Page 72 of Blinded
"So, this is decided?" Justice asked.
"Unless you have another way to let him live and guarantee he keeps our secret," Kurt told him.
"Who says he stays silent even after being changed? He could out all of us. Letting him into our community is still a risk." Brett reached for my hand.
I nodded. "He's scared to death of us. Sure doesn't look like someone who is excited to become a shifter."
"I'm scared you'll still choose to kill me. I want to join you. I have no one. My family is gone. I was living with Justin until he lost his mind. I've been living on the streets since the attack. Honestly, I wouldn't tell anyone about you. No one would believe me if I did."
"They would if you shifted in front of them." Preston stared at him. "How do we know you won't fuck us over?"
"Because I don't want to die, and you'd kill me if I did." Mark lifted his head and stared at us. "I'm sorry for being a part of what Justin did. I hated every bit of it. I couldn't stop throwing up after the first night. Then to find out I'd actually watched him kill someone. It wasn't just any animal, which was bad enough, but a person. Someone I'd hung out with and considered a friend. I have nothing right now. If you kill me, no one would know, no one would care. The few friends I have around town aren't real friends. They put up with me because Justin did. I know what Kurt is asking of me when he offered to change me. I want this. It's a new start to my life. One where I don't have to wander around alone anymore. I'm scared. I'd be stupid not to be, but I'm willing to face this, willing to try and make up for not stopping Justin, willing to try to get you to forgive me."
I didn't say anything. It wasn't my place. This had to be up to Brett, Preston, and Justice. They were the ones who had been hurt by everything. It was clear Kurt had decided but was leaving it up to the rest to decide where Mark would go.
Justice blew out a long breath. "This is risky. Who's going to change him? That in itself is a big responsibility. Does he even know what happens?"
Josh nodded. "I explained it."
Josh had been human once. Attacked and bitten by a lone wolf, he didn't know what was happening to him. It was only luck that Kurt had found him and helped him through the shift, which was extremely hard on a person.
"So, it's up to us whether we keep him here or send him off to another pack?" Brett asked.
"Not just another pack, but a Pack Authority pack. One where he will be watched and limited in his activity until he's proven his trust. Here, he will also be watched and will be limited in what he's allowed to do for a while, but he'll have more freedom and probably a better structure of what real pack life is like. You know as well as I do that Pack Authority camps are more like prisons." Kurt pulled Josh tightly against him. "Take time to talk and decide, but I need a decision from all of you before you leave."
Brett turned to me, his eyes wide. "I don't know." He shook his head. "I mean, I guess he doesn't deserve to die, but do we want him here?"
"This has to be your call. You three are the ones who will have to live with seeing him around. It's not up to me." I kissed him softly before pulling away and walking to the other side of the small area.
Brett sighed as he turned to Justice and Preston. I watched them as they talked, trying to figure out what I would do in their situation. It wasn't an easy one. Mark would be a constant reminder of what happened, but if Bridger's family could forgive and allow him to stay, then I guess I could too.
"It's been quite the month, hasn't it?" Kurt asked as he and Josh came to stand beside me.
"Yeah, never dreamed I'd find my mate, let alone have all the other shit happen on top of it." I smiled as I looked over at Brett. "He's amazing. I never thought anyone could be so perfect."
Kurt laughed. "Being mated is amazing. I hate that all of our wolves won't find their mates."
"Me too. I never thought it really mattered, but now, knowing what I was missing, I don't know how I ever lived without it. I didn't just get a mate, I got his family too. There was so much absent from my life before and I didn't even realize it." I glanced over at Mark in the cell. "What do you think? Is he safe to have around?"
"I'm not worried about him. This actually might be the best thing for him. He lost his family in a car accident and has been in foster care in Helena for the last ten years. Now that he's aged out of the system, he's on his own. He works at the coffee shop in town, but other than when he was staying with Justin, he's living on the streets. I don't think he's ever had any real friends or people who give a shit about him. This could be his chance to actually have a somewhat normal life and connect with people," Kurt told me softly.
"Don't you think you should tell them that?" I nodded to Brett and the others.
"They know enough. Their choice needs to be made on factors other than pity. If they can't get past what Mark did, then he doesn't belong here with us. He'll make it fine in another pack once he adapts to it. I'll support whatever choice they make." Kurt shook his head. "Doesn't bring Bridger much justice, but Mark wasn't the one to take his life anyway."
I nodded. "Nothing will bring him back. This has upset enough lives. It's time for it to end."
"I agree." Kurt glanced up as Brett, Justice, and Preston turned toward us.
Justice glanced over at the cells. "He can stay on one condition."
Kurt nodded. "What's that condition?"
"I'm the one to bite him. He'll stay with me so I can keep an eye on him. I'll be there through the whole transition. Once he's changed, then we'll see how things are and how he's acting." Justice moved over to the cell, wrapping his thick hands around the bars. "We'll give him a chance, but he has to prove himself."
Kurt stepped to the cell beside Justice. "Your choice, Mark. You can either agree to their demands or you can go to another pack."
"You won't hurt me?" Mark stood, staring Justice in the eyes.
