Page 4 of Alpha Rising (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

“Come away from there,” Sam said from behind me.

“Where do you think he went?” I kept my eyes fixed on the trees.

“He went for a run,” Sam said as if the answer should be obvious. And it was. I knew that much. What I really wanted to know was when he’d come home.

Sam answered my question as if I’d spoken it out loud. “Hard to say when he’ll be back. But don’t worry. This isn’t unusual. Care to tell me what happened in there?”

I exhaled through my nose, fogging the glass. “I don’t know exactly. It started when I told Reese I might’ve found a clue about your dad.”

“What?” Sam asked. “What kind of clue?”

I finally turned to face him. “I researched that bit of patch Reese found and came up with some possible companies with similar logos.” I shook my head. “That wasn’t what upset him though. He was happy about that part.”

“What happened with Uncle Joe?” Sam’s angular face was set into hard lines. “He seemed unsettled when he left.”

“He... He took my notes from me. Ripped them right out of my hand. It surprised me, and I was...sort of...knocked off balance.”

“Ah,” Sam said as if this made perfect sense.

“Ah?” I asked.

He tipped his head left, then right. “Reese is a little unstable right now.”

“I’ve noticed, but I don’t understand why. He’s always been grumpy, but ever since the Maddox event, he’s been snapping at everything.”

Sam pressed his lips together then said, “Let’s get a drink, yeah?”

Something told me I was going to need one, and I followed Sam to the first-floor lounge that held one of the lodge’s two fully stocked bars. It was paneled in dark wood and it had three cozy seating groups, each with red-leather club chairs. The bar was empty for now.

“Whiskey?” he asked. “Or would you rather have a beer?”

“Whiskey-ginger.”

Sam went behind the bar and made my drink, then poured himself a whiskey neat before we took the two chairs closest to the fireplace.

“I suppose I should just cut to the chase.” He took a long sip from his drink.

“Please do.”

Angel and Toby entered the lounge. Besides having the green eyes that all the Fitzpatricks shared, I wouldn’t know they were brothers. Angel’s long, dark-blond hair hung to his shoulders. Toby had dark hair, cropped short.

“The dude’s got to get it together,” Angel griped.

Toby rolled up his sleeve to reveal three pale pink claw marks, semi-healed. “Tell me about it.”

“Who did that to you?” I asked, fearing the answer.

“Reese, of course," Toby said. "He’s been shifting on a daily basis, and getting more and more territorial. I ran into him in the woods yesterday when I was clearing an overgrown trail.”

“But you’re his brother,” I argued. “Why would he want to hurtyou?”

Toby merely shrugged, clearly not as pissed about the attack as I thought he should be.

“I doubt he wanted to hurt Toby,” Sam said. “But Reese isn’t fully in control of himself.”

“But why?" I asked.

The brothers exchanged a glance.

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