“What about human members? Is everyone bitten?” Cole’s question seemed more than idle curiosity.
Isaac crossed his arms, wondering if this was some sort of test. “I have human members. I don’t force my pack to take my bite if they don’t want to.” Their questions didn’t bother him, but they’d worked late into the evening and Isaac didn’t know about the rest of them, but he was fucking starving. “Anyway, I’ll answer any more questions you have later. We need to get this food on before we have a revolt of our own.”
* * *
With full bellies,they sat around the firepit as it got dark. The sun disappearing over the horizon in a blaze of oranges and reds caught everyone’s attention. Isaac would never tire of the sight, and he suspected it might capture a few other hearts before their time here was over.
His gaze drifted to Michael again, as it had most of the night, and he couldn’t stop himself from wondering whether his heart would be one of them.
But he wants to go back home.
To London.
Isaac had heard him loud and clear.
He stood, suddenly needing to escape the closeness of the cave, and drew the attention of everyone else. “I need to stretch my legs a bit before I head back up to the house.” They went back to their conversations and Isaac made his way out of the cave and towards the sea.
Behind him, Michael made a similar excuse and Isaac’s lip curved up into a smile even as he shook his head. He didn’t need to look back to know that six pairs of curious eyes watched them.
He slowed his pace, waiting for Michael to fall into step beside him and then walked them down to the sea, the wet sand cool underfoot.
“What’s wrong?” Michael asked, nudging Isaac to keep going when he came to a stop.
Isaac snorted. “You mean apart from the fact I’m harbouring wanted criminals in a cave under my house and we’re due a visit from the HRU anytime now?”
“Yes, apart from that.”
Isaac forced himself to take a breath and let it out slowly, tipping his head back to look up at the stars.
Do I want to do this?
If he told Michael the truth, they’d be forced to address something that could put an end to them before they’d even given themselves a chance.
But he couldn’t lie.
Not to Michael.
“You’re going to go back to London.”
Michael’s hand on his arm stopped him, and Isaac turned to face him. “We’ll all be going as soon as we have a solid plan in place.” He frowned, eyebrows scrunching together, and Isaac had the urge to smooth them out, but then realisation kicked in and did it for him. “You mean after, don’t you?”
His fingers moved without permission anyway, and Isaac cupped his jaw. “For some reason I thought you were done with London. That when this shit is all over and we finally get a joint government in place...”I thought you’d stay with me.He laughed, but it sounded hollow to his own ears. “It never occurred to me that you’d want to go back. Fucking stupid, huh?”
“It’s my home, Isaac.”
“Is it?” He let go of Michael and turned to face the sea. The waning gibbous moon reflected on the water and Isaac wondered if Michael would be here for the next full moon. Or would he be gone by then? “I thought you hated your life there?”
“I hated some of the things I had to do as alpha, but there are good people in my pack.” His sigh was heavy, full of the longing that Isaac hadn’t expected.
“You miss them? Miss being the big bad alpha of one of the most important packs.” He hated the bitterness in his voice, but Michael’s wordshurt.
But they shouldn’t.
Michael had been their alpha for a long time. Despite the double life he’d led, they were his pack. His family.
Of course he was going to miss it. Miss them.
If Isaac lost his pack, it would be like losing a huge part of him.
