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“Yeah?” Merrick asked slowly, his eyebrows bunching in confusion.
“He’s my mate, too.”
“Oh,” Merrick said, eyes flickering to Rook then back to me. “Is he nice?”
“Yes,” I said as Rook snorted and said a definitive, “no.”
My beta pulled me closer again and shook his head. “I’m going to just assume this is sibling rivalry.”
Rook ignored him and put in another bag of popcorn. “We’re setting up in the living room tonight. After the gunshots my alpha will feel better having us all together.”
“Aw, did you worry about me?” Merrick teased.
Rook gave him a look that held no hints of humor. “Of course, I did. Someone is after my pack and I need you all safe.”
Merrick swallowed hard. Before the moment could get any heavier I took Merrick’s hand and pulled him into the living room.
“Help me make a fort.”
He didn’t even question me as I led him to the living room. Rook had a stack of blankets waiting and they were all saturated in my alpha’s scent. I took a second to breathe it in before passing a few to Merrick.
Even at around six foot tall, he couldn’t quite reach to attach it to the chandelier. I let the magic come to my fingers, a single controlled amount, before lifting it over the hooked metal at the edges, giving us a canopy effect.
“Wait…” he said, turning slowly. “You can do magic?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Witch, remember?”
A wave of sadness hit me. For once, I couldn’t just push it away. Maybe it was having my pack so close or the insanity of our night, but the emotions hit harder.
“You never use magic,” he pointed out gently.
“My affinity is alchemy. My curse struck during our final in alchemical chemistry… it took out an entire building even though I did everything right,” I explained, not meeting his gaze. “Everyone assumed it was me but something was off with my ingredients. I tried to say something but no one would listen and when I woke up, I was sent here. My family cut me off. No friends reached out.”
Merrick pulled me into his arms under our canopy and held me there, his fingers stroking up and down my back. He didn’t interrupt, just waited as I got it off my chest.
“My general magic isn’t phenomenal, but I could do basic spells and magic. But I’ve been too afraid to use it. I’ve essentially been living as a human and avoiding setting off my magical outbursts at all costs.”
“Our curses putting us at war with our powers has to be the worst part,” he agreed. “But you’re safe to practice with us. Maybe hiding it with such ferocity makes it harder to control.”
“I’ve been able to hold my form longer,” Dorian offered. I looked up to see both Rook and Dorian waiting.
“Dorian, this is Merrick. Merrick, Dorian,” I introduced them.
They gave each other a quick hello and an awkward, little wave.
“I’ve been able to do the same,” Merrick said. “I haven’t shifted form in two days. I’ve never gone longer than a few hours during the day.”
“Maybe there’s something to do with packs and curses,” Rook said, pulling a tiny memo pad from his pocket and jotting a note. “I need to look through the books I got last week but all that can wait. Did you find anything, brother?”
“No,” Dorian admitted on a growl, his fangs flashing in his frustration. “There wasn’t a scent outside of the cops and us.”
“Whoever it was covered their tracks,” I said. “That doesn’t bode well.”
My brain started whirling with tracking spells or scent spells that I could try to get some hints or anything, but then a thunderous cluck rattled not only the windows, but my mind.
"What the fuck was that?" Dorian asked, glancing around to see if it was in the house.
"Chicken?" I said meekly, letting Merrick shift me behind him.
