Page 50 of Declan

Outside the chapel, the air feels thick. The conversations inside still echo in my head. Hux laying it out with that signature calm authority that says I’ve already thought five steps ahead of you, Kaden playing devil’s advocate like always, pushing and prodding at the weak points in our strategy. Elias leaning back with his usual smirk, throwing in those cold, calculated observations that make you feel like he already knows the ending. Lex was quiet. Watchful. His brain running a mile a minute. And Wesley...

Wesley looked like he was about to puke.

“You good?” I ask, falling into step beside him as we exit the room.

He doesn’t answer right away. He sighs, scanning the hallway, eyes darting like he’s checking for a threat. Then he tugs my arm and pulls me to the side, away from the foot traffic.

“I fucked up,” he mutters.

My spine stiffens. Wesley doesn’t say shit like that lightly.

“What happened?”

“Last night,” he starts, “Lena left, but Jeanne stayed.”

I blink. “Okay? And?”

“Lena asked me to make sure Jeanne got an Uber and got home safely.” He exhales hard, running a hand through his hair like it physically pains him to say the rest. “I made sure she got home safely, just not totheirplace. I took her back to mine. And I fucked her.”

For a second, I just stare. My heart hammers, wondering if I heard him right and then the absurdity of it punches a laugh out of me before I can stop it.

He turns toward me fast, all defensive tension and guilt written across his face like graffiti. Like he’s expecting me to hit him or shame him or something equally stupid.

“Sorry,” I say, dragging a hand over my mouth, trying to rein it in. “It’s just, you’re not the first one to take Jeanne home and fuck her. Elias beat you to it a couple weeks ago.”

That gets a twitch of surprise out of him, and his shoulders drop a little.

“She’s not the kind of girl who’s gonna be looking for more,” I add. “You’re both adults. It’s not a crime.”

He shakes his head. “It’s not that. I know she’s not. It’s that I told Lena I’d get her home safe. And instead, I slept with her. Lena’s gonna be pissed when she finds out.”

I clap a hand on his arm and offer a grin that I hope reads more reassuring than it feels. “You’re being too hard on yourself. Lena won’t care. If you’re happy and Jeanne’s happy, even if it was only for one night, she won’t give you shit. You don’t give her enough credit, Wes. She’s a grown-ass woman.”

“Don’t call my sister a woman,” he snaps, but it’s half-hearted, more habit than heat.

“I’m gonna tell her,” he says after a beat. “We’re supposed to have dinner tonight. You should come. It’s been a long time since the three of us sat down like that.”

My stomach knots. The last thing I need is dinner with Lena, not with the way she looks at me sometimes. Not with the weight of my own secrets. Wesley’s not stupid. If I sit down across from her for too long, he’ll see it in my face. In hers.

“I can’t tonight,” I lie smoothly. “But let’s definitely set it up another night. It’s been too long.”

He studies me. Eyes narrowing. Something flashes there, guilt, maybe. Or doubt.

“Declan, I need you there when I tell her. She’s better when it’s both of us.”

Fuck.

He’s right. She’s always looked to me like a second big brother. If I bail, it’ll raise more alarms than if I show up. And if I show up, there’s no hiding from what’s brewing just beneath the surface.

“Yeah,” I say, nodding. “I’ll be there.”

I hate how fast I cave. But I owe him. And the truth is, if I don’t show, he will ask questions. And the answers are messier than either of us are ready for.

This is going to be so fucked up.

Chapter 15

Lena

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