Whatever small hope Murphy had held onto that this was some kind of mistake disappeared in an instant, leaving him cold. As much as he’d thought about bringing Dante to justice, this wasn’t how he’d wanted it to happen. Not with Marcus aiding the traitor.
Now, more than ever, he just wanted this over with. He wanted to return to Nessa, to hold her close and forget all about this.
“Bullshit,” Jasper spat, pushing past Murphy to stand between the males. He got in Marcus’s face. Marcus widened his stance, holding his ground. Jasper inhaled deeply and then gave a dry laugh, devoid of humor. “There isn’t an ounce of sickness on you, Marcus. You lied about that, and I’ll bet you’re lying now.”
“I’m not lying,” Marcus snapped, raising his hands as if to shove Jasper away. Obviously thinking better of it, he dropped his arms to his sides and stepped back, allowing them entry. “Not about this. Please, come inside.”
Jasper stepped into the home, looking around suspiciously. Murphy and Colter did the same, equally distrusting. Colter grabbed the door, closing it firmly behind him.
They were standing in a small and sparsely furnished living room. A TV hung along a wall just above a fireplace mantel. A worn-looking sofa sat across from it, a pillow and blankets strewn over the thin cushions. The coffee table in between was full of clutter; most of it being empty to-go boxes and paper plates, and a handful of empty beer bottles were on the floor, tucked under the table.
The place was a mess, and despite Murphy’s rage at his former friend, it brought him no joy to know Dante had been living like this.
It doesn’t matter. He’s a traitor.
“Where’s Dante?” Murphy finally asked Marcus, grinding his teeth together to keep from lashing out at the male. Losing his temper wouldn’t help the situation, as much as he wanted to throttle both twins for what they’d done.
A floorboard creaked from the hall, and Murphy’s head shot up in that direction, his eyes locking onto the male he hadn’t seen in months. Not since he’d run away as Nessa had lain there, broken and bleeding, dying on the floor of Tank’s cabin.
The reminder brought a plethora of fresh rage bubbling to the surface, and it took everything within Murphy to remain calm and collected.
Dante held up a hand in greeting, dark circles under his eyes matching the frown lines that hadn’t been there before. He looked like he’d aged a decade. His once heavily muscled frame was leaner, and his stance was despondent, nothing like the strong shifter male he had been not long ago.
Dante looked away, staring at the ground in an act of submission. “Hey, Murphy.”
Emotion welled up in Murphy’s chest, a cocktail of animosity and sadness that he couldn’t evade.
He turned his attention to Marcus and grated out, “How long have you known he was here?”
“I swear to you,” Marcus said softly, “I told you everything I knew about his whereabouts. When I picked up his scent, I told you the truth.” The male shook his head. “Please believe me, Alpha.”
Alpha. Such a prestigious title, yet it hadn’t held weight when it needed to. It hadn’t meant a damned thing to Marcus. To Dante.
Still, something had changed; otherwise, why lure them here? To lead them into a trap? Murphy’s nerves were frayed, and his brain pounded with the blood rushing through it. “Then explain this,” Murphy all but shouted. “Explain how you’re here.”
“I called him this morning,” Dante answered for his twin.
“I will deal with you when I’m ready,” Murphy snarled, taking two long strides toward Dante before he could stop himself. “Another word out of you, and I’ll gut you where you stand.”
“I’ll help him,” Jasper stated casually.
“This morning, Dante called me,” Marcus interrupted, moving forward until he was standing between Murphy and Dante, shielding his twin from the Alpha’s ire.
Murphy would have laughed if the action didn’t feel like a knife stabbing him in the back. But hadn’t the twins already done that?
“Dante said he was tired of hiding. That he wanted to talk to me in person before he turned himself in to you.” Marcus clasped Murphy’s shoulder and squeezed. “I agreed because I didn’t want him to change his mind.”
“Then why lie to me about not feeling well?” Colter asked from the entryway. “Why not tell Murphy what was happening? He’s our Alpha; he deserves to know your plans, especially when it involves a traitor.”
Marcus dropped his hand, looking down at the ground in shame. “Dante’s my brother,” he said quietly. “My twin. You don’t understand the connection we have.”
“And if he changed his mind, you were just going to pretend you were never here?” Jasper guessed. When Marcus didn’t answer, Jasper scoffed. “Un-fucking-believable.”
“I was your brother, too,” Murphy said, emotion thickening his voice. “All of us were your brothers, and yet both of you betrayed our trust.Mytrust. When you had countless opportunities to come clean.” He looked right at Dante, his eyes narrowing. “Toseek out my help. And you didn’t. You placed this clan,my mate,in danger with your actions, and you will answer for that.”
Marcus took a shuddering breath, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked up from the floor. “What are you going to do with him?”
“You already know that answer, Marcus.” Murphy’s heart squeezed in pain. “Jasper, Colter. Make sure Dante comes without issue.”
