Cam glanced towards the double doors. “In my flat. It’s only Karin and Curtis this time.” Alec opened his mouth to speak, but Cam raised a hand, silencing him. “Yes, I spoke with them, and no, I can’t talk about it.”
Mark’s heart skipped a beat, and he tried not to get excited. If they’d already spoken to Cam, then maybe that meant….
The familiar smell of P-pack shifters wafted through the door, and Mark was up, letting go of Alec’s hand and heading towards it.
He grinned as Will came into view, followed by Jason and Harry.
“Hey, stranger.” Will pulled him into a hug, his face pushed into the crook of Mark’s neck, and Mark felt him wrinkle his nose. “Fucking hell, did you bathe in his ji—”
“Will!” Mark hissed and squeezed him a little too tight, making Will wriggle out of Mark’s arms.
“Sorry.” Will grinned back at him. “I’ve missed you this week.” His gaze drifted over to Alec, then back to Mark. He took a rather large step back. “Ugh, yeah. We can talk later.”
Mark looked over to find Alec glaring at them. As much as possessive Alec was a pain in the arse, he was also hot, and— No. He needed to stop that train of thought right now.
When Will shuffled to the side, Harry took his place, wrapping his arms around Mark and scenting him. Mark had visited Harry the day after he’d bonded with Alec, but he still took a moment to hold him close for that little bit longer. The threat of losing him was too recent for Mark to let it go quite yet.
Finally Harry released him, and Jason stood in front of him. He took Mark’s face in his hands and met his gaze. “Being mated looks good on you.”
Mark blushed but didn’t look away. “Thank you.”
Jason had fully recovered from his attack within a couple of days of being under Tim’s care, but his eyes still held a slightly haunted expression sometimes. Being attacked by his fellow beta had left an impression on him.
Tilting Mark’s head slightly, Jason dipped his head and scented him, and Mark relaxed under his touch. Thank fuck he hadn’t died. When Jason pulled back, he sighed. “I spoke to the council this morning. About Newell.”
“Oh?” Ever since the council meeting a week ago, there’d been no word about either Newell or Wes. Initially Mark hadn’t given a shit what happened to either of them, as long as they were gone. But now he wanted to know. Needed to for his own peace of mind.
“They’ve made their decision and will announce it in the meeting.”
“They didn’t tell you first?”
Jason gave a wry smile. “No. But I suspect they might have told Cam. Alpha courtesy.” If Jason had any thoughts on what was coming, he didn’t give anything away.
The meeting rooms had started to fill while Mark had been talking, members of both packs trickling in. The divide was easy to see, and Mark looked from Jason and Will, over to where Alec now stood with members of his unit.
Oh.
Where do I go?”
Up until that moment, being in different packs hadn’t been an issue. Mark had spent the days not thinking about much other than Alec, as though they were in their own bubble. But now….
Jason’s hand on his arm startled him. “If you want to go over to Alec, it’s okay. No one will think badly of you.”
A glance over at Alec made Mark smile. His anxiety melted away as Alec walked towards him, their connection strong and steady.
Jason laughed softly next to him “Or he can come to you.”
When Alec reached them, he slipped an arm around Mark’s waist and lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “They’re your pack. Never feel bad for wanting to be with them.”
“How did you…?”
Alec sighed, warm breath tickling Mark’s neck. “I felt your anxiety through the bond. It didn’t take much to figure out the cause.”
Alec made no move to head back to his unit, so Mark nodded over in their direction. “Don’t you need to join them before the council come in?”
“I’ve already spoken to them; they understand.” He kissed the side of Mark’s neck, right above where he’d left his mating mark. “I want to be with you when you find out what’s happening with your alpha.”
For a moment Mark basked in the glow that gave him, then all conversation stopped as the two council members walked in.
