18

Jade’s POV

I turned my head quickly toward the sharp voice, my body instantly going rigid as my eyes locked onto Abigail standing near the edge of the mattress.

She had already unbuttoned her travel bag, casually tossing her spare clothes onto the plush blanket as if she owned the entire space. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her sharp eyes narrowed down at Bakito with pure, unfiltered disgust. A dark sneer twisted her glossy lips, her jaw clenching as she listened to the lingering sound of Bakito’s soft, hiccuping sobs.

"You absolute jerk," Abigail spat, her voice dripping with hot venom as she shook her head in disdain. "You disgust me with your endless crying! Is it literally every single minute of the day that you have to sit there weeping like a helpless newborn?"

Bakito shrank back against my shoulder, burying her pale face in her hands as fresh tears welled up in her eyes.

Abigail rolled her eyes toward the high vaulted ceiling, taking a aggressive step closer to the edge of the bed. "I know bad things happened to all of us! I know we were dragged here like cattle! But does that mean every single one of us has to sit around weeping and making pathetic noises all day long? You are an absolute pain in the ass! Honestly, I guess that's the exact reason why your family threw you away to die in this fortress—they simply didn't want to deal with your annoying shit anymore!"

The harsh, cruel words sliced straight into Bakito’s fragile heart, making her small frame shudder violently as a fresh wave of quiet, heartbroken sobs broke from her throat.

A hot spark of pure rage flared up in my chest. I tightened my arm around Bakito's trembling shoulders, pulling her body closer to mine as I raised my head to lock my eyes onto Abigail’s arrogant face.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" I snapped, my voice ringing out firm, loud, and steady across the wide chamber. "She has every right to feel hurt, and besides, it isn't your damn business if she cries or not! Why don't you mind your own miserable life and stay out of hers?"

Abigail’s expression instantly darkened into a deep, ugly frown. Her nostrils flared, and a bitter, condescending smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth as she gestured toward the mattress beneath us.

"Fine," Abigail growled, flicking her wrist in dismissal. "Then get the hell off my bed, the both of you!"

I let out a low, heavy breath, refusing to engage with her toxic energy right there. I turned my head down toward Bakito, speaking in a calm, soothing whisper. "Fine. Let's go over to your assigned bed, Bakito. Just ignore her."

I placed my palm against Bakito’s back, guiding the trembling girl as the two of us stood up from the soft mattress.

But as my boots hit the thick rug, my eyes swept across the room to locate Bakito's bed near the burning stone fireplace—and I suddenly froze in my tracks.

I blinked once, twice, staring at the far corner of the room to make sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me. My gaze traveled from the bed by the entrance, across the two middle mattresses, and straight to the very last bed by the warm stone wall.

Abigail's heavy leather bag was resting squarely on the pillow of the end bed. Her clothes were scattered across the velvet blanket—the exact same bed that Alpha Nicolai had explicitly assigned to Bakito just minutes ago so the young girl wouldn't freeze from her respiratory condition.

My jaw set tight. I turned back around, pointing a steady finger toward the corner mattress near the hearth.

"That is Bakito’s bed," I said, my voice dropping into a stern, unyielding register. "You heard Alpha Nicolai clearly. He stated plain as day that she is the youngest and sickest among us, and that she is supposed to stay over there by the fire so she doesn't catch a cold. You were assigned the bed right by the door side. So you are the one who needs to move her shit and stand up right now."

Abigail didn't even move an inch. She leaned her hip casually against the bedpost, resting her weight on one leg as a lazy, arrogant smile spread across her face.

"The Alpha said it's her bed... and so what?" Abigail purred, her tone laced with complete defiance. She raised her eyebrows in a mock challenge, looking around the empty room with an amused glint in her eyes. "He isn't standing in this room right now, is he? And I want this bed. So I can simply take it whenever I feel like it, because I'm the only one here who actually deserves it. I am the biggest, the strongest, and the most capable girl in this room. That means I will be making the rules around here, and I can choose whichever damn bed I want!"

Hearing her arrogant declaration, I slowly lowered my hand from Bakito’s shoulder. I let go of the young girl’s fingers, giving her a quiet, reassuring nod before turning my full attention back toward Abigail.

I took two slow, deliberate steps forward, closing the space between us until I was standing right in front of her. My posture straightened, my chest rising and falling with steady, controlled breaths as I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Listen to me carefully," I said, my voice dropping into a low, deadly whisper that carried a dangerous edge. "I really didn't want to fight you today. I wanted us to survive this nightmare peacefully. But it seems to me that you are nothing more than a pathetic bully and a bitter bitch."

Abigail’s arrogant smirk faltered for a tiny fraction of a second, her dark eyes narrowing as she felt the sudden shift in my aura.

I stepped half an inch closer, tilting my chin up as my eyes locked onto hers with absolute, unwavering resolve. "So I am not going to repeat myself twice. Get the fuck away from her bed right now... or I swear to God, I will make blood pour out of your broken nose."

Abigail stared at me for a long, tense beat of silence. Then, a slow, wicked smile spread across her face, her hands pulling up into tight, dangerous fists at her sides.

"Fine," Abigail whispered, her eyes flashing with wild, violent excitement. "You want to fight? Then let's fight!"