not himself, and for that I apologize. I didn't realize what was happening, and I'm sorry. If you want to stay, then you can. And if you want to leave, I won't stop you."

I smiled sadly, and nodded my head.

"Thank you, Ava."

Tristin came back, and said that the bath was ready.

I slowly stood up, and started heading towards the bathroom.

"I'm going to head to the store, and get some herbs for your wounds. It's going to sting a little, but once it's applied, your bruises will disappear, and the pain will go away. Okay?"

"Thank you, Tristin."

Ava followed me, and helped me strip my clothes. Once i was naked, she gasped, and I turned around, wondering what was wrong.

Her eyes were filled with pain, and her mouth hung open.

"What happened?"

"Your hand... It's... You have bruises. All over."

I didn't realize.

The pain had been there the entire night, and it was only now that it was making itself known.

"Did... Did he hit you?"

"No. His grip on my hand was so tight that it bruised, and he also threw me to the ground. That's all."

"Jade.."

"Please. I just want to get this over with."

She nodded, and helped me in the tub.

The water was warm, and soothing. It made me forget everything for a moment, and that's all I needed.

Ava grabbed a rag, and started washing my body, being careful not to touch any of the bruises.

How did my life turn into this?

Was it the right decision to come here?

To allow him to claim me?

If this was how it was going to be, then I'd rather be back home with Mason. At least he didn't try to hide the fact that he didn't want me. He wasn't a wolf in sheep's clothing.

If this was how my life was going to be, then maybe the other option wouldn't have been so bad.

I could have been dead.

At least that way, I would have been free.