Chapter 62 SIXTY-TWO

Chapter 62 SIXTY-TWO
J A D E

Ava and Tristin remained quiet for a long moment.

"Jade..." she began, her voice gentle.

"You have to understand," I continued, my voice hoarse with emotion. "You guys may be the ones who kept me alive, but you have also been the reason why I was put into those terrible situations in the first place. You guys are a part of the problem too, and I can't go back and be a part of that world. I'm sorry. I really am, but I can't."

"Please, Jade..."

"Just go, please," I said, my voice soft, tears rolling down my cheeks.

She gave me a long, lingering look, before nodding and leaving the room. Tristin followed, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I sat there for what felt like an eternity, the silence stretching on. My thoughts were a mess, and I couldn’t seem to make sense of them.

I wanted to believe that they were right, but I was too terrified of what might happen.

I was terrified of what might happen if I gave in. I was terrified that I would end up trapped again. And I was terrified that Markov would just go back to his old ways.

I was torn between doing what was best for me, and doing what was right. And I just couldn't seem to find the right choice.

The front door suddenly opened and slammed shut. Markov barged in, looking as angry as ever. I could feel his frustration radiating off of him, and I knew that he was beyond pissed off.

He stormed into the room and threw something on the bed, and I stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. It looked like a key. 

"What's that?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He looked at me, his eyes flashing with anger. "You wanted freedom so bad? There's your freedom." He hissed. "You will move out of this fucking place tomorrow. If you won't come with us, then we have no choice but to do this. I will assign guards to be with you 24/7. On no account should you bring anyone, no matter who it is, to your new place, not until the situation gets sorted and saffra is defeated. So make the most of your time alone here because from now on, you're never going to have your way with us anymore."

The words stung, but I knew he was only saying them to hurt me, to get me to go back to the pack, and for the first time since this whole mess began, I wished that he was more like the old Markov.

He glared at me one last time, then turned and stormed out of the room.

I sat there for a long moment, my heart beating rapidly in my chest, my thoughts jumbled.

I couldn't believe what just happened.

I was stunned, shocked, hurt. Bug I knew I deserved it. I was being selfish, I knew that, and I regretted it. But I just couldn't bring myself to leave. Not now. Not like this.

I knew it was going to take some time for the wound to heal, and until then, I was on my own.

But for the first time, I felt like I could finally breathe.

M A R K O V

She stared at me with hurt as I left the room, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn back. I was hurt and angry and I couldn’t bear to look at her. I didn't mean what I had said to her, and I regretted my tone. 

The pack is her home, the same way I was, but she just wouldn’t see it that way, and I had tried, I tried so hard to convince her, but it was no use, she wasn’t ready. And it made me feel hopeless, because if she wasn't going to listen to me, what made me think she would ever listen to Tristin and Ava?

Her stubbornness was infuriating, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy for her. I understood her reason for not wanting to be in a pack, but was it greater than her wanting to keep herself safe?

I had hoped it wouldn’t get this bad, I had hoped that we would be able to reason with her but now I knew we were in trouble, the danger has gotten too high for us to risk Jade not coming with us back to the pack.

If Jade died, if she was kidnapped and killed, then it would be on me and I would rather die than have that happen.

She was our responsibility and as much as she tried to be on her own, the fact is that she would always need our help, and that we would always be there for her when she needs us, no matter what, whether she was in the pack or out of it, whether she liked it or not.

And this was why I was giving her space. Space to rethink her decision. Space to understand that what I was saying made sense and that it would be safer if she were in the pack, whether it was with me or not, because at least there would be someone to make sure she is always protected.

"So what happened?" Ava asked when she saw me entering the living room.

I let out a sigh of frustration. I didn't want to tell her.

"Nothing," I replied, not meeting her eyes.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid I am. We can't convince her to go back to the pack." I said, running my hand through my hair in frustration. "We just can't. It's just too much for her, and the idea of returning to the place she ran away from, to live a life under the same rules again is too much for her to accept, she doesn't want to."

Ava looked at me with sadness and sympathy, and I didn't need that right now. I was angry and frustrated and I just wanted her to understand that there was nothing we could do about Jade.

Maybe, just maybe when she’s finally alone, she would realize the errors of her ways, and understand the dangers she's putting herself in. Maybe then, she would be more than willing to come back with us, or if we were really unlucky, it would be too late.

"But what about the guards we promised to send for her?" Ava asked, her voice soft. "You know Saffra has her eyes everywhere. The danger has gotten too big to just let her stay out there and think everything's okay."

"I'm afraid we have to wait for her decision on her own to come back. We can't force her, and if we keep on doing it, it's going to be counterproductive."

I knew what I said sounded weak and I wanted nothing more than for Jade to finally come back, but it was clear she wasn't ready.

"Look, she wants her own space. And we need to respect her decision. We just need to be patient and wait until she's ready to come back, but for now, we need to prepare for what's about to happen. I have no doubt that Saffra has eyes and ears in every inch of this city and when she gets to find out that Jade has moved out of here and has gotten herself a place of her own, then she would start digging and find her." I explained.

Ava sighed, shaking her head.

"I hope she understands," she whispered.

"Me too." I said. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair in frustration. "And I hope she decides to come back soon. Before it's too late."