Page 19 of Midnight Bond (Wolves of Midnight #5)

JAGGER

“You need to talk to her.”

The words were delivered quietly, but they struck my eardrums like a clashing cymbal. From my horizontal position beneath the newly-repaired Porsche, I continued to tinker with the undercarriage without comment, hoping Kolton would get the message and drop it.

No such luck.

“Brielle has barely spoken to any of us all week. She feels betrayed and rightfully so. We kept the bond a secret like you asked, and although I respected your decision not to tell her, it’s now affecting her health and yours.

Neither of you are eating or sleeping, and that’s something I can’t ignore.

Believe me, I’ve tried. I know just how daunting it is to discover you have a fated mate.

But once the soulmate bond strengthens, you only have two choices. ”

At that, I stopped tinkering and lowered my wrench. “And what are those?”

“Accept or reject the bond. Keeping your distance from Brielle won’t work anymore.

You need to confront this head on and make a choice, one that you clearly communicate with her so there’s no confusion.

You owe that to yourself and to her, as well as to Midnight Pack.

Your turmoil over the bond has made you question my authority, and we both know how dangerous that is.

I consider you my brother, but if this behavior continues, I’ll have no choice but to discipline you accordingly. ”

I knew all this already, but hearing it out loud hit me like a ton of bricks.

If I didn’t get my head screwed on straight soon, I could lose my second in command position.

Even worse, I could get banished from Midnight Pack.

Just the thought sent panic roaring through me, and I quickly set down the wrench before it slipped from my trembling fingers.

Before I could respond to Kolton’s dire words, a distressed cry reached my ears. “Please don’t, Brielle. Please!”

I was out from under the Porsche in a flash, following closely on Kolton’s heels as he strode from the garage to see what the problem was.

At the sight of Brielle heading toward us with two huge suitcases in hand, I stopped dead.

Kolton, however, brushed past her and hurried toward his waddling wife.

“Nora, it’s not safe for you out here. You could fall,” he said and tried to scoop her up.

“I’m not going to fall,” she replied, waving him away so she could continue waddling after her best friend. “Brie, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for not telling you. It was torture keeping this a secret from you, but I promised not to say anything. I know you’re mad, but—”

“I’m not mad,” Brielle interrupted, sweeping past me as if I wasn’t there. “I’m hurt.”

Sudden pain twisted my insides, stealing the breath from my lungs. It was Brielle. Her hurt. Her pain. I’d been feeling it ever since that fateful night at the hotel. Our interactions that day had encouraged the soulmate bond to strengthen, and I could now feel her emotions as a result.

This past week, I’d felt nothing but pain.

Hers. Mine. At this point, I couldn’t tell who it was coming from anymore.

I’d tried to stay busy, tried to distract myself from feeling it.

I’d thrown myself into fixing the Porsche, remaining out here for hours at a time to avoid being near her.

I’d even started using the apartment above the garage, barely stepping foot inside the main house unless absolutely necessary.

But there was no escaping the pain. We were both suffering, both struggling under the bond’s incessant pull. Despite trying to avoid her at all costs, I’d noticed how thin she’d become in just one week. I’d lost weight myself, along with days of sleep.

Kolton was right. Keeping my distance from Brielle wasn’t working anymore. I needed to speak with her. But as she stopped behind her car to load the suitcases into the trunk, it was painfully clear she didn’t want to speak, especially not with me.

Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you going?”

She grabbed the second suitcase and slung it into the trunk, ignoring me completely.

Panic tightened my chest, and I stepped toward her before I could stop myself. “Brielle—”

A powerful arm blocked my path, and I barely suppressed a growl as Kolton wordlessly commanded me to back down. His eyes flashed in warning, and Onyx stirred, responding to my tension.

Stop mate.

I didn’t respond, too busy trying not to show my teeth at Kolton in challenge. With his stern gaze still pinning me in place, he said to Brielle, “I respect your need for space, but we still need to know where you’re going for your own safety.”

She slammed the trunk shut with a loud bang before replying, “Mrs. Bailey has graciously allowed me to stay with her for a while. She’s been lonely ever since Desirae moved out and was all too willing to accommodate me when I asked her.”

Each word she spoke was like a blow to the face.

“For how long?” Kolton calmly asked, even as he noted the way my arms had begun to shake.

“Until I can safely live on my own. Once I have better control of my wolf, I want to start over someplace new. New apartment. New job. Somewhere no one knows me.”

Nora gasped. When she swayed on her feet, Kolton whirled to catch her.

I stayed where I was, feeling my own world begin to dangerously tilt. Brielle took in her best friend’s reaction with a sad expression, then quickly wiped a tear away and turned toward the driver side door.

Onyx went wild, howling, Stop mate. Stop mate. Stop mate.

I clenched my hands into tight fists, forcing myself to hold still. To not react. But when she opened the door, I completely lost it. Exploding forward, I grabbed her hand and whirled her around. Her eyes flew wide, but she didn’t respond when I bit out, “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Jagger,” Kolton barked, but I ignored him, spurred on by the desperate need to make her stay.

Gripping her hand so tightly that our fingers practically fused together, I hissed out a single word, one laced with intent.

With command. The magic within me stirred, obediently coming to my aid.

It slithered through my insides, following my instructions through the spell I’d just uttered.

My palm began to heat, and I looked down just as the large snake tattooed on my forearm started to move.

Its head undulated over the back of my hand before sliding toward Brielle’s.

Right before it could make contact with her skin, a violent force plowed into me. My hand was ripped from hers, and I snarled my fury. As I hit the concrete floor of the garage, I blindly struck out, my fist connecting with flesh. I heard a pained grunt, and then my own face was being pummelled.

“Are you insane?” a voice roared, right before another punch caught me squarely on the jaw. I blocked a third one and lashed out again, but my punch went wide. “You almost killed her!”

At that, everything in me turned to ice. I tried to draw air into my lungs and failed. As I struggled, hands gripped my arms and hauled me upright. Before I could fully catch my balance, those same hands fisted my shirt and yanked me close.

“Don’t you ever try that again,” Kolton said in my face, his voice dangerously low. “You’re hurting, I get that. But if you harm Brielle, I will end you, do you hear me?”

Shame sliced through my insides, but I managed to lower my head in submission and say, “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good, then fix this. Now.” He let go of me with a firm shove, then turned to scoop Nora into his arms. As he stalked from the garage, she opened her mouth in protest. One look at the misery on my face and she closed it again, her expression more than clear.

Make this right.

I nodded, even though I had no idea how. What I’d almost done was unforgivable, yet another reminder of why I had to end this somehow. But the thought of officially rejecting my soulmate sent more pain through me than my body could handle.

As Kolton and Nora disappeared from sight, I finally turned back to Brielle. The second our eyes met, I knew she was aware of what I’d almost done. She stared at me in disbelief, hurt and betrayal pulsing through our bond and into me.

“You tried to bind me to you?” she said, a tremor shaking her voice. “Even though I have no magic of my own, and it could have killed me?”

Shame sliced through me once more. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just didn’t want you to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my soulmate.”

Right away, I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Her eyes narrowed, and she snapped, “That doesn’t give you the right to trap me here.”

“Brielle—”

“No! It’s clear you don’t want me as your mate. You lost the right to have a say in my life the second you rejected our bond. I’m not yours, Jagger. I don’t belong to you.”

Tears glistened in her eyes, and I took a step toward her. She immediately stepped back with a warning growl, one that I heeded. When silence stretched between us, she shook her head with a tired sigh and turned to leave again.

My heart started to pound, faster and faster until I thought it would explode from my chest. Desperate to stop her, I burst out, “I can’t control Onyx around you.”

Brielle froze, her hand on the car door. Instant regret filled me, but there was no taking back the words I’d rashly confessed, words I’d never dared say aloud before.

When I didn’t say more, she slowly turned to face me. I tried to wipe my expression clean, but I knew that hiding my emotions from her was pointless. The same way I could feel her emotions now, she could feel mine.

It was awful knowing that someone could peer into me so easily when I’d spent my entire life keeping everyone at arm's length. At least she couldn’t read my thoughts. But as she took a moment to study me, I could tell that was exactly what she wanted to do.

Studying me for another beat, she finally said, “Why?”