Max wasn't sure about leaving without the young werewolf. "Raj, just leave him," he said. Not that he expected the kid to listen. "Eli's right, he has to work it out on his own. Nothing any of us can say will change how he feels." It sucked, but it was true. Once your world got turned on its ear, it took time to come to terms with it.
Mikhail shook his head. "It isn't about what you think or you believe," he said. "This is about protecting people. Protecting you from me. Go with them. Forget about me." Then Raj would be safe from the fate of everyone else who ever cared about Mikhail.