Chapter 10
Caster’s gaze followed Mark across the room as he chatted with his brothers.
His smile lit his beautiful face. And he was beautiful.
Deep brown eyes that almost matched his sun-kissed brown hair.
Like most wolves, his hair was thicker and bounced as he lowered his head to look at the glass of wine in his hand.
Caster has always been attracted to the male form, but he’d never once thought one was as beautiful as the Prime Alpha’s brother. That he’d responded to his dominance in unrestrained fashion earlier was another surprising aspect of the man he couldn’t stop looking at.
Damien and Riley chatted about the latest attempts to find the witch beside him, but his attention was drawn to the wolf across the room.
How had they never met? The object of his thoughts turned toward him, the smile on his lips fading as they locked eyes.
A second passed, and then two before Caster heard him gasp, his gaze shifting to the floor.
There, it was confirmed. He was submissive.
Caster shook his head and turned his back on the wolf to face Riley.
He listened with one ear as his friend described his latest attempts at finding the witch and narrowed his senses to zero in on Mark’s heartbeat.
Steady, strong, and a little unsure. He seemed afraid of something. A little guarded.
“Are you even listening?” Damien’s exasperated tone drew him out of his reverie.
He nodded. “You still can’t find the witch…”
“It’s not from a lack of trying.” Riley’s tone held a rare defensiveness. As the most powerful witch in the world, it was rare for him to admit he couldn’t do anything. Everything came easy to him, but this witch was getting to everyone.
“I hope the wolves can help.” He sensed Mark’s eyes on him, but Caster didn’t turn. The last thing he needed was the distraction an inexplicable attraction to him would bring.
“I have an idea about that.” Riley sipped his drink. “I can use magic to increase the range of their tracking skills.”
Damien chuckled. “Good luck convincing them. They don’t like witches.”
Caster had thought it wise to welcome their new guest with a formal dinner in their honor.
It was only proper, as his mother would say, to be an ideal host. He’d instructed his household to make the werewolves feel comfortable, but judging by the way the three wolves huddled together and avoided mingling, perhaps their efforts had been less than fruitful.
“I imagine we’ll all have to do things we don’t like before this is over.
” He glanced at the wolves again, disappointed to find Mark had turned away from him.
He was almost as tall as his brother, the Prime Alpha, but with none of the bulk that made Dean such a formidable weapon.
The white shirt Mark wore molded to his defined muscles, accentuating the strength every werewolf constrained in their human form.
Unsure why he took so much notice, Caster turned his attention back to his cousin and Riley.
Damien frowned at him and glanced at Mark. “I imagine we will.”
His cousin was the only person who could sense his unease, and Caster thanked him for not asking.
He was unsure if he had any answers. A lengthy existence meant he’d experienced instant attraction before, but not under these circumstances.
Mark was werewolf royalty, Dean’s brother.
Only hell would result from any attempt to act on his attraction.
Perhaps it was one-sided, or he’d gone too long without a man in his bed, that he saw attraction where there was none.
The announcement that dinner was served saved him from further analyzing the situation. Their unified goal was singular: find the witch and end her killing spree. He couldn’t lose sight of it, not for anything.
The event’s formality meant everyone had an assigned seat, his at the head of the table.
Most of the council, except for Damien and Mason, opted to skip the dinner.
Soon, easy conversation flowed, and Caster entertained the hope that maybe they could work together after all.
It was not lost on him that Dean had only brought two wolves.
He and Dean had forged a friendship borne of respect over the years, but as the Prime Alpha once told him, expecting wolves and vampires to break bread together was a step too far.
The atrocities of the war had seen to that.
He glanced at Mark, who sat between his brothers, his body stiff, almost primed for attack. He stabbed at the steak on his plate, sipping his wine. His demeanor punctuated the tension filling the room, even as his younger brother Mikey and Ben chatted away about Cole’s latest party.
“So…” The Prime Alpha said loud enough for the room to turn its attention to him. “Where are we on finding the witch?”
“I thought we’d start tomorrow, once you have settled in.” Caster was aware of Mark’s sharp intake of breath. He didn’t want to be here.
Dean shrugged. “I don’t think some of us want to settle in too much. The faster we get this done, the easier it will be.”
Caster stole a glance at Mark to find him staring daggers at his brother.
“I have tried all the locator spells I know, but I can’t even come close,” Riley said.
“Perhaps you are not as powerful as you think,” Mark said, the contempt clear in his quiet, calm tone.
It was Dean’s turn to glare at his brother.
Riley didn’t seem fazed. “I assure you, I am more powerful than your imagination can muster.” His calm smile belied the dangerous intent beneath. “You’ll see it soon enough.”
The Prime Alpha’s blue eyes bore into Caster’s as he pointed at Riley. “Did he just threaten my brother?”
“This is getting out of hand,” Damien said, drawing the Prime Alpha’s ire. “We all have the same goal here. Do you think we can keep it together until it’s done?”
“The witch threatens us all.” Caster didn’t back away from the Prime Alpha’s challenge. “If I could do this on my own, I wouldn’t have called you, you know that.”
An almost imperceptible nod was all the answer he needed. Disaster averted, for the time being, the dinner dissolved into light conversation. The tension he sensed in Mark didn’t dissipate, and he didn’t once look at Caster, his full attention on a meal he seemed disinterested in.