Wes’s hand grasped his biceps, grip bordering on painful, and propelled him forward into the flat.
“Come on through,” Newell spoke, as though they were enjoying a friendly visit and Mark wasn’t being forcefully herded into Newell’s office by Wes.
Once all three were in the room, Wes closed the door and locked it.
Shit.
Mark’s gaze darted to the door and then back to Newell, who now leant casually against his desk. Wes crossed his arms and stayed where he was—blocking the only means of escape. Swallowing thickly, Mark tried not to panic.
They couldn’t do anything too bad, the council were expecting him. He clung to that thought, and his heart slowed enough for him to think straight.
“Thank you for coming here on such short notice.” Newell smiled at him, looking genuinely pleased to see him. And for a split second, Mark wondered if he’d overreacted. But then Newell slapped his hands down on his desk so hard the wood creaked, and it was all Mark could do to remain where he was. “You smell like you’re a bite away from being bonded.” Mark flinched at how close to the truth that was. “By rights, I should order you not to see him anymore. Alec Knight is beta to an alpha who reported me to the council. They want to see me banished or worse.” He leaned forward, alpha power rolling off him. “I am your alpha. Your loyalty is to me.”
Mark’s wolf bristled at Newell’s words, warring with need to either offer his throat in submission or step back in defiance. Yes, Newell was his alpha, but any respect he had for him was gone, and his wolf knew it. Nothing he wanted to say would help matters, and he couldn’t bring himself to lie, so he remained silent.
Apparently Newell wasn’t all that surprised. “I see your loyalty might be called into question.” Rounding the desk, he propped himself up against the front of it this time, far closer to Mark. “What have you told him about our pack? And I want the truth.”
Mark swallowed past the huge lump in his throat, frantically going over his last conversation with Alec. Newell would know if he lied. “Nothing that he didn’t already know.” Oh. “Apart from the fact I was working in the coffee shop yesterday and today.”
Newell hummed, one finger tapping his chin. “And what did he say to that?”
Mark fidgeted, not liking the conversational tone at all. It seemed so sinister considering the topic. He’d have preferred being shouted at. “He said you were probably keeping me out of the council’s way.” He doubted Alec would care, but telling Newell what they talked about felt like betrayal.
“And he’d be right.” Newell met his gaze, expression impossible for Mark to read. “Anything else?”
“No.”
Newell appeared lost in thought for a moment, and Mark waited, anxious for this meeting to end. “I’m not going to stop you seeing him. The damage has no doubt already been done, and besides, I’ve told the council I hold no grudges against the Regent’s Park Pack or their alpha. What better way to prove that than having one of my pack almost mated with an R-pack beta. You can carry on your relationship if you wish.”
Mark was blindsided into stammering, “Th-thank you.” He hadn’t seen that coming. Glancing behind, he expected to see Wes’s outraged expression, but instead he looked smug. I don’t understand. Something else was going on, but Mark struggled to think what it could be. He desperately needed to talk to Jason.
Wes had been silent the whole time, but now he cleared his throat. “The council is waiting. Shall I escort him down to them?”
“Yes. We wouldn’t want to delay them any longer. Alpha Wallace gets quite… upset about things like that.” He didn’t manage to hide the sneer in his voice, and Mark wondered how she’d pissed him off.
But whatever, he was only too glad to be getting out of there. Even a few hours interrogation by the council was preferable to being alone in a room with Wes and Newell. Almost to the door, Newell’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Oh, one more thing.”
Mark turned to face him. “Yes?”
“Wes,” Newell gestured for Wes to speak.
Wes grinned. “Lie about the jacket. As far as you and Will are concerned, you bought them together last week.”
Stunned, Mark stared at him, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out, until, “But—”
“You told Seb they were a gift from our alpha because you were annoyed at R-pack for dragging us over there, and you wanted them to believe you had the superior alpha.”
Mark looked from Newell to Wes, then back again. Speechless.
Newell tilted his head from side to side, sighing when the bones cracked. Mark felt sick. “I, of course, tried to protect you, hiding you from the alpha council so your lies wouldn’t be found out, but there was only so much I could do. My word alone against the rogue shifter’s accusations isn’t enough, and I need to think of the whole pack, not just one member of it. It’s time for you to own up and tell the truth.”
“But….” Mark struggled to find the words. “I can’t lie to the alpha council.” Even Newell wouldn’t dare do that. Or so Mark had thought.
“Yes, you can. And you will.”
Neither Wes nor Newell appeared concerned. Like there was no way he’d refuse.
Icy fingers of dread crept up his spine. He didn’t want to ask, but he had no choice. “Why exactly would I do that?”
Wes smiled, slow and mean. “Because if you don’t, your cousin will meet with a very unfortunate accident.”
“Harry?” Mark snarled. “What the fuck have you done with him?”
Wes quickly seized him from behind before he could move, and Newell roared at him. “You forget your place.” He grabbed Mark’s jaw, fingers digging in painfully hard, but thankfully no claws.
Wes whispered in his ear, “You will do as your alpha commands or your cousin will die. We have him safely tucked away where no one will find him. If you tell anyone about this, he will die. The choice is yours.”
Letting go of Mark, Newell casually stepped back against the desk again.
I could tell Alec. How would they know?
As though reading his mind, Newell said, “If you tell Knight, he will be duty bound to tell his alpha. And you know they’ll go straight to the council with it. Regardless of what happens after that, the consequences will be the same. That goes for the human authorities too, not that they would involve themselves with this. And as for telling anyone in the pack, who can you really trust?”
Will. I trust him with my life. Jason too. In fact, Mark trusted his whole unit, so Wes could fuck right off.
Newell addressed Wes. “Take him to the council.” Wes roughly turned him around and shoved him towards the door. “Harry’s life is in your hands, Mark.” There was a certain cheerfulness to his tone, and Mark wanted to rip his tongue out.
His claws and fangs slid out with a soft snick, his wolf murderous under his skin, begging to be let out. Mark was seconds away from shifting, consequences be damned, when Wes slammed him against the wall hard enough to wind him.
“Don’t.” Wes shifted effortlessly in the blink of an eye, lips curling up over his extended jaw. He glared at Mark, no words needed. If you do this, he’s as good as dead.
With great effort, Mark steadied his breathing. Each deep inhale brought more of Alec’s scent from where it clung to his skin, soothing his wolf. I wish he was here right now.
With Mark in no danger of shifting anymore, Wes let him go and changed back. “Let’s go.”
“I can walk there on my own. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go. Considering.”
Wes had the gall to laugh. “Fair enough. Make sure you go straight there. Remember, Harry’s counting on you.”
Mark fought to keep his temper; he needed a level head more than ever now. “You’re Harry’s beta. How can you stand by and do nothing?”
Wes laughed again, like Mark had made a joke. “I didn’t stand by and do nothing. Who do you think took him in the first place?”
“Yo
u bastard.” He forced himself to take a step back, away from Wes. Otherwise he’d very likely try and kill him. Think of Harry.
Shrugging off the comment, Wes replied with. “It’s for the good of the pack.”
Mark’s stomach roiled, and he turned on his heels, heading for the stairwell as quickly as possible. For the good of the pack? They were insane. Both of them. And fuck knew who else was mixed up in this. He drew out his phone as soon as the stairwell door closed behind him and pulled up Will’s contact details.
I need to talk to you now. Emergency.
The dots appeared straight away to show Will was typing a reply. Thank fuck for that. When it came through, he almost dropped the phone. I can’t, I’m sorry.
Realisation set in, and Mark slumped against the wall. Your sister?
Yes. Just do what they say.
Bollocks. Why hadn’t Will called him to warn him? He must have known they’d go after one of Mark’s family too? Not that it mattered now, but for fuck’s sake, Will! He’d still had no call back from Jason, and Mark tried to push away the doubt trying to creep in. No way would Jason be involved with this. He tried him again, but this time it went straight to voicemail. “Fuck.”
Alec’s words echoed in his mind. If they threaten you in any way, please call me. He wanted desperately to do that. Alec would know exactly what to do, but Newell was right. Alec would never go behind Cam’s back, and Newell would find out he’d told them before Harry could be found. It wasn’t a risk he could take.
Sliding his phone back in his pockets, Mark took a deep breath and started down the stairs.
He could do this.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Alec sat on his sofa with his head in his hands. He’d dropped Mark off over two hours ago and couldn’t stop thinking he’d made a mistake. Newell was dangerous, he knew that, so why the fuck had he let Mark out of his sight.
Because he asked me to.
Mark wasn’t his. He couldn’t sense how worried Alec was about him, how it physically hurt to let him go, knowing he could be walking into danger. Maybe I should have bitten him after all?
Fuck no. Fantasising about it in the heat of the moment was one thing—Alec wasn’t made of stone—but now he could think with a clear head. He wanted Mark to be safe, but that didn’t mean he wanted him as a mate. He didn’t want anyone as a mate.
Liar.
For once in his life, Alec ignored what his instincts were telling him. He needed to talk to Cam before he did anything stupid. Bonding with Mark was not happening, no matter how much his wolf wanted it.
Forcing down some breakfast, but not tasting much of it, Alec kept one eye on his phone the whole time. Mark was at work. Nothing would happen in such a public place, but even so, Alec couldn’t relax.
His phone buzzed with a text message, and Alec snatched it up, heart racing.
Cam.
He ran a hand through his hair, not knowing whether to feel relieved or not.
Meeting at 9am. My flat.
That gave him an hour to get ready and head up there. At least it would distract him from thinking about Mark. Hopefully Cam would have news about the council’s meeting with Felix.
He contemplated another shower, but having Mark’s scent on him comforted him in a way he refused to examine too closely. It was familiar. Nothing more. Catching sight of himself in the mirror, Alec paused and really looked at his reflection. “You are so full of shit.”
With his head hanging down, Alec took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time for this. Get the investigation out of the way first, then have a good hard look at his relationship with Mark.
Cam opened the door before Alec had a chance to knock. He pointed to the camera above the door. “I was in the bedroom, saw you on the CCTV coming down the hall.”
Alec walked past him into the flat and Cam laughed softly. “Damn Alec, do we need to be having a conversation soon?”
He knew full well what Cam referred to, but he still raised an eyebrow. “About?”
Rolling his eyes, Cam shut the door behind him and ushered him into the living room. “Don’t. Do you have any idea what you smell like?”
“Sex, probably.”
“Yes, you do. I’m guessing you made no effort to hide it?”
Alec coughed, remembering the way he came all over Mark and rubbed it into his skin. “No, not exactly.”
Cam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “And you let Mark go back to his pack, smelling like that?”
It felt like a reprimand, and Alec flinched. “It was his idea.”
“He’s young, Alec. Bravado sometimes overrides common sense. But you should know better.”
Alec wanted to argue, wanted to say that Mark was old enough to know what he was doing, but fuck it, Cam was right. He did know better. “Shit.”
With a hand on Alec’s shoulder, Cam steered him towards the sofa. “Sit.”
Alec sat and immediately put his head in his hands. “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me lately.” To Alec’s surprise, Cam barked out a laugh.
“Alec, you are an excellent beta, but in this case, you are so full of shit.” He sat down on the chair opposite and shook his head. “And you know it, don’t you?”
“I may have said the same thing to the mirror before I came here.” Ignoring his own thoughts were one thing, but ignoring Cam was out of the question.
“You don’t only smell of sex, you know.”
Alec looked up to meet Cam’s amused face. “I mean, yes, you reek like the two of you rolled around in each other’s jizz.” Alec snorted. “But that’s not all. When the bond process kicks in between two shifters, even at the very start when it’s just a possibility and not certain, there’s a scent. It’s very subtle, and I’m not sure many people know about it, but if you’ve experienced it before, then it’s not something you easily forget. Even though my wife was human, I’ve been around enough bonded couples to recognise it.” Cam didn’t often talk about his late partner. But Alec knew they had been bonded. He couldn’t imagine how hard that would have been to lose her.
“I’m sorry.”
Cam’s smile turned wistful. “That’s not why I’m telling you this. I don’t regret it for a second, no matter how much it killed me to lose her. Because having a mate is so unbelievably special for a shifter, it’s worth risking everything to experience it.” He met Alec’s gaze. “You have that chance. Don’t waste it because the thought of losing it scares you.”
“I’m not scared.”
Cam didn’t look the least bit convinced. “Then what’s stopping you? And don’t tell me you don’t feel it, because we both know that’s bollocks.”
Glancing down at his hands, Alec sighed. “He’s young, like you say. A bond is a lifelong commitment; I can’t ask that of him when he hasn’t experienced life yet.”
“I said he was young and foolish where danger was concerned, not love.”
“There’s a difference?”
Cam huffed. “Fine, maybe not. But perhaps I’m doing Mark a disservice. Perhaps he knew what he was doing and just wanted to face everything head-on instead of running away.”
“Maybe. But even if that were true, let’s not forget he’s from another pack, whose alpha hates us. That could be a problem.”
Cam laughed again. “Yes, there’s that.” He reached out and squeezed Alec’s knee. “But these are just obstacles. If Mark is your mate and the two of you want to be bonded, then nothing else matters. I’ll do whatever I can to help, and remember, the council take mate bonds very seriously.”
Alec groaned at the thought of involving the council in anything else. “Let’s just get this investigation out of the way first.”
A knock on the door saved him from further discussion, and he sank into the sofa cushions while Cam went to let the others in.
Mike, Gareth, and Daryl filed in together, and all three of them stopped in front of the sofa and stared down at him, varying expressions on their faces.
“What?”
Daryl huffed. “For the amount of use you’re getting out of it, you should pay more for that bloody flat. And can’t you use a shower?” He wrinkled his nose in mock disgust, making Gareth laugh.
“You do smell,” Gareth added and then took a seat next to him.
Cam walked in after them and clapped his hands. “Now we’re all here, there’s a few things I need to get you up to speed on.” He shot Alec a wink, and Alec knew what was coming next. There were no secrets between betas in Cam’s pack. “Firstly, Alec and Mark Appleton have the makings of a potential bond, so cut him some slack.”
Daryl and Mike grinned at him, and Gareth nudged his knee. Alec ignored them.
Cam carried on once they’d settled down. “I don’t expect that will go down well with Newell, so be prepared for anything.”
Gareth spoke up. “Will he still be a problem after the council are done?”
Cam sat in one of the other chairs with a weary sigh. “I hope not, but I don’t know for certain. Not until they finish their investigation and tell us their decision.”
Alec had been waiting to ask all morning. “And when will that be? Did they finish with Felix last night?”
“Yes, they’re done with him. They won’t tell me what he said, but Felix assures me he told them exactly what he told us.”
“Let’s hope they believe him.” Alec’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he reached for it without thinking, then stopped. “Sorry, I just need to check if it’s Mark.” He found he didn’t care how that made him sound.
Cam motioned for him to continue. “Go ahead.”
The text was from Mark, and Alec hurried to open it.
Wes just came to the shop. Not in the best of moods.
“Fuck.”
He hastily replied with Be careful, remember what I said.
“Trouble?” Cam asked, and Alec glanced up to find all four of them watching him.
“Maybe, I’m not sure. Mark’s working in one of their coffee shops, and Wes just got there.”
Gareth sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Coincidence?”
Bitten By Desire (Regent's Park Pack Book 3) Page 16