Jaded

Chapter Twelve

Just as she was about to push off the door, her phone rang again. She glanced at the caller ID, a roll of her eyes preceding the action of lifting the phone. Roman. He must have been right there with Walter, privy to the entire conversation. He was always right where the drama was.

“You and Luca?!” Roman’s voice, already near hysterical, screeched through the receiver. “Oh my god! Jade, can you even imagine what your kids are going to look like!”

A smirk, small but genuine, tugged at Jade’s lips as she held the phone to her ear, the absurdity of his reaction momentarily cutting through her fear. "Hopefully," she retorted, her voice laced with dry amusement, "they won't inherit their uncle’s warped head."

Roman’s indignant squawk was immediate. "There is nothing wrong with my head, thank you very much!"

Jade chuckled, shaking her head. "f**k off, Roman." She could hear him laughing on the other end, a boisterous, unrestrained sound.

"I cannot wait to get back in the morning," he declared, his laughter subsiding into a more conspiratorial tone.

Jade rolled her eyes again, a genuine wish coloring her words this time. "Don't rush," she told him, meaning it with every fiber of her being. She needed time. Time to process. Time to breathe. Time to figure out how to navigate this impossible, agonizing reality.

Roman laughed again, a final, hearty sound. "Have a good night. I love you."

A small, soft smile touched Jade's lips. "I love you, too, asshole." As she hung up, Roman was still laughing, the sound a cheerful menace. She should have known he’d be the first to want to give her and Luca hell.

Turning back around, she re-entered the cool quiet of the pool house. The living room was dimly lit by the moonlight filtering through the large windows, and there, standing at the largest window, his back to her, facing the imposing silhouette of the mountains, was Luca. He turned towards her as she entered, his expression unreadable in the dim light. Before anything could be said, before she could even begin to navigate the minefield of their new reality, his phone rang from the mantelpiece above the fireplace.

"It's Walter," Luca explained, his voice low as he took his phone and swiped to answer. He pushed the phone to his ear as Jade headed into the kitchen.

She found herself a cigarette and poured a glass of wine, the amber liquid swirling seductively in the dim light, as Luca spoke in hushed tones to his father. "I know..." she heard him pause to listen. "Dad-" He was cut off again. "Yes. I understand."

He lowered the phone as Jade turned around, her wine glass now in hand. His jaw was tight, a sure sign of his displeasure.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her brow furrowing with concern as she took in the strained look on his face.

"Walter is still going to hold the party to announce our bond," Luca stated, his voice flat. "Roman will be the focus on finding a mate now. But, he wants us both to consummate it. Tonight."

Jade’s face almost drained of its color at the news. Consummate? Tonight? The thought sent a fresh wave of nausea through her. Then, a sly thought crossed her mind, a flicker of defiance in the face of overwhelming circumstances. "Technically," she said, her voice gaining a hint of amusement, "we already have."

Luca looked up at her, moving to sit on the couch, the tension in his shoulders evident. "It would be a lie" he says, his dark eyes searching hers.

"Yes and no," she admitted, shrugging, "we didn't knot." A small, almost imperceptible smile played on her lips. "He doesn't need to know that. It's not like he's going to come in here to make sure we did."

Luca turned back to the window, his gaze fixed on the dark, imposing mountains. "Jade-"

She leaned forwards to flick her ashes into a nearby ashtray, the small gesture a temporary distraction. "I am not ready for a pup, are you?"

Luca shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the window. "No, I am not."

She stared at his back, the rigid set of his shoulders speaking volumes. "We will not be lying," she said, her voice firming. "Just... not telling the entire truth."

Luca nodded, a subtle movement, and turned back to face her, his expression a mixture of relief and something else she couldn't quite decipher. "Are you going to reject me?" he asked, his voice suddenly direct, cutting through the lingering tension.

Jade stared at him for a moment, the question hitting her with unexpected force. She lowered her eyes to her wine, the dark liquid a mirror to her own inner turmoil. "No," she replied, her voice a near whisper, the word barely audible. "It could harm us both... Maybe even kill us."

Luca’s relief was palpable, but it was tinged with a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of anger. "So... you're not going to reject me," he stated, his voice hardening slightly, "not because you might love me, but because it could kill us?"

Jade flashed her pale green eyes at him, a spark of her old fire returning. "That is not what I was saying, but yes," she conceded, her voice unwavering, "it did factor in a lot of weight to it."

Luca scoffed, turning back to the window, his gaze once again lost in the darkness. "You will never be satisfied with just one man, will you?"

Jade stood to her feet, her wine sloshing precariously in her glass. "What the f**k is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, her voice rising.

Luca faced her again, his dark eyes now hardened, a coldness settling into them. "You are not satisfied with just me."

Jade narrowed her gaze at him in disbelief, her hands clenching at her sides. "That is not it, Luca. I do not want to be controlled. Now that I am the future Luna... That will give you and Walter a reason to shorten my chains. I will not be able to do any of the things I was going to be able to do as your beta. I will be stuck here, forced to be pampered and protected. Secured. Instead of me finally being able to prove my worth. To prove that I am not Walter's spoiled little stray. Now, I will be known as the stray that somehow bent fate to my will." She slumped back onto the couch, her glass landing on the table a little harder than she had meant to. "I was supposed to be a soldier, Luca. Not a Luna."

Luca's anger subsided, replaced by a dawning understanding. He had never considered it from her perspective. Or that she thought that way. "Who calls you a stray, Jade?" he asked, his voice softer, genuinely curious. He had never heard her speak of such a thing.

She laughed, a short, bitter sound, leaning back onto the couch. "I suspected that the pack would never speak that way in front of you or Roman."

Luca moved closer toward the table between them, his brow furrowed in concern. "Jade-"

She shook her head, before moving her cigarette back to her lips, exhaling a plume of smoke as she spoke. "I do not expect you to do anything, Luca. I do not want you or Roman doing anything about it. Because it is true."

Luca knitted his brows together tightly. Jade had always been strong. Always pretended things did not bother her, keeping her struggles to herself and suffering alone, in silence. It infuriated him. "That is not true, Jade. None of that is true."

Jade glanced back up to him, the look in her eyes, raw and vulnerable, nearly broke his heart. He moved to sit beside her on the couch, his arm hovering hesitantly, too scared to touch her, too afraid their bond might spark the pain again.

"There is no one on earth that I would have wanted as my mate," he whispered, watching her look away, her eyes already beginning to gloss over. "You will not be chained here. That much I can promise you. Once I am Alpha, I am going to want the one person I trust out there, watching my back."

She glanced back to him, tears already rimming her eyes. "You promise?"

He reached for her hand, hesitating for only a fraction of a second before lacing his fingers through hers. When the searing pain did not return, he pulled her closer into his embrace, his arm wrapping protectively around her shoulders. "I promise you," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "Just… don't leave me…" Luca’s voice was even rougher now, as if the words were burning his throat as he spoke them. The plea hung in the air, raw and vulnerable, a stark contrast to the formidable Alpha he was destined to become.

Jade's heart almost tore in two, hearing him pleading with her, his fear palpable against her skin. She sucked a deep breath in and held it for a moment, trying to anchor herself, to find the strength she had always believed she possessed. When she exhaled, it was a shaky whisper, but firm. "I am not going anywhere, Luca… I love you."

Luca's embrace immediately tightened around her, his body pressing against hers as if he were trying to physically anchor her to him, to this moment, to this undeniable reality. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent, a silent prayer of gratitude escaping his lips. The terror that had gripped him moments before, the fear of her rejection, of being left alone with this overwhelming fate, began to recede, replaced by a profound sense of relief. He had spent years circling her, his feelings a silent, carefully guarded secret, and in this chaotic, painful awakening, he had almost lost her before he even had her.

Jade, still nestled in his arms, felt the tremor run through him, the sheer intensity of his relief washing over her. His words, so direct and desperate, had cut through her own defenses, her own fear. She loved him. The realization, once a terrifying possibility, now felt like a warm, steady ember glowing in her chest. It wasn't the easy, carefree love she might have once imagined, but a love forged in the crucible of pain and shared, undeniable destiny.

A love that, in its own way, was stronger than anything she had ever known.

They remained like that for a long time, the silence between them no longer strained or uncertain, but comfortable, a testament to the burgeoning truth of their bond. The phantom ache of the bond still thrummed beneath their skin, a constant reminder of what they had endured, but it no longer felt like a wound. It felt like a connection, a lifeline.

Eventually, Luca stirred, his voice a low rumble against her ear. "Are you still cold?" he asked, his concern evident.

Jade shook her head, though a shiver did run through her, not of cold, but of the lingering aftershocks of their ordeal. "A little," she admitted. "It's been a long night."

He pulled back slightly, his hands resting on her shoulders, his gaze searching hers. His eyes, no longer hard with anger or fear, were soft, filled with a warmth that made her chest ache. "Come," he said, his voice gentle, a promise woven into the single word. "Let's go back to bed."

Jade met his gaze, a small, genuine smile finally gracing her lips. The path ahead was still fraught with uncertainty, with the weight of their destinies pressing down on them. But for tonight, in the quiet sanctuary of the pool house, with the scent of pine and the lingering echo of their shared pain, she knew she was exactly where she was meant to be. And for the first time since midnight, the thought didn't fill her with dread, but with a flicker of hopeful anticipation.

Together, they walked hand in hand back towards the bedroom, the moonlight painting long shadows across the floor. The bond, once a source of agony, now felt like a gentle current pulling them closer, a silent promise of shared warmth and a future they would face, together.