Tristan swallowed. “Yes, Matt.” And then the crease in his brow cleared and delight dawned in his eyes. “You said Colby’s not a threat. Does thismean—”
“Colby’s staying, for now,” Matt said calmly, and for a disbelieving instant, Colby thought Tristan was about to tackle his alpha in a hug.
“Iknewit,” he said instead, and grinned at Colby, so wide that Colby couldn’t help but smile back.
Urban turned away, clearly deeming the conversation over, and Tristan took a step after him.
“Matt,” he said, suddenly breathless. “There’s something else I need to tell you. And you might want to sit down. Or not. I don’t know, maybe standing’s better for shock. Anyway…”
Urban swung back and looked at him. “Go on.”
Tristan reached for Colby’s hand, threading their fingers together. “We’re mates.”
Urban didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
Colby froze, waiting for the blow to land. This was going to go bad, fast.
“I didn’t plan it,” Tristan rushed on. “Well, obviously, I suppose—it’s not exactly the sort of thing youcanplan. But it’s true, and you need to know.Ineed you to know.”
Urban set his mug down very slowly. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Urban was silent a long time before he turned to Colby. “And you?”
Colby, encouraged by Tristan’s closeness and the fact Urban hadn’t yet exploded, nodded once.
There was another pause before Urban exhaled, dragged a hand down his face, and muttered, “Christ.”
He didn’t say anything else for a long moment. Then he asked, “Does Bryce know?”
Tristan nodded frantically. “Yes! That’s why he was being—why he was—why—”
“Okay, Tristan, I get the picture,” Urban said, with something like a wince. He rubbed his hands over his face.
“Fuck me,” he muttered, as if he were regretting every single one of his life choices and particularly the ones that led to him being alpha of this pack.
“Temptin’ though it sounds, I just did that.”
Colby twisted around, heart thudding in alarm. He’d been so focused on Urban that he hadn’t realized another shifter was standing in the doorway. Short and slight, hair curling around his shoulders, wearing a frayed flannel shirt, he sauntered into the room. His gaze moved from Urban to Tristan, before narrowing on Colby.
“What’s goin’ on?” he asked.
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Urban said, then to Colby’s surprise, he crossed the room and pressed a swift kiss to the guy’s lips. “I’m sure Tristan will fill you in, but I have to go find Bryce.”
The newcomer raised his eyebrows inquiringly at Tristan as Urban left. “Well? Don’t leave me hanging.”
Tristan’s hand tightened around Colby’s. “Jesse, this is Colby. We’re mates.”
Jesse’s eyes widened in shock, but then he narrowed them and took his time studying them both. “You sure ‘bout that?” he asked Tristan. “You’ve just been through something big. Sometimes feelin’ safe can mess with how things look.”
Colby’s stomach dropped, Nico’s voice in his head.You think anyone but me would’ve put up with your shit this long?No one else would have bothered with you.
And now someone else was saying it out loud. Why would Tristan want him? Tristan deserved someone who was whole, someone asspecialas he was. The fact Colby had ever believedotherwise just proved Nico’s point—Colby was as stupid as they came.
“When it’s your mate, you know,” Tristan said, voice strong and confident. “Think about it, Jesse. You know in a way reason can’t touch that Matt’s your mate, don’t you? It’s the same for us. It’s not trauma bonding, if that’s what you’re thinking. We’remates.”
And thepridein his words… Maybe Tristandidsee something worth holding on to.
