Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 44

**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins**
**Chapter 44**

**Maya**

The passage of time had become an enigma, a blur of indistinguishable moments that left me disoriented. I couldn’t tell if it was the break of dawn or the cloak of night enveloping me.

The curtains were drawn tightly, casting the room in a perpetual glow of warm gold, a hue that never shifted or faded. It was as if the very fabric of reality was conspiring to erase my sense of time, leaving me adrift in a timeless void.

A persistent ache throbbed in my throat, a lingering reminder of the injection I had received two days prior. The dreams had not ceased since then, each one more vivid than the last, each one a haunting tapestry woven with threads of fear and longing.

Every time I surrendered to sleep, silver eyes flashed before me, glimmering like distant stars. I saw the river, its waters flowing with an ancient wisdom, and I heard a name whispered softly in a language that felt foreign yet intimate—Astrid.

With each awakening, my hands trembled uncontrollably, a physical manifestation of my internal turmoil. I pressed my palms against the cool surface of the collar encircling my neck, seeking solace in the faint hum that pulsed beneath my fingertips. That sound became my tether to reality, a reminder that I was still ensnared in a body that felt alien, a prisoner in my own skin.

As the clock struck the usual hour, dinner slid silently through the slot in the door, a familiar ritual that had lost all meaning. I left it untouched, the scent wafting through the air a cruel echo of the meals I had ignored for days.

It was the same as yesterday, as it had been the day before—this place was a never-ending loop of sterile monotony, a nightmare from which I could not awaken.

I had stopped shedding tears two nights ago; they had only served to intensify the sting of the collar, a futile release that accomplished nothing.

So, I sat on the edge of the bed, my gaze fixed on the faint shimmer in the air, where the ward around the window warped the world outside.

Beyond that distortion lay Caden, Leo, and even Tylon, their presence a flickering hope in the darkness.

“Please hurry,” I whispered into the silence, my voice barely audible, a plea that hung in the air like a fragile dream.

A small click startled me, drawing my attention to the door.

I froze, my heart racing as I realized the lock remained intact, yet voices drifted through the barrier, muffled but clear enough to grasp.

“…told you, they’ll make us move her before dawn,” one voice stated, the urgency palpable.

“Why? The order’s not till tomorrow,” another replied, skepticism lacing his tone.

“Because the Nightshade heir’s stupid enough to try something tonight.”

Every nerve in my body went taut at the mention of Caden’s name.

The sound of it, coupled with his title, shattered the stillness within me like fragile glass. I leaned closer, straining to hear, my breath caught in a tumult of hope and dread.

“Do you think he’ll actually show?” the other guard grunted, skepticism still tinging his words.

“They always do. That’s what love does to Alphas—it makes them reckless.”

A bitter laugh followed, echoing in the dimness. “Maybe the Council will let us watch when they break him this time. They allowed him to come in the first time and disrespect Mr. Crane. I doubt they’ll be so lenient a second time, despite their plans for the heirs to be future council members. Isn’t that why they let them get away with so much?”

My stomach churned at the implications.

This was too much to process in a single moment. Caden had been here before? When? How had I not known?

And did they just imply that the council was preparing Tylon, Caden, and Leo to ascend to future positions of power?

That revelation was monumental, yet a nagging feeling told me they would thwart that ambition.

Their conversation continued, but the words melded into a blur, fading beneath the rush of blood pounding in my ears. All I could focus on was that single word—tonight.

He was coming for me.

Driven by an instinct I couldn’t suppress, I moved without thinking.

My hands scrambled for the lock, even though deep down I recognized the futility of the action. My heart thudded loudly in my chest, drowning out the sound of the hinges as I pulled. I had to escape, had to reach Caden before they could inflict harm upon him.

The collar vibrated ominously, a warning that reverberated through my very being.

“Please,” I whispered to it, desperation lacing my voice as I clawed at the door again. “Just let me—”

Pain surged through me like a lightning bolt, electrifying every nerve. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor, air escaping my lungs in a strangled gasp.

The room spun around me, a dizzying whirl of confusion as I tried to crawl forward. Each inch I moved sent another jolt of agony up my spine, sharper and more intense than the last. The collar pulsed in rhythm with my frantic heartbeat, tightening its grip with every throb.

I barely managed to inch halfway through the door before I succumbed completely, my cheek pressed against the cool marble floor. Silent tears slid down my face, pooling on the ground, a testament to my despair.

The guards’ laughter echoed from the end of the hall, their voices muffled and distant, oblivious to my suffering on the other side of the wall.

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