Chapter 34

*****

*Corey*

"Ian says we should get some bus tickets, he's depositing the money into Izzy's account," I said, returning the phone to my pocket.

"Great. If the bus drives straight through we should be home in about two days," Sean sighed in relief.

I glanced over at Jayden who was seated on the couch beside Adan and Hayley. He had not said a word to me or Kaden since we got on the bus. He hadn't even looked at us. I knew because I was hoping he would, so I kept looking over at him.

Hayley mumbled something that made all three of them begin laughing amongst themselves and I felt a little jealous.

While Kaden seemed upset and kept to himself, everyone else was acting like that incident before the bus arrived never happened. I was happy Jayden didn't seem too rattled by it beyond being pissed at us. Though, I was slightly annoyed Hayley was the one who had made him laugh and not me. How could I be annoyed? I had brought on his reaction to me.

He was right. I should have rejected him in the first place. I had not in the beginning, because I was worried about feeling his pull. Now, I figured I would deserve to feel it. He deserved to be free of the pull and of course, it was best for him to have another mate, so my rejecting him would work out perfectly for both of us...

I couldn't do it. He was right. I was selfish. Now that I had reached my senses, I still couldn't do what was best for him.

"What are you laughing about?" Izabella narrowed her eyes at the trio on the couch.

"Nothing," they responded in unison.

The reply did exactly as expected; it made everyone else in the room suspicious of them.

"Hey, Jay. We have no TV," Trent said.

We had rented a lousy little motel room and three others beside it because there was a max of two beds in each one; no sharing allowed. There was no TV, not even a radio, in any of them. Nothing but beds, a lot of boredom and a stale odour filled these rooms. We had to open all the windows to breathe properly. At least the price suited the condition. Thus, we could actually afford it for the night while we waited for our Alphas to get back to us.

"Oh...? Why are you telling me this?" Jayden asked, confused.

"Well... Make some music," Izabella smiled.

"Yeah, please sing for us." Rita sat up.

"I c-can't..." Jayden instantly became flustered, looking down to avoid the attention that was on him before his voice lowered, "Besides... My guitar blew up."

The pain I had had in my chest since our argument grew. I had not noticed. I felt like a terrible mate for not noticing that something significant to him was gone.

"You don't need a guitar. Come on, Jay. Sing. Just this once? We won't tell anyone," Rita pushed.

"Nah." Jayden finally glanced at me, but immediately averted his eyes to the carpet after they met mine.

I chuckled. It was insane how relieved I was to have finally made eye contact with him. His reaction to meeting my eyes was adorable.

"Please, Jayden," Sean said.

Jayden held his breath for a few seconds, and I could feel his anxiety and anticipation in my chest as he blew his cheeks up. It reminded me of the night we went to karaoke. I regretted leaving after one song now.

Jayden was nervous, but if it were like that night, he would become too engrossed in singing to continue feeling anxious.

"F-fine," he stuttered.

Kaden looked stunned at his best friend's agreement.

"How about an Olly Murs song?" Izabella asked.

"Who's Olly Murs?" Jayden voiced my thoughts.

"Yeah, who is that?" Adan tilted his head at his sister.

Izabella shook her head seemingly disappointed and tossed her phone to Jayden whose hands were basically butter because it slipped right through them and landed on Adan's lap. Jayden looked adorably embarrassed while apologising. Adan just chuckled handing him the phone before Jayden played the song.

It was a jolly, upbeat song.

"Why don't we just play the song?" Jayden asked.

"Because we have you!" Hayley said.

Jayden rolled his eyes before he began doing something on Izabella's phone, his fingers tapping the screen quickly.

"'Name is Olly'... But my name isn't Olly." Jayden looked up and laughed when Izabella gave him a flat stare. "Mmm... okay."

I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms as he began playing the backtrack.

"My name is Olly. Nice to meet you, can I tell you, Baby...?" He wasn't looking up, so I assumed he was reading the lyrics while singing.

I would bet that he also wasn't looking up because he was shy and voiding all the eyes. I smiled watching him as he sang. The further he went, the more he visibly relaxed. It was almost like he forgot about the fact that everyone was focused on him, his nerves fading. He sounded amazing. I could listen to him sing for hours... or just speak. His voice was great either way.

I chuckled as Sean got up and took Izabella's hand.

"I just want you to dance with me tonight!" he chimed in with Jayden as they began dancing sillily, because neither could move to save their lives.

Trent and Rita quickly joined them, and then Kaden asked Hayley to dance. Everyone just began messing around.

"No..." I groaned as Hayley and Rita grabbed my hands and pulled my arms out of their crossed position.

"Shut up and dance with us!" I laughed seeing Hayley's dark stare as she yelled at me.

I decided to lighten up a little and let them pull me away from the wall.

"Are you serious?" Zeke chuckled as Izabella dragged him to his feet.

"This isn't fun. Why do I have to be the audio?" Jayden's voice was laced with a light whine as he looked at all of us when the song finished, and we began laughing at the pouty look on his face. He always looked so cute when he was annoyed.

"Just put it on shuffle," Izabella said.

Jayden did, and the first song that came on was some hip-hop song which Zeke immediately began dancing to. It drew cheers from everyone as we tried to hype him up.

"You didn't tell us you could dance!" Rita said.

"You never asked," Zeke shrugged. "I had to make money somehow, being a lone teen wolf and all, so I danced. Actually made a good living... sometimes."

"We can see why," Sean mumbled.

I laughed, remembering Sean's terrible dancing earlier. He turned to glare at me and opened his mouth, but shut it. I smirked. He didn't have a comeback regarding dance when it came to me.

"Ooo. Let's have a battle, Corey!" Izabella suggested.

"Pfft, no." I frowned.

"Scared Zeke's better than you are?" Sean smirked.

"No one is better than I am, and you know it."

I had a bunch of trophies to prove that fact. Though, Zeke was a pretty great dancer.

"We're messing around, Corey. It isn't one of your competitions. Have some fun, teach us something because you think we suck," Hayley said doing a wiggle that made me laugh.

I joined Zeke and we began messing around trying to teach the others how to dance. Even while everyone was around us and I was focused on our friends, I noticed Jayden keeping his distance from me and just couldn't have fun.

It seemed like ever since we decided to change our wishes, it had intensified that the only person, the only thing I could think about was Jayden. All the time.

I needed him to stop avoiding me. However, when I even attempted to talk to him, he seemed to anticipate it and would turn to someone else.

I took the hint and stopped trying because he was having fun. We spent the rest of the night dancing, joking and eating junk food. Well, Sean, Hayley and I were watching the others eat as we preferred healthier food – before everyone went to bed.

I tried to fall asleep, but just couldn't seem to after a few hours of tossing. The room seemed too stuffy, and too warm. The bed felt bad, and my eyes would not stay shut.

Eventually, I gave up on sleep. Zeke was asleep across the room, and I wished I was him because I was exhausted.

I got up and walked out of the room hoping some fresh air would help. Only, I didn't get any fresh air, I got smoke blown into my face by the wind. I wasn't a huge fan of cigarettes; my friend's dad had died from cancer after smoking like his life depended on it. I could not remember seeing him without a cigarette between his fingers.

I hated it even when werewolves did it, the smell made me sick. I frowned and walked in the direction of the smoke because that was the only way to the stairs.

Stepping around the corner left me in shock when my eyes fell on Jayden sitting near the stairs, puffing away.

"You smoke?"

He jumped in surprise and tried to hide the cigarette behind him, clearly having been too distracted to notice someone coming.

"Uh – N-no," he stuttered before letting out an aggravated sigh. "Not usually... anymore," he muttered as he leaned back against the wall and brought the cigarette back to his lips.

"You're... sixteen. How long have you done this?" I didn't get a reply from him.

Instead, he just stared at the cigarette tip burning in the dark. The fiery reflection contrasted with the dullness in his brown eyes. It seemed uncanny. The drained look didn't fit the puppy eyes. He needed some sleep.

"Why?" I asked, leaning against the railing across him.

He looked at me.

"Jayden, please talk to me..." I begged.

Jayden gave a breath as he looked down.

"It helped me sleep... Hopefully, it helps me sleep now," he mumbled blowing another cloud of white smoke into the wind, trying to aim it away from me.

Did he mean it helped him sleep in the past when he previously had the nightmares? How young had he been when he started...?

"Let me guess: you expect me to shut up about your little... addiction?" I asked, trying to sound normal as I stepped closer to him while hoping he wouldn't remember how angry he was at me.

"It's not an addiction. I haven't smoked in years. And yes, you better keep quiet about it. I know that's hard for you and Kaden." He sent me a glare as he threw the bud on the ground and stepped on it before drawing another cigarette out of the box.

My eyes fell to his feet. He was currently lighting his fourth one.

"How long have you been out here?" I reached for the cigarette as he lifted it to his mouth and put it out on the ground, crushing it all the way down.

"Corey –! I fucking paid for that!" he hissed, looking back at me.

"Aw... No refunds? I'm sorry," I said.

Jayden sighed as he slid another from the box, but I cleared my throat like I was having trouble breathing in the lingering smoke. I knew he would be too considerate to light it with me there if he thought I was having trouble breathing. He paused and slowly closed the box.

"Can I crush the rest?"

He opened his mouth but then shut it before shaking his head while looking both exhausted and defeated. I watched as he slid down the wall and sat on the ground, resting his arms on his knees to hide his face in them.

"Leave, Corey," he demanded, calmly.

"Jayden, tell me what the nightmares are about," I said.

He gave a dry chuckle. "You think I owe you an explanation, mate?"

"Of course not. I'm concerned... Please stop saying it like that..." I whispered.

I hated that mocking tone that made it sound like he didn't think of me as his mate at all. I know I had done the same to him, and it really fucking hurt.

He was quiet.

"You don't owe me anything, but I'm not leaving you alone... We can stay here until you tell me."

"Take a seat and get comfortable then because you'll be here a long, long time," he replied, not looking at me.

I sighed running my hand through my hair in frustration. "Jayden, I'm trying to help you."

"You can't! How would you help? You don't understand. You won't understand. I don't want your help. Just drop it." His breathing was faster now. "Stop making me..." he spoke so softly that I had only just heard it.

"What?" I asked carefully. Making him what?

"Please," his voice was barely audible now as he curled, his arms circling his abdomen like it ached. "Go away, Corey. Stop pretending."

I focused on his stomach but felt no pain. Holding my breath, I took a seat on the ground beside him.

"You may have changed your wish for Izabella and Adan, but I wasn't going to wish you weren't my mate. I may not have been able to admit it to myself back then, but it wasn't an option. From the moment you spent that night in the bathroom taking care of me..." Jayden stiffened a little. I knew he thought I didn't remember that. "You're going to have to tell someone what this is about sometime, Jayden. Let someone help you... Let me..." I said.

"Don't you think you should reject me?" he whispered.

"I cannot... I will not. I'm sorry."

He didn't answer me, just looked up and gave a weak smile before yawning. I extended my legs out in front of me and sighed.

"You have to sleep, Babe."

His eyes widened slightly at the name, his brows lowering so he looked both flustered and suspicious of me. The amusing reaction made me glad I had called him that. I was just playing around with it, but it sounded nice directed at him. His face morphed and he didn't attempt to get up or close his eyes.

"Please, Jayden."

"Fine..." Still, neither of us stood.

"Wanna lay down?" I mumbled, sure he would say no.

He looked at me before nodding and I held my breath as my heart picked up.

"Cool." I shrugged like it didn't really matter to me, which was stupid because he could undoubtedly feel my reaction.

A small smile broke onto his face as he nodded, laying on his back and leaning his head onto my lap as he shut his eyes. I smiled. Progress. He had chosen to be near me. His breathing evened out quickly, and I continued to watch him as he fell asleep.

-----

*Kaden*

"I can't find Jayden!" I yelled in panic as I shoved Sean's door open, not really considering whether he was still asleep.

"Corey's gone too." Zeke came in behind me.

I let out a breath of relief. At least now I knew he was probably with Corey and not by himself or with his father. Was Corey any better an option? He had not messed with Jadyen recently.

"Those two keep disappearing." Sean shook his head as he walked out of the bathroom. "Even though they're always arguing," he mumbled. "Kade, I'm sure Jayden's with him and they're fine."

I nodded, holding my breath. Jayden and I still hadn't talked since earlier.

Adan chuckled. "Shouldn't we get some snacks for the bus ride considering that we'll be in there for two days?" he asked.

"We should. Kaden, Adan. You two should go," Sean said.

"Why don't you go?" Adan frowned.

"You suggested it and I'm lazy right now," Sean said.

Adan rolled his eyes.

"I still can't believe you're going to be Alpha," he said, getting up. Sean smirked.

"Believe it." He pointed to his chest where I assumed his Alpha tattoo was. Mine was on my back.

Adan shook his head in disbelief which made me chuckle because he had known Sean was going to be Alpha his entire life and it still caught him by surprise.

"Give me your card," he said.

Sean opened his mouth to argue but laughed instead.

"Oh, right! You're dead," he said as Adan gave him an unimpressed stare. "Were – you were dead," he corrected as he handed over the card while stating the pin before Adan grabbed my shoulders to steer me out of the room.

"This place is not that bad of a motel," he said as we were walking down the hall outside.

"Yeah," I agreed. The place was a lot cleaner than others, with the exception of the smell. It was also very quiet, which was nice.

As we turned the corner Adan stopped and chuckled. I looked up, confused, before tilting my head as I spotted what he was laughing about.

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered as we walked over to the two bodies currently occupying the hallway floor and blocking the route to the stairs.

I frowned seeing Jayden in foetal position, his head resting on Corey's legs. Corey's head was leaned back against the wall, his mouth slightly open and hand cradling Jadyen's head, the other just below Jayden's arm on his chest.

"Smells like tobacco."

I looked at Adan and then followed his eyes to the ground. There was crushed tobacco on the ground with little papers surrounding it and a box beside it. It looked like a few cigarettes had been crushed.

"It isn't Corey's. He doesn't smoke. His friend's father died because of it, and he doesn't like the smell. He would never... So... Jay?" Adan looked at me.

I frowned down at the mess, nudging some of it with the tip of my sneaker.

"Yeah, he used to. He probably started again," I said before my smirk grew as I looked back at the pair. It was so quiet out. Corey looked so at peace.

"Kaden, don't –" Adan began.

"Hey!" I shouted making both Corey and Jayden jerked awake wide-eyed until Corey's eyes fell on me and turned into a death glare that would have made the strongest person beg for mercy.

"Ah, crap – It-it wasn't me!" I jumped over them and began sprinting down the hall towards the stairs.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, Kaden!" I could hear Corey behind me.

"Help!" I laughed, picking up my speed.

*****