Chapter 373

Jesse puts his head down, panting, and pushes harder to keep up with Rafe.

Because Jesses’s fit, of course – he can beat almost anyone else in Warrior track now that Grant has left the school. But Rafe? He’s always been faster. Still, if Jesse pushes a little more, he knows he can keep up –

But he gasps, almost falling on his ass to avoid slamming into Rafe, who has stopped suddenly in the middle of the forest path that they run every morning.

“Rafe, what the hell!” Jesse stumbles out, tripping over his feet as he works hard to stay upright. “Why did you –“

Rafe turns towards him, the stern set of his mouth, the hurt and anger in his eyes suddenly putting a stop to Jesse’s entire train of thought.

“Rafe…” Jesse pants, going still. “What’s…wrong?”

“I tried,” Rafe says, his voice low and devastated. “I kept it in this entire time that Ari’s been sick, and away, because she needed us –“

“Kept what in?”

“It, Jess,” Rafe snaps, turning fully towards his cousin now and taking a step towards him. “The fucking truth. But I can’t do it anymore – now that Ari’s doing better – now that she doesn’t need my constant vigilance – I can’t –“

“Rafe,” Jesse says, stepping towards his cousin, not understanding. “What is it? What –“

“What the fuck are you doing sleeping with Daphne!?”

Jesse’s jaw drops open as he stares at Rafe, whose grim face looks ready to kill.

How? How…how the fuck does Rafe know about…him and Daphne?

“Did you think you got one over on me, Jess?” Rafe growls, storming forward and forcing Jesse to take several shaky steps back. “Showing up like that, after Ariel had been rejected, when you were supposed to be watching her? Fucking smelling all over of the girl I’m in love with, your clothes all fucked up!? Did you think I was just too fucking stupid to notice that?”

Jesse just stares at Rafe, his heart sinking, because he – he doesn’t think Rafe would be too stupid to notice that. No, it was him, Jesse, who was the stupid one –

He didn’t even fucking think of it – didn’t even realize – he’d just wanted to get upstairs as fast as possible, to get to Ariel’s side –

Because Rafe’s right, he was supposed to be watching her. The whole thing had been his fault.

Guilt sweeps through him absolutely, from head to foot.

“Rafe,” Jesse says, his head tilting to the side, his voice pleading.

“What the fuck, Jess!?” Rafe shouts, his voice breaking on his cousin’s name as he grabs Jesse’s collar, hauling him closer. “How could you do this to me!?”

“Rafe,” Jesse says again, grief in his voice, his shoulders slumping as he puts his hands up, giving in to the larger Alpha, the man with the moral high ground here. “It’s not like that –“

“So, what, you’re not fucking her?” Rafe’s words are a snarl as his rare anger finally starts to take pride of place in his heart, his mind.

Jesse’s eyes narrow. “Stop saying it like that.”

Rafe goes still, staring at him. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

Jesse’s arm sweeps up, knocking Rafe’s aside, making him drop his collar. “It’s not like that, Rafe. It’s a gross way of describing it – I’m not fucking her. I’m in love with her. Daphne and I are together –“

“No,” Rafe growls, his own face shutting down as rage begins to brew in his chest. “That’s fucking bullshit, Jesse.”

“It’s not!” Jesse shouts, stepping forward to Rafe, hating his cousin for a moment for doubting this single thing that means the most to him in the world. “I’m going to fucking marry her – she’s my –“

“Your mate!?” Rafe bites out, livid. “You’re a fucking liar, Jess!”

“She is!”

“She so fucking is not!” Rafe sputters out a mocking laugh, just staring at Jesse. “If she was your mate you’d have told fucking everyone the moment you met her! You’d have been crowing it from the rooftops! Not watching me bring her home to meet my family at Midwinter –“

“Our family,” Jesse growls, stepping back and crossing his arms. “And Ariel fucking brought her, not you –“

“Oh whatever, Jess, you’re not her fucking mate.” Livid, Rafe turns on his heel, unable to believe that Jesse would ask him to believe such a blatant lie.

“I think I’d fucking know!” Jesse shouts, storming after him. “It’s my life –“

“There is no bond!” Rafe shouts, turning back towards him. When Jesse’s steps slow, his mouth drawing to a thin line, Rafe laughs and crosses his arms. “Go ahead, Jess. Tell me there’s a bond. Honestly, say it, truthfully, and I’ll believe you. I’ll get on my knees and beg forgiveness.”

Jesse glares, raising his chin. But he doesn’t say a word.

“That’s what I fucking thought,” Rafe growls, pointing a finger in Jesse’s face. “If she was a mate a bond would have snapped into place, that’s how it works Jesse –“

“That’s not how it worked in my family!” Jesse snarls, smacking Rafe’s hand away. “Dad and mom’s bond took ages – they didn’t know – he went on faith for months, but he knew it was true, he - “

Rafe gapes at Jesse before he breaks in, enraged. “That’s completely different, Jess! Your mom is human – her wolf hadn’t awoken! The moment her wolf woke up the bond snapped into place! You and Daphne have wolves! You’d know!”

Jesse gathers himself up, all of his pride, all of his conviction steeled in his core. “She’s my fucking mate Rafe. And I’m sorry if you don’t like it, if you have feelings for her? But she’s mine. I’m in love with her, and I’m going to marry her, and I’m sorry we didn’t tell you –“

“What fucking ever, Jesse, you’re so fucking pathetic,” Rafe snaps, turning again and stalking back towards the Castle.

“Pathetic!?” Jesse storms after him.

“You never should have touched her, Jess,” Rafe growls, glancing over his shoulder. “I have feelings for that girl. You should have respected that.”

“I tried,” Jesse pleads, chasing after Rafe’s long stride, grabbing for his cousin, desperate to get him to turn, to talk to him again. “Rafe, if she wasn’t my mate –“

“Oh, would you fucking lay off of that stupid mate bullshit!?” Rafe shouts, shoving Jesse to the side when he walks next to him. “She’s not your mate, you’re just fucking into her because I was into her first, like you always are with these girls –“

Jesse stops in his tracks, staring after Rafe, appalled again.

Realizing that Jesse’s not following, Rafe turns about ten feet further down the path, glaring hard at his cousin, not willing to let it end there. “You’re just fucking with her, Jess, because you’re desperate to be even with me. You did it with Lindsey and Kristy too - you can’t stand not to pick a girl up after I’ve finished with her -”

“I –“ Jesse sputters, pressing a hand to his chest. “I’m fucking with her!? I’m fucking with Daphne!?”

“Yes,” Rafe growls, taking three cruel steps closer. “You’re messing with her head if you know you have a mate out there, lying to her, pretending it’s going to work –“

“That’s what you were doing!” Jesse shouts, appalled, sweeping a hand out to encompass Rafe’s whole hypocritical self. “That’s like – exactly what you were doing!”

“I never told the girl I was going to marry her,” Rafe growls, pressing a hand to his chest. “Plus, I never slept with her! And we broke it off!”

“You didn’t break it off, Daphne dumped you!” Jesse shouts, his voice ringing out through the forest as he stares at his cousin, stunned at his level of hypocrisy. “And I am not lying to her – she’s my fucking mate, whether or not you decide to believe me!”

“You know the only real reason you want Daphne to be your mate, Jess?” Rafe says, stalking towards him, shaking his head with pity he forces himself to feel, even if his wolf is howling with jealousy and hurt pride. “Is because it’s the first time, ever, that a girl has dumped me and told you that she liked you more. And you’re kissing her ass for it because you’ve been hungry for that your whole life. And you know it will never happen ever again.”

Jesse’s face goes pale and falls slack.

Rafe seethes, staring into his cousin’s eyes, his chest pounding with his rage.

But when Jesse fails to move, fails to make a noise, Rafe checks himself, standing straight, his own face falling when he realizes that he has gone too far.

“Fuck you, Rafe,” Jesse says, his voice shaking with hurt and rage.

Jesse works hard to clench his jaw but finds that he can’t do it. His mouth is trembling too hard.