Jake let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. She had me pinned down on the floor. I could've pushed her off, but… I didn't want to hurt her."
Sarah raised a brow. "Hurt her? Jake, she was assaulting you."
He shrugged, looking away. "I know. But before she could do anything, I bit her."
Her eyes widened. "Wait—bit her? Thought you didn't want to hurt her."
"I didn't," he said quickly. "It just… happened. Instinct, I guess. I wasn't thinking."
Shit, he might've turned her wolf, she thought, eyes narrowing as the weight of that possibility hit her.
There was a pause. Then she asked, softer this time, "And what happened after?"
"She screamed, obviously. Her hand was bleeding. I didn't wait around—I bolted while she was still writhing on the floor in pain."
She bled… but he wasn't awakened then. Not even now. There's a slim chance she'll only transform when he fully awakens or might not transform at all. But I don't like the odds.
"So…?" she pushed gently.
"Well, that was it. Emily backed off after that, she didn't tell anyone what went down in the changing room. Later, I had to break things off with Jocelyn… and everything kinda went back to normal."
"So is that what's got you down today?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, no." He exhaled. "Thing is… a few days ago, we had this class reunion. Both of them showed up—and they got into it. Over me. Again. And now…" He hesitated. "News from Jimmy is that they're both gone. Emily never returned home that night… and Jocelyn… Jocelyn was found dead the next day."
Sarah stayed quiet for a moment, her mind racing. Jake's voice faded into the background as she pieced the fragments together.
Emily didn't return. Jocelyn was found dead.
Jake bit Emily. He wasn't awakened then... still isn't. At least, that's what she thought.
But what if... what if he is, and just doesn't know it yet?
"Sarah?" Jake's voice pulled her back. "Are you okay?"
She forced a faint smile. "Yeah… just trying to process everything."
He looked down again, guilt shadowing his features.
She studied him now — his eyes, his posture, even his scent.
Everything about him screamed normal... except for the subtle alpha pull in his aura. That's what made it worse.
A wolf who didn't know what he was? That was more dangerous than one who did.
Jake let out a heavy sigh. "I hate that I'm at the center of all this… It's my fault. Jocelyn's dead. Murdered."
His voice cracked slightly on the last word, the weight of it sinking in as he said it aloud.
Sarah stood up and placed both hands firmly on Jake's shoulders. "Hey!," she said, her voice steady but gentle.
"Yeah?" he mumbled, still staring at the floor.
"Look at me," she said, more firmly this time.
He didn't look up.
"I said lookatme, Jake."
Slowly, he lifted his head, eyes dull with guilt.
"Snap out of it," she said sharply. "You're sitting here blaming yourself for something you didn't do. You didn't kill Jocelyn. You didn't ask Emily to be obsessed with you. You didn't choose any of this — so stop acting like you lit the match."
Jake opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
"You're not the victim here, Jake. But you're also not the villain. You're just stuck in the wreckage. So you've got two choices: sit here and rot in your guilt, or stand the hell up and do something about it."
She leaned in closer, eyes burning into his.
"If you really want to make it right, then stop whining and start acting. Start fighting. Because wether you like it or not, you're in this. And running from it won't bring her back."
She pulled away, jaw tight.
"Now grow a spine, because this world doesn't give a damn about your guilt — only what you do next."