held him still as I moved my hands to his head.
“No, you haven’t cheated but you really want to,” I mumbled as I searched his memories. “What’s the guy’s name?” Then I saw it in his mind. “Gabe, okay. So you miss the spark and have been considering Gabe because he’d be new and exciting again.”
“Let me go,” Taylor snarled, sounding funny because he couldn’t move his lips. I did what he wanted, getting the answers I needed.
“Carson, don’t do this,” Ian pleaded and seconds later I saw my friend’s blond head come up the stairs.
“He’s not cheating,” I informed him when he got closer.
“No, but I saw what you did,” he whispered before glancing at Taylor and Declan. “I release you from our contract. Wesley already said he’d nullify it when we get back so the bond will be broken without hurting any of us.” Then he turned to Ian. “I love you and I’m sorry this hurts you but I can’t stay with them when this is how they feel. I won’t live like this. I’ll find another way or run.”
“No, I won’t accept this,” Declan growled as he jumped to his feet. “I made a mistake and spoke out of anger to my mate about something that was upsetting me. I’m sorry you walked in on it but the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. I love you. I’m sorry I assumed the worst about what was going on but we can fix this. We can talk this out.”
“And coddle me some more?” he shouted as he teetered a bit. I moved over to him and wrapped my arm around him. “You never wanted to lead and I’m tired of living with the pressure from your decision to do it to save me. You hover constantly to the point I can’t take a bath without you checking on me and then you bitch I need to be coddled. Fuck and you.”
“We check on you in the bathtub because you tried to commit suicide in it once!” Declan shouted. “We’re scared that with the way you feel emotions and they affect you that it will send you into a depression spiral before we know what’s going on again and then it will be too late.”
“You should do that because you care, not because you think you have to coddle me. And Taylor just wants to fuck someone else, so I’m done. I’m not being the problem in the relationship anymore. You both hate leading a pack, so I release you.”
“You hate it too?” Declan asked Taylor.
“More than I can put into words,” Taylor drawled. “But I love all of you so I stay. And I don’t want to cheat. That’s not what this is about at all but I’m not having this conversation drunk and in front of everyone. We can discuss this later after we all calm down.”
“No, I shouldn’t have to have a conversation calmly with you after this all went down,” Carson cried as I rubbed his back. “You should have come to us before it went down like this. You’re only addressing it now because you got caught.” He glanced up at me with tears running down his cheeks. “Tell them the truth, Tristan. Don’t wait and let it fester. You see how keeping quiet and not being open is like acid to a mating.”
“I got him,” Ian said as Carson turned away and I went to help him. The Beta and my friend looked back at Declan and Taylor. “I love you both. I always have but I go with Carson because I don’t think either of you really deserve the love we have for you after this.”
I felt tears burn in my eyes as I watched my friend’s mating get blown to shit. Carson and Ian headed downstairs as I felt three presences I knew well move closer to me.
“We need to talk, baby,” Jared said quietly. “All of us, alone.”
“Yeah, okay,” I agreed, knowing no way to get out of this after what Carson said. We headed to the back of the Sun Deck by the pool that could be used as a whirlpool as well. I sat down on the edge and moved my feet into the water as I glanced around for a drink.
“No, you’ve had enough until after we have this conversation,” Cameron said quietly. “What was
Louis Auchincloss, Thomas Auchincloss