This time, when Tanner stops him, Jess can't help but stop, just take a moment and pauses, a step from the door.
He turns slowly.
His eyes flicker over Tanner's tense frame, the rigid way he holds himself. He stares at the unreadable face.
He stares without even blinking, his heart thudding like a warning. What does Tanner really want from him?
He wants to believe that there's something real behind Tanner's chaos. That all the coldness, the cruelty, the barking orders... it's all just armor. And if Jess walks now, maybe he'll never get to see what's underneath.
What if Tanner doesn't want him to go? What if he just doesn't know how to stop him?
Jess's mind spirals around trying to understand what is happening.
He stands still without saying anything, just watches Tanner with a gut-deep ache. What if this isn't just the mate bond pulling them together? What if the mate bond is only the beginning?
He swallows, his throat dry. He thinks of every time Tanner has pulled him in, only to push him away. The kisses that came with bitterness. The touches that trembled with restraint. He wonders: What if Tanner feels something but doesn't have the courage to name it?
And deeper still, Jess wonders about himself. Maybe he feels something too. Maybe he wants something from Tanner too, but all they've been talking about is the mate bond, what if all this has nothing to do with the mate bond?
Leaving now might be the smart thing. The strong thing. But it might also be the cowardly thing.
He tries to remember what he's running to. Freedom? Maybe. But it wasn't perfect out there before, after he ran. It was lonely, nothing could take away that loneliness no matter how much he tried. It was Hard. And here, despite everything, there's something. Not safety. Not kindness. But something that could become those things, if they dared.
What if the Moon Goddess had a reason? he thinks. What if she had a reason for this connection?
What if walking away is only making things worse?
Even when Tanner snarls, voice like thunder, "You're not going anywhere unless I say so! What makes you think an omega gets a say in what an alpha says?"...Jess doesn't flinch. That voice scared him once. But Now... it just sounds desperate.
Jess makes up his mind. He knows, deep down, that running will never be the answer.
No matter how tempting it seems, fleeing won't fix anything; it will only leave him stuck in the same cycle of fear and uncertainty.
Just then, Tanner's phone rings, its sharp sound slicing through the tension. Jess glances at it, catching a glimpse of the name... his father.
Tanner hesitates before answering, his fingers pausing on the screen for just a beat too long. A minute passes, the call ends, and Tanner lets out a heavy sigh.
Jess feels a change in the air around him. It's subtle, but undeniable, the shift in Tanner's mood, the way his posture slumps slightly.
But Jess doesn't dare ask.
Tanner turns to him, his voice a command, sharp and forceful, "Put on a dress. We're going to the pack house." Jess almost recoils at the order.
He swore to never cross-dress just because someone else told him to, but now... now isn't the time to argue. He isn't doing this for Tanner.
He's doing it for himself, to see just how far Tanner is willing to push this game, and to see if it really means anything in the end.
He turns and walks into Tanner's room, each step heavier than the last. He puts on the dress, each movement sharp with frustration.
When he returns, Tanner is already walking to the car. Jess joins him without a word.
The drive is suffocating. The silence between them is thick with things unsaid and anticipation of why they are summoned at the pack house.
The road winds through the forest like a secret. Jess stares out the window.
Just before they reach the gates, the phone vibrates again. Tanner grabs it roughly. "Dad, I'm here," he snaps, and hangs up without waiting for a reply.
The gates slide open, and Tanner hits the gas. The tires scream against gravel. His grip on the wheel is white-knuckled. Jess sits stiffly beside him, feeling every jolt of the engine like it's inside his chest.
They pull up to the pack house, and Tanner kills the engine. The door slams shut behind him. Jess follows, his heels clicking on the stone path.
Inside, Tanner doesn't hesitate. His boots strike the floor with harsh purpose. The council chamber doors swing open before him.
Inside, the air is icy. Elders sit in tight rows, eyes sharp and unforgiving. Guards line the walls. Conversations die mid-sentence. Every head turns.
Tanner walks in, shoulders back, unyielding.
Then someone speaks. His mother. Cool. Controlled. "Where is Luna?"
Jess stiffens. The question slices through him.
Tanner says nothing. He just steps aside.
He walks in, heart pounding, wearing a dress that feels like a lie and a truth at once. Every eye finds him. Every breath in the room holds still.
And Jess wonders: Was staying a mistake?