Page 19 of Threads of Fate

“You’re right. Those are our biggest concerns right now. There is one other thing I must mention in my due diligence.” Riordan has looked stoic this whole time, but this last item has caused a bit of anger to slip past his professional demeanor. “Upon initial examination, we noted that it was necessary to do a rape kit. In doing so, it was readily apparent that this assault was not the first. Scarring indicates repeated—”

“Stop. Stop. Stop.” Grayson barely makes it to the trashcan before throwing up. Leo steps up close enough that Jay can feel his firm chest pressed into his back, offering much-needed support. Gideon’s growling has become so menacing that the betas cringe. With a roar, he’s out of the room and immediately disappears down the stairs.

“I’ll go,” Leo whispers, taking off after the alpha.

There’s a beat of silence.

“I’m so sorry. Jay…could you walk me out? I have a few things to talk to you about, and once the nurses are done, you can go in two at a time.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you both. I’m glad it was you.” Jay shakes his friend’s hand.

“Finn, can you…” Jay gestures to the others. Grayson is back on the couch after a brief visit to the bathroom to rinse his mouth, and Rowan is pushing water into his hand. Jay takes a minute to worry that Luca has exceeded his social battery capacity as his eyes are back to being glazed over and he’s reaching for Grayson’s other hand.

“Sure,” Finn says, then holds his hand out for the second time. “Please, Dan.”

“It’s not light reading even for you, Finn.”

“I am aware. I need to read it for myself.”

Riordan sighs but passes him the tablet, as Ewan leads the way out the door. The beta shares a speaking glance with his pack alpha. “Jay, I’ll be in and out to check Nix’s progress. Please know we are all pulling for him. Let us know if you need anything at all.”

“Thank you. We will.”

“Let’s walk this way.” Riordan leads the way to the stairwell, and they make their way silently up five floors to the roof. Using his all-access pass, the door opens with a beep, just as the sun is setting.

They’re not up here out of the way of prying ears for nothing.

“Okay, how bad is it? There’s something you couldn’t say in front of them. Just tell me.” Jay is instantly covered in a cold sweat.

“It’s bad. Just about as bad as it can be. If he lives through tonight, it’ll still be bad tomorrow. He’s on borrowed time.”

Jay feels any remaining hope drain away. “What? No. You said he was strong. He’s a fighter.”

“He is, and that’s why he’s still here so you can say goodbye.”

Jay can’t say goodbye when he hasn’t even saidhelloagain. He needs more time. Jay sits on his ass, head on his knees. His pack is downstairs, so they can’t see him fall apart. So, he lets his fear and worry pour off him in waves.

“Dan, please.” He’s not above begging.

Riordan sighs and crouches down next to him. Puts a hand on his knee. “It would be different if he were a Were. It would fix all but the worst of the organ damage and give him a fighting chance. Were physiology resolves these injuries immediately. The broken bones, the damaged eye, the…internal scarring from the assaults…infections, none of it would be an issue. He’d be almost a ‘factory reset.’”

But Nix is a human, goes unsaid.

“So, what if we change him, then?” Finn’s suddenly on the roof, gripping the tablet, determination clear on his exhausted features. He’s breathing as if he’d run the entire way. It’s clear he knows everything Riordan left unsaid in front of the others.

“Finn, the laws are non-negotiable. A change must be consensual. They could disband the pack and take you from me.” As the offending pack alpha, Jay would be put to death. The laws were absolute. But he considers it. For a minute, he thinks it would be a risk worth taking.

For Nix.

Riordan stands up and retrieves his phone from his scrubs pants pocket. “Stop the self-sacrificing spiral, Jay. Finn, that’s the second time today I’ve seen you willing to break the big rules.” Jay thinks he sees understanding in Riordan’s face. The doctor loves and leads his pack, and it’s powerfully motivating to do anything for a mate, even if it means losing everything. “I do think you’re onto something, though.”

“Wait, what?” Jay gasps, staring at his friend, who can be even more of a stickler for rules than Finn.

“Hold your horses.” He takes his phone out and puts it to his ear. “Yes, hey, love. What do you know about pack law and Human-Were pact intersections regarding compassionate…” His voice fades out as he walks away.

Jay tunes him out, instead holding out his hand for his mate. Finn drops onto the roof, leaning in and pressing his nose into Jay’s throat with a sigh. Taking his deep breaths of Finn’s tart black currant scent, Jay looks at the fading sunset. He feels like it’s been a month instead of just hours since his small world has started spinning at the speed of light.

He’s had little to no time to think like he’s been reacting instead of acting, and now Riordan has added another life-altering decision to his plate. To force a change without consent onto someone is dishonorable and horrific, and Weres are taught the serious consequences of doing so. Every turning is deliberate and conducted under the strictest of conditions. It’s terrifying to think he could decide whether Nix has a chance at life.

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