CHAPTER 2

JADE'S POV

A wave of anger and shock washed over me at his words.

I stared at him, unable to believe that he had just accused me of admiring him. The idea alone made my stomach twist in disgust. Of all the people in this pack, of all the boys in this school, he was the one I disliked the most, and the thought that he could think otherwise irked me.

I straightened in my seat and lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his gaze even though every part of me wanted to look away.

“That’s a lie,” I said, my voice firm. “I would never have a crush on someone like you.”

A few gasps sounded around us, followed by low whispers that grew quickly, and I could feel eyes turning toward me from every corner of the classroom. Randy did not look offended or surprised. Instead, he chuckled, as if I had said something amusing.

He turned his head slightly and glanced at Michelle, who was still frozen beside me.

“Is that true?” he asked her casually. “You don’t admire me at all?”

Michelle opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her lips moved, her throat bobbed up and down, and her face flushed. She shook her head slightly, then nodded without realizing it, then stopped altogether. She was clearly overwhelmed by the attention and the pressure of his stare.

Randy chuckled. “You see,” he said, looking back at me. “The look in her eyes say otherwise.”

I clenched my fists under the desk, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to keep my temper in check.

“You’re full of yourself,” I said, my voice rising now despite my effort. “Not everyone is desperate for your attention.”

His smile widened, and his eyes hardened just enough to make it clear he had decided to push this further.

“Relax,” he said. “Even if you were, it wouldn’t matter, because I’m not available to low class girls like you.”

The words hit me harder than I expected, not because they were new, but because of how easily he said it. The classroom went quiet for a brief moment, and then a few laughs broke out, followed by murmurs that made my ears burn.

“You should be grateful,” Randy continued. “If not for that scholarship of yours, you wouldn’t even be here. This school is for elites, and you know it. You only got in because someone pitied you enough to give you a chance.”

I felt heat rush to my face, and my vision blurred slightly as anger and humiliation mixed together in my chest. I was boiling inside, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might break through my ribs, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. I took a deep breath and forced myself to sit still, reminding myself that reacting the way he wanted would only make things worse.

“That’s not true,” I said finally, trying to keep my voice steady. “I earned my place here, and you have no right to talk to me like that.”

Before I could say anything else, loud boos filled the classroom, cutting me off completely. Some students laughed, while others shook their heads in pity.

Michelle reached for my arm under the desk, but I gently pulled away. I could not stay there any longer. The anger inside me had nowhere to go, and if I stayed, I knew I would either scream or cry, and I refused to do either in front of them.

I pushed my chair back and stood up suddenly, the legs scraping loudly against the floor. The noise drew everyone’s attention back to me, and the classroom fell into an uneasy silence.

I took one step forward, but before I could move past the desk, Randy stepped directly into my path. He stood close, his tall frame blocking the way.

“Sit down,” he growled.

“Move,” I snapped, my hands clenched at my sides. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

He did not move away. Instead, he stepped even closer, placing one hand on the desk behind me, effectively trapping me between his body and the table. His presence felt suffocating, and I could feel the heat from his skin as he leaned in slightly.

I tried to push past him, pressing my hands against his chest, but it was like pushing against a wall. He barely moved, and before I could react, he shifted his weight and had me pinned to my desk with his huge frame.

My heart raced wildly, panic mixing with anger as I struggled against him.

“Get away from me,” I said through clenched teeth. “You have no right.”

“Don’t make a scene,” he said, his eyes fixed on mine.

Everyone watched, but no one dared to step in and in a moment of desperation, I pushed him back with all the strength I could gather. He staggered back a bit and his phone slipped from his hand, crashing to the floor below.

The sound of the phone hitting the floor echoed, and for a moment the entire classroom seemed to freeze as everyone stared at the shattered phone lying between our feet. Randy did not move immediately, and neither did I, because my chest was rising and falling too fast, and my hands were shaking from the rush of panic and anger that had pushed me to act without thinking.

Slowly, he looked down at the broken phone. I watched as his fingers curled into fists and when his eyes met mine, there was no teasing left in them at all.

“You’re dead,” he muttered, his voice low enough that only I could hear. He leaned closer, his lips brushing my ear as he spoke. “I’ll see you at the end of classes.”

My blood ran cold, and before I could react or pull away, the door opened behind him.

“Alright, everyone get seated quickly.”

Randy straightened immediately, stepping back as if nothing had happened. I sucked in a shaky breath and turned toward the door, my heart still racing. Our history teacher stood there, her eyes sharp as they moved from Randy to me, then to the broken phone on the floor.

“What’s going on here?” She asked

Randy crouched to the floor and picked up what was left of his phone.

“Nothing much,” he smiled. “Just an accident.”

The teacher did not look convinced, but she said nothing more, only gesturing for us to take our seats as she moved toward her desk. The class slowly came back to life, chairs scraping, whispers starting again, and I sank into my seat with legs that felt weak and unsteady.

Michelle leaned toward me, her face pale and full of worry.

“Jade,” she whispered, “are you okay?”

I nodded even though I was not sure that I was, and I kept my eyes fixed on my desk because I could still feel Randy’s presence beside me. The rest of the class passed quickly but all through, my mind was stuck on his threat and the look in his eyes when he said it.

He was not joking. I knew that much.

All through the next classes, I could barely concentrate, no matter how hard I tried. Words on the board swam in front of my eyes, and every sound made me tense, half expecting him to appear beside me again.

The Hawthorne triplets were known for getting what they wanted, and they were known for making people regret crossing them.

I told myself to stay calm, to get through the day quietly, and to leave as soon as the final bell rang. If I could just get home, I would be safe, at least for a while.

About an hour before school was meant to close, there was sudden movement near the front of the class. I looked up just in time to see Liam glance at his phone, his expression changing as he read whatever was on the screen. He leaned toward Randy and Carl, speaking quietly, and all three of them straightened at once.

A few seconds later, they stood up”without asking permission and walked out of the classroom.

A huge sense of relief washed over me so suddenly that I had to grip the edge of my desk to steady myself. They were leaving. Whatever call they had received had pulled them away, and for the first time since morning, I felt like I could breathe.

The rest of the day passed slowly. Randy did not return, and neither did his brothers, and by the time the final bell rang, my nerves had eased just enough for exhaustion to settle in. I packed my bag quietly and left the classroom with Michelle, who stayed close to my side as we walked out of the building.

“That was terrifying,” she said once we were outside. “I thought he was really going to hurt you.”

“So did I,” I admitted. “But they’re gone now.”

She nodded, still shaken, and we parted ways at the gate, promising to talk later. I walked home slowly, my body heavy with the events of the day, and when I reached my street, all I wanted was to see my mum and forget everything else.

Halfway home, my phone buzzed in my hand, and when I checked the screen, I saw a message from her.

“Meet me at the Love Garden, Jade. I have a surprise for you.”

I stopped walking immediately, staring at the words with a frown. The Love Garden was not a place we visited often. It was a reserved spot within the pack, quiet and private, usually used for important meetings or ceremonies. My first instinct was confusion, followed quickly by concern.

Why would she want to meet me there, and why now?

I hesitated for a moment before replying that I was on my way, then turned in the direction of the garden instead of going home. With every step, a strange feeling settled in my chest, a mix of nerves and unease that I could not explain.

In a few minutes, I was at the entrance of the Love Garden and the place was quiet, just as it always was. I followed the familiar walkway toward the center clearing where people usually met.

And as soon as I stepped into the open space, my breath caught in my throat.

My mother was standing there, her fingers entangled with the fingers of the most powerful man in the pack, Alpha Nicholas Hawthorne.

And just to my right were the triplets – Liam, Randy, and Carl.

My heart began to pound so hard that I could hear it in my ears, and sweat broke out on my skin almost instantly. Every instinct screamed at me to turn around and run, but my feet felt rooted to the ground as fear and confusion tangled inside me.

Randy’s eyes met mine, and he frowned.

I took a slow step forward as my mind was still struggling to process whatever was going on.

“Jade, darling…” My mum started.

I spun around to meet her gaze, my eyes already blazing red in anger.

“What the hell is going on here?” I asked.