Still on for tonight? I’m at the warehouse. Where shall I meet you?
Mark’s reply came back after a few minutes.I’m in the flat above the coffee shop. Want to come here?
Alec read the message twice. That had to be a pack-owned building.Really?
I have an empty flat close to where you are.
Fucking hell. What had happened to make Mark so reckless? Alec’s shared flat wasn’t exactly neutral territory, but it wasn’t pack-owned. Newell wouldn’t be happy about Alec setting foot on one of his properties. In the current climate, he’d probably want to kill him. Something wasn’t right. Alec’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.Do you think that’s a good idea? Why don’t I meet you and we can go back to my place like before?
No. It’s fine. Trust me. Come here.
Alec stared at his phone. Reckless and ill-advised though it was, he had a sneaking suspicion Mark wasn’t going to back down.I’ll be there in fifteen.
Door on the right in the alley behind the coffee shop.
It sounded so clandestine. Alec ignored the inappropriate thrill that caused.On my way.
It took him just under fifteen minutes to get to the coffee shop. The scent of P-pack shifters heavy in the air and he rolled his shoulders, his wolf unsettled. The door to the flat was locked as Alec expected, and he hit the buzzer, hoping Mark hurried to answer before someone downstairs caught his scent.
He heard nothing to indicate Mark’s arrival, but the door opened seconds later.
“Soundproofed?” Alec eyed the heavy wooden door. Seemed odd to fit soundproofing to a flat outside the normal pack buildings.
Mark sighed, not looking Alec in the eye, and shrugged. “I guess.” He stepped back and out of the way, leaving room for Alec to come inside. “Go on up. I’ll lock the door.”
Alec stopped at the foot of the stairs and breathed in deep. The scent of P-pack shifters was so thick outside, it was hard to pick out individuals. But in here, one scent stood out all too clearly. He turned to Mark. “Wes was here?”
Shoulders slumping, Mark leant against the wall. “Yeah.” He kept his head down, gaze focused on the floor.
What was he hiding? “Does he know about us?”
“Yes.”
Alec’s heart rate picked up, and he took a step closer. “Mark?” Placing a finger under his chin, he tilted Mark’s head up and to the side. “Motherfucker.” The wounds had clearly healed, but Alec saw the faint bruising under the skin.
Four long marks across Mark’s neck.
Claws.
He leaned in close and inhaled. Citrus shower gel went some way to masking it, but there was no hiding Wes’s scent on Mark’s neck.
A wave of possessiveness grabbed hold of him, tightening his chest and making it hard to breathe. How fucking dare he? Alec’s teeth slid out of their own accord, claws too, and a low angry growl escaped, echoing around the hallway. “What else did he do?” He scanned Mark for other signs, but with his skin covered, it was impossible to tell.
Mark met his gaze, blue-green eyes full of fire. “Come upstairs. I don’t want to do this here.”
Reluctantly Alec nodded, but not before he made sure Mark went first.
Every step up those stairs fuelled his anger, images flashing through his mind of Wes with his claws in Mark’s skin. When they reached the landing the scent was thicker, overpowering almost, sticking to the back of Alec’s throat and making him want to gag.
Mark turned to him. “There’s some damage in there.” He gestured to the door to the living area, then pointedly looked at Alec’s teeth and claws. “You seem a little on edge, so I thought I’d warn you.”
“On edge?” Alec backed him against the door frame, his wolf beyond agitated. “I can smell him everywhere. In here, on you—” The urge to shift hit him hard at that thought, and Alec closed his eyes, concentrating to regain control.
Oh no.
“Alec?”
He felt Mark watching him, heard the concern in his voice tinged with a question. Breathing in slowly did nothing to soothe his wolf; too many scents that werewrong.Marksmelled wrong and it was driving him crazy. Fuck, how had he let this happen?
