“Figured you should know, Tom’s on his way.”
Bryce’s stomach turned over. “Why?” he asked, and bit his lip at the aggression in his tone. Friendship wouldn’t protect him from his alpha’s discipline, and the frown in Matt’s eyes underlined that.
“Sorry, Matt,” he said swiftly. “But why’s he coming?” Despite his best effort, his voice warbled with the shock of it. “I thought he’d gone back to Washington.”
“Apparently not, and he wants to talk to me and Jesse.”
“Okay, so I’ll just—”
“And you need to be there.”
Bryce was shaking his head before Matt had finished speaking. “Matt, I can’t. Don’t make me.” The plea escaped before he could stop it.
Matt was merciless. Part of what made him such a good alpha. “You have to. Running away from this won’t solve anything. If you’re determined you don’t want your mate, you need to be able to face that decision and its consequences.”
Matt looked over to the mountains, his eyes narrowed against the sun. “There’s two of you involved in this, and I saw the way he looked this morning. You owe it to him to make it as easy as possible on him, and if that means seeing him and explaining, that’s what you need to do.”
“Owe it?” Bryce was vibrating with fury. “That’spreciselywhy this whole mate thing is bullshit. I don’t owe him anything just because some random biological urge tells me to be with him.”
Matt turned his gaze on Bryce, and sympathy was in his eyes. “It’s more than that,” he said. “So very much more. But if you won’t see it, I can’t make you.” He glanced away. “Be in the house in fifteen minutes. As much as anything else, I need you there as my beta. You know this guy better than any of us and I need you to read him, weigh what he’s saying and how truthful he’s being. What’s he like?”
Bryce’s throat clicked as he tried to swallow, his mouth dry. “He’s a good guy,” he said at last. “He’s sharp and observant, and he’s got principles and compassion.” He attempted to huff a laugh, but it didn’t really work. “Can’t for the life of me see what he’s doing in politics.”
“Can’t for the life of me see why you’re rejecting him if he’s everything you say,” Matt said, and turned away. “We’re going to talk about this, Bryce, because I know you. It’s going to eat you up inside, and I don’t want that for you.”
Bryce’s eyes burned as he bent to pick up the piece of wood again. He’d never had any defenses against Matt.
“I’ll be there,” he said abruptly. The surge of triumph from his wolf was instant—bright and eager. Bryce stamped it down. Just like he would for the rest of his life if he had to.
Chapter Twenty-two
TOM
Jesse opened the front door and showed Tom to a small, dark room. Bryce was already there.
Tom’s chest clenched. He’d hoped—futilely—that he might avoid seeing him.
Bryce didn’t react, just nodded once, face unreadable. That helped a little. As did the knowledge Maria had already booked his flight back to DC. Once he’d decided what he was going to do, he’d known there was no reason to stay any longer. Just a few short hours, and he’d never have to see Bryce again.
He laid out Councilor Steadman’s concerns, then sat back in his chair with a slight sigh. So maybe he hadn’t done what he’d been tasked to do, but really, these were intelligent people. What they chose to do was their decision, no matter what Steadman thought. She was progressive in her views compared to Bennett, but even she’d fallen into the trap of thinking she knew better than the people she’d been elected to represent.
“What’s your view on this?”
“Excuse me?” Tom shook from his thoughts, where he’d been hiding so he wouldn’t have to look at Bryce, and met Matt’s gaze.
“You’re informed and, according to what Bryce tells me, you’re smart.” Tom couldn’t help glancing sideways at Bryce, who gave him a forced smile before looking away again. “You must have an opinion on whether Jesse should go public straight away or if we should wait.”
Tom wasn’t used to having his opinion asked on matters of policy, and he bought himself time by shrugging out of his jacket. As he carefully folded the jacket over the back of the leather armchair he was sitting in, he considered whether to play this politically or be honest. Honesty won out. He might want Steadman’s approval, but this was Jesse’slife.
“I think Councilor Steadman’s right to be cautious,” he said. “There’s still a lot of suspicion out there about shifters and what we want. Bennett—I mean,CouncilorBennett, doesn’t appreciate that sometimes it’s worth taking the long-term view. But it doesn’t matter what I think, or what any of the councilors believe. It’s Jesse’s life. It’s his decision.”
Matt’s eyes rested on him for some time before he looked over at Bryce. “Have I told you lately you make terrible decisions?” he asked, his voice dry but not unkind. He glanced back at Tom. “Give us ten minutes.”
“Sure.” Tom stood up, then hesitated, unsure where he should go.
“There’s coffee in the kitchen,” Bryce said, his voice hoarse.
Tom nodded and retreated. Walking away from Bryce wasn’t getting any easier, but hopefully this would be the last time. Matt and Jesse would make their decision and he could leave and this whole clusterfuck would be over.
