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“I don’t like this,” Marcus mutters, his fingers curled into fists where they rest on the table. Those are the only words Marcus has spoken in the last half hour. Bodhi has said… nothing.
“Nobody likes this,” Marie says, re-entering the room, rubbing her temples; “but Rex just told me that Nathan and Maya were attacked… by Kim.” Leah jumps to her feet, ready to leave immediately, but Marie waves at her to sit down. “They’re fine, Ethan was able to help them and is on his way back here with Kim.”
Everyone turns to me, but I just stare at Marie, suddenly seized by panic like I’ve never felt before. Marie reaches across the table, covering my hand with hers.
“He’s fine dear. Rex spoke to him. Please try not to worry.” She gives my hand a supportive squeeze, but doesn’t let go, allowing me to use her firm hold to draw strength. “Maya has gone into heat, so they’re staying where they are for the time being and are not to be disturbed. No matter how curious anyone might be about what happened.” Leah rolls her eyes as Marie fixes her with a pointed glare.
Marcus taps his biro off the table top, his dark brows furrowed as he stares at the woodgrains, deep in concentration. Bodhi folds his thick arms over his chest and strokes the end of his beard with one giant hand. I’m struck again by his sheer size as he patiently waits for Marcus’ thoughts.
“The fact that Kim was involved proves the pack needs outside help. I’m loath to say it, but there could be other traitors still operating inside this pack. That’s two that we know of, maybe three.” Marcus tosses his pen down and rubs the back of his neck. The anger and disappointment in the room are palpable. They’ve been betrayed and they’re not sure who to trust. “But there has to be another way.”
“Except there isn’t,” I shrug, and Marcus looks at me solemnly. “I’m your outside help, but I can’t go back to the Anderson pack, Lucia would be watching me. I need to work from another angle.”
When Bodhi leans forward, we all pause to hear what he has to say.
“Billy will help.”
Marcus hisses, seemingly unhappy that Bodhi supports the plan.
“Steel told me to find out what interaction the bears were having with the pack. This might be a little outside my remit, but drastic times call for drastic measures.”
The big wooden table creaks as Marcus puts his weight on his elbows and points a finger in my direction.
“This is beyond ‘drastic’, you do understand that, don’t you? And this isn’t even your pack, yet.” Both Leah and Marie frown, but he holds up a hand. “I know you ladies want to adopt her right away but Ethan hasn’t marked her and, even if he had, he’s gone. He doesn’t even live here right now. This is a big risk for a bunch of people you don’t know, Belle.”
Marcus’s brown eyes are kind as he waits for me to respond to the opening he has given me. I could walk away from this plan, and refuse to go through with what I truly believe is the best chance of obtaining information on the next attack. Leave. They wouldn’t judge me. These are good people.
“Even if I wasn’t mated to Ethan, it wouldn’t matter. This is part of my job. Steel is Head Alpha. We’re all part of his pack, and I’ve sworn an oath to protect it.”
Nodding, Marcus’s expression is a mixture of understanding, begrudging respect, and concern. His job is also to protect, including me. More than anyone, he understands what I’m walking into. He only just got out.
“The clan is lawless in one sense, but ruled with an iron fist in another. Leon will turn a blind eye to anything if it doesn’t impact his business dealings or his women. Hear me when I say anything. The guys can do what they want - and they do. You’ll need to watch your back.” Marcus sighs and looks at Marie. “They’re going to be suspicious. We need a good cover story, or they’ll know something is up straight away.”
Marie can’t hide the flicker of fear I see dancing across her features. She’s worried this will end badly; whereas, I’m quietly confident that once I can come up with a good story, I’ll be able to pull it off.
“I’m due to pay Billy a visit. He owes me and, if I’m honest, the crazy bastard will enjoy this.” Bodhi speaks for the second time.
Marcus grimaces but nods.
“Cooper and Rex will go nuts, we have to tell them only when it’s in play. Ethan, too. I’m not keeping this from him. If it was Leila doing something this risky, I’d kill anyone who kept it from me. Literally.”
I have no doubt about that. Though not quite as huge as Bodhi, Marcus has a hard edge to him. This isn’t a man many would mess with, except Marie, apparently.
“Absolutely. Once Belle is on the road.” Marie meets Marcus’s hard stare, seemingly not even remotely affected by the chilly look he’s giving her. “I need to get back to the packhouse and see Ethan. He can tell me what happened with Nathan and what Kim has said. Stay put until I can fill you in.”
Marie walks out the door, comfortable in the knowledge that we’ll all follow her directions. Bodhi groans and covers his face in his hands. Marcus and Leah turn to stare at me. My heart rate has gone sky high just at hearing Ethan’s name and Marcus smiles at me knowingly, but his face falls.
“That happens when you’re out there, and you’re going to be in trouble. Both of you. You need to be able to control your reaction to him or you’ll both be killed.”
It’s the harsh truth. Closing my eyes, I slow my breathing and concentrate on getting my vitals under control. Slowly, my pulse returns to a less obvious level.
“I will be fine.” I’ll get a handle on it. The ache in my heart and the intense longing are just very new to me. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
“Do you know I pretended for a long time that I wasn’t into Leila? I didn’t want to drag her into my family shit. Ethan called me out for being a coward and told Leila to tell me I was hers. I wouldn’t get dragged back into dealing with Leon Lennox for anyone else.”
My heart swells at hearing another story of Ethan’s kindness. He has touched the hearts of everyone I meet. It tells me that I’m right to do this. For us. For his pack. My future home, hopefully.
Bodhi takes his phone from his pocket and stands. “I’ll get the ball rolling and have Billy start some rumours. You’ll be notorious even before you’ve set foot on their land.”
