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“Not really.” His lips pull down. “I can’t tell by the tone of his voice since he used a device to distort it, and the way he spoke might’ve been similar, but I couldn’t tell since he spoke with you all with a familiarity he wouldn’t have had with me.”
My shoulders slump slightly, and I exhale a deep sigh, attempting to dispel the sense of dread that coils around my heart. I just want to know one way or the other if Monte has anything to do with my father’s murder. Because having to keep up this facade, having to keep him close to me is slowly eating away at my insides.
“I’m sorry, Sky,” Zeke murmurs, “I wish I could’ve been more helpful.”
“It’s not your fault. It was a long shot anyway.” I push back a bit of hair that had fallen loose from my braid in frustration. “I just want to know one way or another because it’s getting harder and harder to even look him in the face, let alone keep my wolf at bay.”
“We’ll get through this, I promise.” His strong arms band around me, and he pulls me into his chest, cocooning me in his warm, comforting embrace. A few weeks ago, I would’ve thought this was weak, that accepting this warmth and reassurance made me less of an alpha, but it doesn’t. Accepting love makes me stronger. It makes me able to weather the hard times with that much more surety because I know I have people in my life who are there to shoulder the burden with me.
“I have to get to training with Zayn.” He frowns as I pull back to stare up at him. “But if you need me—”
“No,” I cut him off, not letting him make any excuses. “He’s making an effort, and I would really like it if you’d do the same. I have a feeling that if you both open up about your past, you might just have more in common than you think.”
“I doubt it.” He sighs. “But I’ll do it for you, babe. I’d do anything for you.”
A slow grin creeps across his face as his fingers thread through my hair, tilting my face up to his. His lips capture mine in a deep, scintillating kiss, his tongue wasting no time as it delves in to tangle with mine. Sparks of desire run down my spine, seeming to pool straight in my core. Dammit.
“Don’t try to distract me,” I murmur against his lips, unable to bring myself to actually push away from him just yet.
His other hand slips beneath the hem of my white silk shirt, and he runs his warm palm up the bare skin of my back. Goosebumps form in his wake, my body begging me to take this further, to feel his skin pressed against mine, our clothes strewn on the floor.
With that, I reluctantly pull away from him, knowing exactly what will happen if I don’t stop this now.
I wish I could focus on him and the rest of my mates, that I could stay in this moment, soaking in his warmth and light, but there will be time for that. We’ll have our whole lives together.
For now, it’s time to take the offensive, to get the upper hand for once in this battle with the Langleys, and hopefully, tonight, we’ll be able to do just that.
Chapter Twelve
Skylar
Themutedorbsofthe exterior lights glow into the dark interior, their beams not nearly as bright through the tinted windows, as Silas pulls the armored van into the Whitlock compound. The hours slipped away as Silas, Seline, and I planned, knowing we couldn’t make our move until nightfall anyway. The sun has barely slipped beneath the horizon, the sky quickly turning from the warm oranges and pinks of dusk to the dark blue of twilight as stars begin to twinkle in the distance.
We could’ve returned to the compound hours earlier, but honestly, this transition still feels strange to me. I’ve just started accepting the manor as my home again, and now I can’t even be there. Despite the three alphas of the Whitlock pack being my mates, I still don’t feel like I completely belong here either, but Opal Moon has always felt like home. Even in my darkest days, I still felt my mother’s presence there. It kept me from sinking into the abyss in New York, helping to keep my head above water when it felt like there was nothing left.
Silas pulls the van to a stop, and a flash of red hair at the main doorway pulls me from my thoughts. Warmth spreads through me at the grin that pulls across Arsenio’s face when he turns towards the van, and I jolt in surprise at the sudden shift in my mood at just the sight of my mate. Fuck, I barely know him, but the warmth, danger, and adrenaline he exudes seem to instantly draw me in.
I slide open the back door as Arsenio casually strolls over, his hands lazily resting in his pockets like he’s just out for an evening walk.
“Get in,” I say, a smile playing on my lips as I take him in, his dark brown leather jacket, cream shirt, and dark jeans making him look effortlessly sexy despite the serious nature of our outing tonight.
“Actually.” He leans against the door frame, his face inches from mine. I suck in a sharp breath as I look up at him, the bright overhead lights framing his delectable form and casting his red hair and beard like the flames that seem to dance in his eyes. “I think we should take our own car, just in case anything happens.”
It takes a moment for his words to sink in, and my lips slowly tug into a frown as they do. We’d planned to drive over to the rendezvous spot together, and then Arsenio and I would shift into our wolf forms to get closer to the hidden storage bunker.
“If we go over together, Seline and Silas are able to get us and get out in case we’re spotted,” I say, narrowing my eyes. He doesn’t falter under my scrutiny, though. If anything, it only spurs him on.
“Yes, but if they’re spotted and need to get out of there, then at least we still have a way to get out,” he counters, his brow lifting in challenge.
My lips quirk to the side as I consider his point, not wanting to say no on principle. There are pros and cons to both plans. Plus, I can tell by the gleam of excitement dancing in his eyes, he has something else planned that has nothing to do with the mission tonight.
And I have to admit, it would be nice to get some alone time with my fiery mate. He’s still truly a mystery to me, and I can’t help the urge to get to know what lurks beneath those flames.
Between all the attacks we’ve faced and all the fights still to come, we might not get much of a chance if we don’t take every opportunity we can.
“I’ll ride with you,” I say simply, and cock a brow in my own challenge as I slide closer. A wry grin tugs at his lips as he scans my face, clearly loving that I’m stepping up to his game. My breath catches as I wait for him to make the next move, unsure if his lips are about to capture mine or if he’s going to let me pass. At this point, I’m not sure which one I want, so entranced by the delight dancing in his eyes.
“After you, then,” he murmurs. My skin pebbles into goosebumps as his breath skates over my skin, the warm caress teasing me as he takes a step back, gesturing with his arm over to the lot of parked cars on the far side of the building.
