Page 48

But Avery smelled like a barn before he took a shower, and afterward, he only smelled like any other person. Like summertime sweat, like the lake, like antiseptic, like the pheromones Sascha rubs on him enthusiastically and often.Likehimself, a scent Sascha’s obsessed with but can’t name because he’s not a fucking perfume expert.

“No one said they can’t be persuasive,” Samuel argues.

“Avery is probably the least persuasive person ever.” Which isn’t true, but Sascha can’t get into how Avery is awkward but genuine in a way that makes Sascha want to give him everything he’s ever needed. “He didn’t trick me, Dad. I don’t know why you’re so scared.”

“It’s precedent. We keep ourselves away from them. You don’t know how he might affect your illness or if he’ll lash out unexpectedly. That’s the point.”

“Screw that.” Sascha has never spoken to his father this way before, but he’stired, and he wants to see if Avery is okay with his own eyes. “The spinning sickness has existed longer than the werevirus, and they have nothing to do with each other. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

“Watch your tone, Alexander. You don’t have any proof of these claims.”

“No one does. I’m already sick. Now you want me to be miserable, too? More miserable than you’ve spent my whole life ensuring I am?”

“Why would you be miserable?”

Sascha’s face screws up, and he steps into his father’s space, a scant inch shorter than him. “You don’t get to pretend you don’t know. My existence is embarrassing to you. You’ll never let me take over the pack, soyour legacyis worthless to me. Why would I care anymore than the werecreatures do?”

In his right mind, Sascha would have thought better of challenging the pack alpha with his own magic. It’s not done. The drama Avery faces from unhinged werecreature alphas doesn’t exist in most shifter packs, based on family hierarchy rather than desperate posturing. Most alphas within family packs know that raising their magic to threaten the leaderwould result in their swift extermination by the pack enforcers.

But Sascha is his father’s only child, his heir even if not his successor, and Samuel loves his son enough to not backhand him where he stands. Sascha suspects it’s a near thing, though.

Samuel’s alpha magic surges to meet Sascha’s. “You’d spit on your mother’s grave like this?”

“Wouldyou? Mom wanted me to inherit the pack.” When Samuel doesn’t take the bait, Sascha steamrolls on. “I can love her memory without excusing the bigotry. Don’t you hear yourselves? Calling human beingsthings?”

“Werecreatures stop being human when the werevirus?—”

“Garrett,” Samuel interrupts harshly. “I’ll thank you to stop interjecting when I’m trying to handle my son.”

“I don’t need to be handled.”

Samuel’s expression darkens. “Alright, Alexander. I understand.”

An alarm blares within Sascha’s skull. He opens his mouth to do damage control, but Samuel continues.

“Celeste, what is the current status of the werecreature?”

“Unknown,” she replies. “He escaped my pack, and we lost his trail.”

Sascha doesn’t believe that. How would one tender-footed werecreature evade a whole pack of wolves? She’s up to something.

Samuel isn’t fooled, either. “Are you still aspiring to add him to your pack?”

“It wouldn’t be any of your concern if I was.” Her response is a bit too quick, a bit too sharp.

“I disagree. He’s affected my son, so it’s become my business.”

“We’ll discuss it when he’s found,” Celeste allows smoothly.

Sascha eases out of his father’s space, clenching his jaw inan attempt to smother another wave of dread. “Why do you have to find him?”

“He can’t be allowed to remain in Bliss.” Samuel’s tone brooks no argument, but both SaschaandCeleste swell with aborted responses anyway. “I don’t trust youormy son to keep away from him, nor do I trust the werecreature to stay away from us. Who’s to say he won’t seek revenge against our pack?”

Sascha’s jaw hangs. “Revenge? Do you think this is a goddamn superhero movie?”

“Alexander, I’ll forgive your prior language, as I realize I haven’t told you ‘no’ enough up until now. That will change today. You’ll speak to your father with respect, and you will obey my instructions to cut contact with the werecreature.”

‘You can eat my ass,’ Avery would probably respond. Sascha isn’t quite that brave.