Jason opened his car door, then turned back to Mark. “Wait here for a second.” His shoes crunched over the gravel as he walked to Wes’s car. Mark lowered his window to hear their conversation better. Jason never said anything about not listening in. He heard the door being opened. “Do we go in or wait?”
Mark strained to hear the answer. “We wait. When both packs are here, someone from the council will come and collect us.”
From Newell’s tone alone, Max knew he was pissed off. His alpha wasn’t keen on being told what to do. Mark imagined it was killing him, having to take orders from someone after all this time of being the one to give them.
Obviously dismissed, Mark listened to Jason crunch his way back over. He got in the car and let out a sigh. “Fucking Wes, he’s such a wanker.” Surprised at his outburst, Mark immediately glanced over at the other cars, then back at Jason. “Cars are soundproofed enough, they can’t hear us.” Sighing again, he met Mark’s gaze. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Sometimes he winds me up and I… well never mind. We just need to wait for R-pack to arrive.”
Had Mark missed an exchange between Jason and Wes? He didn’t think so. “What did he say to piss you off?”
Jason hesitated, as though debating whether to answer or not. Finally he said. “He didn’t actually say anything. It’s just his attitude recently. He’s been so smug, like he knows something important I don’t. A beta is supposed to put the good of the pack first and foremost, especially the members of their own unit. He rubs me the wrong way lately, that’s all.”
The incident with Seb’s front door sprang to mind. Mark hadn’t been impressed with his cousin over that incident, but ultimately he blamed Wes for letting it happen. He might not have been Harry’s beta then, but he was still a dick for encouraging them to scare Seb like that. “Yeah. You’re not the only one.”
Instead of answering, Jason straightened in his seat, and then Mark saw them too.
His heart rate picked up as the four black SUVs came closer. Mark chuckled. Fuck, shifters were predictable. They parked on the opposite side of the drive, but no one got out.
If the reasons for being there weren’t so dire, Mark would’ve laughed at the whole standoff they had going on. Why didn’t someone get out already? He went to open his door, but Jason laid a hand on his arm.
“Wait.”
With a sigh, he let go of the door handle. “What for now? Don’t we need to get out?”
“Yes, but alphas first. And only when—”
The heavy wooden doors at the front of the building swung open, and two shifters walked out. Tall, well built, with long dark hair streaked with silver. They looked similar enough to be twins, sisters at least. They split after walking down the steps, one heading over to Wes’s car, the other to what Mark presumed was Harley’s car.
Even though Jason said the cars were soundproofed, Mark still whispered. “I didn’t expect it all to be so… formal.” He watched fascinated as Newell got out of the car and greeted the member of the council with a slight bow. “Wow.”
“Yep.” Jason laughed softly and nudged him. “That’s our cue, come on.” He opened the car door and Mark hurried to do the same. Of course, as they rounded the back of the car to join the rest of their pack, the wind changed, and Mark got a hefty dose of R-pack scent as they all got out of their vehicles.
One scent stood out, easy for Mark to separate as though it was stronger than all the rest put together.
Alec.
He inhaled, instinct taking over as his wolf urged him to breathe deep. Fuck, he’d forgotten how good Alec smelled.
Only when Jason bumped into him did Mark realise he’d stopped walking.
“Everything all right?” Jason pitched his voice low, but across the drive, Alec’s head snapped up, his gaze focused in their direction.
Even from sixty feet away, Mark felt the weight of that stare. It pierced his chest, spreading warmth outward and down towards his groin. His breath caught.
Shit.
Jason’s hand on his neck startled him. “Get it together.”
What the fuck was wrong with him? He took a deep breath, which was really fucking stupid, as all it did was give him another taste of Alec’s scent. Jason dug his fingers in, the barest hint of claws pressing into Mark’s skin.
“Mark.” More of a command than his name, low and rough. It had the desired effect, calming him down, and Mark nodded his thanks, his heart no longer racing. And more importantly, his traitorous cock under control. Hopefully no one had been close enough to smell anything.
He kept his eyes away from Alec and let Jason guide him over to their pack. As soon as they were all together, the council member addressed them.
“I’m Asha. For the time you’re here, any questions will be directed to me. Understood?”
Newell smiled and looked as genuine as Mark had ever seen. “Yes, Alpha.” He offered her the barest of bows, and she returned it.
“Follow me.”
