Page 81 of Stalked By the Alphas
Zach is perched on the railing, his legs dangling over the edge. At this hour, the passing of the odd car or truck makes a whooshing noise that sounds too loud in the otherwise quiet, but I focus only on Zach.
“Zach,” I call out softly when I’m close enough. He doesn’t turn, but I see his shoulders tense. “It’s Noah. I’m coming closer, okay?”
He doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t tell me to fuckoff either. I take that as permission to continue. I move cautiously until I’m just a few feet away from him.
“Zach, please come down from there,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “We can talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Zach replies, his voice hollow. “It’s over. We’ve lost her.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” I argue gently. “Hazel needs time, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.”
Zach laughs bitterly. “Don’t bullshit me, Noah. You saw her face. She hates us, and she should.”
I take a deep breath, choosing my next words carefully. “What we did was wrong. We all know that now. But ending your life isn’t the answer.”
“What other answer is there? We destroyed everything. Her trust, our hope for a pack, our future. It’s all gone.”
I take a careful step closer. “Maybe. But maybe not. We don’t know what will happen yet, and even if Hazel never forgives us, that doesn’t mean our lives are over.”
Zach shakes his head. “You don’t get it. She was everything. Without her, what’s the point?”
“The point is that we’re still here. We still have each other,” I say firmly. “And we have a chance to be better, to do better. For her.”
“I don’t know if I can live with this guilt,” Zach says, his voice breaking. “We hurt her so much, Noah. How do we come back from that?”
“We start by acknowledging our mistakes. By taking responsibility for our actions, and then we do whateverwe can to make amends, even if Hazel never forgives us.”
Zach’s shoulders slump. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that.”
“You are,” I insist. “We all are. We’ll get through this together, as a pack. But we can’t do that if you’re not here with us.”
Silence.
“Please, Zach. Come down from there.”
“No. None of this is worth it without Hazel.” He grips the railing, and I can see he is preparing to jump.
“Zach…”
“Just go.”
“No.”
“Fuck off!” he roars.
“Not a chance.”
I wave my hand at Carter, who is about to lunge at Zach, but that would be a fucking disaster that could see them both go over. I turn my head to him and mouth, “Get Hazel.”
His eyes widen, and his expression turns stricken. But there is no choice. Hazel won’t let him jump. She isn’t built that way. Despite everything we have done, I know in my soul she will help him. She is the only one.
“Go!” I roar silently to him, and this time, he doesn’t hesitate.
Zach’s knuckles are white as he grips the railing, his body tense and poised to jump. My heart races as I desperately try to think of what to say to keep him from taking that final, fatal step. It hits differently when it’syour friend, your packmate. Emotions are involved, and that cool attitude that has been a gift to me my whole life is crumbling. For the first time in my fucking life, I don’t have the answer. I don’t know how to fix it.
“Zach, stay with me, okay?” I mutter. “We don’t have to talk, but don’t leave me.”
He says nothing, but he doesn’t move either.
