Chapter nineteen

Third person's pov...

Jackson’s room was unusually quiet.

The lights were low, the window cracked open to let in cool night air. Kyren lounged on the edge of the bed, boots kicked off, idly spinning a pen between his fingers. Maddox stood near the wall, arms crossed, jaw tight like he’d been clenching it for hours.

“She wore the necklace,” Kyren said lightly, breaking the silence. “Did you see?”

Maddox didn’t answer right away.

Jackson sat at his desk, staring at nothing in particular. “I noticed.”

Kyren grinned. “I knew she would. I told you, bro. She doesn’t just toss things aside.”

Maddox finally spoke, voice unusually soft. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means something,” Kyren shot back. “She didn’t have to but she did meaning you earned some serious brownie points.”

Jackson exhaled slowly. “This isn’t about winning brownie points.”

Kyren rolled his eyes. “Everything with you is about not crossing lines.”

“And everything with you is about pretending lines don’t exist. You kissed her knowing the turmoil she's going through,” Maddox snapped.

Kyren opened his mouth to fire back—but stopped. His grin faded just a little. “I just… like thinking about her when she’s not scared,” he said instead. “Laughing. Going out. Being normal.”

Jackson nodded once. “I imagine her safe.”

Maddox’s eyes grew dark, guilt and sorrow filling them. “I imagine her leaving.”

That earned him a look from both brothers.

Before either could respond—

The door slammed open.

The force rattled the walls.

Their father stood in the doorway, chest heaving, eyes burning with a fury that made the air feel heavy. He didn’t knock. Didn’t speak at first.

Jackson stood immediately. “Father—”

“Sit down,” their father barked.

None of them moved.

His gaze swept the room, sharp and disgusted. “Your mother just told me something interesting.”

Kyren straightened. Maddox’s posture went rigid.

“She says Daphne is your mate.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Jackson swallowed. “Yes.”

Their father laughed once—short, humorless. “You expect me to believe that?”

“She is,” Jackson said again, steady. “All three of us felt it.”

“And yet,” their father snarled, stepping fully into the room, “you spent years letting the pack treat her like trash.”

Kyren flinched.

Maddox’s eyes darkened.

“I didn’t see any of you stop it,” their father continued. “Didn’t see you protect her. Didn’t see you correct anyone. And now suddenly you’re circling her like lost puppies?”

“That’s not fair,” Jackson said, carefully. “We were younger. We didn’t understand—”

“You understood enough,” their father cut in. “You knew who her parents were.”

The name hung unspoken but heavy.

Maddox moved forward. “Her parents are dead.”

“And good riddance,” their father said coldly.

The room went still.

Maddox’s control snapped.

“You don’t get to say that,” he growled. “Not about her.”

Kyren stared wide-eyed. Jackson turned sharply.

Their father blinked—genuinely surprised. “You defend her now?”

“Yes,” Maddox said, voice low and dangerous. “And I always will. I wasted a lot of years not doing that already,”

Jackson stepped between them instinctively. “Father, this isn’t helping.”

“No,” their father said, eyes narrowing. “What’s not helping is that you’ve already lost her.”

All three froze.

“She will reject you,” he said with certainty. “Girls like her don’t forgive. They don’t forget. And when she does?” His gaze lingered on each of them. “It will be because you taught her not to trust you.”

He turned and left without another word.

The door slammed shut.

Kyren sank onto the bed, suddenly pale. “He… he doesn’t know that.”

Jackson didn’t answer.

Maddox stared at the door, chest tight, a single thought burning through his mind:

What if he’s right?

And for the first time since they’d found Daphne—

Fear took root.