Their evidence was one floor below, in a secure flat guarded by Alec’s unit.
“Talking of which, how is our guest?” Cam looked to Alec, but it was Tim who answered.
“Lucky to be alive.” The roughness of his voice surprised no one in the room. If Alec were in Tim’s position, he’d have found it hard not to march down there and take matters into his own hands. The rogue and his packmates had tried to kill Seb, Tim’s mate, and had injured him badly enough that he chose to be bitten. While that had ended well for Tim, nothing sparked a shifter’s protectiveness like a threat to your bonded mate. Even the mild-mannered doctor wasn’t immune to that.
“He’s as well as expected.” Alec offered. “Anxious to discover what fate awaits him. As he should be.”
“I’m sure.” Cam tapped his fingers on the table. “Well, it’s out of our hands now. He’ll find out when the rest of us do.”
“Where’s the jacket you took from Appleton?” Daryl asked. “Do we need to take that tomorrow?”
Cam gestured behind him at the cupboards lining the wall. “In there. And no, we don’t take anything tomorrow. If they decide to take things further, then they’ll send people here.” He turned to Alec. “Actually, we should probably keep it somewhere more secure.”
“I’ll see to it as soon as we’re done here.”
“Thank you.” Cam sat back in his chair. “The meeting tomorrow will be at the alpha headquarters near Ashcombe. I’d like us all to meet here at nine thirty.” He looked at each of his betas in turn. “Bring two from your units as security. Newell might be on the council’s radar now, but I don’t trust him.”
Taking that as a dismissal, the others stood and quietly filed out of the room, leaving Cam and Alec.
Alec walked over to the tall cupboard and opened the door. The plastic wrap covering the jacket was slightly open at the top, and Mark’s now-familiar scent washed over him, taking him by surprise. Memories of earlier that morning assaulted him, and his wolf stirred. It took several moments to get himself under control.
Cam joined him, Alec’s reaction obviously not going unnoticed. “And yet you’re not seeing him again?”
“No.” If that’s how he reacted after one night with Mark, then all the more reason not to. “I don’t need any complications in my life right now.”
“Right now, or ever?”
Alec glanced over at him. “It was one night. It meant nothing more than any of the others I’ve had.”
Cam hummed. “Are you sure about that?”
Turning to face him fully, Alec tried to ignore the jacket. “Do you want me to be involved with a P-pack member while both packs are under investigation by the alpha council?”
“I’ll admit it’s not ideal, but—”
“But nothing. I’m not seeing him again, there’s nothing to discuss.”
Sighing, Cam gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. “I worry about all my pack, Alec. That includes you. Especially you, sometimes.”
Looking down at his feet, Alec tried not to show how very uncomfortable this conversation made him. “I’m fine. There’s no need to worry.”
“You’re an excellent beta, loyal to a fault. I trust you with my life and the life of every member of my pack. But you are not fine. Punishing yourself for something that wasn’t your fault, is not fine.”
“I’m not punishing myself.”
“Aren’t you?” Cam’s voice was soft. “I remember what you were like before, Alec. And it wasn’t this cool, unaffected exterior that you let everyone think is the real you. You didn’t keep everyone at arm’s length. That Alec would have grabbed the chance at having a mate with both hands, even if there was only a slim possibility of it. Just the chance to try would have put a smile on his face.”
“Things happen, people change.”I changed.
“I know that. Believe me, I know.” A shadow crossed his face, and Alec cursed himself for being such an insensitive fuck. Cam knew better than he did. He’d lost his wife. “But it’s been ten years, Alec. Maybe time to let go of the past. I’m not saying it needs to be Mark, but just think about letting someone in.”
Alec glanced at the jacket, then back at Cam. He couldn’t lie to his alpha. “I don’t know.”
“At least think about clearing the air with Nathan. The two of you must expend far too much energy avoiding one another.”
A laugh burst out of him, and Alec shook his head. “Let’s not get carried away.” He reached into the cupboard and took the jacket out, keeping it away from his body. The rogue shifter’s scent still clung to it, and Alec concentrated on that rather than Mark’s. “I’ll get this wrapped better and locked away.”
“Thank you. And think about what I said, Alec. Please.”
