Chapter 50 The vote
Sage's POV
The clubhouse felt smaller with every brother packed into the main room.
Jaxon called the emergency meeting if some role playing members of the club an hour after Diego left. Someone pulled out chairs and arranged them in a rough circle. Brothers filed in with hard expressions and crossed arms. They knew what this was about.
I sat in the corner with my hands folded in my lap. Ryder stood against the wall opposite me. Our eyes met across the room and I looked away before the guilt could show on my face.
"We're here to settle this once and for all," Jaxon announced. He stood in the center of the circle like a judge about to pass sentence. "Sage and Ryder want to be together. The marriage contract with Diego complicates that. We need to vote as a club on whether we honor the contract or let them choose their own path."
Diesel spoke first. "The contract is legally binding. Vincent signed it. We can't just ignore it because it's inconvenient."
"Vincent's dead," Snake shot back. "The situation's changed. Sage should have a say in her own future."
"She had a say when her father made the deal," Diesel argued. "She ran off to New York instead of being here. Now she's back and expects us to clean up the mess."
My nails dug into my palms but I stayed quiet. Jaxon had warned me to let the brothers talk it out before I said anything.
"That's not fair," Tommy said. His voice was steady but tight with anger. "She didn't know about the contract. Vincent kept it secret from everyone including Jaxon."
"Doesn't matter if it was secret or not. A contract's a contract."
Marcus cleared his throat. He was one of the older members and his opinion carried weight. "I was there when Vincent signed it. He told me it was insurance. Protection for Sage if things went bad with the club."
"Things have gone bad," someone muttered.
The room erupted. Brothers shouted over each other about Vincent's reasons and whether any of his agreements could be trusted.
Jaxon raised his hand and the noise died down. "One issue at a time. Right now we're deciding about Sage and Ryder. Everything else comes later."
"They broke the code," Diesel said. His eyes locked on Ryder. "He went behind your back with your sister. That's a violation of trust that can't be forgiven."
"He loves her," Tommy countered. "Since when is that a crime?"
"Since it involves the president's sister and a man who's supposed to be his brother."
Ryder pushed off from the wall and every eye in the room turned toward him.
"You want to talk about breaking codes?" His voice was rough. "Let's talk about Vincent being a dictator. Let's talk about him giving his daughter out without even giving her a call to ask for her opinion. Where's the outrage about that?"
"Watch your mouth," Diesel warned.
"Why? It's true and everyone knows it now." Ryder looked around the room. "Vincent made deals without asking anyone. He signed contracts and did shady deals and covered his tracks. But I'm the bad guy for falling in love?"
The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable.
"How long?" Jaxon asked quietly. "How long have you wanted my sister?"
Ryder met his eyes. "Since she was eighteen."
A collective intake of breath went through the room.
"But I buried my feelings because of you, Jax. I stayed away for six years while she went to New York and tried to build a different life. I never touched her, never crossed that line until she came back as a grown woman who knew what she wanted."
"And what she wanted was you," Snake said. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah. And I wanted her back. I'm not apologizing for that."
Brothers started arguing again. Some said Ryder deserved a chance. Others said he betrayed Jaxon's trust and should stay kicked out. The vote was going to be close.
I couldn't let it happen. Couldn't let them tear the club apart over me.
I stood up and the room went quiet.
"I'll marry Diego."
The words came out steady and clear. Three simple words that changed everything.
Ryder's face went white. "What?"
"I'll honor the contract. I'll marry Diego and do what my father wanted." I kept my voice calm even though my insides were screaming. "That solves everyone's problems."
"Sage, no," Tommy started.
"It makes sense. The club keeps its territory. The Blood Sisters get their alliance. Nobody goes to war." I forced myself to look at Ryder. The betrayal in his eyes nearly broke me. "It's the right choice."
"The hell it is," Ryder growled. He crossed the room in three steps. "What did Diego say to you in that office?"
"Nothing that matters."
"Everything matters. Tell me what he said."
I stepped back before he could touch me. If he touched me, I would fall apart. "He made a good argument for why the marriage should happen. I thought about it and I agree with him."
"You're lying."
"I'm making a choice." My throat tightened but I pushed through. "This is what I want."
"No it's not," Ryder said. His hands clenched into fists. "You told me last night you chose me. You walked out of this clubhouse with me when Jaxon gave you an ultimatum. What changed in less than twenty four hours?"
"I realized I was being selfish." The lie tasted like poison. "The club needs this alliance. My personal feelings don't matter compared to everyone's safety."
"Your feelings matter to me."
"They shouldn't." I looked around the room at all the watching faces. "Diego's right. This marriage makes sense for everyone. It's what my father wanted and I'm going to honor his wishes."
Jaxon stood up. "Sage, are you sure about this?"
"Yes."The word felt like a death sentence.
Ryder grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. "Look at me and tell me you don't love me."
I met his gray eyes. I saw the pain there, the confusion, the desperate hope that I was joking or lying or playing some angle he hadn't figured out yet.
"I love you," I said quietly. "But that's not enough."
Then I pulled free and walked toward the door. Behind me, the clubhouse erupted into chaos. Brothers shouting questions, Ryder calling my name, Jaxon trying to restore order.
I kept walking. Out the door, through the parking lot, toward the darkness beyond the lights.
If I stopped, if I turned around, I would have broken. I would have let Ryder try to save me and get himself killed in the process.
This was the only way to keep him alive.
Even if it killed me instead.