The familiarity of the house warmed Mark to the core, and as his wolf bowed to the more dominant Prime Alpha and settled down, he felt more like himself, his human self at least.
Unconcerned with his nudity, Dean led them to the main kitchen. Ava, the young Omega who worked in the kitchen, gasped when she saw them, her stance shifting to submission. All wolves followed suit, responding to the Prime Alpha’s dominance in a predictable fashion. Mark had long ago learned to resist the urge, only because he and Dean were close, and as a member of his brother’s governing council, he needed to speakhis mind. Sometimes, the ever-present Prime Alpha’s influence made it difficult to disagree with him.
Mark elbowed his brother’s ribs. “Couldn’t you get dressed first?”
Dean shrugged. “I’m too hungry.”
He pulled the fridge door open and proceeded to rummage through its contents, oblivious to the effect he had on the other wolves. Sometimes, he did it on purpose to remind everyone of his authority. Not that it was necessary. It was enough that he could control every wolf in this house, every wolf on the planet, with a single thought.
Mark snorted his laughter when his brother pulled out a raw steak, slapped it onto a plate, and beckoned him to follow. His brother was stalling. They needed to discuss something important, and given the discomfort he could sense in Dean’s casual façade, Mark wasn’t going to like it.
Still, he followed his brother to his bedroom, kept silent as Dean took a large bite of the raw steak and wiped away its juices from his chin with a large hand. Dean placed the now half-steak on the bedside table and grabbed his jeans.
“OK. What is it?” Whatever it was, it was best to deal with it.
Dean shrugged. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
Mark leaned against the door jamb. He may have lost his wolf’s heightened senses, but he knew his brother, and this was how he acted when he was worried and didn’t want to advertise his fear. “Dean…”
His brother swallowed the latest bite of his steak, grabbed aT-shirt, but neglected to put it on. Instead, the sturdy mattress on his huge bed dipped as he all but crashed onto it.
Mark straightened, worry seeping into his bones. What could be so scary that it had the all-powerful Prime Alpha behaving so unlike his usual self-assured self?
Dean’s sigh reverberated through the room, and he nodded towards the door. “Close the door.”
Mark’s breath caught as he obeyed his Prime Alpha’s command. He’d long learned to respond to both sides of his older brother. Calm, carefree, almost mischievous Dean was gone, replaced by the powerful leader of his kind.
Mark opened his mouth to ask again, but the almost imperceptible shake of his brother’s head stopped him.
Dean stood, the shirt he’d intended to put on still in his hand. “The witch attacked again.”
Four simple words had Mark’s knees threatening to give out. He pushed his back into the door to keep from crumbling to the floor. The witch. The nemesis he couldn’t wait to get his hands on. She’d robbed him of everything, of his hope for happiness, and he’d vowed she would pay for her cruelty with her life.
His brother studied him with undisguised pity, and Mark shook his head to dislodge the self-pity mirroring Dean’s pained expression. “No. Don’t you look at me like that.”
“Mark. I know this is hard…”
“Really? You know?” He couldn’t keep the venom from his words, and he winced when his brother’s frown deepened. He looked away when Dean’s penetrating gaze threatened to see into his soul. There was too much pain there. He took a breath,the fresh oxygen doing little to dilute his rage. “What do we do?”
Dean accepted the unspoken apology with a nod. “First, we need to gather the council. I didn’t think you would appreciate finding out about this along with everyone else.”
“Where?” At his brother’s confusion, he rearranged his thoughts to make more sense. “Where was she? Who did she attack?”
Dean ran a hand through his jet-black hair, a sign Mark had long learned to interpret as frustration. Mark wanted nothing more than to shake his brother into finding his voice, but there was too much anger coursing through his veins. It was best to remain braced against the door.
Dean stared at the shirt in his hands. “This is the part you’re not going to like.”
“There’s more?” He was aware of his voice rising with each syllable.
His brother schooled his features, giving him his best Prime Alpha stare. Mark’s wolf retreated to the recesses of his mind. “Hey, watch it. I need you to stay cool, or I’m going to have a riot on my hands, and I really don’t feel like a fight. Not today, Mark.”
He nodded his reply even as he braced himself for an earth-shattering pronouncement. Worry this intense was rare for his all-powerful brother.
“The vampires. She attacked the vampires, and they need our help.”
Dean knew full well how Mark felt about vampires. It was their fault he was without his soul. He opened his mouth tospeak, but Dean held up his hand. “Whatever you’re about to say, run it through your head first.”
He’d done that millions of times over the years. “No!” It was simple. Treaty or not, there was no way he was going to do anything to help a vampire.
