Jade's POV
“You’ve got to stop hiding, Jade.”
Ashley’s voice broke the silence in my room like a stone thrown into still water. She sat cross-legged on my bed, her tone firm but not unkind. The kind of tone she used when she was done letting me wallow, but wasn’t ready to give up on me yet.
I didn’t look at her. I kept my eyes on the small tear in the seam of my pillowcase, picking at the frayed thread as if unraveling it could somehow distract me from what she was saying.
“I’m not hiding,” I muttered. “I just need time to process everything.”
Ashley huffed. “You’ve been processing for weeks, Jade. When does it end? When do you stop letting them walk all over you?”
My throat tightened. It wasn’t like I wanted to feel this way. It wasn’t like I enjoyed being the pack's punching bag. I
