Page 42 of Only You, No One Else

The King seemed too calm as he rose from his chair, approaching the sitting area with measured steps as if he intended to calm a wounded animal.

“I am not sure we can trust it, but one of my men says he wants to meet.” Marcus was also too calm. “With you.” His attention was on Damien.

“We know better than to trust anything Bas does.” Damien’s words were a low growl, almost contained by the jaw he clenched so tight, Caster could hear his teeth grinding away at his anger.

“Yes, but…” His father said.

Damien jumped to his feet, losing the careful control of his anger. “No. He’s playing some game. I am sure of it…”

One look from the King and Damien simmered down, but not enough to sit. The King walked up to his nephew, reaching for his shoulders. “Remember your promise to me?”

Damien nodded.

“He’s a member of this family. That alone should earn him an audience at least.” His gaze remained on Damien, admonishment hiding behind the gentle tone. “I am not saying don’t be cautious. Just that it might be worth exploring, yes?”

“Yes, Uncle Leon.” Damien sighed, his anger dissipating.

Caster could never understand what his cousin was going through. He didn’t even want to entertain the idea that Cy or Ben could betray him, but wasn’t about to let Bastian continue to hurt Damien with his recklessness. “We should see what he has to say. I’ll go with you.” He watched his cousin’s expression as he said it. The deep frown remained, but he knew Damien well enough to see the hint of gratitude behind the confusion. He nodded his support and turned to Marcus. “But we need to find the traitor first.”

Marcus sat across from him, leaning into the couch. “Yes.”

“Where are we with that?” The concerned uncle in his father’s demeanor was gone, replaced by the authority of the most powerful person in the room.

Rare embarrassment heated Caster’s cheeks. He’d been so concerned with Mark’s safety, the present, unseen threat, the traitor in their midst had taken a back seat.

“I took care of it.” The anger in Damien’s voice was gone, a small smile on his face. He shrugged away Caster’s questioning look. “What? You were busy. Riley and I talked about it, and he started a spell to find them. We should know soon.” He walked back to the couch and sat next to Caster. “Before the Prime Alpha gets here, I hope.”

The King leaned against the front of his massive desk. “Yes. That would be best. The Prime Alpha has his hands full. This is our problem.”

“Do you have an idea of who it could be?” Marcus asked. “I don’t feel comfortable with them so close.” The words were casual, the underlying threat anything but.

“Whoever it is, couldn’t be stupid enough to be here, right now?” At least Caster hoped not, although on second thought, he prayed they were. It was their fault Mark was in danger, and they would pay for that with their life.

Marcus chuckled. “You’d be surprised at how stupid people could be if they felt safe. Anyway, we need to discuss the meeting with the Prime Alpha.” He glanced at the King. “His situation is not great…”

“The Prime Alpha will do everything in his power to prevent another war. Of that, I am certain,” the King said. It was his father’s unwavering faith in Dean that had prompted Caster to seek a truce and then a treaty. Anyone who had earned his father’s admiration so easily couldn’t be so bad. And as usual, his father had been right. The Prime Alpha had turned out to be a reliable ally, now part of his expanding family.

“We might need to help him.” Caster couldn’t contain the words, but when he glanced at Marcus, the one person in the room who might object, he was surprised to find acceptance.

Marcus gave him a curt nod. “Yes. The treaty does require that.” He smiled. “But you’d want to help him even if it didn’t, wouldn’t you?”

Caster looked down. Sometimes Marcus’s dominance was too much even for him.

“That’s why we need to do everything in our power to protect Mark.”

Caster looked at his father, grateful for his words, but still confused.

His father smiled. “Your wolf has done something my father tried and failed. He’s brought vampires and werewolves together.”

Caster couldn’t help the swell of pride enlarging his heart. Too caught up in his love for Mark, he had missed the significance of their relationship in their world. Because of it, the Prime Alpha trusted him enough to entrust his brother, both brothers' safety, to him. That had never happened before.

“Is his council compromised?” He asked Marcus, the desire to ensure the safety of Mark’s family driving his need to know.

Marcus shook his head. “Julian thinks only a few are contemplating joining with the witch.” He smiled. “I would worry more about them than the Prime Alpha. He’s more than capable of dealing with any revolt in his ranks.”

That was true. Caster wouldn’t envy anyone unfortunate enough to anger Dean. The controlled way he unleashed that anger was enviable and terrifying in equal measure.

“In any case, we should know more about that when he gets here tomorrow,” the King said. “I have made it clear that we can only deal with this threat together.”