And now he was gone because Ulric had pushed too hard. There was only the hollowness left in the house, where he’d once been.
Ulric hurt all over. It wasn’t until much later, when he scrubbed the wet tracks off his face, that he realized his heart had broken.
26
Gage Gets Grilled
The atmosphere at the dinner table was a lot more solemn than Gage expected it to be. He helped his mom bring the dishes over, frowning. “What’s with all the long faces?”
Wilkie looked accusingly at him. “You don’t know?”
How should Gage know? Had something happened that his family hadn’t told him about? He glanced at Debbie.
But Debbie only wrinkled her forehead—she would’ve raised her eyebrows if she had any hair left. “We were going to invite Ulric over,” she said. “You know, get to know him and everything.”
Gage’s stomach squeezed. So this had to be about Ulric, huh? “You can invite him over when I’m not around. I’m leaving for my shift soon, anyway.”
Bad enough that they’d accepted Ulric’s money without asking Gage. Bad enough that they all liked him without even meeting him. It was a week after the breakup, the first meal Gage was having with his family, and they all had to shove Ulric’s donation in his face.
Mom clucked. “That’s not how you’re supposed to treat him, Gage.”
Gage’s anger kindled in his chest. “He’s just a friend.”
And now everyone at the table stared at him, mixed looks of disapproval and disbelief.
“You don’t give a ‘friend’ your scent marking, son.” Dad shook his head. “And you most certainly don’t break that promise when you’ve given it to them.”
How much had Wilkie told the rest of their family?
“That’s not the same as a bonding mark,” Gage muttered. Scent markings were... one step below a permanent bite mark. “Scents aren’t promises.”
“It’s a marking you give someone you’re serious about,” Dad said.
Like Gage didn’t know that. His face burned. “I can give a friend-with-benefits scent markings, too.”
“Ew,” Wilkie said—that traitor. “I didn’t need to know that.”
Dad gave Gage a severe look. “Is that what he really is to you?”
No, Ulric wasn’t. Gage swallowed, his chest tight. He didn’t want to think about it. They weren’t seeing each other anymore. He couldn’t even say they’d broken up, because they were never together in the first place. “He’s an alpha.”
“That’s no reason to treat him as anything less than a bondmate,” Mom said.
That hurt. Being bondmates was something that Ulric didn’t want. Looking back, maybe that had been a blessing in disguise. “He lied to me,” Gage growled. “He fucking did things behind my back. I don’t want him as my boyfriend, much less, my bondmate.”
All of Ulric’s secrets and lies—the middle-of-the-night sneaking around, him hiding his whereabouts, him paying Gage’s bills even though Gage had told him not to help... All those things left a bad taste in Gage’s mouth. He didn’t need to be betrayed again. He didn’t need someone else he couldn’t trust.
Wilkie’s mouth thinned. “Are you still upset over him going to Highton?”
“So what if I am?” Gage retorted.
And Wilkie straightened, the angriest Gage had ever seen him. “Ulric was showing his mom around the city,” Wilkie said. “And she treated him worse than a bag of chickenshit. That’s why he didn’t want to tell you what he was doing. That’s why he kept going back every day, even though it fucked with him. You would’ve flipped out.”
Gage stopped breathing. “What?”
Mom frowned. “That poor dear.”
Wilkie’s eyes flashed. “She told him that no one would want him because he’s fat. She said people only cared about his money. He didn’t give us that check thinking you were going to fall for him, Gage. He knew you were going to be pissed. He just wanted to help. Did you know? He kissed his mom goodnight and she just walked away like he was dirt under her shoe.”
Gage stared, trying to process all of that. He’d known about Ulric’s mom. But he didn’t know she was still treating him this badly, he didn’t know all this had just happened in the last month. And Ulric had just taken that crap from her, he hadn’t even told Gage about it.
Why the hell had Ulric let her do that to him?
Despite his anger at Ulric, Gage’s protective instincts rose up, the side of him that wanted to return to Ulric and make sure he was okay. But Ulric would be okay. He hardly ever went anywhere outside his home.
Gage shoveled food into his mouth, trying not to think about that alpha. He had his reasons for leaving. And Ulric should’ve told Gage about his mom. So Gage could... what, console him?
“I told you,” Wilkie said, looking pointedly at Gage. “He loves y—”
“Don’t.” Gage swallowed the rest of his dinner, his heart pounding.
He couldn’t help remembering the times Ulric had hidden away his body, pulling his shirts down over his belly. He couldn’t help remembering the brittle, jaded looks Ulric had given him, whenever he’d talked about his weight. And yet Ulric had returned to the exercise room, over and over, he’d looked so hopeful when he’d stepped on the weighing scale. Those times, he would peek at Gage, quick and surreptitious, as though... he wanted Gage to accept him.
Gage’s heart squeezed. No. I shouldn’t.
He rinsed his plate at the sink, hugged his family, and then set off for work. He wasn’t going to think about Ulric again. He’d had enough of that alpha.
Except his bed was so empty now, and he didn’t want anyone else filling it. He’d been wishing for another whiff of that honey oak scent. He wanted to see Ulric’s flustered, adorable smile, he wanted to feel Ulric’s warm, soft body against his own.
“Stop it,” Gage told himself, starting up his car.
His heart latched onto the trace of honey oak in his memory, and refused to let go.
27
Trouble Befalls Ulric
Ulric reached into the bag of treats, pulling out a sugar donut. It wasn’t
