Page 7 of Secret Heir's Return

“Shit,” I groaned. My hand reached up to rub the spot.

“So, who’s the lucky guy?” Brady asked.

“No one. He’s a dead man if he doesn’t remove the mark.”

“So, you didn’t find your mate then?” Brady asked. “Got to say, that’s a relief. I was hoping that I could at least be the first in that milestone.”

I rolled my eyes at my brother. “Ever the sore loser.”

“I was second in birth, second in wolf, second in getting my magic. I’d like to be first in something in life, Liberty.” He chuckled. “So, back to the mark. Who is this possibly soon to be a dead man of yours?”

I didn’t want to tell him that I didn’t know. I felt my cheeks burn at the thought of telling my brother that I had hooked up with a total stranger in my room, and I had allowed him to mark me. I was the next pack Alpha, for God’s sake. I shouldn’t have been so vulnerable with someone who wasn’t my mate.

Before he could press me more came a scent that was as sweet and spicy as coco hit my nose. I jerked my head in the direction of it, not recognizing the scent at all. It had appeared out of thin air and was moving away from the packhouse.

“There it is,” I gasped.

“Yeah, and you feel that magical energy? Whoever they were, they had a scent blocker on for sure. Not as strong as Mom’s recipe, but it would have done the trick. It would have lasted for hours.” Brady looked around concerned. “Which begs the question. Where were they coming from? And how long had they been there?”

My throat grew dry at the questions. It was very likely that I knew exactly where they had been leaving from. If I was right, it was also likely that I knew exactly how long they had been in our territory. I bit my lip to prevent myself from telling Brady, letting him take the lead as he traced the fading magic back to the pack house.

It was clear where the scent was heading. The rogues had set up a bar at the other end of the forest. Dad had discovered it not long after he took back the pack from the late Chios wolves. He had thought about destroying it, but Mom convinced him that it would be good to know where they were instead of scattering them around the territory’s borders.

After all, they were still family to many of the pack members who chose to remain with my parents as their Alpha and Luna. They would like to know that their family members were at least safe.

“Well, now this is interesting,” Brady said as he stopped in his tracks.

I looked up and around, detecting the scent of spiced cocoa coming stronger. The man from my room last night was standing just to our left.

Chapter Five

Xander

After packing, I headed to Minerva’s room. I barely had the chance to knock on her door before the witch swung the door open.

“What do you need?” she demanded, her black veined eyes narrowing as she looked back at me.

“Father sent me for a potion,” I said.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she left the door open for me. “From what I hear, you don’t need my potions. You found yourown witch to help you trick the little wolf girl. Why not go to that witch again? Hmm?” Minerva’s eyes narrowed at me again, suspicion swimming in their darkened pools.

“He wants me to get it from you,” I said, ignoring the way she watched me.

She never seemed to like me. Ever since the day she arrived at the bar with the offer of her services, she always regarded me with suspicion. It was like she knew I would derail Father’s plot for revenge; and now here I was, doing just that.

“The potion will take me a couple of hours to make. Go mingle with your little friends until I’m done.”

I smirked. “It didn’t take the other witch that long.” Even as the lie coated my tongue, I enjoyed watching the dark witch glare at me.

“I’m making you enough to last you until you can be coronated. That’s your father’s plan, is it not?”

“Fair enough,” I replied, turning back around to leave her to her potions. I could still feel her gaze on my back. Suspicion burning holes in my head.

“Xander!” a familiar voice called out from downstairs as I left Minerva’s room.

I followed the sound to find my friends gathered around a table together. Cheri sat with them, although she looked less than happy to see me emerge from the room. The others waved me over excitedly, eagerness palpable on their faces.

Descending the stairs, I noticed many other table’s conversations quieting, their gazes turning to look at me. There was a mixture of doubt and excitement on their faces as they watched me join my friends at their table.

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