Catching his reflection in the bathroom mirror, Mark paused and peered closer. His shirt was in tatters around the neck and shoulder. The wounds underneath had all but closed, but they’d ache for a few more hours. The remnants of blood lingered in his mouth. His tongue had healed, but he’d need a drink to get rid of the taste.
First he swapped his ripped shirt for the spare one. Then, with a glass of water in hand, Mark sat down on the sofa and stared at the laptop. The last thing he felt like doing was more fucking work, but he couldn’t afford to piss off Newell, and he didn’t want another run-in with Wes the Wanker. His phone had somehow survived being in his pocket, and he pulled it out to message Jason. And maybe Will.
To Jason he typed, Need to talk to you. Please call me back when you’re done with the council. He pulled up Will’s number and hesitated. Wes had warned him not to tell anyone, but Mark was already keeping enough from Will as it was. Surely he could tell him this? Will wouldn’t tell a soul if Mark asked him not to, and he doubted that knowing Wes was the arsehole they both thought he was would put Will in danger. Still, probably not something he wanted to send in a text.
He dialled Will’s number; it rang once and then went to voicemail. Had Will just refused his call? Mark checked his watch, four forty-five. No way would he be at work. Maybe some of the council had wanted to talk to him? The thought made Mark’s heart rate pick up. Neither of them had anything to hide, but he wasn’t looking forward to being questioned by them. He sent Will a vague text instead. Call me when you get chance, need to catch up.
That done, he went to set his phone down, but Wes’s words ran in his head. Expect a meeting with him tomorrow. I doubt you’ll be seeing your fuck buddy after that.
Whether it was morally acceptable for an alpha to use his power like that, Mark didn’t know, but he had no doubt Newell would do it if he thought it would benefit him, and Mark would have to obey or risk banishment if found out. The thought of not seeing Alec again hurt. It unsettled his wolf to the point Mark had to get up and walk around to cope with the sudden restlessness.
If only it was easy to change packs. Mark would leave in a heartbeat after the last few days. But that was all kinds of complicated. He’d need a bloody good reason. He had friends and family here, though. With any luck, the council would get rid of the problem for him.
And if he only had one more chance to see Alec, he was going to try and make the most of it.
Can you meet tonight? It might be the last chance I get for a while.
Maybe a little overly dramatic again, but desperate times….
CHAPTER TEN
Alec made no effort to hide Mark’s scent on him. When he arrived back at his building, he made his way straight up to the meeting rooms—the focal point for the next few days while the council was there. The other three betas came and went as their jobs permitted, but someone was usually there to update whoever came in next.
Cam came in when not with the alpha council, and Alec walked in to find him pouring a coffee. “I’d offer you one, but you smell like you’ve already had your fix today.” He turned, mug in hand, and gave Alec a dry look. “You do like to push boundaries, don’t you?”
Alec walked over to him and grabbed a mug off the tray anyway. Cam laughed when he started to pour himself a coffee.
“Ahh, so you didn’t actually go for the coffee. I was hoping it was a fortunate coincidence.” Cam sighed and turned to look out the window. “I’m honestly happy that you’ve found someone to take away that haunted look in your eye.” Alec scoffed but didn’t interrupt. Cam ignored him anyway. “And I’d be the first to say you should grab this chance with both hands, Alec.”
“But?” Because Alec could feel the ‘but’ coming a mile away.
“But you need to be careful. We know what Newell’s capable of, but Mark Appleton is young, and—”
“He’s not that young.”
Cam shot him a glare, his next words heavy with his alpha authority. “Listen to me.” Alec nodded, contrite. “Mark is young. He didn’t live through the pack wars like we did. He hasn’t seen how shifters can turn on each other or how alphas get so greedy with power and revenge that they cease to behave with the good of the pack in mind. Newell is his alpha until the council decides otherwise, and for all our sakes, I hope they do, but until then your recklessness could well be putting him in danger.”
Alec’s gaze was drawn to the window and the trees outside, their leaves just starting to turn. “I know.”
“You said it was a one-off.”
“I know, and it was supposed to be, but—”
Cam walked up beside him and nudged his shoulder, no trace of his alpha power now. “But you like him. You don’t want to stop seeing him because he brings out something in you that you’d forgotten existed. Your wolf approves, and that makes it all so much easier.”
“Stop it.” Alec sighed because Cam was right. It couldn’t go where he was suggesting Alec take it, though. That sort of vulnerability wasn’t what he wanted.
But I don’t want to stop.
Cam studied him, then nodded. “Okay. But try and keep an eye on him.”
“I will.”
They drank their coffees in silence for a minute, then Alec remembered something he’d meant to bring up that morning. “Has anyone asked about Kelly?” Seb’s sister had been kidnapped by the rogue shifters on Wes’s orders, according to Felix. She was human, but Cam hadn’t involved the police. At the time it had been far easier and quicker to get the information they needed from Felix and take care of it themselves. They’d saved Kelly, everything had turned out all right in the end, but would the council see it that way?
Cam set his mug down. “I met with Curtis just after you left. I told him everything from Nathan biting Jared, to Seb being attacked and then asking for the bite.”
“Oh?” Alec glanced up to meet his gaze. P-pack might have got Karin, but Curtis wasn’t exactly a pushover. As second in command, he was almost as intimidating. Guilt seeped in. “I should have been here. I’m sorry.”
Cam waved him away. “It wouldn’t have mattered. They want to see us all individually anyway.”
“Where are they now?” The room was suspiciously empty. He’d expected to find at least one of the other betas in there. “And where’s everyone else?”
“Gareth’s with Nathan and Jared. Betas are allowed to sit in with members of their unit. It’s just the likes of us who get to fly solo.”
“Are they with the council now?”
Cam nodded, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “Nathan went in at ten o’clock. Jared will go in straight after.”
Fuck. “D’you think there’ll be any repercussions?”
“No, not for the bite itself. Everything is in order now, and he didn’t fully change in the end. But as for Nathan’s punishment, or lack thereof according to Newell, I don’t know.”
Alec downed the rest of his coffee. He and Nathan had their issues, but Nathan was pack first and foremost. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. “And Kelly?”
“In this instance, Curtis said he believed involving the police would have caused more hassle than it was worth. I think that was probably off the record, but he didn’t appear overly concerned. Might have been different if she’d been injured, or worse. But the fact that she’s back home, safe and unharmed, is definitely in our favour.”
Alec let out a bitter laugh. “I thought it’d be easier than this. Newell is so obviously guilty of everything we accused him of, I assumed it would be as simple as introducing them to Felix and letting them hear it for themselves. Never thought all this would be dragged out.”
“For an outsider, which is what the council essentially are. It’s my word and that of a rogue shifter—who was part of a pack that tried to kill us all—against that of another alpha. We have the jacket to back up our story, but the council must look at all the facts before they make a decision that could potentially relieve a pack of its alpha.”
Alec huffed. “And hopefully one of its betas too.”
“If Newell goes down, I’ve no doubt he’ll take Wes with him.”
I fucking hope so.
Alec stayed in the meeting rooms for the rest of the afternoon. He had nowhere to be. His team were busy guarding Felix, and he wanted to be there when Gareth came in after the council finished with Nathan and Jared.
Cam left him to it after a while, and Alec sat there on his own for a good twenty minutes until Nathan walked in. Also on his own.
He headed straight for the coffee machine, poured himself a cupful, then to Alec’s surprise, took the seat opposite him. Neither of them spoke. Nathan sipped his coffee and played with the mug handle, while Alec stared out the window. The silence stretched uncomfortably until Nathan set his mug down with purpose. Alec immediately tensed.
“Ten years and I still miss them as much as ever.”
No.
This wasn’t a discussion Alec needed to have. Not today. They’d avoided it for ten years. Why couldn’t they keep doing it? “Nathan….”
Nathan glanced up, eyes suspiciously damp, and Alec had never felt so uncomfortable. “I know you don’t want to hear this from me, but….” He glanced over at the door and sighed. “Curtis was very interested in mine and Jared’s story. He told me very matter-of-factly that Cam would have been well within his rights to banish me from the pack. Or report me to the police. Which I already knew, but hearing one of the alpha council tell me that, knowing they have the authority to still punish me if they see fit….” He didn’t need to finish that sentence.
Alec had no idea where he was going with all of this. That had to be the only reason he hadn’t got up and walked out already. Stupid curiosity.
Nathan carried on. “Cam seems to think it unlikely, but there’s the slim possibility I could lose my home, my pack, my mate.”
Alec felt the desperation pouring off him. “Jared would follow you anywhere.”
“Prison?”
“I highly doubt the council would turn you over to the human authorities this long after the fact, when everything has been resolved.” Really, where is Nathan going with this?
Nathan sighed. “Probably not, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.”
“And what is?”
“They started off asking me about my parents.” Alec flinched, but Nathan’s gaze was now firmly fixed on the table. “I haven’t spoken about them to anyone in a long time.” His breath hitched. “Which is an awful thing to admit because they were wonderful people.”
Alec swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. “They were.” He fought to hold back the memories, but they came flooding in regardless. “Your mother taught me to fight. She was the best in our unit.” The words surprised him; he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Nathan glanced up, eyes alight with interest instead of the hate Alec was used to seeing. “Yeah? Not my dad?”
Alec’s smile came unbidden. “Your dad was good, don’t get me wrong, but your mum… she moved like a dancer. Fast and quick but with a precision that took your breath away.” Nathan wasn’t the only one who hadn’t talked about them in years. Something loosened in Alec’s chest, and the urge to say more overtook him. “She was an excellent teacher too. Patient, yet firm, and always encouraging.”
Nathan smiled, soft and a little sad. “She had a way of saying you were shit at something without making you want to give up.”
Alec laughed because he’d forgotten how true that was.
They both startled, as if only just realising what they were doing. Reminiscing about the past was not something Alec expected to be doing with Nathan. Not in a million years.
Nathan looked down at his hands and then back up, pinning Alec with his gaze. “The point I was trying to make is, it took four strangers to remind me how great my parents were. They were loyal, brave, and believed in treating people fairly. But they were also part of a fighting unit, in the middle of a pack war. They knew the risks involved.” He paused to quickly wipe at his eyes. “And I’m pretty sure they’d both be bitterly disappointed in me with the way I’ve behaved. I should never have blamed you for their deaths, and I should never have implied you were a coward.”
It still stung, even in apology. Alec opened his mouth, but he had no words.
Nathan refused to look away, even though he seemed ready to bolt any second. “I’m sorry. I know it’s ten years too late, and I don’t expect this to make everything all right between us, but I wanted to say it.” He stood abruptly, the chair scraping across the floor. “Seeing you these past few days…. Fuck Alec, I never truly appreciated how it still affects you, even after all these years. And I’m sure most of that’s down to me. So, I’m sorry. So fucking sorry. None of it was your fault, and I should have said that to you years ago.” He left the room without waiting for a response or asking for forgiveness.
Thank fuck, because Alec wasn’t capable of either at that moment.
He was still sat staring into space when Gareth put a hand on his shoulder, startling him.
“Hey, you okay? You look like shit, and I’ve asked you twice already if you want a coffee.”
Fuck.
Alec rubbed at his eyes, trying to get his focus back. They had too much going on for him to zone out like that. “Yeah, I’m good. And I’d love a coffee if the offer still stands.”
“Sure.” Gareth set his own mug down and walked back over to the coffee machine. “Did Nathan find you?” His tone sounded too casual, forced, and Alec sighed.
“Yes.” He turned in his chair to get a better look at Gareth. “You knew what he was going to do?”
Gareth finished making the coffee before replying. Setting it down in front of Alec, he took the seat opposite. Where Nathan had sat.
“Not exactly. But I had a rough idea.” He glanced down, fingers smoothing the edge of his mug. “Did he apologise?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck me.” Gareth’s smile was wistful, and an inappropriate bubble of laughter burst out of Alec.
Who the hell knew why, because nothing about this was funny.
Meeting his gaze, Gareth said, “It’s about time. I never thought he’d get his head out of his arse, I have to say.”
Alec still struggled to talk about it. Blindsided by the whole thing, he felt off-kilter. The anger he’d held onto for so long was slipping away, and he didn’t know whether to hang onto it with both hands or let it go.
Whatever expression was on his face right then obviously gave him away, because Gareth reached out and clasped his forearm. Not something he would usually do. As betas, they were all close, had a huge amount of respect for each other, but Alec had only ever known Tim or Cam to offer comfort like that. Alec wasn’t the sort to invite it. It wasn’t unwelcome, though, and the words loosened inside him. “I don’t know what to do or how to feel about it.”
“You don’t have to. Nathan apologised because he needed to. You can either accept it, ignore it, or forgive him.” Gareth paused to take another drink of his coffee. “But there’s no time limit. Nothing says you have to decide now. If you don’t want to think about it, then don’t.”
Alec slumped in his chair and groaned. Of all the times for Nathan to apologise, he had to choose now, when Alec’s life was already more complicated than he liked.
Maybe he should heed Gareth’s advice and just not think about it. “I take it the council are done with Jared? You sat in with him, yeah?”
“Yeah. I left him at their flat when Nathan got back there.”
“How did it go?” Nathan’s worried expression flashed in Alec’s mind, and he felt the familiar need for his pack to be safe, no matter who. “Will they want to take things further?”
Gareth blew out a breath and sat back in his chair. “I don’t want to tempt fate, but Jared was pretty convincing. He told the council again and again how Nathan had offered to take him to the police, but Jared had refused. I think he convinced
them that he didn’t get coerced or tricked into bonding with Nathan. The bite was an unfortunate case of wrong time, wrong place. I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll get out of that with just a warning, despite Newell’s insistence that Nathan should be punished.”
Alec bristled. “Fucking Newell.”
Raising his coffee mug in a toast, Gareth agreed. “Yep.”
Glancing at the clock, Alec was surprised to see he’d been in there two hours already. Mark would be finishing work soon. His offer of meeting up sounded more appealing by the second, but Alec still had work to do. “Where are the council now?”
“In Cam’s flat having a late lunch. They want to see Felix after they’ve eaten, which is why I’m here; Cam sent me.”
Finally something to take his mind properly off Nathan. “Does he want me to sit in on the interview?”
“No, the opposite actually.”
Alec immediately sat up straight. “What do you mean?”
“They’ve requested you take your people out of the flat so they can interview him ‘without any outside influence.’”
“Bollocks. I wanted to make sure the bastard didn’t lie.” Fuck’s sake. Not that it was entirely unexpected, but still. With a wry smile, he asked, “I don’t suppose we can say we need to be there for security reasons?”
Gareth laughed. “I suspect they’d be insulted if we did.”
“More than likely.”
Felix would probably shit himself when four alphas walked into the flat.
Alec drank the rest of his coffee. “What are we supposed to do now, then? Sit and twiddle our thumbs?” Alec wasn’t one for sitting around idle. “Will they want to see anyone else today? And why didn’t Cam tell me himself?”
“Cam seems to think Felix will be it for today. They’ll probably be in there awhile.” Gareth cleared his throat before meeting Alec’s gaze. And I told Cam you were with Nathan.”
Sighing, Alec leaned back in his chair and groaned. “Great. So Cam knows too. He’s going to want to know what happened.”
Bitten By Desire (Regent's Park Pack Book 3) Page 13