“Indulge me,” Rafe whispered in his ear, sparking a full-body shiver in response.
Flashing him a glare, Adri reluctantly opened his mouth and let the doc feed him.
“He’s sorting out the agreement he made with Leah to keep the Council off our backs. He’ll be back shortly,” Silas said.
That was interesting. What had Marco offered the vampire to withhold information from her employer like that? When Marco emerged with both Leah and Viviana in tow twenty minutes later, Adri had a suspicion what it might be. And that, in combination with the specific request that Adri join them at this meeting, gave him a sinking feeling in his gut. Sensing the sudden tension in him, Rafe leaned in close to rest his chin on Adri’s shoulder and wrap his arms around him from behind.
“Just hear him out,” Rafe whispered, so quiet even the nearby shifters wouldn’t have been able to catch his words.
Silence fell as everyone turned their attention to their Alpha and the two women. Viviana had her arm draped around Leah’s shoulders. The vampire was leaning into her side, her expression wary as she took in how many shifters were looking her way. Adri had seen Viviana’s hook-ups come and go over the years, and he immediately knew this was something else from the level of intensity between them.
Was that what people saw when they looked at him and Rafe? Fuck.
“Kyan’s already tried to retaliate against Leah for shutting them down tonight,” Marco said. “He’s not going to let this slide regardless of her position with the Council, and Leah can’t go to her boss without admitting the conflict of interest from herrelationship with Viviana. I’ve offered the pack’s protection, but they can’t stay in the city. Viviana’s going to take her to her family out of state.”
“Kyan will follow them,” Vin pointed out from where he was nestled in close to Angelo. What was with all these mated pairs?
“Already taken care of. I won’t let him touch her. We’re going to fake Leah’s death and disappear off the grid. He’ll suspect something’s up, but he’s never seen us together. He shouldn’t come looking for her at my family’s ranch, and if he sends anyone after us, they won’t live long,” Viviana said, her determined gaze meeting Adri’s as she spoke.
“What about the gym? Our people?” he asked.
“I need you to look after them for me.”
Adri’s vision narrowed as he fought to control his breathing. The last thing he wanted was to leave the fighters he protected with his life to some stranger to manage, but taking on responsibility for the fighting ring was a level of responsibility he didn’t even want to contemplate the implications of. Marco didn’t let him hide from it, though.
“If you do this, you need to admit that you’re pack. I can’t have someone managing my interests who can’t acknowledge he owes allegiance to me,” Marco said.
Adri glared at him. “You know I don’t see it that way.”
Marco held his gaze, his dominance cloying the air between them as Alpha power glittered in his eyes. “This is the only way I’ll put you in the position. If you can’t handle that, someone else will have control of their lives, and deep down, you’ll still know that I’m your Alpha.”
Adri’s fangs lengthened and his fingertips tingled as his claws threatened to break free. Only Rafe’s solid presence at his back kept him from doing something the Alpha would take as a threat.
“That’s coercion,” he growled.
“That’s pack,” Marco corrected. “I’m responsible for keeping my people safe. Part of that is making sure my leadership is seen as untouchable, and the pack’s loyalty unquestioned. Otherwise, we’ll end up with another traitor—or worse.”
“Easy, kitten. Take a breath. He’s not saying anything you didn’t already know,” Rafe murmured.
Adri tried to tug out of Rafe’s arms, but the movement was half-hearted at best, and the doc just held him tighter. Annoyingly, the extra pressure and his mate’s scent reduced the panicked sense of being backed into a corner that had his jaguar lashing out inside him.
“There’s no one else I’d trust with them, Carter. Suck it up,” Viviana said, her voice firm and her words reminding him of a hundred other times he’d heard that refrain from her mouth as she helped train the fighters over the years.
Fuck. It’s not like he hadn’t always known he worked for Marco. He wasn’t about to abandon his charges over his allergy to dominance and pack. Did the asshole have to pull this shit with a fucking audience, though? Why couldn’t Adri just have taken over and quietly stopped denying his link to the Lunettis?
A low growl rumbled in his throat as he forced himself to picture the fighters he needed to care for. He wasn’t a pack animal. It wasn’t in his nature to surround himself with people, but he knew what it was like to lose your family and be aloneand untethered in a violent world. He wasn’t going to abandon Garett and Finn and all the others, and Jay would never forgive him if he didn’t pull his head in on this.
“I’ll do it,” Adri said, still holding Marco’s gaze.
Marco strode closer, and Adri held his ground as the imposing shifter reached out to grab him by his nape, his thumb wrapping around his neck to rub his scent into his skin. Rafe stiffened behind him, but didn’t try to stop his Alpha.
“Who do you work for?” Marco asked.
Adri huffed. “You. You made your point, Marco.”
Marco’s lips stretched in a snarl, and Adri quickly corrected before his jaguar responded to the pissed-off wolf in a way that would get them in trouble. “Fine. You made your point,Alpha. Better?”
“And where do you belong?” Marco asked, eyes still glittering with irritatingly smug dominance.
