Page 48 of Stalked By the Alphas

47

NOAH

The tension in the room is stifling after Zach storms out. Carter and I exchange worried glances, both of us unsure how to proceed. We know Zach’s temper and his impulsiveness. There’s no telling what he might do in this state. Hell, in two seconds, he could turn around and walk back in for all we know.

“Should we go after him?” I ask, already moving towards the door, not willing to take the chance.

Carter shakes his head. “No. He needs time to cool off. We all do.”

I nod reluctantly, sinking back onto the couch. The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken thoughts and regrets.

“We really fucked up,” I say quietly, voicing what we’re both thinking.

Carter runs a hand over his face, looking more exhausted than I’ve ever seen him. “Yeah. We did. ”

“How did we let it get this far?” I wonder aloud. “When did we cross the line from protection to... this?”

Carter’s laugh is hollow. “I think we crossed that line a long time ago, Noah. We were just too blind to see it.”

The truth of his words hits me hard. We’ve been so focused on our end goal, on having Hazel, that we lost sight of everything else. Including her feelings, her autonomy.

“What if she never forgives us?” I ask, voicing my deepest fear.

Carter’s expression is grim. “Then we’ll have to live with the consequences of our actions.”

The thought makes my chest ache. A life without Hazel seems unbearable. But Carter’s right. We have to face the consequences of what we’ve done.

“I think we had better go and find Zach. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Carter nods, and we head for the door. Neither one of us knows what to say or where to go, even as we climb into Carter’s car.

I dial Zach’s phone, but of course, it rings out. I don’t keep trying. It will only push him further over the edge.

We drive in tense silence, scanning the streets for any sign of Zach or his car. The night air is thick with humidity, matching the heavy atmosphere in the vehicle.

“Where would he go?” I mutter, more to myself than to Carter .

Carter’s knuckles are white on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. He’s unpredictable when he’s like this.”

A horrible thought occurs to me. “You don’t think he’d go to Hazel’s, do you?”

Carter’s jaw clenches. “He better not. That would be the worst thing he could do right now.”

We slowly drive past Hazel’s house, relief washing over me when I don’t see Zach’s car. But the relief is short-lived as worry sets in again. Where is he?

As we drive aimlessly through the darkened roads, I try to think rationally. Where would Zach have gone after all this upset? An uneasy thought buries its way through my mind, and I breathe in deeply before I exhale.

“The motorway bridge,” I say slowly.

Carter’s head snaps to the side to stare at me. “You don’t think…?”

“I don’t know. Just go.”

He doesn’t question me; he simply looks back at the road and accelerates, turning the car sharply towards the footbridge that crosses over the motorway near here.

We drive in tense silence, both of us praying we’re wrong about where Zach has gone.

As we approach the bridge, I spot Zach’s car parked neatly on the side of the road.

My heart plummets.

“Fuck,” Carter mutters.

We leap out of the car, scanning the bridge desperately. In the dim light, I can just make out a figure perched on the railing in the middle of the bridge.

“Shit. He’s up there.”

“What do we do?” Carter asks, staring up at Zach and desperately running both hands through his hair. “Shit. Fuck. Noah?”

“We have to stay calm. No loud noises, but not too quiet either. We don’t want to startle him.”

“Do we both go?” His urgent question is valid.

“I’ll go first and see if I can talk him down. You come but stay back and don’t say anything until I tell you to. He is in a bad place. This situation has brought up memories of his past. He spoke a little bit about it to me yesterday.”

“Okay, yes,” Carter says. “Go do your psychology thing with him.” I nod and turn, but he grabs me by the collar and growls in my face. “If anything happens to him…”

“I know, Carter. I know.” I get it. We are pack mates. It would destroy us if our closest friend died, and we couldn’t do anything to save him.

I approach the bridge slowly.

Zach is perched on the railing, his legs dangling over the edge. At this hour, the passing of the odd car or truck makes a whooshing noise that sounds too loud in the otherwise quiet, but I focus only on Zach.

“Zach,” I call out softly when I’m close enough. He doesn’t turn, but I see his shoulders tense. “It’s Noah. I’m coming closer, okay?”

He doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t tell me to fuck off either. I take that as permission to continue. I move cautiously until I’m just a few feet away from him.

“Zach, please come down from there,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “We can talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Zach replies, his voice hollow. “It’s over. We’ve lost her.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” I argue gently. “Hazel needs time, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.”

Zach laughs bitterly. “Don’t bullshit me, Noah. You saw her face. She hates us, and she should.”

I take a deep breath, choosing my next words carefully. “What we did was wrong. We all know that now. But ending your life isn’t the answer.”

“What other answer is there? We destroyed everything. Her trust, our hope for a pack, our future. It’s all gone.”

I take a careful step closer. “Maybe. But maybe not. We don’t know what will happen yet, and even if Hazel never forgives us, that doesn’t mean our lives are over.”

Zach shakes his head. “You don’t get it. She was everything. Without her, what’s the point?”

“The point is that we’re still here. We still have each other,” I say firmly. “And we have a chance to be better, to do better. For her.”

“I don’t know if I can live with this guilt,” Zach says, his voice breaking. “We hurt her so much, Noah. How do we come back from that?”

“We start by acknowledging our mistakes. By taking responsibility for our actions, and then we do whatever we can to make amends, even if Hazel never forgives us.”

Zach’s shoulders slump. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that.”

“You are,” I insist. “We all are. We’ll get through this together, as a pack. But we can’t do that if you’re not here with us.”

Silence.

“Please, Zach. Come down from there.”

“No. None of this is worth it without Hazel.” He grips the railing, and I can see he is preparing to jump.

“Zach…”

“Just go.”

“No.”

“Fuck off!” he roars.

“Not a chance.”

I wave my hand at Carter, who is about to lunge at Zach, but that would be a fucking disaster that could see them both go over. I turn my head to him and mouth, “Get Hazel.”

His eyes widen, and his expression turns stricken. But there is no choice. Hazel won’t let him jump. She isn’t built that way. Despite everything we have done, I know in my soul she will help him. She is the only one.

“Go!” I roar silently to him, and this time, he doesn’t hesitate.

Zach’s knuckles are white as he grips the railing, his body tense and poised to jump. My heart races as I desperately try to think of what to say to keep him from taking that final, fatal step. It hits differently when it’s your friend, your packmate. Emotions are involved, and that cool attitude that has been a gift to me my whole life is crumbling. For the first time in my fucking life, I don’t have the answer. I don’t know how to fix it.

“Zach, stay with me, okay?” I mutter. “We don’t have to talk, but don’t leave me.”

He says nothing, but he doesn’t move either.

He stares down at the road.

And I stand behind him, staring at him, not daring to take my eyes off him, even to blink.

Hurry up, Carter. For fuck’s sake.