Unbound

Chapter 25

The line rang once, then twice. He picked up after the third ring. I'd almost hoped I'd reach his voicemail instead.

"Been awhile," Jack teased. "Thought I was going to have to call in a welfare check on you."

"Hi, Jack." I spoke his name quietly; any louder my voice would break. Under my comforter in the dark of the loft, I closed my eyes against a rolling wave of nausea. The pasta was threatening to make a repeat appearance.

"What's happened?"

I'd spent so much time planning speeches lately, and I wished I'd done the same for this. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what I was hoping to get out of this call—forgiveness? Advice? Instead of anything remotely composed, my words came flooding out in an incoherent rush. I recounted everything that had transpired between Gabriel and I: every interaction, every moment, as far back as our encounter in the woods. Including the kiss. Including what he'd said to me over dinner.

Jack listened quietly as I spoke, and when I finished, the silence on his end of the phone line was deafening.

"Jack?" I whispered.

"I'm still here."

The tears were falling fast. "Please say something."

"Kiera." He sighed heavily and I could almost feel it on my cheek. "I'm not your mate. You don't need my permission."

A sob crept up my throat but I swallowed it back down. "I'm tired of everyone saying that like it matters. You're my partner and I love you."

"I love you too. But I want you to be happy. And if this is something you feel like you need to pursue for your own peace of mind, I'm not going to stand in your way."

"Can't you just tell me what to do?" Please just tell me what to do.

"Not this time, Ki. All I can tell you is that I will wait for you, and I will be here for you, no matter what you decide," he said earnestly.

It made me even sicker, his kindness. I wouldn't have expected anything less, but knowing that he would forever put me ahead of himself hurt. Memories of the two of us played like a film in my mind as a knife twisted in my gut. The worst part was that I knew he would, too: wait for me. He would wait patiently for me to do whatever I thought I needed to do to get Gabriel out of my system, then he would welcome me back with just as much love when the Alpha inevitably tossed me aside for someone new.

And now, the choice of what to do next was well and truly mine. I had Gabriel's invitation and Jack's permission to accept it. I could hurt the man I loved to pursue this dalliance with the unknown, or I could cut things off before they even began. I didn't like either option. This time, though, I was afraid to rely on my instinct. When I sat still and listened—really, really listened—it was clearer than ever before. I just wasn't ready to accept the answer.

As much as I would have liked to, I couldn't take another fake sick day, so I spent a half-hour the next morning with an ice pack over my eyes, willing the puffiness from crying to go down to a presentable level. With a little makeup, it was nearly convincing.

Gabriel was hovering in the kitchen, almost certainly waiting for me to come in. He watched me expectantly as I passed but I kept my head down. It was about time he learned some patience.

"Feeling better?" Ephraim peered at me over a stack of books on his desk when I entered and hung my coat on the hook by the door. The tone of his voice told me what I'd already assumed: he didn't buy my story about being sick.

"Mostly, thanks." I kept up the lie. He let me.

"I just got back from seeing Angus." He slid a couple books off the stack and flipped open another.