When I finally broke

(Christian) I kept running, my feet pounding against the forest floor with every step. Branches brushed against my arms as I pushed deeper into the trees. I didn't know where I was going anymore. I just knew I couldn't stop. It was stupid, and I knew it. They'd find me eventually. Wolves always followed a scent, and I'd left mine all over the forest. That didn't stop me from trying. Today was supposed to be different. I was eighteen now. Everyone said this was the day I'd finally meet my wolf, find my mates, and feel complete. Instead, I felt more lost than ever. I'd waited years for my wolf. Every birthday before this one had come and gone with people telling me to be patient. They all said eighteen would be different. So far, it wasn't. There wasn't even the smallest sign of a wolf inside me. No voice. No feeling. Nothing at all. If I was honest with myself, that scared me more than the triplets did. I slowed until I was walking, trying to catch my breath. My chest hurt from running, but the ache inside it hurt more. What if something was wrong with me? What if everyone had been waiting for something that was never coming? Then there were Greyson, Mason, and Jaxon. They'd always been around me, always watching without making it obvious. Everyone else acted like it was sweet. I thought it was suffocating. Pop and Arlo never saw a problem with it. They'd laugh whenever one of the triplets stayed close to me. To them, it was proof fate already knew what it was doing. I wished they'd stop saying that. Jacob never did. Whenever the subject came up, he'd tell me my future was still mine to choose. I'd held onto those words for years, and I wasn't ready to let them go now. I stopped beside another tree and rested my hand against the rough bark. The forest was quiet except for the wind moving through the leaves above me. Out here, nobody was watching me. For the first time all night, I could actually think. Maybe I'd overreacted. Maybe I should've stayed and talked instead of running. Then I pictured the announcement, everyone smiling while the triplets stood beside me, and my chest tightened all over again. No, I couldn't have stayed. A twig snapped somewhere behind me. I froze. My breathing slowed as I listened. For a second there was nothing. Then another step. They'd found me. "Christian." I closed my eyes for a second before turning around. Greyson stood only a few feet away, his blue eyes fixed on mine. He wasn't angry. If anything, he looked relieved. "You ran," he said. "You noticed," I answered. His mouth almost twitched into a smile, but it disappeared just as quickly. Before either of us said anything else, Mason and Jaxon stepped out from the trees. They spread out without meaning to, leaving me with nowhere to go. I took a step back anyway. "You can't keep running from us," Greyson said. His voice stayed calm, and somehow that only frustrated me more. I wanted him to argue. I wanted a reason to stay angry. "I'm not running from you," I said. Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "Really?" I looked away. "We were worried," he said quietly. "You disappeared in the middle of your own birthday." "Worried?" I laughed, but it didn't sound convincing. "You were probably happy to get rid of me." None of them answered right away. Greyson took another step closer until there was barely any space between us. "Don't say things you know aren't true." His voice was soft enough that it made my throat tighten. "I don't want this," I whispered. "I know," Greyson said. "I don't want mates." My voice shook before I could stop it. "I don't want everyone deciding my life before I've even had a chance to live it." Nobody interrupted me. "I don't even have my wolf," I said. "Everyone keeps acting like today is supposed to be perfect, and I don't even know what's wrong with me." The words hung in the air between us. Jaxon's expression changed first. The teasing disappeared completely. He walked over and wrapped his arms around me before I had the chance to stop him. I should've pushed him away. I didn't. Greyson joined us a second later, one arm settling across my back. Mason stepped in last, his hand resting gently between my shoulders. They didn't crowd me. They just held me there. Something inside me finally gave out. The tears came before I could stop them. I buried my face against Greyson's shoulder and let everything I'd been holding in spill over. I was tired of pretending I wasn't scared. Tired of acting like I had everything under control. None of them told me to stop crying. None of them told me everything would be okay. They just stayed with me. Slowly, my breathing settled. The tears stopped on their own, leaving me exhausted. I pulled back enough to wipe my face with my sleeve. I couldn't bring myself to look at any of them. "You done running?" Jaxon asked after a minute. I let out a small laugh that sounded more tired than amused. "Yeah," I admitted. "For now." Greyson smiled for the first time since finding me. "That's fair." Nobody tried to pull me toward the pack house. Nobody told me what I had to do next. They simply stayed beside me while I caught my breath. The silence settled around us again, but it didn't feel as heavy as before. Nobody rushed me back toward the pack house or told me to make a decision. They just stood with me, giving me the space I'd been trying so hard to find. It was strange. I'd run because I thought they wouldn't understand me, yet here they were proving me wrong without saying much at all. I still didn't know what was going to happen next. I still didn't know why my wolf hadn't appeared. But for the first time since leaving the party, I wasn't facing those questions by myself.