Page 230 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

“Sure, of course,” he said. His hands were in his pockets, and he hadn’t looked at me since we started walking. It sharply contrasted with how things had started—just before he revealed that Night had sent a killing squad after Troy.

“Bryn, I feel awful about what happened back there.”

“It’s fine,” I replied. But my tone was so flat, I wouldn’t have believed myself.

He winced. “Still, it sucks that I broke the news to you like that. If I had known?—”

“It’s fine, I get it. It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you, Jasper.” I really wanted to leave it at that. I’d talked with Dom about Night’s secret, but my heart was still tender. The queasiness in my stomach didn’t help in the slightest. “You were just following Night’s orders, after all.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek and looked down. He looked so guilty thatIfelt guilty by proxy. That was frustrating because I knew I wasn’t wrong to be upset about the situation, though I was trying not to take it out on him. I really,reallywished I could let it go, but the more I thought about it, the tighter the angry fist in my chest got. That was the reason I wanted to get to my mom’s. She was great at putting things into perspective for me.

I sighed as we got closer to her cabin. “Listen, Jasper,” I said. “Night is my soulmate, so it’s not like I’ll be mad about this forever. We’ll work through it somehow. Eventually. I’m sorry I haven’t been better company on this walk?—”

“You don’t have to apologize for that,” he protested.

“—but I need some time to think and process all of this on my own time, you know?” We stopped at my mom’s front door, and I patted Jasper’s shoulder. “I hope I see you again before you head back home.”

He still looked guilt-stricken, but he pulled up a smile for me. “I hope so, too. And I hope it’s under better circumstances, huh?”

I tried to smile back, though my heart wasn’t in it. Jasper was a good guy, if a little sensitive. We said our goodbyes, and I went into the cabin just as my mother came down the stairs.

“Oh,” she said. “I thought I heard you talking outside. Were you with Night?”

I shook my head and headed into the living room. I collapsed onto the old couch with fabric sewn patchwork style over the exposed tufts of filling. We’d had to make a lot of repairs over the years, but it was still the most comfortable couch I’d ever sat on.

“Ah.” Mom followed me into the living room but leaned against the doorframe. “I take it things aren’t going well between you and your mate?”

I heaved out a sigh. “Not really. We’re kinda in the middle of a fight.”

“It’s not about the baby, is it?”

I shook my head again. “No. It’s something else.”

“Okay, well, before we get into this fight, how are you feeling? Still nauseous?”

I nodded. “I threw up before I came over here.”

“I’ll get you some tea.” She turned and headed into the kitchen. She was gone for just a few minutes, and the familiar sounds of boiling water and pottery clanking against the counter was soothingly nostalgic. Mom was back quickly, handing me the tea. She’d also gotten herself some salsa and corn chips.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, accepting the mug.

She offered the paper bag of chips, and after a moment of hesitation, I accepted a handful of them, munching on them while we spoke.

“Now,” she said, easing into the old armchair, “tell me what’s been going on.”

I took a deep breath and told her about the hunting party. I wasn’t sure whether I should mention that Troy had attacked a small pack. Night and I hadn’t discussed whether it was safe for other people to know, so I wanted to give that development the gravity it deserved. The whole compound already knew that Troywas on the loose, so there was nothing wrong with talking about it.

When I finished, I took a long sip of my tea, which had cooled down.

Mom’s lips were pursed in thought. “So, it sounds to me,” she began, “like the issue is communication.”

“That’s the long and short of it.”

“You feel Night doesn’t respect you enough to tell you the important things.”

I nodded. “I know the Wargs’ council put him in a difficult position, but when he got back, he omitted the part about the hunting party because he knew it would upset me. He told me everything else the council told him, and that’s arguably just as upsetting. He left out the bit about the hunting party because I’d told him not to do it.”

“I understand why that hurts you, baby. It’s awful when you don’t feel like you’re on equal footing in a relationship.”