Page 67 of Alpha Scorned

“Hey, it’s okay, Sor, this ugly son of a bitch is the wolf who saved me from being utterly finished off by the Mades who kidnapped me.”

“Oh, er, hi,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and glancing at me before looking back at the ground. My wolf preened at that submissive behaviour, but I quickly pushed aside those feelings and smiled as she glanced up. I preferred my Lina’s sass, to a timid woman like this one.

“Owen, this is Sorcha. She’s here as a guest of the Count’s, too.”

Sorcha snorted quietly, and I caught Shane’s frown and the flash of concern in his eyes. I remained quiet. The dynamics of the Count’s household were his business, not mine. He was caring for Shane, and that was all that mattered to me.

I spent the morning catching up with Shane, and trying not to freak at how much he needed to eat. Not that I cared so long as it made him stronger. There’d been no talk of getting him back to take over from Rawson, but I kind of assumed that it would happen eventually. Connor would never admit it, but I knew he missed Rawson, and so did Ember and the kids—badly. But looking at the shifter-vampire hybrid, I had no idea when that would be. He was too weak to be a pack Alpha, and none of us knew how the virus was going to affect him in the future. Poor fucker had been through some shit in his life, but before he decided his future he needed to get strong again.

Sorcha returned later with some coffee for us and an overnight bag for Shane. I invited her to join us for coffee. Trying to bring the shy girl out was hard, but she eventually started to relax. I even got a smile from her a couple of times.

Connor returned, Balthazar at his back. Sorcha immediately dropped her gaze, a pretty flush staining her cheeks. Shane scowled, his gaze bouncing between her and Balthazar. The Count’s attention rested on Sorcha before his gaze moved to Shane. Neither of them looked away and tension filled the air. Yeah, the dynamics between those three were none of my business…

“You guys ready to go?” Connor asked, stepping between Shane and Balthazar and breaking the spell. It looked like an innocent move, but I doubted it. Nothing Connor did was accidental.

“Yep,” I said, at the same time as Shane muttered, “Hell, yeah.”

I was more than ready to get back home and make sure that Lina and Devon were okay. There’d been no more attacks on our shifter community by Mades, but the threat of violence laid heavy on us. And Connor took it seriously, hence the bullet proof glass and reinforced doors on the SUV I drove today.

Shane slowly stood and taking a deep breath walked through the castle. None of us offered to help him. It would be an insult. But it seemed that Sorcha wasn’t as bothered by that as the rest of us. When Shane leaned against the wall to recover his breath, she darted past Balthazar and offered him her shoulder to lean on. Shane thanked her, but declined. Stubborn fucker wouldn’t accept help in front of Connor or me. I glanced between the Count and Shane and saw Shane’s mouth form a stubborn line as the Count watched him and the girl. Maybe it wasn’t just us; Shane didn’t want to look weak in front of Balthazar, either. Which was ridiculous considering how fucked up he was by that damned virus.

I took a deep breath and shook my head, meeting Connor’s gaze. He nodded.

“We’ll get this bag in the car. Meet us there when you’re ready, Shane.” Shane nodded at me, and pushed off the wall.

“Count? I have a request,” said Connor. “Do you mind if I have a quick word outside for a moment.”

Balthazar fixed Shane with a steady look before his gaze slid to Sor and then to Connor. He responded with a nod, no words. Outside, Connor took him to one side. I didn’t miss the glance Balthazar flashed my way before he nodded at Connor. I brushed it off, watching Shane hobble to the car and climb in the back seat. Once there, he landed heavily and leaned his head back, his eyes closed.

Two hours later we arrived back at the castle. It was quiet and I couldn’t find anyone.

“They’re down at the beach already,” said a voice from behind me. Stone sauntered out of the library, all dressed up in a button down shirt and slacks, his silver hair plaited in several rows down his head, leaving his neck free. “You’d better hurry up and get changed. Ember’ll kick your ass if you roll up dressed in jeans for a party.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Shane? You’re in the guest room down here,” Connor said, leading Shane away down a corridor. My Prime looked back over his shoulder. “Hurry up, brother, I’ll meet you back down here in ten.”

I grinned and nodded. Upstairs, I darted in the shower, shaved under the water trying not to cut myself, then jumped out, dried myself, and grabbed the new shirt Lina had bought me for the occasion. It was a dark silver grey that she said set off my eyes, whatever the fuck that meant. I huffed as I grabbed my one and only suit, a deep blue garment that fitted like it was made for me. I grinned. Because it was. I thought I’d surprise my mate today. I’d never worn a suit, and as Ember had threatened everyone that they needed to wear their glad rags, I’d decided to go the whole hog and don a suit. I checked out my reflection, then snorted. It didn’t look like me, at all, but I thought Lina would be pleased with what she saw. At least, I hoped she’d think I looked hot. I had every intention of sneaking her away to a quiet spot on the beach and ravishing her. Grinning with anticipation, I grabbed a pair of dress shoes, shoved my feet in, then combed my hair. On the dot of ten minutes, I jogged down the stairs.

Connor grinned. “Holy shit, someone’s dressed to impress.”

“Fuck off,” I grumbled. “But, yeah, I am. Lina might be mine, but I still want to impress her.”

“Don’t worry, bro’, you will, dressed in that get up.”

I raised my brows and looked pointedly at his dark silk shirt and light coloured slacks. “What? Like you aren’t trying to look hot for your woman?’’

His grin stretched and he shrugged. “I’malwayshot for my woman.” flames flared in his eyes, heat blasting from his body.

“Yeah, yeah. Show off,” I grumbled and pulled my cuffs down. I glanced around but the castle seemed unusually quiet and deserted. “Where are the others?”

Connor headed to the door, a strange look on his face. “I sent Stone with Shane in the SUV; it’s too far for him to walk.”

“Okay, shall we go then? Ember will kick my ass if I make you late.”

Connor chuckled. “That she will.”

The evening was balmy, a warm sea breeze lifting my hair as we walked. I was glad I’d left the buttons on my jacket open. It meant I didn’t overheat in my new duds. Being a sweaty mess when I found Lina wouldn’t be hot at all. I almost laughed at myself trying to impress her with how I looked, when she’d seen me naked more times than I could count in the last three weeks. My chest rose and fell, my footsteps quickening as we made our way down the path through the dunes towards the beach. There was a pull in my chest towards my mate and I couldn’t stop the desire to rush to her side. Connor didn’t say anything, but his amused look told me he knew exactly what I was doing.

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