Chapter 70
\nMarked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 70<\/p>\n
Chapter 70 I Can\u2019t Help You<\/p>\n
Chapter 70 I Can\u2019t Help You<\/p>\n
Peggie\u2019s POV:<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t been able to reach Jake for days, and it was driving me crazy.<\/p>\n
Finally, I got the truth out of Jorge\u2013Jake was in the hospital.<\/p>\n
I rushed to make some chicken soup and was about to take it to him.<\/p>\n
But the second I stepped outside, I froze. Standing at the door was the woman I hated most in this world\u2013Ursa Pearson.<\/p>\n
She was dressed head to toe in a custom designer suit, looking like she owned the place. A bodyguard trailed behind her.<\/p>\n
Ursa was the Luna of the Iceclaw Pack. My mother? She was nothing but the other woman, an escort from the human world. Consequently, the pack never accepted me. Ursa had spent years tearing me down, making sure I never forgot my place.<\/p>\n
I glared at her. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ursa kept that smug, elegant look on her face as she looked me up and down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that how you talk to your elders? You should be calling me Luna.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let out a bitter laugh. \u201cLuna? Did I hear you right? The same woman who always wished I\u2019d disappear, who treated me like I was a fly buzzing around her head. You want me to call you Luna? What\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She had always despised me, always found new ways to crush me.<\/p>\n
And my father listened to her every word. He turned a blind eye while I suffered.<\/p>\n
If it weren\u2019t for Jake, I probably wouldn\u2019t even be alive.<\/p>\n
He was my only lifeline, my one source of hope. That\u2019s why I had to hold onto him, no matter what.<\/p>\n
Ursa cut to the chase and told me, \u201cMuses is entering the domestic market. Our pack runs luxury malls. You\u2019re going to talk to Jake for us. Have him introduce our mall to Muses\u2019s principal.\u201d<\/p>\n
My face burned hot with anger. \u201cWhy would I help you? I hate you, and I hate everyone in Iceclaw. Do you think I\u2019m stupid?\u201d \u201cWhy?\u201d she pressed, still towering over me. \u201cAsk yourself that. You may hate us, but deep down you\u2019ve always wanted Lincoln to accept you. You want to be recognized as the true heiress of the Iceclaws, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her words cut straight into my deepest secret. My chest tightened, and I snapped back, \u201cYou\u2019re lying! He\u2019s not my father!\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t deny it,\u201d Ursa sneered. \u201cWithout that title, a half\u2013breed like you would be lucky to marry into some weak, low\u2013rank pack. But if you help us bring Muses into our mall, I can make sure you get everything you\u2019ve always wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t!\u201d The words shot out of my mouth before I could stop them.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, really?\u201d Ursa\u2019s lips curved in disdain. \u201cMy offer stands until the end of the month. After that, if the pack secures the deal on our own, you\u2019ll have nothing to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that, she turned on her heels and walked to the luxury car waiting at the curb.<\/p>\n
I stood frozen, fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white.<\/p>\n
Half an hour later, I found myself at Jake\u2019s VIP hospital room.<\/p>\n
+20 Free Coins<\/p>\n
When I pushed the door open, he was sitting up in bed. Jake looked pale in his hospital gown, a laptop propped on a tray in front of<\/p>\n
him.<\/p>\n
His face was pallid, but he was still working.<\/p>\n
\u201cJake, what happened to you? Are you still feeling sick? I\u2019m worried sick about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hurried to his bedside, set the thermos on the table, and looked at him with worry written all over my face.<\/p>\n
He lifted his eyes at the sound of my voice. \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes brimmed with tears. I gazed at him with all the fear and worry I felt, making sure he could see it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard from Jorge that you passed out in the office and ended up in the hospital. Why didn\u2019t you tell me? I was so scared. If anything happened to you, I don\u2019t know if I could go on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he said softly. \u201cYou just had surgery. Go home and rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was calm, but the concern hidden in his words made my heart leap.<\/p>\n
Jake still cared about me!<\/p>\n
I unscrewed the lid of the thermos, poured out a bowl of chicken soup, and handed it to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll leave soon. Just try this soup I make for you. The doctor said your stomach isn\u2019t doing well; you need something nutritious.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t refuse. He took it and sipped once.<\/p>\n
But then he set the bowl back on the table. \u201cPeggie, thank you. I think you should head home.\u201d<\/p>\n
I seized the chance and played it smart, pretending to back off as I said on purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cJake, what I said before was out of anger. Please don\u2019t take it to heart. I was never trying to steal you from Deanna. I\u2019m grateful for you. And I\u2019m worried that once I get better, you\u2019ll stop caring about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his gaze. \u201cI was never frustrated with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew my words had reached him, so I pressed further. \u201cJake, could you please help me with something?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know the principal of Muses, right? Could you help me get Muses to open their shops in the Iceclaw\u2019s luxury mall?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
I leaned closer. My eyes shining with tears. I made sure I looked weak and fragile, like I might break at any second.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how much I\u2019ve suffered all these years in the pack. They treat me badly, but I can\u2019t just turn my back on them. I\u2019m still<\/p>\n
the alpha\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that Muses is expanding here. Iceclaw is fighting for them too. I just want to do something that proves I still care about my pack.\u201d<\/p>\n
The truth was, I didn\u2019t care one bit about helping Iceclaw. I didn\u2019t care about Lincoln\u2019s worthless fatherly love either.<\/p>\n
What I needed was the title of heiress. That was the only way to survive in werewolf society once Jake stopped protecting me.<\/p>\n
Without Jake\u2019s protection, I\u2019d be a laughingstock.<\/p>\n
Jake cares about me so much\u2013this small favor should be nothing for him.<\/p>\n
planned to use that favor as my bargaining chip with Ursa.<\/p>\n
But to my shock, he looked at me with a tone that brooked no argument. \u201cPeggie, I can\u2019t help you with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment I thought I\u2019d misheard.<\/p>\n
stared at him, wide\u2013eyed and stunned. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-2153","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}