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.”
