Chapter 36: THIRTY-SIX

J A D E

The words were like a physical punch, knocking the air out of my lungs. Don't hurt me. From her. The only person in the world I would die to protect.

"Jade," I said, my voice hoarse, taking a step toward her.

"No!" she screamed, scrambling back, her phone falling to the floor. "Stay away from me!"

"Jade, please," I begged, my hands held up in a gesture of surrender. "Let me explain."

"Explain?" she scoffed, her eyes wild with fear and anger. "Explain what? That you're a monster? That you've been lying to me since the day we met? That you're the reason my parents are dead? That you're the reason my life has been a living hell? That you have killed so many innocent lives? That the man who saved me from Mason is the same monster that I should have been running from in the first place?"

Her words had a hint of accusations, each one hitting its mark. I had no defense. No excuse. She was right. I was all of those things, and more.

"I didn't know," I said, my voice cracking. "About your parents. I swear to you, I didn't know."

"Does it matter?" she cried, her tears streaming down her face. "You're a monster, Markov. A killer. And I've been living with you. I've been sleeping next to you. I’ve been sleeping with you."

"I'm trying to control it," I said, my desperation mounting. "I'm fighting it. For you."

"It's not enough!" she screamed. "It's not enough! I can't live like this. I can't live with this constant fear. Not with you. Not with anyone."

She stood up, her shoulders squared, her chin lifted in defiance. "I'm done, Markov. I'm done with all of this. I'm done with you."

"Jade, no," I pleaded, my heart breaking into a million pieces. "Please don't say that."

"It's over," she said, her voice cold and final. "I'm leaving."

She turned to leave, but I grabbed her arm, my grip tight. I couldn't let her go. Not like this. Not with Saffra out there, hunting her.

"Let go of me," she seethed, trying to pull away.

"No," I said, my voice firm. "I can't."

"You're hurting me," she whispered, her eyes wide with pain.

I looked down at my hand on her arm, at the bruises already forming on her skin, a perfect, angry mirror of the ones on her wrist. I let go as if her skin was on fire, the shame washing over me in a hot, suffocating wave. I was hurting her. Again.

Just then, headlights swept across the room, the screech of tires announcing Tristin's arrival. The front door burst open, and Tristin and Ava rushed in, their faces etched with worry.

"Get away from her," Tristin growled, stepping between us, his body a protective shield.

"I'm not going to hurt her," I said, my hands held up in surrender.

"You already have," he shot back, his eyes blazing with fury. "You've hurt her enough. It's time to let her go."

"Who the fuck do you think you are, coming to my house, ordering me around?" I snarled, the beast rattling its cage, its rage fueled by my desperation. "She's my mate. She belongs with me."

"She's not a piece of property, Markov!" Ava screamed, her face flushed with anger. "She's a person. And she's made her choice. Now you need to respect it."

The four of us stood there, a tableau of pain and fury, the air thick with unspoken words and simmering tensions. I was outnumbered, outmaneuvered. They had her, and I had nothing but a curse and a lifetime of regret.

"Please," I whispered, my eyes locked on Jade, who was hiding behind Tristin's broad back. "Just listen to me. There's more. There's a witch. Saffra. She's after you. She knows who you are. She's coming for you. Please, baby. Don’t do this. It’s not safe out there. You have to stay here where I can protect you."

Jade's head poked out from behind Tristin, her expression a mixture of fear and disbelief. "A witch? Now you're just making up stories to try to scare me into staying."

"I'm not," I insisted, my voice growing more desperate. "She's real. She's the one who cursed me. She's the one who's been pulling the strings all along. She wants you, Jade. She wants your power."

"What power?" she scoffed. "I don't have any power. I'm just a normal werewolf."

"No, you're not," I said, my eyes pleading with her to believe me. "There's something more to you. Saffra saw it. That's why the curse chose you. That's why you're the only one who can break it."

She looked at me, her eyes searching my face, looking for any sign of deception. And for a moment, I saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes. But then it was gone, replaced by a wall of ice.

"I don't believe you," she said, her voice firm. "I don't believe anything you say anymore."

"Jade, please," I begged, my voice cracking with despair. "I'm telling you the truth. I know I've lied to you. I know I've hurt you. But I'm not lying about this. This is real. And you're in danger."

She looked away from me, her attention on the front door, which was still wide open. "I'm leaving with them, Markov. And I don't want you to follow me. I don't want to see you ever again. Do you understand?"

My heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, the pain so intense it took my breath away. I wanted to scream, to roar, to tear down the walls of this house that had become my prison. But I couldn't. I had to let her go. I had to respect her wishes, even if it killed me.

I nodded, my head heavy with the weight of my defeat. "I understand."

Tristin gave me a final, warning glare before he put a protective arm around Jade's shoulders and led her out of the house. Ava followed, her silence a stinging rebuke.

I stood there, in the ruins of my life, the silence of the house was deafening. I had lost her. I had lost everything. And now, she was out there, alone, with a witch who wanted her dead. Or worse. I had failed her. I had failed as a mate, as a protector, as a man.

The beast inside me roared. I had to do something. I had to get her back. I had to protect her, even if she hated me. Even if she never wanted to see me again.