Slowing to a stop, she turned and smiled sadly at him. “You know, it doesn’t really. I’m really glad I know the why of it now. And I get that you were trying to protect me. But things didn’t have to happen like they did. We had other options. We could have left Eagle Creek, could have run, at the very least. I would have followed you anywhere, Jax. But you chose to break up with me, giving your grandfather exactly what he wanted. Now I’m going to go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Watching as she left the attic, Jax fell back onto the bed with a groan. That hadn’t gone like he hoped it would. Maybe he was naïve, but there was a part of him that thought if he explained everything to her, she would just fall back into his arms.
Rubbing his hands over his face as his eagle threw a fit inside him, he decided he would just up his game some more. He wasn’t giving up. Besides, tonight she called him Jax instead of St. James. That was progress, and he was going to take it as a good sign.
Standing up to shut off the lights, his eyes fell on the notebook with Piper’s song in it. She’d asked him earlier if he had a fight song, and he told her no. But now he had one. That song had touched her, slipped past the guards she had up against him, and reached her on a level he hadn’t been able to get to yet. And he’d use it to win her back, if he had to. It was his new fight song, perfect for the war he was waging on Piper’s heart.
Jax walked slowly toward the clearing where Piper was waiting for him. He was late, and he knew Piper would be upset and worried, but he couldn’t make himself walk any faster. Fury with his grandfather mixed with dread, coiling together in his gut and making him nauseous, as a sheen of sweat covered his skin.
Walking into the small meadow, he watched as Piper noticed him, a beautiful smile lighting her face. Running over to him, she threw her arms around his neck, and he wrapped her up, squeezing tightly, everything easing at the feel of her in his arms, and knowing it was the last time he’d ever feel it.
Pulling back, she smacked him on the chest. “Where have you been? It’s not like you to be late, and I was getting worried.” Pausing, she studied his face, frowning. “Are you okay, Jax? You look sick.”
Shaking his head slightly, he took her hands in his. “Piper, we need to talk. I…”
“You what, Jax? Spit it out. You’re freaking me out.”
Dropping her hands, he turned away and propped his hands on his hips, fighting for breath. He had to do this. Do it quick. Like ripping off a band-aid. And do it in a way that ensured she didn’t fight him or argue him on it.
Don’t do this, his eagle pleaded. I can’t live without her. We can’t live without her. There has to be another way.
Only there wasn’t. He’d gone round and round, trying to come up with an acceptable alternative, but there wasn’t one. His grandfather meant every word of his threat, and Jax knew he wouldn’t hesitate to go after Piper if he didn’t break things off.
And running wasn’t an option, either. He couldn’t ask her to give up college, to follow him to God-knew-where, to give up her life for him. Not when he had no way to support her. He wanted to make a career out of his shifter gift, do something with his music. But what kind of life would that be for her until he made it? He could get a regular job of course, but he had no other skills. Anything he found would be entry level, and it wouldn’t be enough to support her like she deserved.
Hardening his heart, he steeled himself and turned around. “I think we should see other people, Piper.”
“W—what?” she stuttered. “You can’t be serious. If this is a joke, it’s the crappiest excuse for one ever, Jax.”
“It’s not a joke,” he replied with a shake of his head, staring at her middle. He didn’t want to see her face right now. He might change his mind if he did. “I think we need to break up.”
“Where is this coming from, Jax?” she asked, voice shaky and full of tears. “And look me in the eyes when you tear my heart from my chest, you fucking coward.”
Bracing himself and wiping all the emotion from his face, he looked up, staring into her tear filled violet eyes. “I’m sorry if you thought what we had between us was real and lasting. But this was always the plan. We were never more than a high school couple. And since you graduate in a couple weeks, the time has come to move on.”
“Jax, come on,” she said, voice soft and pleading. “We’re more than that. We’re for life. You know what’s between us is more than some lesser kind of puppy love. We’re meant for more.”
“Our story ends here, Piper. Do you not get it?” he asked harshly. “I don’t want to be with you. I’m ready to move on. There’s a girl I’ve had my eye on, and I can’t go after her while you’re still clinging to me. Stop humiliating yourself, and do yourself a favor. Let me go before you look like a fool, trying to hold onto something that isn’t there.”
She gasped, and he hardened his heart, keeping a tight rein on his emotions and his eagle as tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
“Fuck you, asshole,” she spat. “I can’t believe you had me so thoroughly fooled. I didn’t just love you. I thought we were best friends. You hid the real Jax well. Whoever the lucky girl is is welcome to you. I wouldn’t take you back if you fell to your knees right now and begged. But you’re going to regret this one day. You’ll never find anyone who loves or wants you more than I do.”
Spinning on her heel, Piper took off down the trail, disappearing from sight. Clutching his chest where it felt like his heart had been ripped from his body, Jax fell to his knees, struggling to keep his human form. If he shifted now, his eagle would chase Piper down, and things had to remain as they were now. She wasn’t safe otherwise.
While there would never be anyone else for him, Piper at least had the chance to move on. She’d heal from this, meet someone new, have a family someday. The thought made him feel violent, but he took comfort from it, just the same. This wouldn’t be the end for her, like it was for him. He knew she was his mate since he was eleven. And there was no going back from that.
His grandfather had gotten one of his demands, separating Jax and Piper. But that’s all he’d get. Jax wasn’t going to pursue Danica, and his grandfather had no leverage now to get
his way. But Jax knew one thing for certain. He’d never allow himself to be weak enough to be put in this position again. He’d do whatever he had to do to get to a place where he could protect what was his against anything that came his way.
Never. Again.
Still on his knees, he stared in the direction his mate had run. “I love you, Piper. Always.”
Jax crept down the stairs at dawn, pausing at the guest room where Piper slept. He wished he could go in and curl up with her, but he had something he had to do. Besides, she wouldn’t welcome his presence in her room, he knew that for sure.
Reluctantly heading down the next set of stairs, he jogged to his truck, getting in and heading toward town. It took no time at all before he was pulling up to the stately old home that had been in his family for generations. The last time he was there was when he came to deliver the news to his grandfather that he and Piper were no longer together, but he still had no intention of pursuing Danica.