Mark shook his head. “No. That’s not how it’s supposed to be.”
Slamming his fist down on the table in front of him, Wes’s eyes narrowed. “How dare you talk about ‘how it’s supposed to be’ when for the last week you’ve been fucking a member of an enemy pack, divulging who knows how many secrets. You have no loyalty to this pack.” He sneered, and Mark tensed at the tip of a fang that peeked out. There was no public space to protect him here, no alpha council anymore, either. “If it were up to me, we’d have killed you outright and not bothered with your useless cousin. But Steven seems to think we need you, at least until the investigation is over. But after that….” He grinned, fangs fully out now.
“Jason won’t let you—”
“Jason’s gone.”
Mark gaped at him. “What do you mean,gone?”
“As in not around anymore.”
“Did you make him lie to the council too? Did he threaten to tell them the truth and so you kidnapped him as well?”
Wes’s smile turned sly. “Oh, Jason hasn’t talked to the council yet.”
“But you said—”
“I lied. And after you changed your story, they didn’t want to talk to him, after all. Problem solved.”
Fucker. How long had Jason been gone? “Is he dead?”
“I informed the rest of your unit that he’s had a family emergency to deal with. We all know his mother never fully recovered from the pack war.”
A shifter body could heal from horrific injury, but the mind couldn’t. “How convenient.”
“Isn’t it?”
A wave of guilt hit him for ever thinking Jason was involved in this fucking mess. “Will he be coming back?” He already knew the answer.
“Mmmm… no. I suspect an unfortunate accident is on the cards in the next day or so.”
He was probably already dead. Mark curled his fingers around the edge of the chair and bit the inside of his cheek. He would not break down in front of this bastard. “Someone is bound to notice and add all the pieces up.”
“Who? When the council is done with us, Cam won’t dare involve them again. And no one in this pack will go up against Newell.”
Mark strongly disagreed but kept his mouth shut. They couldn’t get away with this. Even if it meant his own death. As soon as he got Harry back, he was going to have to do something. Unless…. “Is Harry even alive?”
Wes stood, gaze never leaving Mark’s. “For now.”
Another horrible thought occurred to him. The day was just full of them. “With Jason gone—” The words stuck in his throat, and he had to swallow before continuing. “—who’s my beta now?”Please don’t let it be you.
“Don’t worry about that. Steven has it all planned out.” He laughed at Mark’s confused expression and added. “Go home, and don’t think about leaving your building.” Then he left.
What was that supposed to mean? Paul had been conspicuous by his absence the last couple of days, but Mark refused to think he was involved with this too. He liked Paul. Rather him than Wes any day. Or maybe Newell had someone else in mind? There were a couple of older guys in Mark’s unit who would be up for it. In his opinion, either of them would make a far better job of it than Wes.
Thinking about replacing Jason hurt his heart and he rubbed at his chest with the heel of his hand. What had they done to him? Whether Will wanted to or not, Mark had to talk to him.
Mind made up, he headed to the stairs and down until he was outside and could breathe again. The short walk to his and Will’s building gave him little respite, though, and he climbed to the first floor where Will’s flat was.
Alec called again as he walked along the corridor, and though desperate to hear his voice, Mark ignored it. Alec would be so angry and disappointed with him by now. It might be Mark’s imagination, but with each refusal to speak to him, he felt their fragile connection slipping away.
Alec would never be his after what he’d done.
The text, when it came, was like a vice around his heart.
Whatever they threatened you with to make you lie, I can help. Please call me
If only it was that easy.
