Page 121 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
I wait and watch as he slowly collapses under the weight of his rejection, his grief. Gradually, Clayton shifts back to human form, until he’s lying curled up on the concrete, naked, exhausted, spent.
I grab Clayton’s suit jacket from where he tossed it and drape it over him.
“We’re all powerless when it comes to love,” I say. “The only power we have is in the choices we make.”
Clayton doesn’t look at me; he stays curled in on himself, shivering.
Suddenly, the door to the stairs bangs open and Jasper rushes out onto the roof. Aisha is close behind him.
His eyes dart between me and his former roommate.
“I felt—are you…?” he asks, coming toward me.
“I’m fine,” I say, standing.
Jasper stops. I don’t need to be a blood wolf to know he’s desperate to reach out to me, pull me into his arms, hold me tightly against him, and make sure I’m not hurt. But he doesn’t move.
I glance at Aisha, who is staring at Clayton, the wolf she was once mated to, taking in the pitiful sight of him. She doesn’t look happy to see him like this, but there is this sort of resolute acceptance in how she doesn’t look away.
At some point I’ll need to tell her what I saw and hope that’s she’s okay with me knowing, but for now, all I want is a large box of chicken nuggets and my bed.
“Did he hurt you?” Jasper asks as I wander past him toward the door.
“He tried,” I say.
“I’ll get security,” Aisha offers, pulling her attention away, happy for a reason not to be near Clayton any longer. Before she disappears through the door, she turns to me. “You sure you’re okay, kid?”
Part of me wonders if I told her he was about to throw me off the roof, if she would change her mind about finding security and take matters into her own hands. But there’s been enough drama tonight.
“I’m fine,” I say.
She gives me the briefest of nods, like she’s thankful not to stick around any longer. I return the gesture and Aisha disappears inside.
“You’re bleeding,” Jasper says, not caring to keep his distance any longer. He leads me to the side of an air-conditioning unit and sits me down on a concrete ledge.
“Take this off,” he says, carefully removing my jacket for me and turning my shoulders to examine the scratches on my back. He pulls out his pocket square, a silk swatch of fabric with a tropical design, and lifts up the back of my shirt. Gently, he dabs at the wounds. “Does it hurt?”
I wince as he cleans the lacerations, unable to hide my discomfort. The adrenaline that was holding the sting of Clayton’s claw marks at bay is wearing off.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here, Max. If I’d have known he was up here I—”
“You didn’t know,” I say. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I know but it is my fault you ran away. It’s my fault—”
“Stop,” I say, closing my eyes. “You haven’t put me in any danger, at least none that I haven’t chosen for myself.”
“Max, I—”
“And it’s fine,” I say, gritting my teeth as I realize just how much pain I’m actually in. “I mean it. I don’t mind. But I also meant what I said. I need to start choosing the path that’s best for me.”
Security guards rush through the door and Jasper points them in Clayton’s direction. They lift him up, swiftly wrap him in a blanket, and carry him from the roof.
When it’s just Jasper and me left up here, I look into his eyes. The moon is off to the side, fuzzy and unfocused. I wonder if the Moon Gods are up there watching us now.
I think back to that day on the beach when I vowed I’d do whatever it takes to cross the path between souls, the moonlit path across the water that would lead me to Jasper. But now I know there are different paths, loads of them. There are paths leading in all sorts of directions—all equally as valuable and worth crossing as the next. Paths to friendships and community. Paths to love, albeit rocky and marked with danger. Lonely paths, but where things are quiet and safe. Paths leading to the soul of every wolf out there in the world. And there’s the path that connects me to my own soul. That’s the path I need to take now.
“You need to do what you think is best,” I say. “And whatever that is, it’s okay because that’s what you’ve chosen. I won’t get in your way any longer.”
