"Sorry.I'm Ulric Flint.Pack enforcer and Rourke's second in command."
"Are you his brother?"They didn't look alike.
"No, everyone in the pack is named Flint, blood-related or not."
It explained why Rourke had believed Enizax was a clan name.
"Are you hungry?"
Ezra shook his head.He didn't think he'd be able to eat anything.
"Want to come with me to the dining hall?"
Ezra gave another head shake.
"Right.I'll be going then."Ulric moved toward the door, and Ezra searched for something to say.Anything so he wouldn't be annoyed with him.
"Thank you for talking to me."
Ulric stilled by the door."Eh...yeah...sure."Then he left the room.
* * * *
Chapter 4
Rourke downed another glass of whiskey.It wasn't often he drank.They didn't have money to waste on alcohol.He could most often rustle up a beer but not hard liquor.
He was holed up in the office and had been for hours.This day had not gone as planned.
There was a light tap on the door, then Ulric stepped inside."Are you gonna hide for long?"
"A lifetime."He poured another glass.Ulric sighed but grabbed a glass from a side table and sat with one chair between them.Rourke pushed the bottle in his direction and rubbed his chest.The heat in there was growing more insistent by the minute.Annoyingly so.Several times, he almost rose to go look for Ezra but had poured himself another glass instead.
"The braids show how much you've proven yourself to the clan, and the things in them are gifts as a sign of respect."
Rourke frowned."So he hasn't proven himself and doesn't have much in ways of respect."
Ulric nodded."The question is if it's a good thing or a bad thing."
"How do you mean?"
"We hate witches.Do you want your mate to be someone they respect or someone they don't respect?"
Rourke tried to make sense of what he was saying, but his brain wasn't cooperating."Meaning?"
"They hate us, right?Think we're deviant creatures."Ulric gave him a sharp grin.
"Right."
"Right, so isn't it a good thing your mate isn't someone they respect?"
He might be right."But it means him being here is an insult."
"Yeah, and judging by how they ignored him when they hightailed it out of here, I think we can kiss any hopes of an alliance goodbye.But, we have a witch now."
"It was all for nothing.I mated a witch for nothing.Tied myself to a man who doesn't want me for the rest of my life."He gulped down a good-sized swallow of whiskey.
Ulric grimaced."Sorry, man."
