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I cross my legs, resting my knees on top of my ankles as I look Atticus over. He’s never looked more dishevelled than he does now. His pants are just a tad short and smell of David. His t-shirt is another of David’s and is quite stretched across his body. His shoes are still his, but they don’t suit the outfit since they’re dress shoes.
Expensive ones at that.
His dirty blonde hair needs a wash, as does the rest of him to be honest. His stubble is more profound, more beard-like, and I know he’ll shave that off once we’re home.
“He is my brother.”
“Right now, he is not!” I snap. “You need to be thinking of him as Cevon, the hunter. Cevon, the betrayed. Cevon, the—”
“I get it,” Atticus snaps. “But you don’t know him like I do.”
“I know a lot about your brother,” I counter. “I know that before he met his mate, he used to play in my circles.”
Atticus’ eyes widen, but I don’t pause to let him process. He’s got some misconceptions about his brother, and it’s dangerous. He can’t see the threat right before our eyes.
But Cevon is not thinking like Atticus’s brother right now. I doubt he cares about the familial connection they share.
His goal seems to be getting revenge for his mate. That’s the only thing that he can focus on.
It’s like an obsession to him. I know his mind because it’s the same as mine.
Any move he makes is calculated, planned, with the ultimate goal of revenge.
So him taking Nora means she fits into his plan. I don’t know if he wants revenge on Atticus for whatever perceived betrayal he has, but I know Cevon’s mind.
Which means we need to find Nora and fast. She’s in danger the longer she stays with him.
So, Atticus needs to understand me when I say that Cevon is dangerous, and we cannot trust him.
“I knew of him, but despite being the same age, we were never friendly. But as the former King’s son and the current King’s brother, he was a hard man to miss,” I say, and Atticus gives one small nod. “I’ve got people looking into what he used to do before leaving the pride, and I should have that information soon. But once he did leave, that’s where it gets trickier to track his movements. He’s the only shifter who has an in within this branch, and it means I’ve got no-one I can turn to for answers.”
“Okay, but none of that means he kidnapped my fucking mate.”
“Our mate,” I correct, giving him a dirty look. I don’t continue speaking until he acknowledges my claim on Nora, and he goes as far as to tip his head in apology. That’s one thing I do appreciate about Atticus. He’s a good man, most of the time.
“It doesn’t, you’re right. I’ve found two separate shifters who attempted to infiltrate his branch, and they both ended up dead,” I say, and he flinches. “Have you ever used scent neutralising agents?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve never had a need.”
Nope, a posh boy like him has no use for them.
“Well, as someone who most definitely has had a need, I can identify the vast majority of them. Someone used one on your car—a pretty expensive one at that,” I say, and he frowns. “They weren’t super concerned with erasing scents completely because you can still pick yours up, just that of Nora.”
“Fuck.”
“And so I had the thought to track the scents through the woods, but since it was pissing it down last night, everything was murky. There was no way to identify anything through the wetness, but I went through for a walk anyway.”
“And what did you find?” he asks with a sigh. “Can we make this less of a story?”
“I found nothing. I’m not dragging this out for theatrics.” I roll my eyes. “I’m trying to walk you through my thought process since you don’t trust me. You don’t believe me when I tell you that your brother is the one who took our mate.”
“He’s right,” Micah says, his face pale. “I’m about to share my screen with you.”
“Add Mal, Orson, and Griffin in first,” Atticus commands. His tone is grim, his face drawn tight together. “We all need to be on the same page with this.”
“What’s going on?” Kai demands, as soon as he’s brought onto the call. Impatient fuck.
Orson and Griffin are silent, as Atticus brings them up to speed. Well, Atticus tries to downplay the situation yet again, and I need to interject and make sure they actually know what’s happening.
