“Bell, are you okay?” Wick asked his friend again.

“That was some welcome, Chadwick. Next time a goddamn fruit basket will suffice.” Belleron stared at his reflection in the mirror. The bite mark looked angry and tender. Alek had yanked away before he properly closed it.

“It should heal mostly, but—” Wick went to raise his hand.

“Don’t touch it,” Belleron hissed.

Wick cocked his head to the side. “I would never.”

“I’m sorry. This is just. It’s um. My word, I don’t know what to think.”

“He’s your Beloved.”

“I suppose he is.”

“Alek is a good man, Bell. He stood by me when Justice had to fight Erman and he’s nothing but supportive of his family, his packs.” Wick paced slowly. “I’ve only known them a short while. I wish could give you a better explanation of why he behaved that way.”

They could hear Justice and his brothers’ loud voices carrying through Mikel’s home directly to the study where he and Bell were.

“It sounds like Justice isn’t going easy on him,” Wick stated the obvious.

“You’ve more than filled me in with what’s going on during our chats, but you failed to mention exactly how the claiming is done. I thought there was at least a hello before my life becomes permanently cemented to him.”

“Yes, usually. Shifters scent their mates before we can identify our Beloveds. But there is a period of courtship, albeit minimal.”

“I picked up on his scent as soon as he advanced on me. Then, I was struck stupid. He was… he’s so beautiful….”

All chatter and communication through the house came to an immediate halt as Bell continued to marvel over Alek, despite what he’d just done. That was a true mate.

“So strong, and he smelled… he smelled like the widow Bradley’s wild berry farm.” Bell chuckled. “You remember how we used to get in trouble sneaking in there at two in the morning.”

“I do.” Wick smiled fondly. “Couldn’t eat them, but we loved smelling like the sweet perfume it left all over us.”

“Just like that. I wanted that scent all over me again. He smelled wild, sweet, and little bit dangerous,” Bell said wistfully. They were in a house full of shifters, everything being said was being heard throughout. “I couldn’t’ve stopped him if I wanted to. And I didn’t want to, Wick. I didn’t want him to stop him, either.” Bell pointed at the closed door.

On cue, his captain tapped twice then opened the door. “The convoy is gone. They’re settling in at the Sparks coven. I told them to stay put, I’d be back with instructions for completing the final part of the mission tomorrow.”

Wick agreed with Ramon’s decisions before he gave a few commands of his own. “Well done, Captain. I want you to oversee the operation alone.”

Ramon and Bell both gave Wick confused looks.

“You’re more than capable of handling it and you have enough manpower to complete the job safely. Belleron will be unavailable the rest of the weekend, while he bonds with his Beloved.”

“Of course. I will report back when it’s done.” Ramon told Bell congratulations before closing the door behind him.

“I didn’t come all the way here for time off. I have a job to do, Wick. After all you’ve told me and especially after what I just witnessed, there’s no time for dawdling. You want to create, implement, and enforce new laws regarding unbefitting behavior with shifters, you need a new Lord Protector appointed, and a bigger army… how am I to help you do any of that if you sit me on the bench?”

Wick busted out laughing. “I can’t believe you still say dawdling.”

Belleron stopped and eyed Wick like he hadn’t known him practically his whole existence. “Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

Wick came over and placed both hands on Bell’s cheeks. “I’m in love. It’s an amazing thing. A wondrous thing. Something we’ve been denied for no apparent reason.” Wick shook his head. “If you’d arrived a half second earlier, you would’ve seen Henry dancing.”

Bell jerked his head back.

“Yes. You heard me.” Wick nodded towards the door. “Don’t be afraid of being fated to an alpha. He can take you on a ride you never thought possible.”

 

 

“Well I guess he’s not as mad as we thought,” Justice said, still standing in front of his brother as they listened shamelessly to Bell describe his impression of Alek.

“Then he’s the nicest person in the world, because I would’ve knocked your fuckin’ block off,” Mac growled.

“Oh yeah. I’d like to see you try.” Alek squared off with his brother.

Justice and Taleb rolled their eyes and moved in to push them apart. None of them ever put their hands on the other, but when it came to true mates, Alek’s wolf seemed to be acting without his consent.

“I lost control. My wolf saw him and wanted him. He refused to wait.” Alek ran his hands through his messy, deep brown hair. “Shit.”

“Shit is right.” Mac stormed away.

Alek threw his hands up.

“You can’t blame him. This is a problem, Alek. After what you did, how are the vampires supposed to trust us? We can’t act like savage Neanderthals and never expect any kind of retaliation from them,” Taleb explained rationally. “Wick is doing his best to smooth things over, but the evidence was there. We look like we can’t control ourselves, especially our animals.”

“He’s right.” Justice stood. “You owe him a sincere apology.”

Alek looked like he’d rather be thrown in isolation with the defiant alpha than go back and face Belleron.

Justice walked in front of his brother, leading them down the hall to the study. Alek trudged slowly as though blindfolded, walking the ship’s plank. Justice went in before Alek to be sure the vampire didn’t react first and ask questions later. Everything seemed fine, and Belleron’s composure was comparable to Wick’s. At that moment, it was good that vampires weren’t known for over-dramatizing.

He was sitting on the camel leather couch with one leg crossed over the other. He was long and slim, his fingers resting gracefully over his knee. Most of his long hair was behind him but some of it was over his right shoulder, including that long silver streak.

Wick introduced Justice properly, then the rest of his brothers. Mac was standing behind Alek now, with one hand on his shoulder since it looked like he might tip over without the support.

Justice gestured to Alek. “Allow me to formally introduce you to—”

“My Belove.” Bell interrupted Justice, easing himself off the couch without so much as a squeak from the leather and came to stand brazenly in front of Alek. His brother looked just as stunned as he had out on the lawn an hour ago. Maybe it was the vampire’s voice, because it was a sound only heard in the sexiest dream fantasies. Or perhaps it was his appearance in total. To say Bell looked like the modern-day vampire was a gross understatement. If Christian Dior’s brand was looking to start a vampire collection of designer suits, Belleron Liatos would be his first choice as a model. To Justice, there was no one as amazing and beautiful as Wick, but damn if Bell didn’t put the rest of the species to shame.

“I can’t apologize enough for—”

Belleron cut Justice off again. He didn’t appear to be doing it to be rude; he looked as if he was only interested in what Alek had to say. “No apologies, Alpha.” Bell stepped even closer to Alek, his voice a melodic whisper. “You have some bite, Beloved. Perhaps, you’ll allow me to show you mine as well… soon.”

Bell elegantly brushed past Alek, a subtle placement of his scent on Alek’s arm before he walked out the door. The act alone voiced Bell’s forgiveness.

“Where’s he going?” Alek growled, clenching his fists at his sides.

Justice couldn’t believe the fragile grip his brother had on his mate-lust. He couldn’t let a repeat happen. Bell had every right to take some space to contemplate what’d just happened. His life would never again be as he knew it. Alek had to be respectful and give him at least twenty-four hours to think. Justice understood that feeling. He’d felt the pain and discontent of his animal when he’d been away from his mate in the beginning, but he’d appreciated Wick’s patience.

Their brother was right. They didn’t want the vampires to be nervous around them. No doubt, Taleb was thinking about the sweet and shy Chamber Lord that he’d slow-danced closely with in front of their entire pack. They weren’t true mates, but that didn’t matter at all. When there was a strong connection, all on its own… that was enough.

“He’s not upset, Aleksei. But he can overanalyze a situation. Let him get back to our base coven for now and do his job, then he’ll be able to think rationally about your mating,” Wick told Alek.

“You will not go to him,” Justice told his brother. It wasn’t a request, it was an order from his alpha. “You will give him the space he wants. You will respect his wishes.”

Alek tightened his jaw and clenched his fists. His nod of acceptance was stiff but it was there. Moisture built up in the corners of his eyes, and a cloak of dread washed over his face. Justice’s wolf whined for his brother. He pulled Alek’s thick body into his for a tight hug. “You’re gonna be okay. This is good, you’ll see. He’s already in love with you, bro. Just give him a minute. He can’t stay away long.” Justice ached to console him.

“He’ll need to feed, and now he can only drink from you,” Wick said softly. “You do understand that.”

“Yes,” Alek said longingly, turning to leave. “There’s nothing I would deny him.”