Chapter 38

*****

*Jayden*

I let out a tremoring breath as I lifted my trembling hands to my face. It was dark. I could barely remember what happened, could barely feel any part of my body through the pain.

As my fingers touched my cheek, the tips grazing a thick, wet, sticky liquid. I withdrew my hand and grimaced at the dark red that covered my fingers. My eyes dropped to my shirt. The blue fabric was covered in blood too. But I wasn't bleeding, I was not cut... Was I? Was I too hurt to feel it?

I tried to stand up but froze as my eyes fell on a silhouette not far from me.

Oh no... No.

-----

*Corey*

"It's almost ten, you said he'd cool off and come back, Kaden!" I said, running my hands through my hair.

I had repeated the movement so much in the past 6 hours that my mess of usually curly hair was now almost straight, and it looked like it was gelled back. I was going to begin losing hair soon. I had probably pulled out a lot of it already.

"I know! It usually doesn't take him this long," Kaden sighed.

"Let's just go find him then," Sean said.

"How?"

Kyle and Finn were sleeping over because Kyle was very attached to Hayley, and she didn't want to leave so early so we were staying a few extra days. 'We have the entire summer,' she had said while on the verge of tears, which instantly made us all cave and agree to stay.

"Pull," I muttered glaring at my phone, which was on the table across the room.

I had tried to call him several times, but he hadn't picked up. Everyone had tried to call him. We knew he was just ignoring us, so we figured it best to give him time alone because that was why he had left in the first place. However, it was concerning, even upsetting after a few hours, let alone six. If he just texted someone, anyone, back it would set us all at ease. It was completely irresponsible and inconsiderate of him.

"Pull? Pull what?" Finn asked.

"It's nothi -" Izabella began but she was cut off by my phone.

I practically dove at it. Relief washed over me as his name flashed across the screen before I answered it.

"Where the hell are you?!" I snapped. "Do you know how fucking worried everyone is? How could you do this? Are you that –" I stopped when I allowed myself to hear him.

His breathing was rapid but strained.

"C-Corey, I-I-I –" he stuttered.

"Jay, what's going on?" my voice softened despite my anger quickly being replaced by anxiety.

"I-I tried to-to call K-Kade – His phone must be off –" Jayden stuttered. I heard what sounded like a choked sob, like he was fighting to breathe through his crying. "I-I-I didn't mean – I didn't think – he... I – a-and –" more strained, panicked sobbing filled my ears.

"It's okay, breathe. Jayden, where are you?"

"H-help. I-I don't know what to d-do –" his voice was barely audible.

"Jayd –" I tried to speak.

"T-There's blood e-everywhere – h-he won't m-move – I didn't mean to – Corey – I didn't –" Another sob that made my own chest begin to feel clogged up.

"Hey, hey. Calm down," I said, calmly.

"Where are you, Jay?" Kaden called.

"I-I don't know –" Jayden stuttered. "I don't know," his whisper sounded helpless and terrified.

"We're coming, just try to breathe and stay put, alright?" I spoke. He didn't answer. "Jayden?" I called. Still nothing.

I shook my head trying to clear it and focus on the pull so it would get stronger, and I would find him easier while I walked out of the house, ignoring Finn's calling out to me.

I did not hang up the phone and kept it to my ear as I began to run, footsteps following behind me. It didn't take long to get further into the city with my speed and when I finally stumbled to a stop at the entrance of an alleyway, I realised the people that had followed me were Sean, Kaden and Trent. I stepped into the darkness cautiously while letting my eyes adjust.

"What's he doing here?" Kaden mumbled as he followed me into the narrow, dark passageway.

"Probably decided to smoke," I muttered, heading further, but I froze when I noticed a blood-covered body on the ground. I immediately knew it wasn't Jayden's. It was too big, but knowing that did not ease my anxiety or dread, it did the opposite. "Jay?! Jayden!" I yelled, stepping over the body.

"Chris?" I glanced back at Trent, and he looked at me. "It's his father."

I stared at the body but quickly figured that I would deal with it later and turned to run my eyes along the ground until they landed on the body I was looking for. My breath caught as my heart stopped.

"Jay?" I sped over to him.

He did not respond to the call or move. I lifted my hands to his face and gave a sigh of relief at the warmth in his cheeks and the sound of his soft, steady breathing while my eyes began to sting.

My head felt light at the amount of relief I felt as I pulled him into a tight hug. He didn't hug back, being completely out cold. I grabbed the phone from his hand and shoved it into my pocket along with my own. I noticed a half-smoked bud on the ground and reached into Jayden's pockets until I found the rectangular box and handed it to Kaden, who was leaning over Jayden and me.

"Get rid of it."

"He's dead."

I looked up hearing Sean speak. He was standing beside Jayden's father's body.

"He killed him." The disbelief in Sean's voice barely matched my own. Killed? But Jayden was an Omega.

"No, no. He can't be dead," Kaden was next to Sean in a second, kneeling over the body to feel the man's neck. "Oh my God... no," he whispered.

"What? Kade, this is a good thing. He can't terrorise Jayden if he's dead," Trent said.

"Yes, he can!" Kaden hissed.

"How –? He cannot, Kaden," Sean said.

"No! Jayden's never going to get over this!" Kaden said.

I stared at the kid, confused.

"Isn't it what Jayden wanted?" I asked.

"No... maybe, but Jayden's not a murderer! He'll never be able to live with himself knowing he killed someone – his father – his mother's mate!" Kaden said.

"Well... Then... We'll tell him I did it," I shrugged.

Kaden gave me a flat stare.

"I'm serious. Sometimes people can't remember things this traumatic. If he wakes up and he can't remember, we'll tell him I did it. If he wakes up and he does remember, we'll tell him the bastard was alive when we got here and I killed him because, since Jay was unconscious, I thought he had been killed," I said.

"Sounds legit," Trent said and we looked over at Kaden.

"Is that okay?" I asked.

He nodded slowly, looking uncertain while glancing back down at the man and then to me again.

"Yeah... I think he'll believe it," Kaden said.

"Good. I'll get him back home. You guys get rid of that." I motioned to the dead body while sliding my arm around Jayden's back as the other moved to hook under his knees so I could lift him off the ground.

"I'll help," Kaden said. "Have fun with your disposal," he added, earning glares from Trent and Sean.

"Whatever, get out of here," Sean mumbled, turning back to the body.

-----

I bit the inside of my cheek studying Jayden. He was fast asleep under the covers and had barely made a sound apart from a few soft whimpers right after I tucked him in once we arrived back at the house. He looked good, he looked unharmed, but I could not know if he was truly okay until he woke up.

They must have fought. Just because he had already physically healed did not mean he was okay.

"Corey, he will be fine. Come and eat some breakfast," Izabella's voice came from the door.

"I know. I just want him to know what happened as soon as he wakes," I said.

"You mean you want him to know the lie you're about to throw at him?" she asked.

I turned to stare at her, "Izabella."

She smiled. "He'll ask you when he wakes up, Corey. Jay's not the type to freak out and go killing everyone in his path when he wakes up without answers. Come and eat something."

We laughed softly at her words.

"Fine," I got up.

Finn had given us some clothing for Jayden to borrow since his clothing had been completely blood-stained and ripped up. Of course, Kyle and Finn had freaked out, but we gave them the simple excuse of 'he helped someone who had been hurt'.

I followed Izabella out of the room after glancing back at Jayden one more time and then we headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Look who decided to join us." Sean waved a piece of toast at me, and I chuckled.

"It's not really my place... And you don't look very gay... but is he your boyfriend?" Kyle spoke as I poured some cereal into the bowl Izabella had just given me. Don't look very gay?

I glanced up to make sure he was speaking to me, and everyone seemed to be staring at me waiting for my answer, except Finn. He was staring at his food. I was right when I figured he had feelings for Jayden. He would have to deal with those.

"Uh... You could say that." I shrugged, keeping my eyes fixed on Finn. He frowned as I said it. "Yes, we are," I added, my voice more certain so that Finn would get the message.

"Could we say that, though?" Hayley asked. I shot a glare at her, and she smirked at me. "I mean, you're not really official or anything. If you ask me, you two practically hate each other most of the time," she went on.

"You wouldn't understand, Hayley." I forced a smile at her before I smirked. "But, you know, I could help you understand. So, Kyle, have you ever –" I turned to Kyle. We all knew he was her mate; it was pretty easy to tell.

"Jay!" Hayley's shout cut me off.

My head snapped to the door as a weak chuckle filled the room.

"Um... Why-why didn't you wake me up?" Jayden mumbled, running his eyes over everyone in the room.

"We thought you were dead." The look of serious sadness on Finn's face made us all laugh.

"Well... I'm alive... I feel like crap, so I'm very much alive... Unless ghosts feel like crap too... Uh... What... I mean... Did I fall asleep at the mall or something?" Jayden squinted as he scratched his head, looking slightly flustered.

"No." I got up, grabbing my cereal. "I'll explain." I smiled, steering him out of the kitchen with my free hand on his shoulder.

"What the heck, Corey? I wanted to get breakfast," he mumbled as I kept pushing him until we entered my room.

"Can you remember anything?" I asked.

"Yes, I remember being at the mall and I remember my dad texti – Uh... I..." he drifted. So, I was right. The asshole was the person on the phone that had had him so distracted yesterday.

"I killed your father, Jayden," I said quickly. I watched as his eyes ran up to mine slowly, confused.

"What?" He asked. "Wait, I'm really hungry –"

I frowned as he snatched the cereal from my hands and sat on my bed.

"Um... what?" he asked as he ate a spoon. He must not have believed me.

I frowned watching as he ate. I would deal with him stealing my food later.

"Jayden..." I said his name carefully as I took a seat. "We were eating, and you were being paranoid and agitated because your father kept texting you – yeah, I know, I looked at your phone – then we got into an argument. You left, Kade and I followed, another argument and then you left again. Kade said to let you cool off, but when you didn't come back, we went looking for you."

Jayden's chewing slowed. His face was twisted in confused, frustrated thought, like he was trying struggling to link memories to what I was saying.

"We found you with your father. I might have overreacted upon seeing him and... I killed him."

Jayden shook his head, his brows knotted.

"I-I remember bits... I remember going to a convenience store –"

"We burnt your cancer in a box," I said as he reached into his pocket and only then seemed to realise he wasn't wearing his clothes.

"Uh... Did-did I get changed sometime in that?"

Why wasn't he asking about his father?

"No, your clothes were blood-stained, so Finn gave us some of his and I changed your clothes," I said.

His eyes widened. "You changed my clothes?" he asked. I nodded. "W-while I was asleep?" Another nod from me.

He looked at his arms before hooking a finger into his collar and glancing down beneath his shirt, his shoulders sunk in relief.

"Oh... Right," he mumbled as a smile crossed his face.

I narrowed my eyes remembering what he had said about the scars and bruises all over his body. Was that what he was alarmed by, or was it something else? I brushed by it as a thought popped into my mind that made a smirk grow on my face.

"You look surprisingly good," I said.

He didn't look at me, actively avoiding my eyes.

"Checking someone out in their sleep while you change their clothes... That's just creepy, Corey," he said after a while, and we laughed.

"So... You're not... I mean... About your father –" I was saying.

"Yeah, he-he's... dead?" Jayden looked at me.

I nodded slowly. He was quiet for a few minutes before nodding slowly.

"Oh... That's fine." He shrugged. What? "It doesn't seem real yet, so I'll probably react later..." he mumbled, and I smiled although feeling somewhat nervous. He bought it.

"Just don't kill me. I had a great reason to do it," I said.

"I know." He smiled before looking down and frowning. I chuckled seeing the bowl empty on his lap.

"Come on. Let's get some breakfast," I said.

*****