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“There you are,” Saint’s voice rumbled in his ear, and Marshall grinned as he turned towards him.
“Me? You’re the one that wandered off.”
Saint ignored the comment and tapped his own beer bottle against Marshall’s.
“Happy New Year, bro. Here’s to another successful one. Wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.”
“Same,” Marshall agreed as the DJ began the countdown to midnight. As the clock hit twelve, Marshall threw his arms around Saint, feeling a sense of comfort and familiarity in the tiger shifter’s arms. There’d never been anything sexual or romantic between them. They’d always felt more like brothers than their actual siblings did.
As they broke apart, Marshall was jostled from behind as a group of inebriated people crashed into each other in excitement, welcoming the new year. He was vaguely aware of a strong hand grasping his upper arm, sending a tingle along his skin. The touch was gone before Marshall could turn to thank the person who had stopped him from falling, and he couldn’t see who had helped him in the mass of bodies.
“You okay?” Saint asked.
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here,” Marshall said, suddenly having had enough of the evening.
It took them a few minutes to battle through the crowd and once they were outside, Marshall took a gulp of crisp, cold air.
Saint fell into step beside him, and they headed towards the corner where it would be easier to get an Uber pick up.
“Happy New Year, handsome!” A voice yelled out, and Marshall looked back to see the young lynx from earlier being bundled into a minivan by a frowning Rafe. He grinned and waved. Davy waved back through the window before the van took off in the opposite direction.
“Friend of yours?” Saint asked in amusement. “Doesn’t seem like your usual type.”
“Nah, just a kid who I bumped into earlier.”
“Who was the hottie with him?”
“His minder, from what I could make out.”
Saint hummed, and Marshall rolled his eyes. “Well, if you hadn’t wandered off, you may have met him.”
Saint grinned unashamedly, and Marshall laughed. His friend would never change, and Marshall wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 1
Twoyearslater
Aaron West gritted his teeth as a wave of pain rolled through him. As he breathed through the now-familiar sensation of heat twisting through his muscles, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He did the deep breathing exercises the pack doctor, Sam, had given him. They didn’t take away the pain, but they gave him something to focus on.
A knock at the door had him cursing quietly before calling out the instruction to enter. The familiar blond head of his brother appeared.
“Hey, Josh,” he greeted the other man wearily, glad he didn’t have to put on a façade. Not that it would work anyway; his brother would see straight through it in a nanosecond.
“You’re in pain again, aren’t you?”
“Nothing I’m not used to.”
“Are you sure there is nothing Sam can do?” Josh asked, concern etching his features. “Why the hell hasn’t Sam worked out what is wrong?” he asked, frustration clear in his voice as he threw himself into the chair opposite. “It’s been two years, and you’re in more pain each day. Surely there’s another shifter out there who is experiencing the same symptoms?”
“You’d think so,” Aaron replied. “Dad has reached out to as many contacts as he knows amongst the supernaturals but with no luck.”
“So, what happens now? You know some of the pack will push for you to step down.”
“I know,” Aaron replied. He took a second to debate whether to voice the thoughts that had been running through his mind for the last few weeks. Whatever he was thinking must have shown on his face.
“No!” Josh burst out. He leaned across the desk and pointed a finger in his face. Aaron’s wolf stirred at the threat, but like Aaron, he didn’t have the energy to do more than glare back. “You will not step down. This pack is ours, and we won’t be dictated to by the pack.”
“And you’ll make a good Alpha, Josh.”
