Jessup

Sometimes it’s easier to push people away than to risk them hurting you.
Jessup only trusts a few people, and he’s perfectly fine with that. After the way his parents hurt him, he doesn’t need anyone but his friends in his life.
He especially doesn’t need a mate.
Rory has no idea what’s happening. He was at the grocery store, and now he’s locked up in a van with two other terrified people. He wants out and is ready for anything.
Except meeting his mate.
During a raid, Jessup notices a van and finds his mate inside. Rory is about to end up in the lab, and the thought terrifies Jessup as much as giving Rory a chance does. So Jessup doesn’t.
Rory isn’t easily deterred. Jessup is avoiding him, but he’s already planning to move to Jessup’s town, and as long as Jessup doesn’t tell him to fuck off, he’s not going anywhere. There are hurdles to deal with, though, like how a group of humans who call themselves hunters are supplying people to the labs and Jessup’s fear that after being abandoned by his family, his mate will do the same.
Luckily, Rory is as stubborn as they come.