Page 21 of Awakening His Mate

When it becomes clear I’m not going to be able to pull her away, I have to resort to other measures. “Stop!” I yell.

I don’t expect that to work, but she rounds on me, her face contorted with rage. “Stop? Did he stop out in those woods when he was attacking you?”

He didn’t, but that’s not the point.

“He’s a kid.”

“He’s tau, and we need to know who he is.”

“Not like this,” I growl, locking my eyes with hers. I don’t back down, even as I feel the weight of her magic pressing against me.

She keeps enough control not to hit me with it, but it costs her. Eventually, she releases her power, and I try not to sag.

“We don’t torture.” I glance at my pack brothers and the girls, hoping they’ll side with me on this. “We do this, and we’re no better than them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be like those fucking assholes.”

No one speaks, though looks are exchanged. Fuck this. Fuck them. I’m not standing by while we torture someone who may be under someone else's control. This kid could have been groomed to act this way, or lied to, though nothing as of yet suggests that’s the case.

“He’s right,” Cade says, stepping forward. His agreement surprises me, but it shouldn’t. Cade’s always been fair.

Hester grits her teeth. “This isn’t the time to be weak.”

“I’d rather be weak than a monster,” Wyatt says.

“I’m on the fence,” Sawyer adds.

Roux rolls her eyes at him, which earns her a kiss to her temple.

I turn back to the kid, wincing at the blood trickling from his nose. His body trembles as he tries his best to breathe steadily but fails, ragged inhalations tearing through his throat.

I grab a handful of tissues from the box on the coffee table and crouch in front of him. Every instinct in my body recoils at what I see as he lifts heavy, pain-filled eyes to me.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he mutters, the bravado coming out again, but his voice cracks.

I reach out to dab the blood away, and he flinches as if I hit him. The knot in my stomach combines with shame that I let this happen.

When Dove first came to us, she was difficult and angry. The thought of her being hurt like this makes me want to puke. This kid is a reminder that we don’t understand what’s happening beneath the surface with these hybrids. Are they all victims?

“You okay?” I try to make myself seem smaller, though I’m pretty sure I fail. When he doesn’t answer, I add, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

He scoffs at me. He has plenty of reasons not to trust me, but I have to try anyway. He’s just a scared boy in the hands of what he perceives to be monsters, and we haven’t done anything to change that. Quite the opposite, probably.

Slowly, I extend my hand again, and this time he doesn’t move when I wipe the blood under his nose. His shoulders remain tense, even when I know I’m not coming off as threatening.

“I’m Jackson. What’s your name?”

He’s nervous. I don’t need to be a wolf to know that. His entire demeanor shows it, from the darting of his eyes to the sharp breaths he takes.

“Ayden.”

I’m surprised he chooses to trust me, considering the way everyone is treating him.

“Hi, Ayden.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

Shit. I try not to flinch, but it feels as if he sucker-punched me in the gut. We let a boy think we were going to end his life, and that leaves a dirty taste in my mouth.

“No,” I assure him. “You’re not going to die, Ayden. We just want to ask you some questions.”

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