bChapter /bb385 /b

    “I told you not to contact the councilb!!!/bb” /b

    He suddenly screams as he turns and bruns /btowards me.

    “I told you what would happen if they went poking around my pack again!b” /b

    He screams as he pounds his fists into my chest pad.

    “He’s removing me from the program! I will be a prisoner in my own territory as bsoon /bas byou /b

    send me home!”

    He goes silent while he pants, breathless from his sudden attack on me. He pushes himself hard off of where he copsed briefly against me.

    “I know about the busesing for the free loaders. I know I’m one of them. I have never stayed

    longer than three months out of the territory.”

    He’s pacing between me and the edge of the mat, his hands in his hair though I can’t tell if he’s purposely causing himself pain or not.

    “I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do. As difficult as it is to be here, it’s nothing like being

    home and I’m not ready to leave.”

    As suddenly as his rage began, he stops. Copsing to his kneesb, /bpletely exhausted.

    “I’m tired of fighting alpha but the sooner I return to the monotony of fighting for everything I need

    the better off I’ll be.”

    His voice breaks as he changes his position, getting off his knees. I step back, kneeling down to the

    mat as he curls into a ball. His face is against his legs and his hands curled around his head as if he’s expecting to be hit. It’s only a minuteter that his body is racked with his silent sobs,

    “Cole?” I reach out to him, pushing myself closer to him.

    “No!”

    He pushes me away as he scrambles back to his feet. bI /bjump back on to my own and follow him to

    the other side of the mat.

    “Cole, I need you to talk to me.”

    “Just stop alpha! Please stop being nice to me! I can’t do this! I can’t handle returning to hell after you’ve made everything so easy!” ol start="13"li13. /li/ol

    Chapter b385 /b

    He’s pacing fast, it’s obvious that he wants to run but is blinded by his tears.

    b“/bYou can’t seriously be thinking about going back.”

    Jessa steps out of the crowd onto the mat. He shakes his head as he walks.

    “I don’t have a choice.” He whispers.

    “You just said there’s always a choice.” She whines defensively.

    “Not for me. There’s never any choices for me.”

    He slows to a stop, turning to look at Jessa.

    “I’m sorry, Jessa. I’m so; so sorry that Diana was bso /bcruel to match you with me. That I’m not man enough to let you go. I try. I fight every single day to do right by everyone but it’s not enoughb. /bbI /bnever get it right. All I know how to do is fail and the sooner you reject the mate bond the better off you will be.”

    “Why do you still think I want to reject you? That I’m unwilling to give you a chance?”

    “How can you give me a chance when I have no choice but to return? Once I step foot back on Red Fang territory that’s it. I’ll never leave again. Not without running away and if I do that he will contact the council. I don’t want to leave but there is no freedom without innocence and there’s bno /binnocence without myptop. I have no way to contact the girls that frequently use my room as sanctuary and Jamie’s dad….”

    He trails off, his pacing increasing as his half growl half scream of frustration echoes throughout the annex. He puts his hands in his hair, balling them into tight fists again.

    “Cole?”

    I can hear the concern in Jessa’s voice as she slowly approaches his pacing body. She stops behind him and I’m surprised when he does the same.

    “Jessa please, I can’t handle your fear of me too.”

    He sounds so lost and broken that no one makes a sound.

    “I’m not afraid. You’re not angry/like you were a few weeks ago when I tried to get close to you.”

    “Yes, I am. I am the same as you saw before. Angry, frustrated, hurt and confused. I want so badly to be near you but doing so will only make leaving that much harder.”

    The Son of bRed /bbFang /b