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MARLOWE

Today

“H oly shit,” Elias whispered. “That’s him.”

My blood froze, and my chest constricted, as though my ribs had turned into a vice around my lungs and heart.

“What do you mean? That’s him, who? Guys… what about Ezra?”

Archer took my hands, squeezing them gently as he spoke. “The dark wolf, the shifter who helped us fight off the vampyrs… that’s him.”

No.

Archer kept talking, but it was muffled as a sudden ringing in my ear made it difficult to hear much of anything, and suddenly I was transported right back into my freshman dorm.

Ezra had been in constant contact with me during his trip at first. We didn’t go more than a day without at least a text.

But in the final few weeks, his communication had begun to drop off.

His phone calls had stopped, and he’d been leaving me on read.

He hadn’t been posting to social media, as well.

I’d tried to chalk it up to poor cell service or a lack of Wi-Fi, but deep down, I knew the real culprit was my brother himself. Something had changed in him.

I’d felt it the moment he left this world. I’d been up late finishing a paper when a sharp pain tore through my chest, as though my soul had been cleaved in two. I hadn’t wanted to admit to myself what it could’ve meant, but I couldn’t sleep or eat for days.

Then my mom called.

Even before I’d heard her try to get the news out between her own gut-wrenching sobs, I knew the truth.

Ezra was dead. Hit by a car while walking across the street in India.

It had taken years to deal with my grief, and neither my mom nor I had ever been the same afterwards.

So how could he have been alive this whole time? My brother. My twin. My best friend.

“You’re wrong,” I finally choked out, trying to shake away the lingering memories. “Ezra is dead.”

Elias looked at Camden, and then back to me, speaking slowly. “Did you ever see a body?”

“No, he was crem—” I stopped, refusing to connect the dots.

They might have already drawn their conclusions, but they didn’t know Ezra like I had.

“You don’t understand, if he was alive, then that meant he didn’t care about ever seeing me again.

That he didn’t care how much I was suffering without him. My brother wouldn’t do that to me.”

My pack stared at me in silence, and I could read every thought clearly written across their faces—my brother was alive, he had faked his own death, and now he was a threat to me.

But it couldn’t be true. It went against everything I’d ever known about Ezra. I’d only just started coming to terms with what my parents had really been. I didn’t think I could bear it if even Ezra wasn’t who I thought he was, either.

Cam’s cell phone rang, bringing me back from the precipice of whatever cliff I was about to fall off from. “Camden,” he answered gruffly.

His face contorted into further rage, and then he took a deep breath to compose himself before he finally responded. “Fine, they’ll be there soon with their lawyer.”

He hung up the phone and ran his hand roughly down his face, growling and grumbling loudly. The tension in the room was charged, and Elias eventually cleared his throat and spoke. “I’m assuming I need to accompany some of us somewhere?”

Cam didn’t reply at first, he simply pulled me into a rough embrace, inhaling me like I was his favorite drug. After a few deep pulls, he said to me, “That was the cops, they actually do want you and Julian to come in and answer some questions about your ex-fiancé. ”

My mind was cloudy, a heavy mix of all the trauma from yesterday, the marathon of sex, the lack of sleep, and now the news that the mysterious stalker wolf was my brother, who—surprise!

—never actually died eight years ago. “Is there anything I shouldn’t say?

” I asked quietly. “Anything they shouldn’t know about? ”

Elias answered for him. “When humans are involved, the police here operate the way you’re used to.

But when it’s just us shifters? We follow a slightly different rule of law.

They aren’t interested in prosecuting you two for a couple of vampyr deaths, they just need enough testimony so they can officially rule it as a case of self-defense for their records. To be honest, I’m more worried about…”

“Elias!” barked Cam. “We don’t need to talk about that right now.”

“No, I want to know.” I pushed myself away from Cam’s chest and faced the rest of my pack.

“We almost died yesterday, and it sounds like shit has only started to hit the fan. I appreciate you wanting to protect me from the worst of it, but we need to be open about everything. Leaving me in the dark is just going to make me mad and put me at more risk. So if you have news, an idea, a theory, a concern… anything at all, tell me. I’m not some delicate little flower. ”

The last sentence seemed especially funny considering I was surrounded by five men that were each around a foot taller than me and close to twice my weight.

But my mind wasn’t any less sharp than theirs, and emotionally I was probably more even-keeled.

I mean, when I was upset, I curled up in a blanket and ate a box of chocolates.

My alphas, on the other hand, were liable to kill someone.

Elias sighed. “I’m just thinking about possible vampyr backlash.

I don’t know how far they’re willing to go to retaliate after their defeat.

Thirty-one vamps are now dead—it’s not something their community will easily overlook, especially with what they’ll assume is a heavily biased report from shifter police. ”

I knew even less about vampyrs than I did about shifters, despite apparently having been in a relationship with one for the past three years. As a whole, were they vindictive? Vicious? Willing to break the century-long truce between our two species over one measly omega?

“Sugar, don’t worry about it,” Nolan interjected, feeling my unease through the bond.

He rubbed his hand on my back to keep me calm, his voice steady and even as he spoke.

“Mike had a flimsy case for trying to get you back because he could lie and say we’d taken you.

But now that he’s dead, there are no more vampyr claims over you.

They attacked, we defended—end of story.

Shifters have their own leadership, too, and I’m already drafting a report to send to the Conclave so they can smooth everything over with the Vampyric Council on our behalf. ”

Elias raised his hands in defeat. “Okay, fine. If you want to take the lead on this, please do so. But it wouldn’t hurt for us to be extra cautious.”

What did being extra cautious even mean at this point? I was already on edge every time I went outside just from my own people—males were borderline obsessed with my smell, and females hated my guts. Living in this constant state of anxiety wasn’t healthy for me.

Julian cleared his throat from where he stood and spoke in a quiet voice. “Why don’t we see what the police want first?”

His cheeks turned red and he averted his eyes submissively when everyone turned towards him.

He wasn’t new to being a shifter like I was, but he was new to this established pack.

And despite also being an alpha, Julian was trying to figure out how to carve room for himself without directly challenging anyone.

It was strangely endearing, and I felt the urge to reassure him.

What a departure from the cocky asshole I’d first met in Cam’s office.

I headed over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a quick peck on the lips and a smile. “You’re right, we should probably start getting ready. Do you want to take a shower with me?”

His eyes widened and he nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Oof, ma’am? I winced. “I don’t mind when Cam says it, but when you call me ‘ma’am’ it actually makes me feel like a grandma. Aren’t you younger than me?”

Julian’s hands wandered down my back and he shrugged. “Maybe. I’m twenty-four, how old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

Two adorable dimples appeared as small divots under his bearded cheeks when he flashed me a toothy grin. “I’ve always had a thing for older girls.” Then he grabbed my ass and lifted me up around his waist, and I shrieked in surprise. “Which way to the bathroom?”

J ulian was maddeningly efficient with his hands .

“Mmm,” I moaned, closing my eyes as his fingers dug into my scalp. “I think you missed your calling as a hairdresser. Do you have any idea how much I would pay for you to wash my hair like this every day?”

Julian chuckled. “Do you have any idea how much I would pay to have you wet and naked in my arms every day?” His erection pushed against my back and my breath hitched. “So why don’t we just call it even?”

“Deal,” I whispered, my eyes rolling back in my head in pure bliss. It was almost better than an orgasm.

Almost.

Julian turned me around, humming a song I didn’t know while he carefully rinsed the shampoo out, making sure not to get any in my eyes.

He followed the traces of suds as they ran in little rivers down the valleys and peaks of my curves, his pupils dilating as he inhaled sharply.

“Lowe, you are so perfect it hurts. I can’t believe you let me even look at you. ”

I grabbed a loofah and a bottle of body wash, waving them gently. “Would you like to touch me, too?”

He nodded enthusiastically, reaching for my face and cradling my cheeks as he kissed me, his cock rubbing against my stomach.

Well, I had meant a good scrub down but this was good, too. Better, even.

I lost myself in his soft lips, parting gently so our tongues could meet. A small whimper brought his hands down to my hips, grabbing my thighs and wrapping them around his waist. He pushed me against the wall and kissed me deeper, my clit rubbing against his dick as we slid against each other.