Gage debated whether he should just tell Jess and Sean to turn around, but then he would have had to explain why. And maybe he should. Not for the first time, he wished he could talk to his parents. Would he ever get over the instinct to turn to them and find them missing? He double checked all the door locks and then pulled Luke into his arms. Luke was trembling. 

"What did he mean? Every omega has to leave their nest?" Luke asked.

The words on their own were fairly innocent, but Mark's expression had been anything but. Given the context, surely he was threatening Sean, but his eyes had rested on Luke as he'd said them before piercing Gage with his gaze. A sick feeling curled in Gage’s stomach at the thought of what Mark could do on a full moon to either Sean or Luke, if Gage were to invite him. Gage was uncomfortable enough taking Sean, but it was easier to watch one person. It was traditional to introduce a potential mate to the pack, but... Gage’s stomach roiled at the thought of Mark having any kind of power over Luke. And it would be impossible to keep an eye on both of them. Mark would have plenty of opportunity to separate one of them from the pack if he wanted.

Gage wished he knew what Mark's real end game was. He was reaching the edge of his ability to deal. He wanted to get Sean out of this mess. He didn't want to involve Luke any further. But Luke already knew so much. Gage couldn't leave him in the dark if he was a target now. And beyond that, Gage realized, beyond the instinctive urge to seek Luke out, the mating drive that screamed mine, Gage realized he truly liked Luke. He was easy to be around, he was sexy as hell, and when Gage talked to him about his worries, Luke listened.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore." The words fell from Gage’s lips like stones, and he could feel Luke's confusion as he pulled back to look Gage in the eyes. "I don't want to put you in more danger," Gage explained. "Mark already has his eye on Sean and me. It terrifies me to think of pulling you in to this mess."

Luke’s body relaxed slightly as he realized Gage wasn't rejecting him. "Aren't you worried about Jess? Surely Mark knows that if he wanted to get to you, she's another avenue?"

"Jess is fairly well protected as a member of the Williams' family," Gage said. "More protected than we are. If Mark's end game is to put Sean under his control, I don't know why he hasn't come against me more directly, found some way to kick me out of the pack and keep Sean. He's driving me crazy with all this stalker bullshit."

Gage didn't resist as Luke pulled his head down for a kiss. His brain might know that keeping his distance from Luke was the best way to keep him safe, but the rest of him wasn't exactly a fan of that path.

"I don't like the idea of leaving you to face this alone," Luke said. "What's the saying? 'You can only bend so far before you break.' You've been bending over backward to protect your sister, to protect your brother, if you don't get some support, you're going to break."

Gage leaned his forehead against Luke’s and closed his eyes. "I can't see a way out without hurting someone I care about."

Luke's voice was soft and soothing as he said, "Would you consider talking to my alpha?" Gage started to shake his head, but Luke put his hands on either side of Gage’s face. "Wait, just listen to me. You feel like you're in a cloud. Any misstep could be a trap or an enemy, but you can't see your way through. If you're sick and don't know what to do, you see a doctor. If you're depressed you see a psychiatrist. If you're in danger, you see someone who knows more than you do about the situation. Normally, that would be your alpha. But he's not acting like an alpha should. He's forfeited your respect and obedience."

Gage took a deep, shuddering breath. "But what if I'm just stepping into another bad situation by trusting your alpha?"

"You trust her enough to protect Jess, right?"

Gage nodded, their foreheads rubbing together.

"Why would it be so much different to trust her with Sean?"

The same old arguments cascaded through his brain, but they were still built on fear, not knowledge. And he was so tired of fighting this alone. 

The kitchen door rattled and Gage jumped, thrusting Luke behind him, but it was only Jess and Sean. Jess's face lit up when she saw who was behind Gage. "You didn't really need milk, did you?" she asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows, but her expression quickly morphed to one of concern when he didn't respond. "What's wrong?"

The decision of how to move forward warred within him. Did he follow Luke's suggestion and seek out the support of the White Falls pack? Did he dig in deeper, isolating himself, hoping it would all blow over? Luke placed his hand on Gage’s shoulder and he shivered at the touch. When he thought of continuing alone, facing Mark with no support, he wondered why it had even been an option for so long.

"Jess, I think I need to talk to Alice Williams."