Chapter Seven
Chase stared after his mate, wondering if the soft approach had been the right call. He’d debated for hours how to deal with the situation concerning those pills. But right now, everything in him screamed to follow his mate, to find out if he was really lying down or simply lying.
Taking the steps two at a time, he headed straight for Jalen’s bedroom. The door had been left ajar, and through the crack, Chase could see Jalen pulling out a pill bottle from his backpack.
For a split second, Chase froze as his mate’s trembling fingers struggled with the childproof cap. Watching someone he cared about—even if they barely knew each other—spiraling down that road felt like a kick to the gut.
He opened the door all the way, careful not to slam it against the wall like he wanted to with every fiber of his being. Jalen whipped around, eyes wide as he shoved the bottle behind his back.
“Jesus! Don’t you knock?” Jalen’s voice pitched higher than normal, a flush creeping up his neck.
In that moment, watching Jalen’s defensive posture and the guilty dart of his eyes, Chase knew. This wasn’t just anxiety medication taken as prescribed. This was something deeper and darker.
A dependence that had sunk its claws in deep.
For a brief second, Chase closed his eyes, wising to god his gut had been wrong.
“Can I see what you’ve got there?” Chase kept his voice even, non-threatening, while his heart squeezed tight.
“Nothing. Just taking my meds.” Jalen shifted his weight, angling his body to keep the bottle concealed. “Can I get some privacy?”
Chase was done playing these games. He wasn’t leaving this room until he knew everything.
“Let me see the bottle.” He extended his hand, palm up.
Jalen curled his lip. “So now you’re demanding things? In case it slipped your mind, you’re not my keeper.”
“I’m not trying to be your keeper.” Chase took a step forward. “But I am concerned.”
“Well, don’t be. I’m fine.” Jalen backed up until his legs hit the edge of the bed. “These are prescribed. I told you that already.”
“Then why are you hiding them?” Another step closer.
“Because...” Jalen’s shoulders sagged momentarily before he straightened again. “Look, just go away, okay? Everything’s cool. It’s cool. All right?”
Chase noticed the slight sheen of sweat already forming on Jalen’s upper lip. His pupils were pinpoints, his breathing shallow and rapid. It was too soon for actual withdrawal symptoms, which meant this was anticipatory, psychological rather than physical. Even more concerning.
“You’re right. Just let me see the bottle, Jalen. I promise. Everything’s cool.”
Jalen’s free hand curled into a fist at his side. “You can’t just barge in here and start making demands! You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve been through!”
“You’re right,” Chase admitted. “I don’t. But I’d like to.”
Jalen’s laugh was brittle, like glass about to shatter. “Trust me, you really wouldn’t.”
When he tried to turn away, Chase moved faster, catching his wrist. Not roughly, but firmly enough to stop him from opening the bottle. Jalen twisted in his grip, face contorting with frustration.
“Let me go!”
“Wait!” Chase said, maintaining his hold. “Just five minutes. If you still need them after that, I won’t stop you.”
“I need them now!” Jalen’s free hand pushed against Chase’s chest.
“Five minutes.” To save you from destroying your life. “That’s all I’m asking.”
“Why should I believe you?” Jalen sniffed as he glanced away. “Nobody tells the truth. Why should you be any different?”
“Because I’ve never lied to you, hon.” He gave his mate’s wrist a light squeeze. “From the moment we meet I’ve been honest with you.”
“A little too honest,” Jalen muttered. He lowered his hand, pill bottle still clutched in his fingers. “Five minutes. Starting now.”
Chase released his wrist and stepped back, so damn proud of his mate for even trying. “Starting now.”
Slowly, Jalen sank onto the edge of the bed.
Chase sat on the window seat, watching his mate closely.
Only two minutes had passed when he noticed Jalen’s leg bouncing like a rabbit mainlining Red Bull.
His mate’s fingers had begun to tremble, and a faint sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead despite the cool temperature of the room.
“It’s only been a few hours since your high wore off,” Chase said.
Jalen’s head snapped up, surprise and irritation warring in his expression. “What?”
“It’s not anxiety medication, is it?” He already knew the answer. “Tell me, Jalen. Why do you need them so badly?” This wasn’t just about drugs. Chase knew trauma when he saw it. His mate was running from something that had left scars so deep they’d never stopped bleeding.
What is hurting you so much that you feel you need this?
“What do you know about it?” Jalen wiped his sleeve across his forehead, leaving a damp streak on the fabric. “You with your perfect house and your perfect life.”
That was projection dripping with venom, but really it was Jalen’s own self-loathing clawing to the surface. He wanted Chase to lash back, to prove him right, to confirm that no one could ever understand.
This was about wounds, not weakness. And the wolf in him was pacing, desperate to rip apart whatever monster carved those scars into his mate’s soul.
“I’ve seen addiction before,” he said. “Been around long enough to bury people I loved because of it.”
The memories still cut fresh—all those late-night phone calls, the promises made in shaking voices, the empty rehab beds.
No matter how many times he’d thrown them a rope, the current always pulled stronger.
Coffins. Lost faces. He was carrying graves inside him, and the second he’d seen his mate with that bottle, all those ghosts were howling.
No way in hell he was letting that happen to Jalen. Call him an asshole for taking that choice away from his mate, but Chase would be dead and buried before he stood by and watched Jalen destroy his life.
Not on his fucking watch.
Jalen stared incredulously at him. “Addiction? Is that what you think this is?” His voice rose, taking on a frantic edge.
“This is survival . This is the only way I can function without...” He trailed off, swallowing hard.
Tears brimmed his eyes. One fell, but Jalen angrily swiped it away.
“It’s been five minutes,” he lied, glancing at the clock.
“It’s been two,” Chase corrected gently. “What happens when you don’t take them?”
When his mate tried to open the bottle, Chase swiped it away.
“Give them back!” Jalen threw himself at Chase, fists pounding against his chest. Each blow landed with surprising force, driven by desperation rather than strength.
“Jalen, stop.” Chase caught his wrists, trying to still the flailing limbs. “This isn’t the answer.”
“You don’t know jack shit!” Jalen’s voice rose to a near-scream, tears beginning to streak down his flushed face. “You don’t know what I need!”
A burning sensation formed in Chase’s throat as he watched his mate unravel before him. Without thinking, he pulled Jalen against his chest, wrapping his arms around the struggling man.
“I hate you,” Jalen spat, voice muffled against Chase’s shoulder. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”
“I know,” he murmured into Jalen’s hair. “Hate me as much as you need to. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You don’t understand.” Jalen’s voice cracked, his struggles weakening. “You can’t... you can’t make me face it without them. Don’t you… don’t do this to me, Chase. I’m begging you!”
“Face what?” he asked, his voice low against Jalen’s hair.
The question broke something open. Jalen’s body went slack, a sob tearing from his throat so raw it seemed to scrape against the air itself.
Chase tightened his hold, holding his mate for as long as Jalen needed him to.
“My uncle,” Jalen choked out, each word seeming to cost him dearly. “He... he’s been... since I was fourteen.” His voice cracked, dissolving into ragged sobs.
Every syllable sounded like jagged glass slicing his mate’s throat on the way out.
A cold weight settled in Chase’s stomach as the implication of those words sank in. His arms tightened around his mate instinctively, protectively as they both sank to the floor.
“The pills make it stop,” Jalen continued, words tumbling out between hitching breaths. “They make me forget. They make everything numb. I can’t... I can’t face it without them. I can’t face him.”
“Face him?” Chase pulled back slightly, looking down at Jalen’s tear-streaked face. “You mean he’s still—”
His wolf clawed at his insides, demanding blood. In that moment, Chase knew with absolute certainty the uncle had to die. Preferably screaming.
“He won’t touch you again,” Chase said, his voice a low growl. “I promise you, Jalen. He will never hurt you again.”
His mate looked up then, fresh tears spilling. “You can’t promise that. You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
The absolute defeat in his mate’s eyes was heartbreaking. Chase wished to god he could take away Jalen’s pain, take away those heinous memories so he would never have to hurt again.
“You leave his death certificate to me.” Chase cupped Jalen’s face gently, brushing away tears with his thumbs. “I will savagely defend my mate. You’re no longer alone, Jalen. You have an entire pack of wolves ready and willing to dispose of bodies for you.”
For a moment, something like hope flickered in Jalen’s eyes. Then his gaze dropped to the pill bottle still clutched in Chase’s hand, and desperation clouded his features once more.
“Please,” Jalen softly begged, reaching slowly for the bottle, like he was actually trying to sneak them while Chase watched. “I need them. Just for now.”
“No,” Chase said firmly. “You’re asking for the one thing I refuse to give you.”
Jalen twisted suddenly in Chase’s arms, lunging for the bottle with unexpected force.
Chase kept the pills out of reach, trying to restrain Jalen without hurting him. They grappled awkwardly, Jalen’s movements growing increasingly wild and uncoordinated.
In one swift movement, Chase wrapped his arms around his mate and dragged him backward onto the bed. He pinned Jalen beneath him, careful to distribute his weight so he wouldn’t crush him but firm enough to stop the struggle.
“Get off me!” Jalen bucked beneath him, fighting with the last reserves of his strength.
“I can’t,” Chase said, holding him steady. “I won’t let you do this to yourself.”
“Fuck you for caring about me! Fuck you for ever showing me kindness!”
Gradually, Jalen’s struggles weakened. His breathing came in harsh, uneven gasps, his body trembling with exhaustion. Chase loosened his grip slightly but maintained enough pressure to keep Jalen from bolting.
“I hate you,” Jalen whispered, though there was more despair than venom in the words.
“We’ll get through this,” Chase replied softly.