CHAPTER 3

JADE'S POV

I remained rooted to the spot, my eyes moving between my mother and Alpha Nicholas as I tried to make sense of the way they were glancing at each other. She had still not answered my question and her fingers were still tangled in his.

The silence stretched on until she finally took a deep breath and faced me.

“I’ll be getting married to Alpha Nicholas,” She announced.

Her words landed like a blow to my chest.

“What the fuck?” I snapped, the words leaving my mouth before I could stop them.

“No way,” Randy chuckled.

“Jade is going to be our step sister?” Liam hissed. “That’s not happening.”

“This is insane,” Carl added. “You can’t be serious, dad.”

“Enough,” Alpha Nicholas growled. “All of you, shut up.”

The triplets fell silent at once, though none of them looked pleased. Alpha Nicholas then turned back to my mother, his tone softening as he stepped closer to her. He lifted his hand slightly, as if wanting to touch her again, but stopped himself when he noticed I was glaring hard at him.

“I love your mother,” he said. “And moreover, I need a Luna to stand beside me, to help me rule the pack.”

My head was spinning. Alpha Nicholas was in love with my mother?

None of it felt real, and yet it was unfolding right in front of me.

I swallowed hard and nodded slightly as I struggled to process everything. I couldn't lash out. I owed him a level of respect as the Alpha but that didn't mean I was going to give my approval just like that.

“Excuse us for a moment," My mother cut in finally. “I need a moment to speak to my daughter alone.”

Alpha Nicholas hesitated, then nodded once. “Of course.”

She turned to me and gently took my arm, guiding me away from the others toward a quieter corner of the garden. My body felt stiff as I followed her, my mind racing with thoughts I could not organize. When we were far enough that the others could not hear us clearly, she turned to face me, her hands resting lightly on my shoulders.

“Jade,” she said softly, “please listen to me.”

I pulled back immediately, the anger flaring in me.

“Listen to you?” I repeated. “You stand there holding his hand, announce you’re marrying him, and now you want me to listen?”

She heaved a deep sigh.

“I know this is shocking, but you have to understand—”

“No,” I cut in. “You have to understand. How long were you going to keep this from me?”

She looked away for a moment, then back at me. “I didn’t plan to hide it. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

I laughed bitterly. “So this is something you’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“Yes,” she admitted.

The realization hurt more than I expected. “So while I was struggling, while I was dealing with everything at school, you were planning a new life without even considering how it would affect me.”

“That’s not fair,” she mumbled. “I have considered you. Everything I do is for you.”

“Then why does it feel like I’m the last person you thought about?” I asked, my voice breaking despite my effort to keep it steady.

She sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. “Jade, I can’t mourn your father forever.”

The mention of him made my chest ache. “I’m not asking you to,” I said. “I’m asking you to think about me for a second.”

“Who do you think I'm doing this for?" she snapped. “I’ve been struggling for years to take care of you...The bills, the debts, the constant worry. Alpha Nicholas can relieve us of all that. We won’t have to fight just to survive anymore.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “So that’s it? This is about money?”

“It’s not just money,” she said. “It’s stability. It's a future.”

“A future for who?” I snapped. “For you? Or for me?”

She hesitated, and that pause told me everything.

My hands curled into fists at my sides as anger surged through me again.

“How can you expect me to be happy about this?” I shouted. “You’re getting married to the father of the same people who make my life hell at school.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “They’re just boys, Jade. They’ll grow up.”

“They torment me,” I snapped. “Every single day. And you want me to live under the same roof as them?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, clearly struggling to find the right words. “They won’t be able to treat you that way anymore,” she said eventually. “Things will change.”

“Will they?” I asked bitterly. “Or will they just have more power over me?”

She looked at me, her eyes softening, but she still did not answer.

For a while, there was silence. But then, she reached for my hand again.

“We’ll figure it out,” she muttered. “I promise. But you have to trust me.”

She grabbed me in a bear hug and as I rested on her shoulders, I felt hot tears slide down my cheeks. As much as it pained me, I understood why she was making this decision.

"Come on," She muttered as she wiped the tears that had gathered around the corner of my eyes. "Let's not keep the Alpha waiting."

We walked back to where Alpha Nicholas and his sons were waiting and all the way, my heart was still beating very fast.

I tried to straighten my shoulders and lift my chin, because I did not want to look weak in front of them, especially not in front of the triplets.

As soon as we stepped closer, I noticed the way the triplets were looking at me. Their eyes followed every step I took, and I could not tell what they were thinking. There was confusion in their faces, yes, but there was also something else that made my skin prickle. I refused to lower my gaze, even though every part of me wanted to turn around and walk away from this whole situation.

I did not wait for anyone to speak first, because I knew that if I stayed silent, my thoughts would drown me.

“I feel betrayed,” I said, my voice shaking slightly even though I tried to keep it steady. “You both made this decision without telling me, and because of that, I cannot say that I support this union.”

Liam, who stood a little ahead of his brothers, was the first to react. His face hardened instantly, and anger flashed in his eyes as he took a step forward.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he snapped. “You should be happy and excited that you even get to be our stepsister, even though we do not accept you either.”

My hands curl into fists at my sides and I felt a heat begin to rise from the pit of my stomach. All the pent up anger I had been holding back rushed forward but before I could lash out and give him a piece of my mind, Alpha Nicholas raised his hand.

“That is enough,” he grunted. “All of you should stop bickering like children.”

Liam fell silent immediately, though his jaw remained clenched. Randy rolled his eyes, and Carl shifted uncomfortably, clearly wishing he was somewhere else. The Alpha turned to me, and for the first time since we arrived, his expression softened.

“Jade,” he said, addressing me directly. “I owe you an apology. I am sorry for taking your mother in such a fashion and for not speaking to you first. I truly love her, and I hope that with time, you will accept that love and accept us as well.”

I did not know what to say to that, so I stayed quiet, my emotions swirling inside me. Part of me wanted to shout and tell him that love did not erase the pain he had caused me by doing this behind my back. Another part of me knew that standing before an Alpha meant I had to choose my words carefully.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but you were a bit loud back there talking about my sons," He continued.

Then, he turned to face the boys, his gaze hardening once more.

“Did you truly bully her?” he asked.

Randy scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as if the question offended him. “Bullying is a strong word,” he sighed. “We barely even talk to her.”

Carl nodded in agreement. “She is clearly not in our league, dad."

I felt my stomach twist at their words, and memories of whispered insults, mocking laughter, and humiliating moments in class flashed through my mind. I wanted to scream and list every single thing they had done to me, but before I could speak, Alpha Nicholas did it for me in his own way.

“She is now your equal as a stepsister,” he said sharply. “And whether you believe it or not, your actions have affected her. You will apologize to her for all the things you have done in the past.”

The color drained from their faces almost instantly, replaced by a deep red that spread across their cheeks. Embarrassment hung on their faces and for a moment, none of them spoke. They exchanged glances with one another, probably hoping one of the others would speak first.

Randy cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at me.

"We did not mean anything by it,” he muttered. “It was just jokes.”

“That is not an apology,” Alpha Nicholas said.

Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath, but the look his father gave him made him straighten up.

He turned to me, his eyes filled with something that looked like forced restraint. “Sorry,” he said stiffly. “For whatever you think we did.”

“That is still not an apology,” the Alpha replied.

Carl swallowed hard, clearly uncomfortable.

“I am sorry,” he muttered. “For any disrespect.”

Randy was the last one to speak, and when he finally looked at me, his eyes were red with anger.

“I am sorry,” he said slowly. “And I promise we will not bully you again.”

The Alpha nodded once, satisfied. “You will keep that promise,” he said. “All of you.”

Then, he turned to me.

"Do you accept their apologies?"

I heard Randy sigh but I ignored him as a smile crossed my face for the first time that evening.

"I accept it," I nodded.

"Then we're all settled," Alpha Nicholas grinned. "As one big family."

I knew we were far from a big family, but with this new leverage as their stepsister, they could not bully me ever again.

And if that was the only advantage i was going to get out of my mother's new marriage, then it was worth the chance.