The Exiled Alpha's Human Male Mate.[BL]

Through the broken glass door, Bryce caught sight of Vincent pacing restlessly inside the house.

He tried to communicate with him the way he had earlier, hoping he could somehow ask him to bring his clothes.

But the problem was that he still had no idea what he had actually done earlier to establish that strange connection between them.

Perhaps Vincent hadn’t heard him at all.

Maybe, when Bryce had commanded him to release those men, Vincent had merely sensed the presence of another wolf nearby or caught his scent, and that was what had made him hesitate and look around.

Still, Bryce decided the connection had to work, and whatever power had made it possible before had to work again.

There was no way he was going to walk into that house naked in front of those two men, and certainly no way he could simply enter as a wolf while Dave was inside.

He closed his eyes and reached for the power within him. He could feel it beneath his skin, immense and responsive, as though it were capable of answering whatever he demanded from it.

The problem was that Bryce still didn’t know how to use it.

He focused on what he wanted and directed his attention toward Vincent, who seemed to be pacing inside the house for reasons Bryce couldn’t tell.

’Bring me my clothes.’

He sent the words mentally and opened his eyes. Vincent had stopped mid-step, his brows knitted as he glanced around, clearly confused by the sudden voice in his head.

Then his eyes lifted toward the broken glass door.

Relief rushed through Bryce. He hadn’t been completely certain that it would work, but Vincent’s reaction made it clear that somehow, he had heard him.

’Bring my clothes.’

This time, Bryce pushed the command firmly into Vincent’s mind.

Vincent’s confusion vanished, replaced by a strange certainty. Without further hesitation, he turned and hurried toward the door.

Bryce groaned when he realized Vincent had left without the bag.

’I said bring my clothes. My bag.’

Vincent stopped.

He looked around as though trying to determine where the voice had come from, then turned and walked back toward the house. A moment later, he emerged carrying the bag.

Bryce watched him approach, and with every step Vincent took, his pheromones grew stronger.

By now, Bryce had learned at least one thing about his new abilities. He didn’t seem to need complicated instructions. He only had to focus on what he wanted and direct that intention toward it.

So, as Vincent came closer, Bryce focused on the bond and tried to push away the effect of the pheromones.

To his surprise, their intensity dropped almost immediately.

They didn’t disappear completely, but the overwhelming force that usually made his body react against his will was suddenly muted.

Bryce stepped out slightly from the trees, allowing Vincent to see him.

The moment Vincent’s eyes landed on him, he rushed forward.

"Bryce?"

His voice carried disbelief.

Bryce remained in his wolf form, watching him closely as Vincent stared at him with open awe.

He stepped closer, seemingly unable to resist the urge to examine him, perhaps even touch his fur, but Bryce instinctively stepped backward.

Vincent stopped immediately.

He didn’t try to close the distance again.

Instead, an endless succession of emotions crossed his face before he finally whispered, "Is this really you?"

His voice was softer than Bryce had ever heard it, carrying a kind of stunned wonder.

He stepped forward, seized the bag with his mouth, and began retreating.

Vincent moved in front of him with high reflexes.

"Don’t leave, please."

Bryce frowned.

When had he said he was leaving?

Still, he didn’t correct him. He simply stared at him and let him say whatever he wanted. After all, he was in no hurry to go anywhere.

"I know I have no right to ask you anything like this," Vincent began, speaking quickly, almost as though he was afraid Bryce would disappear before he finished. "And that must be why you left. I started acting controlling, just like the relationship you were trying to leave, and the last thing I should have done was treat you exactly the same way. I’m sorry."

Bryce couldn’t help wondering why Vincent had made the explanation so vague. Why hadn’t he simply said Dave? Why refer to the relationship Bryce had been trying to escape instead of saying that Dave had been controlling him?

Was Vincent deliberately avoiding reminding him of just how bad Dave had been? Or was this still another way of protecting Dave, even speaking for him when he had no reason to?

Bryce knew he was probably overthinking it, but he couldn’t stop himself.

"I should have known you weren’t in any position to receive a confession at that moment," Vincent continued, "but I still told you how I felt. It was so selfish of me. I shouldn’t have forced you to wear clothes you didn’t want simply because I liked how they looked on you. I shouldn’t have asked you not to go into the men’s room alone and made it sound as though I thought you couldn’t protect yourself, or that someone could simply walk away with you."

Bryce nearly scoffed.

Vincent sounded as though he had gone over every interaction between them, dissecting everything he had said or done in an attempt to understand what might have driven Bryce away.

Listening to him, Bryce couldn’t help feeling frustrated that Vincent seemed incapable of considering the simplest possibility- that Bryce had left because he wanted nothing to do with him and simply wanted to be left alone.

Instead, Vincent had convinced himself that Bryce had left because of the small things he had done and said.

"And more importantly," Vincent went on, "I’m sorry for how I treated you when we first met. I shouldn’t have let Leah speak to you the way she did or threaten you. I shouldn’t have ended the bond from my side, especially without giving you any warning."

He paused for the first time, seeming to reconsider his words before adding, with a note of caution.

"I lied to you."

The admission caught Bryce’s attention.

"I lied to you about why you still felt the pull toward me. It was because the bond wasn’t completely severed. Not on your side. I knew that if I told you the truth, you wouldn’t hesitate to end it, and that would have erased it completely. We would never have been able to recreate it."

Bryce stared at him with disbilief, he hadn’t expected him to admit it himself.

Agatha had already told him the truth, but hearing Vincent confess it without being confronted made something inside Bryce shift. But it didn’t erase his anger. If anything, the confession reminded him of why that anger existed in the first place.

Vincent had forced him to believe that his attraction stemmed from having feelings for him.

Bryce remembered how vulnerable Vincent’s pheromones had made him, overwhelming his senses until he had nearly begged Vincent to touch him.

He remembered how Vincent had simply watched him with amusement, clearly enjoying his torment as he teased him and refused to use a suppressant.

The memory sent a fresh surge of anger through him. When Vincent opened his mouth to speak again, Bryce cut him off with a firm, ’Stop.’ through his mind.

He tried to move around him, intending to find a more private part of the trees where he could transform back and put on his clothes, but Vincent shifted with him and blocked his path again.

"Bryce," he said, almost desperately. "I know a simple apology won’t fix anything, but I still want you to know how sorry I am. I’m also sorry about the mess I dragged you into because of Leah. I’m working on it, and I promise that by tomorrow, things will already have started to calm down."

Bryce said nothing.

Vincent continued anyway.

"Bryce, I’ve told you about our bond, and I’m scared you might end it. I’m scared that would be the end of everything. I don’t want to sever it. It’s the only thing I’ve been holding on to these past few weeks, and I’d go down on my knees if it meant you’d reconsider keeping it."

Bryce’s thoughts stalled.

Go down on his knees?

There had to be something about this bond that made Vincent cling to it so desperately.

Or was he simply being dramatic?

Bryce couldn’t decide.

He hadn’t planned for this. He had only intended to tell Vincent about the baby and the goddess’s wishes before explaining his own plans. Instead, he was being forced to confront memories he wanted buried, so he answered Vincent’s concerns with a single, biting sentence laced with sarcasm.

"Don’t worry. It won’t be ending for at least another eight months."

Vincent stared at him, his brows furrowing deeply as confusion overtook his features, wiping away every other expression from his face.

"What do you mean, at least eight months?"

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