Page 23 of Only You, No One Else

He tightened the embrace, his mind awash with all the ways he would kill that Alpha. I won’t let him hurt you.

Mark moaned, half of him still lost in that world of ultimate pleasure, but signals from his mind and body indicated he was pulling away from it. Edie said I won’t resist him again. His voice cracked. I can’t let him… He sniffed, fighting back tears, and Caster had had enough.

“Look at me!”

That Alpha would pay for every one of the tears Mark battled.

“Tell me everything. You OK to do that? We can wait…”

Mark shook his head. “No. Dean said to tell you everything. I just wanted to…”

“I know, my love. I promise to make everything better.” He didn’t know how he could do that when he didn’t have all the information, but there was little question that he would. His fingers brushed Mark’s lips, and the need to comfort him, offer his support, overwhelmed an anger he was losing control of. Mark’s total acceptance of him was evident in the way he moaned through the gentle kiss.

When he pulled away, Mark’s eyes had regained their focus. He rested his forehead on Mark’s. “I am so sorry, my love.”

Mark shook his head again. “He… Zeke…” He took a breath, closing his eyes. “He could control my wolf, like Dean does. Only so much… worse.”

Caster tried to keep up, but he was sure he’d missed something. “I don’t understand.”

Mark opened his eyes, his familiar strength returning with every breath. “The Prime Alpha can control all wolves with a single thought.” His exhale was no longer a pleasured sigh. “When he does, it is impossible to resist.”

Caster had heard of it, but his grandfather had said it was an almost impossible feat, only exercised by the most formidable Prime Alphas. “Dean can do this?”

Mark nodded.

That explained the werewolves’ perfect coordination during the war. It was the primary reason they had been so fierce. His admiration for the Prime Alpha increased tenfold, and he understood why the wolves would need to keep that ability a secret. “You’re telling me Zeke can do the same?”

Mark’s nod was so small, he would have missed it if they hadn’t been so close.

Caster’s heart broke.

The fear Mark’s body indicated, the loss of control he feared, seeped through his once quiet mind to infect the love they’d professed to each other minutes earlier. But he wasn’t about to let this slip away from him, not for anything. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”

CHAPTER 15

Mark hated Zeke for interfering with the best moment of his life. Yet, even now with the threat of his new abilities settling between them, his body, his soul, was warm with the effect of that overwhelming pleasure. He wanted to run back into that feeling, beg Caster to never let him leave, but Dean was right; Caster needed to know everything.

His mind was open. That barrier would never go up again when he was with Caster, but his Dominant showed no indication he’d heard those thoughts. He waited, his patience offering Mark the strength he needed to find the right words.

He found his voice on the second attempt. “His Alpha sought my wolf the day he came back. I thought maybe I couldn’t resist because of the shock, but then I was trapped in the darkness.”

Caster’s eyes widened a fraction, an anger he was doing his best to control evident in his tense muscles. “What darkness?”

“I hadn’t passed out, and I wasn’t asleep. I was in that darkness again, and Zeke was there. My wolf was trapped, and I couldn’t get out.”

Caster closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I am so sorry…”

Mark placed a hand on his cheek. “It is not your fault.”

“I should have come to you.” He opened his eyes, the pain in them tearing at Mark’s fragile heart. “I was weak…”

Mark leaned forward and silenced him with a kiss. You are never weak. We are dealing with something none of us has ever seen.

His ever-present need for Caster called to him, and he pulled away. This was more important. If they couldn’t deal with it, then they couldn’t be together.

Caster nodded. “Start from the beginning. So, the rumored ability is true? A Prime Alpha has control over all wolves?”

“Yes, but not all Prime Alphas can do it. It takes a lot of control and constant practice. Dean says it's hard to control more than one wolf at the same time.”