Alex’s pov:
The way Jade stiffened in my lap for a moment, before she burst out in tears was worrying me. She appeared to be in shock though it was understandable.
“You don’t mean that, Luc. That can’t be. It has to be a mistake,” she was telling him frantically in between tears.
She then shot out of my lap before I could hold her, and went to Luc, “This isn’t a good joke, Luc…”
She shook him and he allowed her to do as she pleased. Her sorrow was almost suffocating me, and yet there was nothing I could do but simply be around for her for as long as she would need me.
“It’s not a joke, Jade,” he said in a hushed bleak tone of voice. “I am so sorry for your loss.”
She was startled back and let his hand go as if the very small skin contact burnt her deeply.
“But dad was such a strong warrior,” she objected. “How could it be? How did it happen?”
“The patrollers were outnumbered, but had the attack covered efficiently for a moment. Then, one of the rogues went for Silas, and your dad intercepted the rogue, thus getting severely wounded… He died within a few seconds.”
Her tears turned into powerful gut-wrenching sobs, and although I wanted to hold Jade, I didn’t have the words she needed from me, not that she was coherent enough for them at the moment.
“Mom?” She then asked after a moment.
“I have yet to tell her,” Luc declared bleakly, his eyes not meeting hers.
Just as I was about to tell her we should see her together, there was a frantic knock on the door.
“Yes, come in,” I said grimly, knowing that it was Lucille Falls Jade’s mother.
The strong warrior sported a confused frown but also had tears in her eyes.
“Jade,” she let out tentatively, stubbornly refusing to look into her sobbing daughter’s face. “Your dad… your dad reached out to me via mind-link, and told me to take care of myself, but also to look after you. I have been unable to mind-link him since… Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”
“Mrs Falls,” Luc began with great deference and yet it seemed he was almost choking on his words. “Warrior Derrick Falls is no more.”
“No,” she shook her head negatively as tears began to stream down her cheeks. “That can’t be right.”
She then had to lean against the wall, seemingly in an attempt to keep some kind of composure.
“Mo… mom,” Jade sobbed even more at the sight of her distressed mother. “I can’t believe this… Please reach out to him again.”
And yet, somewhere deep down, Jade must know that this was no joking matter. Besides, if she had even a glimmer of hope for her father, she would be rushing out of the office, trying to save him.
Her mother shook her head negatively in such a dejected manner, I almost feared she would follow after him.
Jade’s sobs doubled over, and it felt like my heart might very well get crushed from the overwhelming sorrow. I had to physically refrain from holding a hand to my heart.
Then, Lucille approached Jade and embraced her, almost as if wishing to never let go.
“Your dad died on the battlefield, exactly where he belonged,” she said in a firm tone of voice.
“He died as a hero,” Luc’s input made her sniffle for a moment. “He died to protect Silas, a new father.”
“See?” She coaxed Jade softly. “As per his wishes, your dad didn’t perish in vain.”
“I won’t get to see him again,” Jade objected in between sobs.
“But he will see you, and he will keep watching over you,” her mom told her softly, doing her best to stop the dam that had been broken.
“Mom, I am so lost,” she told her miserably.
“So am I, and together, we will find our path again.”
I didn’t wish to break their embrace or even disrupt the grieving pair, but I had to.
“Jade,” I said in earnest, even though she told me to call her love earlier… I was merely using her given name to let her know this was important. “The whole pack feels your sorrow, and I mean that in a physical way. We are experiencing some discomfort, some more than others… And while it is not my place to say this, but maybe you should rest for a little bit?”
She turned to me, a little bit of a frown on her face, “What do you mean?”
“As of late, as you became more in tune with your wolf, and you grew closer to the pack, some odd happenings, which I cannot call coincidences, began to occur. Your mood seems to affect the whole pack, and not just me as your mate.”
“How is that even possible?” She asked as she took a tissue from Luc, handed it to her mom, and then took one for herself and wiped her eyes.
“Your wolf is more powerful than you think, and I don’t mean by that just her healing abilities,” I retorted. “The resonance I used to be the only one to feel in times of great emotional turmoil or happiness, has now spread to the entire pack.”
“Jade, sweetheart,” her mom cooed in a soft tone only mothers could manage, “You’re making the whole pack angsty. I know the pain is anogizing right now, but please have your wolf help you put a lid on it somehow. We cannot endanger the pack further.”
Saying that, Lucille Falls went to sit on the nearby sofa, and led Jade there as well.
Just as Jade was about to sit next to her mom, she clutched her belly, and fell sideways, almost as if she couldn’t help herself.
“Jade?” All three of us let out in unison, our concern for her obvious.
I couldn’t help but notice that the part of me that seemed to be grieving was now worried more than anything else. I knew then, before I even reached her, that Jade had passed out.
This day was definitely pushing on my last nerve, and doing its best to bring me to the edge of my sanity.