Chapter 5: No means no

•JASON•

I stared at my brother like he had finally lost whatever sanity he had left. Not the usual kind of crazy Nelson carried around like a second skin.

No.

This was different, this was the kind of madness that could get us both killed.

“Mark him.” The words still echoed in my head like he hadn’t just said them once but carved them into the air between us. I blinked slowly.

“You want us to mark an omega?” I asked, my voice calm in a way that hid exactly how ridiculous that sounded.

Nelson didn’t flinch. Didn’t even hesitate.

“Yes.”

Of course he said yes.

Of course he did.

Because why wouldn’t today be the day everything we’ve known for centuries decides to collapse completely?

Inside my head, my wolf stirred, amused in the most irritating way possible.

He’s right.

I almost laughed.

“You’ve officially lost it,” I muttered under my breath.

No, my wolf replied lazily. You’re just late to the truth.

I ignored him.

Because if I started arguing with both of them, I might actually lose my mind. I ran a hand through my hair, pacing once before turning back to Nelson, my gaze hard.

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” I asked. “You want us to mark him. A male omega. In a world where that alone is a death sentence.”

Nelson didn’t move.

Didn’t back down. His eyes stayed on the man lying on the bed like nothing else mattered.

“He’s dying.”

“I can see that,” I snapped, irritation slipping through now.

“And you think marking him is the solution?”

“Yes.” The confidence in his voice made my jaw tighten. Because Nelson didn’t speak like that unless he believed it. And that was exactly what made this worse.

I dragged in a slow breath, forcing myself to think instead of react.

“Let’s say we do that,” I started, my tone sharper now, more controlled. “Let’s say we actually go insane and mark him.”

My eyes dropped briefly to the man on the bed.

Our mate.

The word still didn’t sit right.

“Do you even know what happens if he dies with our mark on him?” I continued, looking back at Nelson.

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to. Because we both knew. I let the words fall anyway.

“We lose our wolves.”

This wasn’t a theory but a fact, how will two alpha kings survive without their wolf. And for what for some omega that can be discarded. I wasn’t about to gamble centuries of existence on something that didn’t even make sense.

“Jason—”

“No.”

I cut him off before he could even try to soften it or twist it into something emotional that would make it harder for me to say no.

Because I knew Nelson.

When he got like this, he didn’t stop until reality slapped him in the face or someone stronger dragged him out of it.

And right now, I was the only thing standing between him and a decision that made absolutely no sense.

I pointed toward the bed where the man lay unconscious, his skin still flushed, breath uneven, body trembling slightly even in sleep.

“No means no,” I said again, slower this time so it landed properly. “We are not marking him.”

Nelson’s jaw tightened.

I could see it now, the frustration building behind his eyes like pressure in a sealed room.

“And if he dies?” he asked quietly.

That question hit differently.

Not because it was emotional.

Because it was real.

I hesitated for half a second too long before answering, and I hated that I did.

“We don’t let him die,” I said finally.

Nelson let out a short laugh, humorless and sharp.

“Brilliant plan,” he muttered. “Very detailed. Very inspiring. Almost like you’ve thought this through.”

I shot him a look.

“Don’t start.”