A Wolf's Purpose

•Chapter 23• Big Brothers

"We didn't think we would ever see you again," Jayden tells his little sister. They embraced her as tightly as they could. She didn't care. "I am so sorry. For what I did to you. I'm sorry." She sobbed. "It's all right," Jayden whispered to her. Megan and Liz locked eyes for a brief second. Liz just shrugged, not knowing what to say. Megan turned back to the siblings. Behind them appeared a man. He wasn't their father or their uncle. "Guys," Megan spoke up. The boys lifted their heads. Jade glanced over her shoulder. "You," Jack said. The triplets recognized him. He was the friend of their father. He's the one that told them he was dead. "I would've come alone, but he wouldn't let me," Jade informs her brothers. "You also fainted twice before you got to the car," Ian tells her. The triplets turned their heads to her again. "You fainted?" Jerry asks her. "Twice?" Jayden added. "It was a lot to take in. I didn't know you guys were out. I saw it on the news." Jade explained. One of her brothers leaned in a bit. He narrowed his eyes at her, making the other's frown. "Hey, what's that under your nose?" Jack questioned. The triplets all shifted to look at her nose. "What?" Jade replied. Jayden lifted her chin slightly. "Is that blood?" he questioned. "You never have nose bleeds." Jerry pointed out.

"I'm fine. It's just some dried-up blood. Don't worry about it." Jade shrugs. Her older brothers continued to look for injuries. She carefully pushed them away. "It's fine." She assured them. "You had a nose bleed and you fainted?" Jerry questioned. "Doesn't sound fine to me," Jayden says. "Well, I-" Jade started. "Are you dizzy now?" Jack asks her. Jayden raised his hand to feel her forehead. "Will you guys...stop... Stop it!!" She exclaimed. Her brothers withdrew their hands. "I'm fine." She assured them. She took a step back. "Can't believe you still worry about me after what I did." She mumbled. "That doesn't matter," Jayden tells her. "You should hate me," Jade replied. Her brothers just looked at her. A kind look in their eyes. "We might've been a little mad at first. I think I speak for all of us. You're okay. We're not mad anymore. You're here, that's what matters." he tells her. Jade forced a little smile. "We're still here, right?" Jayden pointed out. "Well, Jerry barely didn't make it," Jack said. Jerry glared at him. "Dude," He says. Jack let out a chuckle. "You barely made it through the questioning." Jayden points out. "That's different. I was scared they cracked my laptop or something." Jack shrugged. "I don't even want to know," Jerry said.

 She looked up and glanced around the room. She furrowed her eyebrows when her eyes fell on Liz. She turned to her brothers. "Liz?" She questioned. A smirk appeared on the two oldest triplets. Jerry awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, leaving Jade wondering. "Jerry's banging her." Jack blurted out. "What?" Jade says in shock. "Can I hit him?" Jerry asks. She locked eyes with Liz who tried to hide her blush. Jade turned her head back to Jerry. "Dude," She says. "I'm not banging her!" Jerry cut her off. "Bet you want to, though," Jayden smirked. "What I do with my girlfriend is none of your business," Jerry tells his brother. Jade looked at Liz again. "Really? Him?" She questioned. "Thanks," Jerry says. His sister shrugged and walked up to Liz. She immediately made eye contact with Megan. "I owe you an apology as well." She says awkwardly. Megan shook her head. "No, you don't. It's alright. We're just one big mess. I'm glad you're here." The girl replied. Jade nodded in response. "There is actually something I need to tell you." She started. Her brothers joined them again. "About Dad?" Jack questioned. Jade furrowed her eyebrows. "What? Do you know?" She asks them. "They told us back in prison." Jerry continued, "About his grave being opened." He said. Jayden let out a chuckle. "Yeah, they actually thought we did that." He added. Jade stayed silent.

Everyone looked at her weirdly. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Ian briefly. "Dad's alive." She says. "That could be a problem. We buried him. Maybe he climbed out." Jack responded. Jade rolled her eyes and looked at the others. "I'm being serious. Dad's alive. He faked his death." She explained. "Jade-" Jayden started. "He came to me. He was right in front of me. I know what I saw. I know what he said. It was him." She cut him off sternly. Ian joined the teenagers. He stood behind Jade, placing his hands on her arms. "She's telling the truth," he says. "I'd love to hear it from someone else. Where's Louis?" Jayden questioned. "With Dad back in Chesterfield," Jade answered. "You went to Chesterfield?" Jayden said a little louder than he intended. "I didn't go by myself," Jade replied, "Louis was with me." She added. "Jade, Dad's dead," Jerry tells her calmly. "No, he's not. And he wasn't sick. He was cured by something. Come on, why would I lie about this?" She asks them. They had nothing to say to that. Jade let out a sigh. "I know it's a lot to take in. But I'm not lying. Why else would I come here after what I did?" She says, "I want to make things right." She mumbled. 

Someone entered the room, making everyone look up. Andrew stepped inside the room. Jade sucked in a breath. "What are we talking about?" Andrew asked. His eyes soon found the girl standing near her brothers. He took a step back. "You're here." He says. "You're here," Jade replied. An awkward silence followed right after that. A small flickering of light appeared in her eyes as she looked at him. "Anyone else feeling like a third wheel?" Jack whispered. "Shut up." His two brothers and Megan told him. He holds up his hands in defense. "Just saying, this is awkward." He whispered again. Andrew looked at Megan and Jayden. "Uh, he's asking for Megan again." He says. Megan groaned. "I told you," Jayden started, "I told you not to confront him by yourself. Now he's gotten into your head." He continued. "I heard you the first time, Jay," Megan replied. "He's not wrong," Jack admitted. She lifted her chin to look at the boy. "I know," Megan responded.

"Wait, who's in there?" Jade questioned. Jayden looked at his sister. "We kind of took Eric as a hostage after he tried to kill us." He answered. Jade looked at her other brothers and then back at Ian. "You are so chaotic." He sighed quietly. "You took him as a hostage?" Jade asks them. "We couldn't kill him," Jack says. "You almost did, though," Jerry mumbled. "Yeah, but I didn't," Jack replied. "I will go talk to him," Megan says. Jack almost jumped up. He grasped her arm and pulled her back, earning a glare from his older brother. "Not a chance," Jack said, "I'm not letting you go back there." He added. "He's not yelling as long as we do as he says. When he does that then this is all for nothing. Just let me talk to him." Megan responded. Jade watches them. "Sounds more like he's holding you hostage. Just saying." She says. Jerry looked at his sister and shrugged. "I have the perfect solution," Jade spoke up. Everyone looked at her. "I will talk to him." She says. She was already walking towards Andrew. Ian follows close behind. "I don't think-" Her brother started. Jade was already gone before he could finish his sentence. 

"Sweetie, I-" Eric started when he heard someone approaching him. He cut himself off when his eyes fell on the Salvini daughter. "I didn't expect to see you here." He says. Ian pulls out a chair for her without saying a word to her or Eric. "Brought your guard dog, I see," Eric says. Jade sat in front of him on the chair. She folded her arms over her chest. "And you're without yours." She responded. "Back with your brothers, huh?" he questioned. She shrugged. "I saw they got out." She replied. "Well, wasn't that a nice surprise." He chuckled. "I'd keep an eye out if I were you," Jade tells him. "And why's that, princess?" He asked her. "I'm not one to ruin surprises, Mr. Greenwood." She answered, "What do you want from Megan?" She added. "She's my daughter. I want to talk to her." Eric replied. "Well, you're not going to. I'm here. Talk to me." She tells him. He let out another low chuckle. "I'm not talking to you. I need to tell her what you already know. I want to protect her." Eric responded, raising his voice a little. "And what is it that I know, exactly?" She questioned. He shut up from there. No response came. She sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Fine, don't talk." She started, "I've got all day, you know. So does he." She added. Eric looked up at Ian standing by her side. "Meg-" Eric started. "You're not talking to her. You're talking to me." Jade replied sternly.