13. Chapter 13
The city was shrouded in darkness. The only people who were out were the ones who had nowhere to go.
Isla and I sat in silence as the car wove through the streets.
There was nothing to say. I stared at the buildings we passed and tried to convince myself that everything would be fine, but I knew it wouldn’t.
Even if Nadia survived, she most likely wouldn’t be lycan.
Would I still feel the same way about her?
That thought hit me like a brick to the head and I forced it out. Of course I would.
Isla grabbed my hand.
“She’ll still be her, lycan or not.” I didn’t need her intruding in my thoughts and scowled harder. “She's a good woman, and she loves you.”
Silence descended again and my thoughts shifted to my brothers.
Gus was older by a few years. His face was still sharp in my memory, he looked like our mom, who had died when I was a kid.
I loved him, but in the months before the raid, he’d become distant.
Ray was younger, the baby, had a different mother.
I had always tried to protect him — until I couldn’t.
We arrived at Isla's building. I’d never been there, but I’d imagined what her place would look like and it didn’t disappoint.
The sleek modern apartment smelled like it was rarely inhabited.
The floor was marble and the windows ran the length of the wall, with a magnificent view of the Washington Monument beyond.
I would’ve been impressed if it was any other time, but there was too much in the background, too many things competing for my attention.
“Tell me about them, your brothers,” Isla said as she took two glasses from her cabinet and a bottle of wine from the fridge. I joined her at the kitchen island, leaning over, rubbing my eyes as she slid a glass across the counter.
“We were close, the three of us, but everything changed when Dad got sick. Decisions had to be made, to secure the succession, but Gus, he didn’t have…
” — I couldn’t bring myself to say it, the knot — “He couldn’t breed,” I mumbled.
That was the thing that ultimately split us apart, destroyed the pack.
“My father had chosen me, was grooming me to lead and my older brother hated it.”
The memories were coming hard and fast, things I’d forgotten and things I wanted to forget.
“You never told me what exactly happened. I’ve seen flashes, but the story is incomplete.”
I hadn’t — I tried not to think about it. The memories had been bottled up inside of me for years and each time they threatened to erupt, I pushed them back down where they belonged, but now it was relevant, and I had to remember.
“We lived in a compound, sort of, it was a group of houses, trailers, whatever, surrounded by a shitty fence deep in the swamp. We never bothered anyone…” I could hear my father saying those exact words when those men came, swarmed in, threatened us.
“He was a good man, but they killed him. They didn’t care, his life meant nothing to them. ”
“What exactly did they want?” Isla asked softly, drifting towards me, resting her hand on my arm.
“The women, they wanted them,” I paused, brief glimpses of the chaos flooding my mind.
“There was a shortage, for some reason there were never enough and a rival alpha wanted the females that my father had taken in.
He treated them well and we always had a few strays hanging around.
Dad hid me beneath some floorboards…Ray couldn't shift. It wasn't that unusual for pups his age, but he’d always been different…”
Then it hit me, a dawning realization of what they were really after.
“The men, I think they were looking for me…”
“Do you know why?” Isla leaned against the counter.
She was visibly tired. I had never seen her like that before.
She was always so perfect, so pulled together.
I knew something else was going on, but I had to focus.
Albert was right, the case was more than just my family, but my family was key. I knew that much, but how?
“No, he…” Then I remembered the days before the raid, Gus had disappeared.
He was furious about my father forcing him to pledge himself to me.
I would be alpha and Gus thought he should lead.
He couldn’t, it wasn’t possible and he knew that, but refused to accept it, wasn’t willing to fall in line.
“Dad was sick, he never said what it was, but he had to consolidate power before it was too late. I didn’t want it, none of it.
I wanted Gus to be the leader, he was older, better suited for it, but Dad wouldn’t listen and told me that it wasn’t his decision, that fate decided these things and it was our job to fulfill our duties. ”
I could hear him saying those exact words.
I was sure it sounded like nonsense to an outsider, and as much as Isla knew about Peers, she was still an outsider.
Lycan pack hierarchy was a closely guarded secret and even though there were minor variations within, they were always led by alphas.
Some packs would work together, but, more often than not, they were at war over territory and females.
It was a dysfunctional lifestyle, and while I missed my family — my aunts and uncles and friends and the life I could've had — I didn’t want to be a part of it, I never did.
“He was gone, disappeared, then returned right before the raid. He said he’d been visiting a friend, and I…
I believed him. My father was sick and threats from Three Lakes Pack had been intensifying since they found out.
He hid me until I had a chance to escape.
” The memories came in a jumble and the nightmares I’d been having for years were crystal clear as I spoke.
“I wish I had told you about Gus sooner; that was part of the reason why I was so distant when I first saw you. You needed to know, but Albert was convinced it would be a distraction.”
“Where is he now?” I had to find my brother. Then I remembered the voice, the accent.
I had seen him. He was shrouded in shadow, his face unrecognizable to me, but it couldn’t have been anyone else.
“We’re still looking,” she murmured. I couldn’t believe that I’d been that close to him, that I hadn’t recognized my own brother, that I didn't know his scent. I took a drink of wine, then another, then put down the glass. I was exhausted and could feel the wolf threatening to break free.
“I need to sleep,” I mumbled, kicking off my boots and staring at Isla. “You too. We’ll get a few hours and deal with this later.”
“Agreed.”
“Stay with me,” I whispered, pulling her close. “We don’t have to do anything, but I don’t want to be alone.”
I leaned down to kiss her. It wasn’t sexual, just a reconnection, a way to reaffirm that I cared for her and that no matter what happened, I’d always love her.
Then I realized that she might not want to share me.
My thoughts drifted to Nadia. How would she feel about this?
As an alpha, I was entitled, but this wasn't about entitlement.
“Sorry…” I started and her lips found mine. It didn't matter. We were together now and it would be like it always was, except it wasn't. Something had changed while she was gone.
“I want to try to make this work, Max. I…I made a decision in Chicago and I’ll be staying here for good.”
“Really?” I was surprised. She had always been adamant that she wanted to return to Narraan, to see her family again, to live amongst her people.
“A portal opened. They’re searching for someone and I was offered the chance to return, but I couldn’t leave,” she murmured, standing on her toes, brushing her lips against mine. “I’d miss Chanel too much…”
I burst into laughter, the dumb joke obliterated the seriousness of the conversation. Even though she brushed it off, I worried that in days, or even years, she would regret the decision and place the blame on me.
“Are you sure? I mean, you might not get another chance.” She grabbed my hand, pulling it to her lips and I cupped her cheek. “What happened?”
“All you need to know is that I want to be here, with you…” I didn’t let her finish and lifted her onto the counter, kissing her more intensely with every passing second, pushing her thighs apart and leaning closer.
She tugged at her turtleneck, pulling it over her head as the kiss became frantic, needy, necessary.
I reached behind her, undoing the lace bra, letting it fall away, then leaning down and taking her stiff nipple between my lips.
She pulled me closer, wrapping her legs around me as I sucked, my cock growing harder with every passing second.
I needed her and she had chosen me, that was all I'd ever wanted.
I picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder as she squealed and I carried her into the bedroom and deposited her on the bed.
“Get undressed,” I growled, watching as she stripped, then I grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the edge of the mattress and spreading her thighs as far apart as they would go.
I buried my face between them, kissing the wet, pink skin, her lips, her clit, then inhaling. God, that scent. Sometimes I dreamed about it and now it was all mine, she was all mine. She was staying, she knew about Nadia and the truth about my past and still wanted to be with me.
I slid my tongue through her soaked flesh, revelling in every moan, every gasp, every buck of her hips. I stood and stripped frantically, tossing my clothes onto the ground as she fingered herself, her gaze drifting down my body.
“I think about you way too much,” she whispered as I climbed on top of her.
“Good,” I said and she laughed as I kissed her again and slid into her.
Each inch was bliss as her body opened to me and I moved faster and harder, taking her as she begged for more.
This wasn't me fucking her, it was me claiming her.
I felt the knot extending and I pulled out, breathless as her eyes widened, staring at it.
The bony protrusion retreated slightly, but this had never happened before, except with Nadia. She immediately noticed and her eyes widened in anticipation.
“Wow, so that's it?” Isla rolled onto her hands and knees, crawling towards me like a wildcat as she licked her lips.
She slid her finger over it and I gasped, resting on my heels.
Then she leaned over, sliding her tongue around the head of my cock, lapping up her juices with her pink tongue before moving closer, then wrapping her lips around the knot and sucking.
“Christ,” I hissed, inhaling sharply, not wanting her to stop. She stared at me with her green eyes and did it again, tormenting me and I couldn't get enough. Then she pulled away.
“I want it inside me,” she whispered as she stood, dragging me to the chair in the corner and pushing me down.
“You're sure you want this?” I murmured as she straddled me, sliding down, then retreating, then taking more, her breasts pressed against me as her eyes locked with mine.
“Yes,” Isla whispered. “I've always wanted it.” When she reached the knot, she paused, leaning forward to kiss me, then lowering herself completely, taking it all.
“Oh saints,” she groaned as her movements grew faster and more intense. She arched her back as her hips shifted and I wrapped my hands around her waist, guiding her.
“Mark me,” she whispered and it took me a few beats to realize what she was asking.
“No,” I said as my brain function slowly returned to normal. “You don't want that.”
“I do. I want everyone to know I'm yours, Max.
I'm tired of running, I'm ready to be with you.” I kissed her again, then slid my mouth over her cheek and towards her neck.
Her heart was pounding. She was nervous, so was I.
I kissed the skin, then opened my mouth and bit.
She flinched, then relaxed, inhaling sharply as my hot breath drifted over the bite.
Her moans grew louder and as she clenched around me, I came, filling her with my cum as the wolf inside of me lurked, relishing my new mate.
I could feel her presence like I did with Nadia.
It was more subtle, but definitely there and she smiled giddily as she stared at me.
We weren't locked together, but warmth spread through me.
Satisfaction and happiness emanated from her and I could feel it, along with something else, but I couldn't identify it.
“I can feel you,” she whispered as her eyes fluttered shut and I stroked her cheek, staring at her, wondering how this was possible.