Chapter Five #2
“I’m not here to tell you how to live your life, Jalen,” Chase said, his voice soft but firm. “I just want you to be safe. And happy, if possible.”
Jalen stared at him, searching for the catch, the hidden agenda. But Chase’s expression remained open, his eyes steady on Jalen’s face.
“Why?” he finally asked.
“Why what?” Chase glanced at him as if he was truly puzzled.
“Why do you care if I’m safe or happy? You barely know me.” That made no sense. Not even Jalen’s family was concerned about his wellbeing, yet someone he’d just met seemed to genuinely care?
Chase had to have some kind of flaw, like someone who cut in line because waiting was for chumps or a guy who flexed way too often at the gym while lecturing everyone on a proper protein diet.
Or he was just sucking his gut in and really didn’t have those perfect abs that Jalen was dying to touch.
There was no way the guy was this… him .
Chase turned to face Jalen fully then, his broad shoulders blocking the sun, casting his face in shadow. “Because you’re my mate. And that means something to me, even if it doesn’t to you yet.”
The words sent a strange warmth through Jalen’s chest, followed immediately by a surge of panic.
Oh, hell no. This was too much, too fast, too soon.
He’d only just learned about this supernatural world, about vampires and shifters and mates.
And possibly unicorns. He wasn’t ready to accept any of it, let alone embrace it.
“I need to go home,” Jalen blurted out, patting his pants pockets for his keys. “My apartment. I need to... to clean up, get my stuff, maybe stop by the hospital for a head scan.”
Chase didn’t look surprised by the sudden need to bolt. Of course he didn’t. “I’ll take you, if you want. But the vampire who targeted you is still out there. He escaped custody.”
Cold fear trickled down Jalen’s spine. “What? How?”
How could his luck keep getting worse?
“Vampires have certain abilities. Speed, strength. He overpowered the deputies and disappeared.” Chase’s jaw tightened slightly. “He’s still hunting you, Jalen. That’s why I think you should stay here, where it’s safe.”
“I can’t just... live here indefinitely,” Jalen protested, though the thought of returning to his apartment alone made him feel sick to his stomach. “I have a job, a life.”
“I know. And I’m not asking you to give that up.” Chase ran a hand through his hair, the gesture surprisingly human for someone so ancient. “Just stay until we catch him. Please.”
The “please” caught Jalen off guard. There was genuine concern in Chase’s voice, not possessiveness or control. It was... nice, in a weird way, to have someone worry about him. To have someone who asked instead of demanded… or simply took.
“Fine,” he relented. “But I still need to get some of my stuff. Clothes, my laptop, things for work.”
“We can do that,” Chase agreed. “I’ll go with you, make sure it’s safe.”
Jalen wanted to argue that he didn’t need a bodyguard, but the memory of the vampire’s hungry eyes made the words die in his throat. Instead, he nodded, turning to look back at the mountains.
“This is all so...” He gestured vaguely, unable to find the right word.
“Overwhelming?” Chase suggested.
“That’s one way to put it.” Jalen sighed. “Before this happened, my biggest worry was making rent this month. Now I’m hiding from vampires in a house full of wolf shifters, and apparently, I’m cosmically bound to one of them.”
A man who made Jalen terrified of the feelings growing inside of him. He just wasn’t sure if he was afraid because he’d never felt this way before or if he could never be what the wolf shifter deserved.
Sooner or later, Chase would realize just how broken Jalen truly was. Then what? It was better to walk away than hope for something he could never have.
“Life has a way of throwing curveballs,” Chase said with a small smile. “Though, I admit, yours have been particularly dramatic lately.”
Jalen couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah, no kidding.”
A comfortable silence fell between them, less tense than before. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the lawn. In the distance, Jalen could see movement at the edge of the forest. A deer, maybe, or some other woodland creature.
“So what happens now?” Jalen asked.
Chase’s soft smile hurt something deep inside Jalen. He wanted so desperately to be worthy of it.
“That’s up to you. We go get your things, you stay here until it’s safe, and then... then you decide what you want.”
He's actually giving me choices. That alone meant everything to Jalen, like a precious gem in a world of shattered glass.
“And if I decide I don’t want... this?” Jalen gestured between them. “The whole mate thing?”
A flicker of something—pain, maybe—crossed Chase’s face before it was carefully masked. “Then I respect that. Like I said, I’m not here to tell you how to live your life.”
Jalen tried to reconcile this thoughtful, respectful man with the fierce creature who’d fought a vampire in his living room. Both are Chase , he realized. Just different facets of the same person .
“Thank you,” he said around the hard, burning lump in his throat. “For not pushing. For not... demanding anything.”
Chase studied him. “You’ve had enough people trying to control you, I think.”
The observation was so accurate it made Jalen’s breath catch. How had Chase seen that? Was it that obvious, or was there something about being mates that gave Chase insight into him?
Before Jalen could panic, the back door opened and Preston poked his head out.
“Hey, there you are,” Preston said, his eyes moving between them. “Zeppelin just called. They found Vaughn.”
Chase straightened immediately, his posture alert. “Is he okay?”
“Banged up pretty bad, but alive,” Preston reported. “They’re bringing him back now.”
“Who’s Vaughn?” Jalen asked, feeling once again like he was several steps behind in a conversation everyone else understood.
“Pack member,” Chase explained. “He went missing this morning. We thought demons might be involved.”
“Demons,” Jalen repeated flatly. “Right. Of course. Why not add demons to the mix? Vampires, wolf shifters, demons... what’s next, the Easter Bunny?”
Preston smirked. “The Easter Bunny is definitely not real. But leprechauns? Total money-grubbers.”
Jalen stared at him, trying to determine if he was joking. Preston’s expression was perfectly serious, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that made Jalen suspect he was being messed with.
“He’s kidding,” Chase assured him, though there was amusement in his voice. “Leprechauns aren’t real.”
“Thank god for small mercies,” Jalen muttered.
Preston grinned. “I’ll let you guys get back to your... thing. Just thought you’d want to know about Vaughn.”
Guess our ice cream trip is cancelled. Not that Jalen was in the mood for any. Any why get to know Preston if he didn’t plan on sticking around? Better to reject the friendship than risk Preston deciding Jalen wasn’t worth the effort later.
As Preston disappeared back inside, Jalen glanced at Chase. “So demons are real too? You weren’t just saying that to freak me out?”
“They’re real,” Chase confirmed. “We actually talked about them in the kitchen earlier, though clearly you don’t remember.”
“We did?” Jalen frowned. He’d been so high elephants could’ve stomped through and he wouldn’t have remembered. The only thing he was sure of were those bussin S’mores he’d made. Jalen recalled looking for chocolate, but when he couldn’t find any, he’d grabbed peanut butter instead.
Chase rested his hand lightly on Jalen’s shoulder, warm and welcoming despite his conflicted feelings. The touch also made parts of Jalen’s body twitch with a need he ignored.
“It’s a lot to take in, I know. But you’re handling it better than most.”
“Am I?” Jalen laughed, the sound a little too high-pitched. “Because I feel like I’m barely keeping it together.”
“You’re still standing. Still asking questions. Still making jokes about the Easter Bunny.” Chase’s thumb brushed lightly against Jalen’s collarbone, sending an unexpected shiver through his body. “That’s more than most humans manage when their worldview gets obliterated overnight.”
The praise, simple as it was… Fuck. I’m not going to cry! When was the last time someone had acknowledged his strength rather than his weaknesses?
“We should go inside,” Chase said, dropping his hand. “I want to hear what happened with Vaughn.”
Nodding, Jalen followed him back into the house. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a little more rest,” he said, already edging toward the stairs. “I’m still tired.”
“I’ll come check on you later,” Chase replied.
Jalen barely heard him, already bounding up the steps, desperate to fill the hollowness carving him apart.