“You forget, Matt—I’ve seen him,” he said. “He’s dangerous, and that pack of his don’t mess around. I’m not putting you all at risk like that.”
“If someone attacks one of my pack, they attack all of us.” Matt unclenched his jaw just enough to growl out the words.
And Jesse snapped. For fuck’s sake, couldn’t Mattsee? “I ain’t a part of your damnpack.”
He flung the words like missiles, watched them land, and the devastation that followed.
Matt was frozen in place. He was pale, his eyes dark and shocked. Like Jesse had taken an ax to the root of him.
Jesse had expected a snarl, some alpha command to tell him hewaspart of Matt’s pack, damnit. Not this stunned, hollow silence. Jesse’s breath stuttered. He had to leave before he changed his mind. No way was he going to be the cause of Matt getting hurt. Nor the rest of them, because Tristan and Jason and Dave weren’t anywhere near a match for the fight-hardened wolves he’d encountered.
“I ain’t doing it, Matt.” He made it sound like defiance, because otherwise, he’d shatter. “You ain’t putting that on me. I’m leaving, and that’s final.”
Matt twitched slightly, as if he wanted to reach for Jesse to stop him. But he didn’t.
Jesse turned and forced himself to walk out, his chest tight with grief.
Chapter Twenty-seven
JESSE
He found himself in the kitchen, the place where he’d begun to feel he belonged. It was gloomy in the dusk, suiting Jesse just fine as he dropped into what had become ‘his’ chair. He had to go, had to leavenow,but he just needed a moment so he could remember how to breathe.
He knew he’d hurt Matt, maybe hurt him beyond telling, but better that than Matt ending up dead.
He’d get up and leave. Any minute now. Because every minute the darkness was growing.
The thump of swift footsteps on the porch outside made him freeze. He didn’t want to see anyone else, didn’t want a conversation. Just wanted to get out. He was already standing when the sound of his name stopped him.
“You know I don’t give a flying fuck about Jesse.” Christian’s voice, hard and angry.
One of his social workers used to say eavesdroppers never heard anything good. Jesse didn’t care. Not if it gave him an advantage. He stayed where he was, straining his ears and wondering how he could hear so easily. As he made out a couple of figures on the porch, he realized the window was open.
“But it’s notabout—”
“It fucking is and you know it. You’re telling me Cale would be sniffing around if we didn’t have a fucking Argent leeching off us?”
“Christian.” Dave’s voice was calm, soft and smooth. Like he spent his time soothing Christian’s jagged edges. “You’re changing the subject. That’s not what this is about.”
“Yeah, it’s aboutyou.You’re not going out there, not when Matt said no onehadto. I don’t care what you say.” His voice, tight with barely controlled temper, held the ring of finality.
“For God’s sake, Christian.” Dave’s calm was slipping. “You alwaysdothis. You always decide what’s best for me, then get pissed when I won’t fall in line.” There was the sound of a deep, unsteady breath. “I get to decide what I think is worth fighting for. Not you.”
“Worthdyingfor?” Christian’s voice was raw, and Jesse very quietly slid toward the door. He had no business hearing this.
“Butyou’regoing out there. If you’re—if you don’t come back… Do you think I just stop being your mate?”
Dave’s strained words, full of pain, haunted Jesse as he headed for his room. They kept going around his head as he shoved his belongings into his duffel. He was doing exactly the right thing, getting out before death and destruction could rain down on this pack who’d done nothing but welcome him.
Except… thepainin Dave’s voice at the thought of being left behind.
Oh, God. The breath punched out of Jesse and he sat back on his heels, mouth open in shock. No. No, that wasn’t what he was doing. Hewasn’tlike Christian, deciding what was best for Matt. Deciding he’d be left to live in pain after Jesse—hismate—had gone.
Matt had made a differentchoice, and Jesse had taken that away from him.
But if the alternative was Matt’s death, therewasno other choice. Jesse swallowed hard. So why did it feel so damn wrong?
He sat frozen, mind whirling yet getting nowhere. He heard Tristan’s voice and Bryce’s low rumbling answers from the kitchen. He heard the back door bang, and then Jason’s quiet voice asking something. But he couldn’t hear the one person he was listening for.
