Chapter 4 - Jade
I popped a couple of Advil in my mouth and swallowed them.
I stared at myself in the mirror, hating the person who stared back at me.
I was a nervous wreck since seeing Brandon and Kaleb.
Why the sudden return now? And of course, Brandon would take over as Alpha. That’s just what I deserved, wasn’t it?
“Mommy,” Ilsa poked her head around the bathroom door and offered me a weak smile. “The TV won’t turn on.”
I forced a smile. “Give mommy one minute, and I’ll come look at it.”
Ilsa walked away, and I chewed on my lip. My head was pounding, and I felt like my stomach was going to make me throw up. It was a great mix to go back to work on.
After leaving my father’s house, I took Ilsa out for her day, but I avoided everyone at all costs.
We stayed on the side of town I knew that they wouldn’t go to.
Ilsa enjoyed the park, and we ended up going to the lake rather than the pool.
I told Ilsa it was fun because it was just us, which she enjoyed, but it only made me feel more like a coward.
I knew it was only a matter of time before Brandon found out she was his. Only a matter of time before shit hits the fan. Like the marriage arrangement wasn’t bad enough.
My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see it was a text from my dad. I scowled as he set up a time already for me to come back over. He wanted me at his house by 6 tonight.
I flipped my phone over and took a slow breath in. I tried to calm my nerves, but it didn’t work.
“Mommy!” Ilsa poked her head through the door.
Rage surged through me. “Ilsa, I told you to wait!” As soon as the words came out, I realized just what I’d done.
I turned, watching as Ilsa’s eyes widened, and tears began to build up. I moved, walking closer to her and bending down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.” I gave her the best smile I could pull together. “Mommy has a headache. Can you give mommy a few minutes?”
Ilsa seemed to shake it off and nodded. She reached a hand up, placing it on my forehead, and rubbed just like I had done to her every time she was sick.
After a few minutes, I fixed the TV for her and made breakfast. I had Ilsa at school half an hour later, and I was arriving at work ten minutes early. I gave Ryan my stack of paper, which he didn’t bother looking up from his computer. He simply nodded his head and waved me off.
I worked, trying to keep my mind off of everything that was going on in my life. But every time I seemed to get it out of my head, it came wiggling back in.
“Jade, I need a hundred copies of these pamphlets.”
I looked up as Ryan stepped into my office, placing eight different pamphlets onto my desk.
I nodded my head, taking them.
“Brandon and Kaleb are back in Belrose.”
I stiffened at his words, my fingers freezing on the paper. I swallowed, looking away. “They are.”
“I heard word on the street is Brandon is taking over the Alpha role and your brother is taking over as Beta.”
I slowly nodded. I wasn’t sure about my brother, but I was certain about Brandon. I heard it everywhere I went. It had only been a few days, but word was traveling fast. Everyone seemed eager to see how this was going to go. I had questions. Did this mean that Brandon was staying? Was my brother?
Just then, some people walked by, and they talked loudly. “I heard Brandon is looking for a mate now that he’s going to be Alpha. Do you think he knows about Jade’s daughter?”
Every fiber in my being tensed up, and I tightened my grip on the paper.
I forced a smile at Ryan. “I’ll get these copied.
” I stumbled as I pulled myself up, my hands shaking with the papers.
My room suddenly felt suffocating, and I moved quickly, slipping out of my office into the copy room next door.
I felt tears burning as I stepped inside and dropped the pamphlets onto the ground.
My body shook, and I bent down, placing my hands on my knees as I tried to pull myself together. But it just seemed so relentless. Every time I got a little further, I was pulled back.
I didn’t want to think about what was going to happen or how Brandon would react. Depending on who he mates with, they might not even want to look at Ilsa as if she were his. But Brandon might want her. He might take her, and that scared the shit out of her.
A panic attack built up, and I felt my hands shake harder as I placed them on my chest, trying to pull air in. I bent over into a crouch, pulling my knees to my chest.
I slowly took deep breaths, the world seeming so distant. I hated everything. I hated how everything was going, and I wished things were so different.
After a few minutes, I got up and pulled myself together. I got the copies and left them at Ryan’s office before locking my door for the rest of the day.
I left work practically running to escape it. I drove to get Ilsa from daycare, and my headache was looming over me, pounding harder in my skull.
Ilsa smiled as I got inside. She waved an art piece at me. “Look, Mommy.”
I smiled at her, feeling joy at seeing her. She hurried over, and I pulled her into a hug, letting it dissolve my shitty day away.
I was getting Ilsa in the car when I remembered my message from my father that morning. I groaned, internally screaming. Shit. I had to stop there.
“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Ilsa caught on quickly to my expression, giving me a confused look.
“Nothing, we just have to stop at grandpa’s.”
Ilsa frowned. “Are we staying for dinner?”
I had no idea about that. I had a feeling it was to discuss my marriage, which, knowing my father, he had everything planned out.
“Maybe,” I said, smiling at her. “You know grandpa is full of surprises.” I tried hard to hide my irritation with my father from Ilsa, but sometimes it was impossible.
I squeezed her cheek before getting into my seat and drove across town to my dad’s house. I parked, not seeing any other cars there. I looked at Brandon’s parents’ house, but I didn’t see any in their driveway. My shoulders relaxed slightly as we headed up to the front.
I stopped Ilsa and pulled her back. The sudden thought of Ilsa being in there made my skin crawl. I didn’t need her listening to what was going to happen.
I bent down and smiled. “How about you head around back to the backyard for a while. I’ll grab you when we are done.”
She smiled, turning and running toward the gate. Once she was inside, I straightened my back and went in. I tried to think of what I was going to say. I knew I wasn’t going to take this lying down. I had to do what was best for Ilsa and myself.
I opened the door and stepped inside. I slipped my shoes off and headed up the stairs from the landing toward the living room and kitchen. “Alright, Dad, I’m here. I can’t stay long, though.”
I paused as I got to the top and found my father sitting on the couch with Brandon. My entire body tensed up. So, much for avoiding him.
“Glad you could make it.”
I stared at Brandon, who stared back at me. I, however, felt anger as I took him in. Thinking about how he left me, how he used me, and threw me away like a rag. He took my virginity and acted like it didn’t even matter.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
My father pulled himself up. “Brandon has stated he wanted you as his mate.”
I felt like I’d been slapped, and I felt my mouth open slightly in shock. This was a sick joke, right? Or I was having a nightmare.
I shook my head and looked at my father. “You said I was already getting married to someone else.”
“Yes, but that can be rearranged.”
I felt my jaw drop open a little more. “You…No.” I shook my head, waving my hands. “Absolutely not. I’m not marrying him.”
My father’s eyes darkened, and I watched his jaw tense together, knowing I wasn’t supposed to be as abrupt as I was. But there was no way in hell I was going to agree to this.
“You don’t want to be with an Alpha?” Brandon asked, seeming full of himself.
I snorted. “You’ve been Alpha for a total of twenty-four hours, don’t let the ego get to your head so easily, Brandon.”
The words slipped out so easily, and I quickly shut my mouth, realizing just how bad I was. My father glared, but Brandon cracked a smile. “Fair. But still, your father agreed.”
“And last I recall, we live in the twenty-first century.”
“You just said you were going to marry someone else because your father arranged it.”
I shut my mouth, feeling so many things hitting me at once. Did he know about Ilsa? No, he was far too calm. There was no way he knew. My father certainly wouldn’t have told him. Right?
I quickly tried to find anything to make this not work. “Father, you can’t go back on your word. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? I’m sure the deal you made was already agreed upon.”
My father shrugged. “He will understand. This is the Alpha after all.” My father looked smug as he looked at Brandon like he had won the lottery.
“And I feel that’s wrong,” I countered.
Brandon smirked. “Jade, this wasn’t a request. It’s an order.”
I curled my hands into fists, not sure of what to say next. I couldn’t, wouldn’t marry him. I’d rather start all over again than be forced to stay with him.
I opened my mouth to protest when the sliding door opened. I heard the footsteps before Ilsa spoke up as she ran inside the house. “Mommy, are we leaving soon? I’m hot.”
I watched as my father’s eyes widened in horror, and Brandon’s widened in confusion.
Ilsa hurried to me, clinging to my leg. I looked down at her, feeling my stomach sink.
This wasn’t how I wanted them to meet. But here we were.
I knew it was only a matter of seconds before it clicked in Brandon’s head.
He would feel that tug toward her, and he’d know.
For a second, I thought maybe this would save me. Maybe he would be pissed I hid this from him, and he didn’t want to marry me because of it. Or this would only solidify the decision.