Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
brYCE
At some point he’d shifted. It made the noise in his head fade—nothing but instinct, and earth beneath his paws. Even if his wolf was whining softly in protest the entire time.
He skirted the perimeter, keeping an eye on the guards Jax had placed around their territory.
One of them moved too close and Bryce snarled.
The guy backed off fast, muttering into his comms. Disappointing.
Bryce had wanted a fight. He needed a burn in his muscles to distract from the one in his chest.
Eventually, he looped back to where he’d left his clothes. He had a job to do.
Back at the house, he paused outside the back door, hearing signs of life inside the house—coffee brewing, Jesse’s low drawl, the clatter of breakfast. Normally, he’d be in the thick of it, the heart and soul of the chaos. But not this morning.
He slipped around the house and silently let himself in through the front door, heading to his room where he sank down onto the edge of his bed.
The same bed where Tom had smiled up at him. Where he’d looked at Bryce with warmth and wonder and joy. Which Bryce had ripped away, leaving those eyes dark and bereft.
His fingers curled into the mattress. He’d done the right thing. That was the refrain playing on repeat. He’d done the right thing, been quick, clean, and definitive. It was the kindest way.
Tom would get over it. Because he wasn’t really in love with Bryce, he was reacting to a story. To biology and myth and the idea that a mate would make everything okay. He didn’t love Bryce. He loved the concept of a mate.
Bryce’s wolf growled low. He ignored it as he shoved off the bed and strode to the door.
Time to pull himself together. Matt needed backup.
He didn’t know if Tom would be at this meeting or not, but it made no difference.
He’d do this the way he did everything—with a smile and a bad joke.
Good old Bryce, reliable, loyal, who never let anything get too deep.
He opened his door to find Matt passing, on his way to the living room.
“You’re up,” Matt said. He didn’t sound surprised, but there was something cautious in his tone. “You okay?”
“Fine,” Bryce said automatically.
Matt didn’t call him on it. But he did give him a long look.
“Karl’s been watching their security detail,” he said.
“He’s convinced these guys have the training and ability to have taken out Cale’s pack.
And Dave called in. He’s been showing that photo of Jax around, the one that Tristan took when he was supposedly scrolling on his phone, and he’s got a hit.
Someone remembers him asking questions about a hidden pack around the same time Jesse’s was wiped out. ”
“From that long ago?” Bryce asked, seizing the lifeline of something to concentrate upon. “Someone really remembers Jax that clearly?”
“This was someone who spent time with him,” Matt said. “We just need him to testify.”
Bryce nodded slowly. “Don’t much like the thought of a murder squad on our land, watching us.”
“Yeah,” Matt agreed. “But now that we have a place to start, Riley’s chasing down Jax’s official records and anything else he can find, trying to identify his contacts.
With a little less legality than I like.
” Matt’s mouth twitched. “If there’s something there to find, he’ll manage it.
And I’ve got more questions for Bennett this morning. ”
That steadied Bryce. It was a problem he could work on, forgetting everything else. “See if he slips up.”
“Exactly,” Matt said. “Thing is, I get why someone would have come after Jesse, wanting to control him for their ambition, but what I just can’t get my head around is who would have gained from wiping out a pack that contained Argents. Makes no sense.”
“Maybe the Argents wouldn’t play ball? And the only thing worse than having no Argent to bolster someone’s position would be one standing against him, making sure he lost all that power and lifestyle he’s used to,” Bryce ventured.
Matt nodded, looking grim. “Bennett is a definite possibility in my mind,” he said.
“He was just as ambitious then as now, and he’s keen as hell on getting Jesse’s backing.
But those other two councilors who chose to come here have been mighty quiet.
I’ll get them talking today—God, I don’t believe I just said that—and maybe we’ll find out more. ”
“I’ll work the edges of the meeting,” Bryce said. “They might be more relaxed talking to a harmless pack member rather than the alpha.”
Tom might’ve ripped the ground out from under him. But this—helping protect his pack—this he could still do. This he had to do.
It was something solid, when everything else felt like smoke and ashes.