Chapter 60 SIXTY

Chapter 60 SIXTY
M A R K O V

Seeing the man holding a knife against Jade's throat sent me over the edge. In that moment, all I saw was red, all I saw was a threat, someone who wanted to hurt her.

The beast took over, and all I could do was fight to regain control. It was a battle that I barely won.

I wasn't sure if she had been too scared, but as soon as my arms came around her, she fainted.

I caught her, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Shh," I murmured, stroking her hair. "You're okay. You're safe now."

I carried her to her room, laying her gently on the bed. I was worried about her. She had been through so much, and now this.
I cleaned myself up, then went to check on her. She was still sleeping, her face pale.

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching her. She looked so peaceful, so vulnerable.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness. I wanted to keep her safe, to protect her from the world.

I leaned in, my lips brushing against her forehead. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open.

"Markov?" She whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I'm here," I said, my voice soft.

"Where am I?"

"You're in your room. You fainted."

Her eyes widened. Then it was as if, everything came rushing back to her. "The man... the knife... the shift... you're a..." she stammered, her mind trying to make sense of everything.

I could smell her fear. The same fear she had as soon as she saw me morphing into the giant monster that I was, the fearshe had the night Alpha Dane forced her to see the monster lurking in the woods.

It stung. More than it should have. I had saved her life, torn a man apart to do so, and all she could feel was fear of me.

"He was sent by saffra, Jade," I said, my voice a low growl, as if that explained everything. "He used magic. I had no choice."

She flinched at my tone, her body tensing. I immediately regretted it.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice softening. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No no, I don’t want to be scared of you, you know? But I can’t help it. You were so big, barely able to contain the room, your canines were so long and pointy and sharp, your eyes were so red and deep with rage, and you just... just..." she tried to explain, her eyes wide with terror.

I wanted to tell her that I would never hurt her, that I would rather die than see her harmed.

But the words wouldn't come.

Instead, I just held her, my arms wrapped around her.

I held her until her trembling subsided. "How did he know where I was?" She finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We don't know, Jade," I answered. "But we'll find out."

My heart broke as I saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. I wiped them away, my touch gentle.

"Please, don't cry," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion.

She buried her face in my chest, her body trembling.

"Everything will be okay," I said, stroking her hair. "I promise."

But even as the words left my lips, I knew they were a lie. Nothing would be okay.

Nothing would ever be okay again. As long as Saffra is concerned, she would never give up until Jade is dead, and the rest of the world bows before her.

I could only hope that we could defeat her, that we could stop her before she destroyed everything.

We laid there, in each other's arms, neither of us saying a word.

I could feel the tension between us, the fear and the uncertainty.

But we had each other, and for now, that would have to be enough.



The sun was out, and Jade was finally sleeping in the bedroom. 

"Shit, this is more serious than I thought." Tristin exclaimed as I narrated the entire incident to him on the phone. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that saffra was actually after Jade.

"I know, Tristin, and that's why I'm so fucking worried."

"Did she know the man?"

"No, she didn't recognize him."

"How did he get in? Were you guys careless?"

"Did I forget to mention that Jade chose to live in a studio that had little to no lock? I changed the front door locks, but stupid me forgot to do the same for the backdoor. Which the intruder took advantage of."

Tristin cursed, and I could see the frustration and anger written all over his face. "This is bad, Markov. You have to bring her back. I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but she’s safer at the park than in the human city. Soon, she would want you to leave then she would be all alone in the city again. They could easily get her. Saffra is dangerous, and as much as I want Jade to finally get the freedom she has craved for years, it’s not at the cost of her life."

"Do you know how many times I tried convincing her even before this shit happened? It’s like she had sworn that she would never return to the pack. She loves living in human city, said she felt more alive. You think I haven't thought of this? I have, I have a thousand times over, but it's Jade, she won't budge."

"Maybe this incident would change her mind."

"Yeah, maybe."

"We'll figure it out, Markov," Tristin said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We'll keep her safe. I promise."

I nodded, hoping that he was right.

I didn't know how long we spoke on the phone, but eventually, Tristin had to leave.

As I hung up, my mind was still reeling. There was so much at stake, so much to lose. And as the reality set in, I couldn't help but feel a wave of hopelessness washing over me.

Why did it seem like the whole world was against us? Why couldn't we have peace, happiness, and a life without the constant threat of danger hanging over our heads?

I couldn't help but feel a deep ache in my heart. The pain was overwhelming, and I wanted nothing more than to make it go away.

But as I looked at Jade, asleep and looking so peaceful, I knew that there was no way out. That no matter what, we would have to fight.

For our love, for our future, for the world.

There was no other choice.

Saffra has sworn that she would rather die than see me happy with someone else, that she would rather destroy the world than let me have what was hers.

And now, she has upped her game.

Now, the entire world is at stake.

It's us versus the evilest monster.

And the winner takes all.