likely felt Bobby's approach ages ago. His senses were just as
acute as Bobby's, and they'd always been good at finding one another.
"What are you doing here, Robert?"
Bobby winced. TJ had never called him Robert in the past.
From the moment they'd met, he'd been Bobby, or, at times, TJ's little robin.
He swallowed around the knot in his throat and forced himself to speak despite
the pain. "I came to see you."
At that, TJ turned and looked toward him. His gold eyes
seemed to pierce Bobby's soul and Bobby froze, torn between the urge to get
closer and the agony he felt at TJ's enduring anger.
"That's not an answer," TJ snapped at him.
"When you left, you made it quite clear it was over. You're not welcome
here anymore."
"I know that," Bobby whispered, miraculously
managing to find his voice. "But things have changed."
"Changed?" TJ sneered. "Please. Some things
never change."
"There's a new Alpha now, Jay," Bobby blurted out,
"and Mario is dead. It's safe for us to be—"
"That was never the problem and you know it," TJ
interrupted him. "I would have fought for you, for us. I would have taken
both of us far away, where they could never reach you. But you were ashamed,
ashamed of having a mate who's not even a werewolf."
Bobby's face flamed. It was true that Jay's nature had made
the entire issue more complicated, but it wasn't because of Bobby's
embarrassment. Despite his father's expectations, Bobby would have left it all
behind, ignored all the sneers that would have undoubtedly come—if he hadn't
been worried about what his then-Alpha would do. "I could never be ashamed
of you, of us," he whispered. "I love you."
"No, you don't," TJ bit out. "If you had, you
never would have given up on us in the first place."
Bobby opened his mouth to protest, but TJ wasn't done yet.
"Besides, it doesn't matter anymore. I have someone else now."
Something inside Bobby cracked at TJ's words. The spark of
hope Nathan had given him fizzled and died. "Oh."
It was as he'd feared then. His cowardice had permanently
alienated TJ. Even if both of them knew they were mates, sometimes it simply
wasn't enough. It was clear. Because of what Bobby had done, TJ hated him, and
he'd taken refuge in the embrace of someone else.
"I see," he murmured. "I'm sorry to have
bothered you then. I'll... just be on my way."
Without looking at TJ, he turned on his heel and fled the
store. He half-hoped TJ would call out to him, but of course, that didn't
happen. Bobby got in the car and drove off, cursing himself for a fool. He
should have never come here.
When he entered pack lands again, he found the first
reclusive spot and parked the car. By now, it was noon—his Alpha had chosen a
peculiar hour for their meeting, possibly to point out things would be
different from now on. Bobby didn't care.
He hid behind the large trees and hastily took his clothes
off. Once he was naked, he allowed the change to flow over him. The wolf came
bursting out, and as Bobby fell on four paws to the ground, his instincts
flared inside him.
Bobby released a mournful howl, grieving the loss of the bond
he himself had cut off. And then, he started running, moving through the
forest, letting his mind fade away within the instincts of the beast. Too bad
that, despite his speed, he could never outrun the pain.
Chapter Two
Frozen behind the counter, TJ watched his mate exit the store
like there was a horde of silencers tracking him. The agony that had burned in
his little robin's green eyes had crushed TJ inside, especially since he knew
he was the source.
But Bobby had been the one to end things. Two years ago, he'd
come to TJ and said they couldn't go on like this.
By that point, TJ had agreed. He was for the most part a
lonely creature, having left his pride and chosen to wander around instead of
being tied down to a particular location. Lone felines like him regularly got
leeway even if they were found on werewolf territory, but that didn't mean such
a
acute as Bobby's, and they'd always been good at finding one another.
"What are you doing here, Robert?"
Bobby winced. TJ had never called him Robert in the past.
From the moment they'd met, he'd been Bobby, or, at times, TJ's little robin.
He swallowed around the knot in his throat and forced himself to speak despite
the pain. "I came to see you."
At that, TJ turned and looked toward him. His gold eyes
seemed to pierce Bobby's soul and Bobby froze, torn between the urge to get
closer and the agony he felt at TJ's enduring anger.
"That's not an answer," TJ snapped at him.
"When you left, you made it quite clear it was over. You're not welcome
here anymore."
"I know that," Bobby whispered, miraculously
managing to find his voice. "But things have changed."
"Changed?" TJ sneered. "Please. Some things
never change."
"There's a new Alpha now, Jay," Bobby blurted out,
"and Mario is dead. It's safe for us to be—"
"That was never the problem and you know it," TJ
interrupted him. "I would have fought for you, for us. I would have taken
both of us far away, where they could never reach you. But you were ashamed,
ashamed of having a mate who's not even a werewolf."
Bobby's face flamed. It was true that Jay's nature had made
the entire issue more complicated, but it wasn't because of Bobby's
embarrassment. Despite his father's expectations, Bobby would have left it all
behind, ignored all the sneers that would have undoubtedly come—if he hadn't
been worried about what his then-Alpha would do. "I could never be ashamed
of you, of us," he whispered. "I love you."
"No, you don't," TJ bit out. "If you had, you
never would have given up on us in the first place."
Bobby opened his mouth to protest, but TJ wasn't done yet.
"Besides, it doesn't matter anymore. I have someone else now."
Something inside Bobby cracked at TJ's words. The spark of
hope Nathan had given him fizzled and died. "Oh."
It was as he'd feared then. His cowardice had permanently
alienated TJ. Even if both of them knew they were mates, sometimes it simply
wasn't enough. It was clear. Because of what Bobby had done, TJ hated him, and
he'd taken refuge in the embrace of someone else.
"I see," he murmured. "I'm sorry to have
bothered you then. I'll... just be on my way."
Without looking at TJ, he turned on his heel and fled the
store. He half-hoped TJ would call out to him, but of course, that didn't
happen. Bobby got in the car and drove off, cursing himself for a fool. He
should have never come here.
When he entered pack lands again, he found the first
reclusive spot and parked the car. By now, it was noon—his Alpha had chosen a
peculiar hour for their meeting, possibly to point out things would be
different from now on. Bobby didn't care.
He hid behind the large trees and hastily took his clothes
off. Once he was naked, he allowed the change to flow over him. The wolf came
bursting out, and as Bobby fell on four paws to the ground, his instincts
flared inside him.
Bobby released a mournful howl, grieving the loss of the bond
he himself had cut off. And then, he started running, moving through the
forest, letting his mind fade away within the instincts of the beast. Too bad
that, despite his speed, he could never outrun the pain.
Chapter Two
Frozen behind the counter, TJ watched his mate exit the store
like there was a horde of silencers tracking him. The agony that had burned in
his little robin's green eyes had crushed TJ inside, especially since he knew
he was the source.
But Bobby had been the one to end things. Two years ago, he'd
come to TJ and said they couldn't go on like this.
By that point, TJ had agreed. He was for the most part a
lonely creature, having left his pride and chosen to wander around instead of
being tied down to a particular location. Lone felines like him regularly got
leeway even if they were found on werewolf territory, but that didn't mean such
a
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