“No. I’m okay.”
Selene sat down beside him, trying to be patient.
“Considering she was a human, Professor Matthews acted more like a spider. I explained how she drew me in. As you might imagine, I distanced myself from Jessica during this time because I was confused and didn’t know what to say to her about what was happening. I’d gotten myself tangled in her web so quickly and thoroughly.” He bared his teeth. “But the phone rang three days later and it was her.”
“You hadn’t spoken to her since it started?” Selene’s voice felt thin and weak.
“No. Jessica called to invite me to a charity performance at a theater in Carlton City. She was attending with her parents, the leaders of Crescent Star pack. My parents had already invited me and my siblings to the same event. I said I couldn’t go because I couldn’t face her after what had happened with Matthews. I told myself I’d use the time to figure out a way to stop it from ever happening again. My sister couldn’t go either because she was finishing an intense veterinary medicine program at the time. And Silas couldn’t go because he was a new detective and he was working that night.” Jason’s voice petered out at the end until she could barely hear him. She threaded her fingers into his and squeezed.
“It’s understandable. Anyone might do the same in your shoes.”
He turned his head to look at her, his green eyes as cutting and bright as emeralds. “The rest is history. My parents, her parents, and Jessica were gunned down in the Harlequin Theater at that performance. That call was the last time I heard Jessica’s voice. Not only did I miss Silas’s call to tell me they were dead, but I possibly missed my last chance to have a true mate, a fated mate. I never spoke to my parents after that day either. The memory you saw, that was the day my wolf broke. I felt it happen like a snap. My inner beast is feral, Selene. It’s why I didn’t want you here, no matter how much I believed you could help. You can’t trust me, ever. Inside, I’m broken.” He lifted a hand to his chest. “My wolf is damaged. Irreparable.”
Selene’s lips parted, and she took a tiny sip of air, trying her best not to react to the revelation, not to feel the aching pain that rolled off Jason like a fog and settled right over her heart. The look on his face said it all. He loathed himself. Loathed what he’d done.
Standing from her chair, Selene knelt in front of him on the concrete, placing her hands on top of his.
“You couldn’t have known what would happen. It isn’t your fault.”
“No? Maybe if I’d had a spine. If I’d stood up to her… maybe I would have gone with Jessica to that stupid play, and maybe I could have stopped Alex.”
“Maybe. Or you might have been another of his victims. Jessica was a potential mate. That means she wanted the best for you, just like you did for her. If she were here, I believe that she, like your parents, would feel happy you survived. If they were here, they’d tell you they forgive you for that day and many others. They’d want you to forgive yourself.”
“How do you know?” Jason’s green eyes were wet with unshed tears.
“I’m an acolyte, Jason.” Selene squeezed his hands. “Goddess willing, it’s my job to know.”
ChapterSixteen
Jason’s head pounded like the drum line in a subpar marching band. He’d hoped he could work a little, knew that after four days his inbox would be full, but after staring at a single email for the better part of an hour, he conceded he wasn’t ready.
Shuffling from his room, he found Selene curled in the leather chair with one of the books from the library in the guest room. She didn’t appear to be reading it, however. Her violet eyes stared past the page seemingly lost in a daydream.
“How about a movie?” Jason asked.
“Please.” She closed the book. “If you’re not too tired. It’s getting late.”
“I’ve spent days in bed.” He grimaced. “I have no desire to go back there. Not yet.”
“What do you want to watch?”
“I have every streaming service known to man. Pick your poison.”
She snagged the remote off the coffee table and turned on the television. He watched her fold her legs underneath her on the sofa as she flipped through her options. What would she pick? Did acolytes even watch TV?
“Here we go.” She clicked on an icon and tossed the remote back on the coffee table.
Jason smiled. “The Lord of the Rings? A strange choice for an acolyte.”
“It’s a classic! What do you think acolytes should watch?”
“The Sound of Music,” Jason responded immediately.
Selene’s mouth dropped open. “You do understand I don’t make my own clothes from my curtains.”
He raised a brow at her thrift-store jeans and T-shirt combo. “You paid for that?”
She gasped in feigned outrage. “Not everyone needs or can afford monogrammed dress shirts,PrinceJason. How much did you pay for the privilege of looking like a pretentious asshat?” She flipped him the bird.
