“Yeah, it is.”
As if to emphasise that statement, Wes stood waiting for them at the bottom of the stairwell, two of his unit a few paces behind him. He eyed them both with thinly veiled disgust. “You’ll be in the front car with me and Steven.” He turned and addressed the two waiting behind him. “Third car.” They nodded in acknowledgement and left.Were they involved too?
Mark didn’t want to believe it. Harry was part of their unit. Would they have turned on him? He looked around the otherwise empty foyer of their building. “Where’s Paul?” With Jason gone and no apparent replacement, surely Newell would take his two remaining betas?
“He’s outside in his car.”
Mark caught Will looking at him out of the corner of his eye, his expression easy to read.Can we trust Paul?He wanted to think so, but who the fuck knew? He gave what he hoped was a very slight but definite shrug.No idea.He hesitated, wondering for the hundredth time if they were doing the right thing. Shit, what if Will was right, what if Harry and Jen were already dead?
Wes moved close enough to whisper. “In case you get any ideas….” He then held up his phone for both Mark and Will to see, one finger pressed to his lips. The FaceTime connection went through and both Harry and Jen came into view, sat on chairs facing the camera.
Neither of them was bound, but each had a hand at their throat, claws extended enough to press into the skin. The perpetrators stood out of view, unfortunately. A solitary trickle of blood ran down Harry’s neck, and Mark watched, transfixed, a low growl bubbling its way out.
“I’ll call back after the meeting. Let me know immediately if they give you any trouble.” He ended the call without waiting for an answer but waved the phone in Mark’s face. “One call.” He mouthed, then drew a finger across his throat like a cartoon villain.
Mark bit his tongue, fighting the urge to tell Wes what a pathetic, vile excuse for a beta he was. Harry’s scared face burnt into his memory, stopped him from saying anything.
If nothing happened to Newell, how would anything go back to normal for any of them?
“Come on, we’ve not got all fucking day.” Wes bared his teeth and ushered them towards the door.
The journey to the alpha council’s estate seemed to fly by. Mark and Will sat silently in the back of the car, with Newell in the passenger seat and Wes driving. Both alpha and beta chatted as though they were alone in the car, discussing the council’s likely decision and R-pack’s reaction in far greater detail than Mark expected.
Did he and Will not matter anymore? Their word probably counted for nothing now, anyway. Who would trust anything they said without proof?
Will glanced up from his phone and looked at Mark with a “what the fuck?” expression.
Mark’s thoughts exactly.
“Wankers.” Mark mouthed back. What guarantee did they have that Harry and Jen would go free after this? If any of them would be free?
With a scowl, Will set his phone on the seat and turned to stare out the window.
In the front of the car, Wes asked, “Do you think the council believed the shit Felix told them?”
Newell laughed, the sound grating on Mark’s nerves. “He was part of a rogue shifter pack that attacked us and then tried to kill members of Harley’s pack. Of course he’d tell them what they wanted to hear when faced with death. I doubt they’ll believe a fucking thing he has to say. Even if every word of it is true.”
Wes growled, and Mark felt it vibrate around the interior of the car. “I never liked him anyway. Always questioning my fucking orders. I hope they rip his throat out.” He caught Mark’s eye in the rear-view mirror and smirked. “Thanks to you two, there’s nothing to corroborate his story.”
Newell laughed and turned around in his seat to face them. “Yes. How good of you to lie to the council.”
Mark spoke without thinking. “You kidnapped our fuckingfamily, what choice did we have?”
Like lightning, Newell reached over the back seat and grabbed Mark by the throat, his alpha roar deafening in the confined space.
Five claws pressed into Mark’s skin, and his heart thumped wildly, fear setting every nerve on edge.Shit shit shit.
Newell tightened his grip, the sudden sharp pain making Mark gasp. “If you hadn’t blabbed to that fucking newly-turned shifter, we wouldn’t have had to do any of this. I take no delight in threatening members of my own pack.” Mark wisely held in his scoff of disbelief. “You forced my hand, and unfortunately your cousin and Will’s sister are collateral damage.”
“And Jason?” Mark whispered, unable to stop himself because he needed to know for sure.
For a second Newell actually looked regretful. “Jason was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He let go of Mark’s throat and sat back in his seat. “I don’t want to hear another word out of either of you unless you’re spoken to by the council. And then you better stick to what I told you or your families will be one less in number. Understood?”
Both Mark and Will nodded.
“Good.”
Newell faced the front, and Mark let out a shuddery breath, heart pounding with the adrenaline flooding his system.
