Page 8 of Dante's Circle Reborn

Charlie should have been there for so much, only he never had. He had always been a selfish jerk that cared more about himself than his family.

The fact that Alec had always been far more dominant than Charlie had been a thorn in the other man’s paw.

Liam had never understood why Charlie couldn’t get over himself and just figure out what he needed. Instead, he wanted everything that he couldn’t have. And, in the end, he’d left the Pack because he hadn’t been able to take anyone being Alpha other than him. And Charlie was no Alpha. He had never been, and he never would be.

Now, all of that past was going to come back at them full force, and they would need to figure out what to do. Because, in the end, Charlie had to die. And Liam would be damned if he’d let Alec be the one to deal the final blow.

“Alec.”

“I should’ve known.” Alec stood then, ignoring Liam’s hands before turning. His wolf was in his eyes, that golden glow that spoke of the dominance and the strength of not only the wolf inside but also the man that held the reins.

Liam wasn’t worried, wasn’t scared of the wolf he saw. Because even while Alec was all wolf just then, he was in perfect control. And maybe that was even more dangerous, considering what Alec could do in this state. What Liam had seen him do before.

“You have the scent?” Liam asked, ignoring Alec’s words. He didn’t know what to say anyway.

“Yes. I do. I know where to go. At least where he went after the kill. He fuckingkilleda girl and a raccoon, and he couldn’t even distinguish between the two, I don’t think. He’s that gone,” Alec said, shaking his head. “He’sthatgone.”

Liam reached out and gripped the back of Alec’s head. They both froze at the contact. He couldn’t help himself. He needed to do something. Alec looked in pain, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. And maybe he did. Liam needed to do something, needed to fix this. He didn’t know what to do, though. Didn’t know how to fix this. Maybe there was no fixing it at all.

“I’m sorry. I’m so damned sorry it’s him,” Liam whispered. Alec’s wolf pushed at Liam. He could feel it. It wasn’t aggression, more like a longing. The same one that Liam felt within himself. Neither of them was more dominant than the other, and that was something they had always known. They were always on even ground there, even if they numbered themselves and put themselves into rankings to appease the Pack. They knew deep down that they were equals, even if they had this riding tension that they did their best to ignore—yet didn’t do well at ignoring at all.

Liam slid his fingers along the back of Alec’s scalp, the hair long enough that it curled over his knuckles. They both swallowed hard.

“I’m so sorry,” Liam whispered again.

“There’s no fixing it, there never has been. This was inevitable.”

“Inevitable for Charlie, perhaps. Not for you. Not for me. We can walk away right now. Get Hunter to send someone else, or even get the dragon. It doesn’t have to be you.”

Alec met his gaze, and then, surprising them both, he leaned into Liam’s hold just a fraction of an inch. Just enough that both of them noticed how close they were. Their heat blended together in an intoxicating way.

“It has to be me,” Alec whispered. “There is never going to be anyone else. It has to be me.”

“Okay, it has to beus. You’re not alone in this. We’re both here. Remember that. It’s never just you.”

“You say that, and yet, sometimes, it feels like it’s always been just me.”

“We need to go,” Liam whispered, letting his hand fall. He saw the disappointment in Alec’s gaze. This wasn’t the time; they would come to a head with whatever the fuck was going on between them later. The fact that Liam could feel Alec in his soul. Now, they needed to find Charlie, had to make sure that no other girl or innocent raccoon or other animal or shifter died because they were too busy focusing on themselves rather than the rogue at hand. They would deal with that drama, and then they would deal with each other.

“I have the scent,” Alec rasped. Pulling away.

“Same here. We’ll find him.”

“When we do, he’s mine, Liam,” Alec growled out.

Liam shook his head. “No, he’s ours. We do this together. You don’t get to put this all on your shoulders.”

“And you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“You know, while you’re always stubborn, always a little hardheaded, you’reneverlike this. You’re never stupid.”

“I’m not fucking stupid.”

“Right now? Yes, you are. And I get why, so we’re going to do this together. Like I said, Alec, you don’t get to do this by yourself.

“Fine. Just don’t slow me down.”

“Like I ever could, dear Alec.”

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