Chapter Thirty
Hope
The raised voices hit me before I even reached the porch.
I paused at the greenhouse door, my hand on the frame, listening to the chaos spilling out through the open windows of the farmhouse. Male voices—angry, overlapping, sharp with frustration. And beneath them, the higher, equally fierce tones of my sisters.
I took a breath, steadying myself, and walked toward the house.
The living room was a war zone.
Balthazar stood near the fireplace, his arms crossed over his chest, his face dark with fury.
Zeke paced near the window, his jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin.
Chapman sat on the couch where I had left him hours ago, his face pale and drawn with pain, but his eyes were locked on my brothers with equal quiet defiance.
And in the armchair by the window, Reaper sat with his legs crossed, a grin splitting his face as if he were watching the best damn show of his life as Sandman stood behind him.
“—doesn’t matter what you think is acceptable,” Balthazar was saying, his voice low and dangerous. “The Golden Rule exists for a reason. You don’t touch sisters. Period. End of fucking discussion.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Charity snapped from where she stood near the couch, her hands on her hips. “Hope is a grown-ass woman, Balthazar. She doesn’t need your permission to date someone. I sure as hell didn’t when I married Nevil.”
“This isn’t about permission,” our brother growled. “And if I’d been here, that shit would have never happened!”
“Well, thank God you weren’t!” Charity snapped back, sticking her tongue out at him.
“Then what is it about?” Joy cut in, stepping forward from her spot near the doorway.
Her voice was sharp, her seventeen-year-old face set with determination.
“Because it sounds like you’re trying to control who Hope loves, and that’s bullshit.
I got news for you, I’m gonna date whoever the hell I want. ”
“Joy.”
“No!” Joy’s eyes flashed. “You don’t get to tell me who I get to love.”
“If my memory is correct,” a soft, tentative voice spoke up from behind, and I whirled around to find Faith standing behind me, glaring at our brothers.
“Balthazar, didn’t you sleep with Mia before you disappeared for five years, then came back only to take off again with Ari?
Zeke, you left the Golden Skulls and found Joan.
But Chapman gets drunk and falls in love with Hope, and suddenly the rules matter again? How is that fair?”
Zeke stopped pacing and turned to face her, his expression tight. “It’s not the same thing.”
“Why not?” Charity demanded. “Because you’re men and Hope’s a woman? Because you get to make choices, but she doesn’t?”
“Because Slaughter is a Golden Skull!” both Balthazar and Ezekiel shouted at the same time.
“So what?” Joy snapped.
“Slaughter is an executioner,” Balthazar said, trying to calm himself. “Because he works in the tomb. Because he’s dangerous—”
“So are you,” I said quietly.
Every head in the room turned toward me.
I stood in the doorway, my hands loose at my sides, my heart steady despite the chaos. Balthazar’s eyes widened slightly, and I saw something flicker across his face—surprise, maybe, or recognition.
“Hope—” he started.
“So are you,” I repeated, stepping into the room. “You are vice president of the Golden Skulls, Balthazar. You’ve killed people. You’ve done things in the name of the club that would make most people sick. And yet Ari chose you anyway. She chose you knowing exactly what you were.”
Balthazar’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.
I turned to Zeke. “And you. You were an executioner too. You worked in the tomb just like Chapman. You’ve got blood on your hands, Zeke. But Joan chose you. She chose you despite the darkness, despite the danger, despite everything the MC world represents.”
Zeke’s expression cracked, just slightly, and I saw the truth of my words land.
“So tell me,” I continued, my voice steady and clear. “Why do you get to be loved despite your darkness, but Chapman doesn’t? Why do you get to choose happiness, but I don’t?”
The room went silent.
Reaper’s grin widened, and he leaned back in his chair, clearly delighted.
“It’s not about that,” Balthazar said finally, his voice rough. “It’s about protecting you, Hope. It’s about keeping you safe from—”
“From what?” I asked, stepping closer. “From love? From happiness? From a man who’s willing to face the Golden Line-Up rather than walk away from me?”
Balthazar flinched.
“Chapman didn’t violate the Golden Rule because he was careless or reckless,” I said, my voice softening slightly.
“He violated it because he was drowning in grief, and I was there. And yes, it started wrong. Yes, it was messy and complicated, and wrapped up in pain. But it became something real. Something worth fighting for.”
“Hope—”
“I love him,” I said, my words ringing out clear and strong.
“I love him, Balthazar. And I’m choosing him.
Not because Reaper ordered it. Not because Chapman needs me to save him.
Not because the club demands it. But because when I strip away all the fear and the noise and the coercion, the answer is simple: yes. I want him.”
Chapman’s eyes locked on mine, and I saw something break open in his expression—awe, disbelief, overwhelming relief.
“You don’t understand what you’re asking for,” Balthazar said, his voice tight. “The MC world—it’s not kind to women, Hope. It’s not safe. And Chapman—he’s not just some brother. He’s an executioner. He deals in death. That darkness doesn’t just go away because you love him.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “I know exactly what I’m asking for.
I grew up around the MC world my entire life, Balthazar.
I watched what it did to Mom and Dad. What it did to our other brother.
I’ve watched what it does to you and Zeke.
I’ve seen the violence and the danger, and the cost. And I’m choosing it anyway.
Not because I’m na?ve or stupid, or desperate.
But because I love Chapman enough to face it. ”
“At least no one got kidnapped, shot, stabbed, or maimed,” a sharp voice said from the kitchen doorway.
I turned to see Stella standing there, her arms crossed, her expression wry. Digger stood beside her, his face carefully neutral, but his eyes bright with barely suppressed amusement.
“Excuse me?” Balthazar said, his tone dangerous.
“You heard me.” Stella stepped into the room, her gaze sweeping over Balthazar and Zeke with pointed precision.
“At least Chapman didn’t lose his shit and shoot up half the countryside trying to get to Ari, or take on another clubhouse to get his woman.
Do either of you even remember what happened when you two claimed your women? ”
Balthazar’s face darkened. “That was different.”
“How?” Stella demanded. “Because you were protecting Ari from the Black Vultures? Because Zeke was protecting Joan from—what was it, Zeke? Oh, right, from you and a Diamondback brother who lost his fucking mind!”
Zeke’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond.
“Chapman fell in love with Hope,” Stella continued, her voice sharp and unyielding.
“He made a mistake, yes. He violated the Golden Rule, yes. But he didn’t do it out of malice or disrespect.
He did it because he was grieving and broken, and she was there.
And instead of walking away when he realized what he’d done, he faced the consequences.
He stood in front of Reaper and accepted his fate rather than deny what happened. ”
“He lied,” Reaper said flatly.
“Oh, that’s calling the kettle black, Prez,” Digger cut in, his voice calm but firm. “Remind me again how many times you’ve lied to protect Remi?”
“Watch it, Dig,” Reaper growled.
“All I’m saying is that my brother isn’t the only brother who’s ever bent the truth to protect someone he loves.”
Balthazar opened his mouth, then closed it again, his expression tight.
“And let’s talk about the Golden Rule for a second,” Charity said, stepping forward.
“Because it seems like the rules only apply when it’s convenient.
Balthazar, you violated about a dozen protocols and nearly started a war not only with the Disciples of the Word but with the Black Vultures.
But Reaper let it slide because you were protecting your woman. ”
“That was different.”
“Zeke literally left the club to be with Joan,” Joy added, her voice rising. “He walked away from his patch, his brothers, everything—but that was okay because it was his choice, right?”
Zeke’s face flushed, and he looked away.
“So why,” Charity continued, her voice sharp, “do the rules suddenly matter when it’s Chapman? Why is he the one who has to pay the price when everyone else gets to do whatever the hell they want?”
“Because Hope is our sister,” Balthazar said, his voice rough. “Because we’re supposed to protect her.”
“From what?” I asked, stepping forward again. “From love? From happiness? From a man who’s willing to give up everything—his role in the club, his identity, his entire life—just to be with me?”
Balthazar’s eyes snapped to mine, and I saw the crack widen.
“Reaper took him off executioner duties,” I said quietly.
“Permanently. Chapman will never work in the tomb again. He’ll work construction with Ravage, check in with Reaper weekly, and live under constant scrutiny.
He gave up the darkest part of himself, the part that defined him for years, because he loves me.
Because he wants a life with me and Aurora. ”
Balthazar’s expression crumbled slightly, and I saw the war raging behind his eyes.
“So tell me, Balthazar,” I said, my voice soft but unyielding. “If Chapman is willing to give up that much, what right do you have to stand in his way?”
The room went silent again.