Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
TRISTAN
He woke up drowsy, warm, and incredibly aware of Colby pressed against him.
His nose was basically in Colby’s hair. His hand was definitely on Colby’s waist. Possibly his hip. Okay, cool, we’re fine, he thought wildly. This is fine. I’m calm. My cock’s about to dig its way out of my jeans, but we’re good.
Colby stirred and turned slightly, until their faces were inches apart.
That soft, vulnerable look from the night before was still in his eyes, but now mixed with something that stole Tristan’s breath.
Colby hesitated, just for a second, and then leaned in, close enough that their breaths were intermingled.
Their lips met in a soft, careful kiss. Then another, a little longer.
Still closed-mouthed, still gentle. But full of promise.
When Tristan pulled back, he felt dazed. “Morning,” he whispered. “Top five wake-ups of all time. Easy.”
Colby huffed a laugh, soft and real. He didn’t say anything, but his hand came up to rest lightly on Tristan’s wrist.
So Tristan leaned in again, and this time, Colby’s lips parted under his.
Tristan licked in, quick and gentle. He’d intended just to check if Colby really wanted that, but his gut swooped wildly as their tongues slid briefly together, and then heat burned insistently low in his gut, pressure building at the base of his spine until he was almost shaking with it.
God, no one he’d made out with before had gotten him going like this. And he thought he should pull away before Colby felt just how hard he was, except it was Colby this time, his hand on Tristan’s jaw, who drew him in close.
Their kiss became hot and messy and so fucking dirty. Now he wasn’t scared of Tristan, it was clear Colby wanted him. Though it was more than just desire. It was need, yes, but something deeper too, like this mattered to Colby, the way it did to Tristan.
With Colby’s tongue teasing in and out of his mouth, a promise of yet more, it was all Tristan could do not to roll on top of him, to press his body against Colby’s, feel his warm, firm muscles—and maybe it wasn’t just his muscles that were hard, judging by the way Colby was breathing unevenly.
But he had just enough sense left to know he shouldn’t push things too far.
He forced himself to pull back, though he ducked back in a couple of times to plant more closed-mouthed kisses on Colby’s lips. And when he drew back far enough to see Colby’s eyes, they were shining, a smile in them that was somehow made even stronger by the fact his pupils were larger than usual.
“Someone might come,” Tristan said to explain why he’d drawn away, then snorted with laughter. “You know what I mean!”
Colby was grinning at him, and Tristan had never seen him smile that widely.
“How old are you?” Tristan asked curiously. When he’d first seen Colby, he’d thought he was thirty, maybe a bit older, but looking at him now, without that strain in his face…
“Twenty-four.” Colby looked a little confused by what had prompted the question. “You?”
“Nearly twenty-one,” Tristan said swiftly.
Because eight months away counted as nearly, and there was no way he wanted Colby thinking he was a kid.
“That’s basically a hundred and five in shifter years, so I’m ancient.
Totally mature. I mean, if you ignore my cupcake addiction, inability to do my own laundry, and the urge to quote obscure horror movies. I’m practically sage-like, in fact.”
Colby laughed, the first time Tristan had heard it. And it was a sound he wanted to hear for the rest of his life. “Not sure sages talk quite so much,” he said, before his face froze and his eyes widened in fear. Like he’d said something wrong.
Tristan pounced on it, desperate to wipe that look from his face. “You don’t know the half of it. Ask literally anyone in the pack about me, and ‘motormouth’ is probably the first word they’d use.”
Colby’s shoulders eased a little.
“Not that I intend to talk your ear off,” Tristan added quickly. “But full disclosure, I definitely sleep-talk. I think maybe because I can’t get everything out I want to when I’m awake? It’s a theory, anyway. And once, when I was fifteen, I woke up reciting pi.”
Colby blinked at him.
“I was at six decimal places,” Tristan said solemnly. “It was a proud moment for science. And a prouder one for Bryce, who’d been helping me study for my math quiz.”
Colby’s mouth curved into another real smile, and Tristan was overjoyed that he’d felt safe enough to joke with him.
And that he seemed to have forgotten there was a bit of an age gap.
Because the thing was, it didn’t feel like one.
Maybe because they were mates, but it just didn’t. They were right together.
He nuzzled against Colby’s shoulder, trying to tune out the sound of stomps and whuffles from hungry horses waiting for breakfast.
COLBY
The first thing Colby had been aware of was warmth. The scent of Tristan, the shape of him pressed close. His mate.
That word still echoed inside him, too big to hold. Too dangerous to believe. He knew what it meant—at least, what it was supposed to mean. Fate, love, and a tether that was never meant to feel like a chain.
But Nico had poisoned that word, dangling it in front of him like a prize he could earn, or lose. And even though Colby had never truly believed him, the rot had taken hold somewhere deep. Some part of him still didn’t trust this to be real.
And yet, his body didn’t lie. The pull he felt toward Tristan didn’t come from desperation or fear but something truer. And he now realized he’d felt it from the first instant he’d seen Tristan.
They’d moved during the night. At some point, Colby had tucked in closer. Tristan’s arm had been slung over his waist, heavy but protective, not possessive. And Colby didn’t even know how he could tell the difference, just that he could.
It should have made him tense. But instead, he lay still and let it happen, wrapped in a kind of stunned quiet, like his body was waiting for his mind to catch up.
And then Tristan had woken up, and they’d kissed. He hadn’t meant to kiss him again. But waking up with Tristan’s warmth all around him had felt so good, so right, that the need for connection had torn down his defenses.
He wanted Tristan. He did. His body certainly did. But the thought of being naked with someone, being that vulnerable, made his chest tighten. He was relieved they hadn’t gone any further.
Tristan had scrambled to his feet, crouching back down to press a final kiss to Colby’s lips. “I’m going to get us breakfast,” he said. “I’m starving.”
And now Colby was lying under the soft, warm comforter that still bore Tristan’s scent, smiling up at the rafters and very carefully not thinking beyond breakfast.
His first clue was the whinny of a horse somewhere in the barn, and then he heard footsteps, light but positive. Karl, he guessed—a man confident in himself, who knew how to walk without being easily heard.
The bolt was pulled back and Karl opened the door, gaze sweeping over the stall. His nostrils flared faintly, scouting the air, and one eyebrow rose, just barely. It was the most expressive Colby had seen him.
He recovered instantly and was all business again. “Boss wants to see you.”
Like before, Colby was taken through the kitchen—empty, he noted, wondering if they’d gotten Tristan out of the way beforehand—and along the hallway toward the dark door at the end of the corridor.
But unlike before, something in Colby rebelled.
Last time, he hadn’t had much to lose—at least, nothing he valued.
Just his life. Now, he had so much to live for, and whether he’d be able to do so or not was out of his hands.
Karl closed the door behind him, leaving him alone with Matt Urban, who was standing with his back to the window. His arms were folded, his shoulders braced, giving the impression he was weighing a hundred things at once. Colby dipped his head in acknowledgement, then stood, waiting for judgment.
Finally, Urban spoke. “I’ve spent most of the night thinking about what to do with you.”
Colby swallowed and held himself still. He wouldn’t give Urban the satisfaction of showing fear.
“I checked your story. Names. Timeline. Topography.” He gave a small nod. “It holds up.”
A rush of relief loosened something in Colby’s chest, but only until Urban’s next words.
“Here’s the thing,” Urban said. “I believe you told me the truth. I believe you helped Tristan escape, and that you risked yourself to do it. But I also believe that letting you go would be reckless—for you, and for us.”
Colby shifted his weight. He knew he was giving away his nervousness, but he couldn’t help it. When Urban said nothing more, he cleared his throat and croaked out the all-important question that Urban had so carefully avoided. “What does that mean?”
Urban’s eyes didn’t waver. “It means I’m asking you to stay. On a short leash, for now.”
Colby’s mouth dried, and when he tried to swallow, his throat clicked.
“You’re not a prisoner,” Urban said firmly, catching his flicker of panic.
“I’m not locking you in the barn again. We’ll sort out some clothes that actually fit you, boots too,” he added, eyes moving over Colby.
“But you’re going to keep your head down, and you’re going to understand that some of my pack won’t be ready to welcome you. ”
He stepped closer. “If I put you on a bus out of town right now, someone like Nico might be waiting. And honestly? You’ve seen too much of how we work for me to let you fall into the wrong hands.”
Terror flared at the thought of Nico waiting for him, but Colby fought it down. It resisted hard, until he remembered Nico couldn’t get him here. Not under Urban’s roof. And although Nico would have raged at Colby’s betrayal, now that Colby was out of his reach, he’d forget about him soon enough.
But his stomach was still churning. This felt too much like before. He couldn’t. He just couldn’t be another pack’s prisoner. Not after Nico.
“What if I say no?” It came out hoarsely.
“Then I’ll give you a ride to town myself,” Urban said quietly. “I won’t keep someone here against their will. But you’ll be walking into danger, and you’ll be doing it without Tristan.”
Colby flinched.
Urban saw it. “I’m not using him to manipulate you. I’m trying to protect him, too. He’s not thinking straight right now. And that’s not your fault, but it’s my job to make sure he stays safe—physically and emotionally.”
Silence fell between them. Urban had no idea of Tristan’s incredible offer to leave with Colby, but it was clear he’d never let it happen.
And Colby wasn’t sure if he could let Tristan do that.
Not for him. Not when, sooner or later, Tristan would discover the truth of Colby and would spend the rest of his life regretting his choice.
But hearing Urban say he could leave… The strangest thing of all was that Colby almost believed he was telling the truth.
It was the same thing that had thrown him off balance earlier, when Tristan had called him mate like it meant something sacred instead of something earned. No manipulation and no price to pay.
That was the real difference, he realized. It wasn’t that Urban or Tristan didn’t have power. It was that they weren’t using it against him. Not yet.
Urban’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “You want to prove I was right to believe you? Stick around and work with us. Keep being the guy who got an innocent youngster out of a hellhole, even when he didn’t owe him a damn thing.”
Colby looked down, clenching his jaw. He thought about leaving here, which meant leaving Tristan, and he didn’t want to go.
But to stay, effectively to be a prisoner? Again?
And then Urban did something unexpected. He offered his hand.
“Thank you, Colby. For what you did for Tristan. That doesn’t change, no matter how the rest of this plays out.”
Colby blinked at Urban before he reached out and shook his hand. It was the first time in a long time someone had touched him with respect.
He’d come here expecting punishment. But the ground had shifted under his feet, and he wasn’t sure where he stood anymore. One thing was clear, though—Urban had treated him like a person. That didn’t mean Colby trusted him. But for the first time, he wondered what it would be like if he could.
He’d already told Urban everything that mattered for keeping Tristan safe. But there was something else, something he hadn’t mentioned because he hadn’t thought it relevant. And he wanted to deserve the way Urban had treated him, to give him something in return.
“There’s something you should know,” he said.