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If I knew that Jimmy didn't die because of the decision I made… Would I have run then? Probably not. And sure, I probably wouldn't have discovered my family history, but it still doesn't feel like a fair trade off.
It seems that my family history is still a jumbled mess, and since the Luna mentioned no others, it doesn’t change the fact that my siblings and I are the only Jarreaus left. If anything, the discovery only makes me ache for my parents in a way I haven’t for a long, long time.
“Tasha?”
“Yeah?” She sniffles and turns her head to look at me with watery eyes.
“I love you, and I know it doesn’t feel like it, but I know you’re going to be okay.” I’m not sure if it’s really the right thing to say, but I do know it’s true. My sister is the strongest person I know. She may have just lost her mate, but if anyone can survive that, it’s her.
She nuzzles closer to me and quietly says, “I really hope you’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tess
"Tess." A finger digs into my side to wake me up. I have to squint in the dark; the lights are dimmed for the night.
"Leave me alone," I mumble, trying to roll over but stopping short when I realize Tasha is immovable beside me.
Dominic sighs. "Tasha can stay here for tonight. Let's go back to the pack house."
Now I'm wide awake, wondering about the audacity of this man. I roll onto my side facing him and try to let my eyes adjust in the dark. I can just barely make out his silhouette. I can feel my wolf's heartache leaking out, coloring my feelings as well.
"I can't go back to the pack house with you, Dominic," I tell him, keeping my voice low. I have no qualms about whether Tasha is actually asleep right now. She's a light sleeper, she's probably wide awake but doing her best to offer us some semblance of privacy without actually leaving my side.
"Tess…"
"Why did you reject me three years ago? You didn't even hesitate to think about what you were doing before you rejected me. You took one look at me and cut me loose."
He's quiet for a long time, the only real sound in the room the slightly-too-deep breathing of my sister pretending to sleep. I could let him off the hook, pretend his answer doesn't matter, but I spent so long asking myself these same questions that it feels like I need to take the chance while I have it. Now that Tasha is here, I know I won't be stuck anymore.
Once it's safe for me to leave, there's no way she will walk away without me. Tasha is my ticket out of here.
"I didn't just decide to reject you in the moment," he admits finally. "I'd already seen you twice while I was recruiting for training at the high school. I kept catching your sweet scent, and I knew that had to mean you were my mate—obviously I didn't know everyone was smelling you like that. You didn't seem to notice though, which meant I got to think about what I wanted to do."
He moves away, becoming harder to see in the dark. I stay silent, wanting to hear the rest.
"You're young and small, not at all the Luna my pack expects to see by my side. It would be easier for me to mate with an Alpha's daughter, strengthen ties with an ally and have a proper mate by my side."
"You still could," I interrupt, not wanting him to go on.
All those years of self-doubt over being a tiny wallflower come barreling back. So much for all the time Tasha and Callum spent building me up, teaching me to see myself as more than that. And what reward did I offer either of them? Abandoning the pack they welcomed me into.
"You reallyshould." He's right, it would be easier, and it would make far more sense than whatever he's doing dragging me around with him.
"It's too late for that," he says, moving closer so I can actually make out his features against the soft glow of light coming from Al's equipment. "By the time I saw you correcting my work, my decision was really already made. The visit to the Luna only cemented the choice."
"Because you decided I'm somehow more worthy because of who my family is," I point out bitterly.
"No. Because you rejected me, and I thought my wolf would lay down and die. Then, you passed out and I thought the rest of me might too. I'd say I've done enough questioning the fates for one lifetime. I'm not interested in rejecting you twice."
"I'm still not going back to the pack house with you." I cross my arms stubbornly in the bed even though I'm pretty sure he probably can't tell in the dark.
He growls at me, the sound low and dangerous. The sound would probably be enough to make a regular member of his pack cower. I do no such thing.
"One night, Tess. I'm giving you one more night, but come tomorrow you're coming back to the house. And if I have to, I'll keep locking you up in my bedroom until you're ready to stay there all on your own."
"You can't just—" I call to his retreating back, but he slams the door shut before I can get my protest out. It's like he wants the gold medal for being an asshole.
