Chapter 73: A Mother’s Fear

The meeting broke apart in uneasy silence, but Kori stayed frozen in her chair long after the warriors filed out. Jared hadn’t rejected Carter’s insane idea—not outright, not the way she needed him to. His steady eyes had just stayed locked on the boy, weighing, considering, as if this were just another tactical move instead of her son’s life dangling in the balance.

Her stomach twisted into knots. She’d only just gotten Jared back, only just let herself believe in his promise to protect them no matter what. And now… now it felt like her world was tilting again, the ground unsteady under her feet.

When Jared finally dismissed the others and turned his focus back to her, Kori couldn’t breathe. She pushed herself up from the chair, her hands balling into fists at her sides, and met his gaze.

“You’re not really thinking about letting him do this, are you?” The words came out sharp, edged with panic.

Jared’s face softened, but that didn’t ease her. “Kori—”

“No.” Her voice cracked as she cut him off. “Don’t give me that look. Don’t you dare stand there and act like this is just strategy. That’s my son. My baby. You can’t even pretend this is an option.”

Her throat burned. All the worst-case scenarios slammed into her—Carter being dragged into bear territory, Carter’s small body broken and tossed aside like nothing. She swayed under the weight of the visions her own mind conjured, her nails digging into her palms until it hurt.

Jared stepped toward her, his jaw tight. “I haven’t agreed to anything.”

“But you didn’t say no,” she whispered, her eyes shining with fresh tears. “God, Jared, do you have any idea what that does to me? I can’t—I won’t lose him. Not after everything we’ve already been through.”

Her voice rose with each word, shaking with desperation. The idea of Carter walking willingly into Alaric’s hands felt like ripping her heart out and handing it over. Rage and terror knotted together inside her chest.

Jared reached for her then, cupping her face in his rough hands, forcing her eyes to meet his. “Listen to me. I will never let anyone hurt him. Not Carter. Not Megan. Not you. Whatever plan we settle on, it will not end with him in their hands. Do you hear me?”

The conviction in his voice was steady, but Kori’s fear didn’t vanish. It lingered, burrowed deep, whispering doubts she couldn’t silence. Still, she sagged against him, her forehead resting on his chest as his arms closed tight around her.

Her thoughts screamed even as her body gave way to the comfort of his hold: What if this is the one fight he can’t win? What if I lose them both?

The sound of boots scraping against the floor and murmured voices slowly faded as the last of Jared’s men filed out. Frank lingered for a moment, his eyes darting between Kori and Jared as though he wanted to say something, but when Jared gave him a subtle nod, Frank ushered Megan and Carter out with him.

The door clicked shut, and silence filled the room. Heavy, suffocating silence.

Kori stayed pressed against Jared’s chest, her fists clinging to his shirt as if holding him would keep her world from unraveling. Her breaths came in shallow bursts, her cheek damp against the fabric. The quiet thrum of his heartbeat beneath her ear was the only anchor she had left.

“You should have said no,” she whispered, her voice raw. “The second the words left his mouth, you should have shut it down.”

Jared’s hand smoothed slowly up and down her back, steady and patient. “I couldn’t,” he admitted, his voice low but firm. “If I dismissed him without hearing him out, he’d only try something reckless again—alone. You saw it yourself. He already nearly threw himself to them once.”

Her head snapped up, eyes flashing with fury and anguish. “So instead you make him think it’s an actual possibility?”

Jared’s gaze softened, but the steel never left his tone. “I’m making him feel heard. That’s not the same as agreeing to sacrifice him. You know me better than that, Kori. You know I would die before I handed him over.”

Her lips trembled. “You’re asking me to trust you with his life.”

“I’m not asking,” Jared said, his thumbs brushing away the tears spilling down her cheeks. His eyes bore into hers, burning with a mix of Alpha certainty and raw, aching vulnerability. “I’m promising you. I swore to protect this family, and I will. Even if it costs me everything.”

Her heart twisted at the way his voice caught on the last word, the weight of his vow pressing down on her. The battle between her fear and her faith in him raged inside her chest until finally, with a broken sob, she collapsed fully into his arms.

Jared held her tighter, one hand tangled in her hair, the other firm around her waist. He buried his face against the crown of her head, inhaling her scent like it steadied him as much as it did her.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Just two hearts hammering against each other, fighting the war of what-ifs in silence.

Finally, Kori whispered into his chest, “You can’t let him go, Jared. Promise me again. Out loud. I need to hear it.”