Page 65 of Crescent Warrior

The female was petite with a thick mane of black hair and olive-toned skin. She watched them warily and whispered to the other two in Italian. Alex spoke it fluently, having learned from his mother.

“Who are they? They don’t have any scent markers.”

“Knox isn’t going to like this.” This was from the big male.

After a few minutes of watching each other, the female piped up again. “Vin, do you see what I see?”

There was a nod from the male on the left, his gaze seeming trapped on Alex and Michael.

“Two. Two of them,” he whispered, searching their faces and taking a step closer. The female reached out to block him, but he shook his head, his voice trembling. “Layland? Lombarto?”

Alex glanced at Michael, trying to see if he was making any sense of what

was happening, but he was just as confused, maybe even more so since he couldn’t speak the language.

“That’s not us,” Alex said forcefully in English.

The male who had addressed them frowned, his brow dropping low.

“Who are you, then?” demanded the big male on the right, his English accented but flawless.

“My name is Alex,” he said gently, gesturing with his palm flattened toward Michael so he could see he wasn’t holding a weapon. “This is my friend Michael.”

“Friend? Not brother?” The male who looked like them was staring at them again, hopefully.

Alex glanced at Michael who was yet to look away from the threat. “Not that we know of, anyway.”

He saw Michael’s shoulders stiffen, but he didn’t want to lie. With the way things were turning out in his world, he’d heard of crazier things than long-lost brothers.

“We know what you are,” Michael said quietly, and all three of them stiffened, glancing at each other uneasily. “Werewolves.”

“And what of it?” the male on the right demanded, clenching huge fists. “Did you come here to try to find us? Kill us?”

Alex shook his head, holding his hands out placatingly.

“No. We’re Werewolves too. We heard rumors that there were more than our pack, so we decided to search.”

Both the male on the right and the female seemed shocked and they looked as if there were trying to determine if they were telling the truth. The male on the left seemed hopeful instead, a small smile appearing on his face.

“I can show you,” Alex offered.

The male who looked like them shook his head, taking a tentative step forward. “I believe you, son.”

Alex felt both himself and Michael flinch at the word, not familiar with it being said to them. Alex’s mother called him by his first name and rarely did so as it was.

“Will you both come back with me? To meet my family? My pack?”

“Vin,” the female hissed, and the big male seemed to agree with her, eyeing them with trepidation and mistrust.

“Look at them,” he hissed at her in Italian. “They are the age Layland and Lombarto would be.”

The female seemed to concede this fact and glanced up at the big male. He shrugged at her but kept Alex and Michael in his view.

“My name is Vincenzo,” the male on the left said, slowly making his way closer, his hand outstretched in greeting. “This is Adele and Carlo.”

Alex warily reached out, taking his hand. The warmth that spread through him at the gentle hold was comforting. He noticed that Michael didn’t take the man’s other hand, staring intently at the two behind him to see if they were using Vincenzo as a distraction.

“Please,” the man whispered, searching Alex and Michael’s faces. “Please return with me. Come meet my mate. She would love to see you.”

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