First he had to stop smelling like Alec and sex before the meeting tomorrow.
“Any better?” Mark stood in the bathroom doorway, towel wrapped around his waist, while Will tentatively sniffed him.
“Yeah. I mean I can still smell him if I get in real close, but you should be okay as long as no one scents you.”
“Good.” That was the best he could hope for.
Will followed him into his bedroom and shut the door. “Hey, do you reckon Alec told anyone? I can’t imagine he’d get away with hiding out in his flat all day.”
“No idea.” Mark hadn’t given it that much thought. Too concerned with his own pack’s problems. Had Alec got into any trouble? Mark hoped not. But then he couldn’t picture Cam Harley as the type to punish his pack over a sexual encounter. Whereas his own alpha…. Best not to put that to the test.
“Better get a move on, Jason’ll be here in fifteen.”
Mark grabbed his watch, checking the time as he slipped it on. “Shit.” What the fuck was the dress code for this type of meeting? He had no fucking idea. If Jason had wanted him smart, surely he’d have said so? Mark pulled on dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved, heather-grey T-shirt. Smart-ish.
Will trailed after him as Mark walked down the hallway. He was just pulling on his shoes when Jason knocked on the door. Straightening, Mark turned and pulled Will into a tight hug. “Thanks for keeping me company yesterday. I’d have been bored out of my mind otherwise.”
“No problem.”
“Lock up when you leave, and be careful today.” Mark sensed the sudden tension in Will’s body, but all he did was hold him tighter.
“You too.”
Mark opened the door and slipped out before Jason knocked again.
Jason greeted him by stepping close and inhaling. “Better.”
They walked along the hall to the stairwell in silence. Mark wasn’t sure whether he was allowed to ask anything yet or not. His curiosity got the better of him as soon as they started down the stairs. “Soooo….”
Jason stopped, tilted his head, and listened for a couple of seconds before sitting down on the step. Mark did the same. “Okay, I’ll give you a quick rundown of what’s going to happen, and then we need to go; the others are waiting.”Others?“We’re going to a meeting with the alpha council.”
Mark swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. He so wasn’t prepared for that. “Oh.”
“It’s just how they do things. Nothing will happen there, except we’ll know the extent of Alpha Harley’s accusations and what, if anything, Newell has accused him of in return.”
“Don’t you already know?” As one of Newell’s betas, surely Jason should be in the loop.
His laugh was bitter. “No. If there’s been meetings about it, I’ve not been privy to them.”
Oh.
Mark said nothing.
“I also wanted to warn you that R-pack will be there, too. Which will almost certainly mean Alec.”
“Bollocks.”
Jason’s laugh was more natural this time. “Quite.” He patted Mark on the thigh as he stood. “For fuck’s sake, just keep quiet and try not to draw any attention to yourself. All we need to do is go in, listen to the accusations, and wait for the council to explain what comes next. We should be done in an hour, at most.” He gestured for Mark to start walking down the steps again.
“Is it wise to have both packs in the meeting? Considering.” Mark glanced over his shoulder to see Jason’s wry smile.
“The whole point of the council is to prevent pack disputes from escalating. If we can’t behave civilly in front of them, then there’s no fucking hope.”
Good point. Mark hoped he could face Alec without giving himself away to the rest of his pack. Fingers crossed they’d be too focused on other things to notice him.
Three black Nissan Qashqais waited at the kerb outside Mark’s building. The back windows were tinted, but Mark easily picked out the people in the front. Wes sat in the passenger seat of the first car, with Newell’s other beta, Paul, in the second. The front of the third car was empty, the indicators blinking as Jason unlocked it.
“Get in.” Jason went round to the driver’s side and climbed in behind the wheel.
