Chapter 78
Nate
I've never seen Tristan like this.
The Tristan I know is a fortress. All sharp angles, brooding silences, and impenetrable walls. He's the unshakable Beta, the Prime's right hand, carved from stone and resolve.
But the man sitting beside me on this mossy log is… shattered. His shoulders are slumped, his head bowed carrying the weight of his past.
He's showing me the cracks in his foundation, and it's the most vulnerable I have ever seen him.
I squeeze his hand, a gentle pressure to anchor him.
"You don't have to talk about it, if it's too hard," I say. And I mean it. This isn't a ploy or a test. The pain in his voice is real, and I won't be the cause of more.
"His name was Elijah," Tristan says.
And I'm shocked.
His name.
He's giving him a name. Making him a person, not just a vague regret. I have to shove down the sharp, ugly spike of jealousy that immediately rears its head.
This is not the time. This is a wound being opened, not a rival being named.
