After he’d let Karl go again, he climbed to his feet and found himself wondering. The bond of pack was stronger than anything he’d ever known. Could it really be possible Colby didn’t feel that tie to Cale’s pack? He’d believed it when faced with the reality of them and how Colby stood apart. But Matt’s certainty had burrowed under his skin like a burr.
Then he caught Colby’s scent—that warm, goodsomething. He remembered the second right before they ran, how Colby had looked at him, and his doubts disappeared.
He couldn’t unbolt the stall door fast enough. He had to see for himself that Colby was okay. The shared terror of their escape was something no one else would ever understand.
His heart clenched at what he found. Colby was sitting against the wall, his legs drawn up and his fingers twisted in his borrowed sweats. He looked small, despite his size, as if he’d folded in on himself. And he was slow to raise his head as Tristan stepped through the door. No shifter could have been unaware of Tristan’s approach and presence, and for an instant, anxiety spiked that Colby was somehow injured.
But as he raised his head and met Tristan’s gaze, he realized—Colby was exhausted, almost past endurance. He had nothing left.
“Colby,” Tristan breathed. Relief flooded through him. Colby was safe. However bad he looked, he was here and he was safe.
He stooped to put the plate and mug down on the floor, and as he did, Colby pushed to his feet.
Tristan hadn’t planned it, but he couldn’t not go to Colby. Still filled with ease and warmth from hugging Karl, he crossed the space between them and wrapped his arms tight around him.
“We did it,” he said, voice thick. “We made it.”
Fora breathless second, Colby stood stiff in his arms. Then he melted. His arms came around Tristan, holding him as if he needed this—neededhim—just as much.
And something shifted, as if the whole world realigned. Like Tristan had finally stepped into the place he’d been meant to fit all along.
He pressed in closer without thinking, drawing in a breath against Colby’s neck. The ugly heaviness of Nico’s scent had faded, and underneath the grime and borrowed clothes and dried blood lay that same warm hint of cedar he remembered.
At first, it was comfort, everything he’d ever wanted. Then his body caught up. Colby was pressed against him, smelling incredible, and oh, shit—things were happening to his cock that really shouldn’t be happening.
Tristan pulled back, his face burning. “Sorry,” he muttered, stepping away quickly. “That wasn’t—I didn’t mean—uh. I brought you something to eat, but I’ve just realized you might not like blueberries. Maybe I should have brought a selection. Sorry. But there’s coffee. And if you need the bathroom, ask Karl. He’s just outside.”
Surprise flickered across Colby’s face before he controlled it, but his eyes remained intent on Tristan. “You’re okay?” he asked, voice low.
“Yeah.” Tristan grinned at him, and a small, shy smile curved Colby’s lips. Like he hadn’t expected to see Tristan again. Like he wasgladto see him again.
And that smile… He hadn’t seen Colby smile before, he realized, and it hit him hard just how much he wanted to keep seeing it. The face that had been so expressionless, heavy in stillness, lightened until Colby looked about ten years younger. Notthatmuch older than Tristan, in fact. Hot, too. Like,reallyhot, with his square jaw, and faint sun frecklesdusting his nose.
But the freckles were scattered among bruises, and a healing split lip tugged awkwardly at the corner of that smile. Brutal, silent reminders of where Colby had come from. Unease stirred in Tristan again. He didn’twantto believe Matt’s warning, but he had to be sure.
Tristan stepped back, letting his eyes move over Colby again. He wasn’t simply the man who’d held him close, who’d run with him through the night, but a man who had belonged to a pack like Cale’s.
“I need to ask you something,” he said. His voice came out too sharp. He didn’t want to break whatever fragile thing was growing between them, but he couldn’t carry on with this doubt leaking poison inside him.
The shift in Colby’s expression was immediate. His face became expressionless, his shoulders stiffened, and something shuttered behind his eyes.
“When Cale’s pack came here, when they fought us. Were you one of those wolves?”
For a moment, Colby said nothing. Then he shook his head once. “No.”
Relief fluttered in Tristan’s chest.
Colby glanced away. “I would’ve been,” he added quietly. “But they left me behind because I was hurt.”
The knot in Tristan’s chest tightened again. Colby hadn’t expressed shame or remorse. He’d just confessed that he’d have done it, like it meant nothing. Disappointment and disillusionment sat heavy in Tristan’s gut.
“Why?” His voice shook with the force of his emotions. “Why would you attack people who’d never done anything to hurt you? You almostkilled—”
Just in time, he stopped himself naming Jesse. It was possible Cale’s pack still didn’t know that Jesse was the Argent. Suddenly, Colby was one of Cale’s pack again, not Colby.
Colby shook his head, looking at the ground in front of him instead of meeting Tristan’s accusing stare. “You don’t say no in Cale’s pack,” he said. “Not if you want—” He broke off, biting down on his lip for a moment.
Finally, he looked up at Tristan, his eyes filled with what looked like shame. “I told myself I didn’t have a choice, but that’s not it,” he confessed. “There’salwaysa choice. I just didn’t have the guts to make it.”
