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“Get back from where?” I asked.

The waitress dropped off three mugs of coffee and raised her eyebrows at me. I shook my head slightly, and she nodded. If she left us alone, I’d leave her a fat cash tip when we were done here.

“Sean’s been making some bad business decisions,” Levi said. “He’s making really bad deals. And he’s gotten wrapped up with some terrible people. That’s what he’s doing now—he’s across the border trying to get in with some new dealers. The type that even Michel warned us off.”

I took a sip of my coffee. Could use a pour of whiskey in there. Maybe I could get Lola’s to keep a bottle of the Night Shift stuff for us. “I don’t see how that concerns me.”

“He’s not listening to me,” Levi continued. “Or anyone. He’s going to get himself killed.”

Neither Hawk nor I reacted, but I heard the cadence of Hawk’s heart pick up.

“You know that’s the outcome Michel wants, right?” I asked. “You and Sean have caused nothing but problems for Lakeview. Especially you. Why should I help you with this after you stole our last shipment?”

Levi’s eyes flashed briefly red with rage. My dragon snapped to alertness at the sensation of Levi’s wolf awakening in him. “I was following orders,” Levi snarled. “He blamedmefor that, he said I was going rogue—why the fuck would I do that? How would going against youandSean benefit me?”

“I had the same question,” Hawk said.

“That interference was on Sean’sorders,” Levi said. “It was his plan all along.”

I sat back in the booth and frowned at Levi. His wolf was still near the surface, awake and angry, but my dragon could sense the truth in his words. He wasn’t lying. He’d obeyed his master like a good dog.

Hawk glanced at me, and I nodded slightly in confirmation.

“Then why would he tell me otherwise?” I asked. “What was his goal?”

“That’s the thing,” Levi said. “I have no fucking idea. He’s been erratic, angry, restless. He lashed out at me for that interference, and when I told him it washisorders, he acted like I was trying to usurp him! He’s forgetting things. Losing time.” Levi grimaced. “His dragon is pissed off. All the time. It’s impossible to handle him.”

Levi wasn’t lying. He was embarrassed and furious, but he was speaking the truth. “Shit.” I raked a hand through my hair. “How bad is it? Really?”

Levi fell silent. His eyes, back to their normal muddy brown now, cut restlessly to the side.

“What is it?” Hawk pressed. “What’s happening?”

“His clan’s gone,” Levi said. “They’ve defected. Left town.”

My dragon huffed with frustration and something that felt dangerously close to sadness. For all the trouble Sean had caused, he was still my brother. My twin. And the thought of him entirely alone, without a clan, made smoke burn in my lungs.

“His behavior got to be too much for them,” Levi continued. “He’s been so fixated on taking control of Lakeview, but every time he tried anything, he kept getting shut down. The few dragons he had got tired of being outcasts.”

“So he’s even angrier now,” I said.

Levi nodded. “He thinks if he throws his hat in with some of the guys up north, he’ll have a better chance of taking control of your clan.”

Hawk and I shared another look. Those guys up north were not to be messed with. The Canadian clan had already tried to take Lakeview’s territory once, when I was a young dragon and Sean was beginning to show signs of his first shift. Dad had managed to beat them back, but it hadn’t been easy. When I became alpha, I knew I had to be ready for another territory dispute.

“They won’t help him,” Hawk muttered to me. “If anything, they’re using him.”

Levi nodded in agreement. Of course, his sharp wolf ears caught every word. “I don’t think Sean’s meant to lead. I thought we’d stick together, being two loners, but…”

“Dragons can’t adjust like wolves can,” I said.

“Apparently not,” Levi said.

“What do you want us to do about it?” Hawk asked. “Why call us?”

I answered before Levi could. “Because Sean needs a clan. He’s losing his grip on reality without one.”

Levi nodded. “I can’t get through to him. And I’m sick of trying.”