Chapter Two

THREE MONTHS LATER 

NORA POV 

It doesn’t take long for Marcus to reach where I stand, watching the car burn in the flames. His hand wraps around my elbow in a deadly grip as he spins to face him. Rage consumes his face, but also something akin to worry as he looks over my body for injuries. “Are you drunk right now?”

“As a skunk,” I slur, no shame on my face. Why should I care what he thinks? He obviously didn’t care enough about me to tell me about Hazel and Dillon.

“Are you fucking insane?” Marcus fumes, his eyes shifting between black and the deep brown they usually are. “Our parents died in a car crash! What the fuck is your problem?” His hold on my arm tightens as he studies me. Before I can answer, the shrill scream of my nemesis rings across the field.

“MY CAAAAR!” Hazel cries, running toward the flaming pile, Dillon trailing behind her with his head down, not looking at anyone. Turning her attention to me, I see her claw elongate, ready to pounce.

“You bitch!” she screams, jumping at me, but Marcus intervenes before she can get too close.

“Dillon, get your mate now!” Marcus screams, holding back a thrashing Hazel. Her squeals unrecognizable gibberish. Dillon wraps his arms around her, pulling her away. His eyes meet mine for the first time, and they look dead and a part of my heart breaks for him.

“I saw something I wanted and took it,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “You know all about that, don’t you Hazel?”

“Dillon IS my mate!” She yells back, her eyes flashing to black, her wolf’s possessiveness clear while Dillon tries his hardest to restrain her.

“You didn’t know that when you started fucking him behind my back!” I remind her, “I could get over him being your mate, but screwing him for months before you knew…I’ll never forgive that.”

“Get over-” Hazel returns, but Marcus cuts her off, “ENOUGH! Both of you! Dillon, take Hazel home, now!”

“I want her punished!” Hazel screams, stomping her foot like a petulant child. Dillon stands there sheepishly, afraid to look at anyone because deep down he feels guilty when she feels justified in her actions.

“She will be!” Marcus growls, his aura rolling onto the other two, as they bow their necks in submission, “Now go home!” Without another word, the couple backs away, including one last glare from Hazel as a parting gift.

Once the pair is out of earshot, Marcus turns to me with worry, as he takes in my appearance, “are you trying to kill yourself? Because I do not know what would possess you to do something so fucking stupid!”

“What’s it matter if I was?” I snap, the anger sitting in my chest the last few months bubbling to the surface like lava from a volcano. “You obviously don’t care about me!” I continue, my calm cracking.

“How can you say that?” He questions, reeling back as if I slapped him. “Of course I care about you, Nora. You’re not only like a sister, but I have been raising you on my own since you were ten. You are the only blood family I have left until I have pups with Kailah.”

“Some family!” I mutter with the roll of my eyes, “you couldn’t even tell me that my best friend and boyfriend were screwing around behind my back!”

“You know I couldn’t!” Marcus shouts back, his composure slipping as his wolf tries to break through the surface. “You know the mate laws set by the council! My hands were tied!”

“Fuck the mate laws! I am your goddamn sister!” I scream back, my hands flailing around as his betrayal makes me more heated.

“I am an Alpha, Nora!” He retorts, finally letting go of me as he paces back and forth in front of me. “I have a responsibility to uphold the council’s laws!”

“Whatever,” I snap, rolling my eyes, “if that’s what you need to tell yourself, then so be it, but I will not cater to your delusions!”

“I don’t even recognize you anymore,” Marcus whispers, his voice cracking as he looks me over. “You’re no longer the little sister I raised.”

“Newsflash Marcus,” I growl, meeting his eye, pushing my Alpha aura on him. “I am not a little girl anymore!”

“That’s it,” he threatens, as his face darkens, not appreciating me trying to use my energy on him. “You’ll do well to remember I am the goddamn Alpha. You won’t pull that shit again. From tomorrow onward, you’ll be at my side from the time you wake until bedtime.”

“You can’t seriously put me under house arrest!” I argue, looking at him like he is the crazy one despite the burning in the background.

“You bet your ass I am!” Marcus growls. “You’re unstable and untrustworthy! I will take the funds for Hazel’s replacement car will be taken from your trust fund!”

“Bullshit,” I mutter with the shake of my head.

“Yeah, your attitude is bullshit!” Marcus growls, “Make sure your bags are packed, and you’re standing in the driveway at 7 am tomorrow.”

“Why?” I ask, shock covering my face, as worry invades my frosty demeanor.

“I am not leaving you here alone while I am in Silver Run for the mating ceremony of their new Alpha,” Marcus explains, his eyes cold as he meets my gaze. “Now get your ass home! I can’t stand to look at you a moment longer.”

*************************

The entire drive was eerily quiet, Marcus and I saying nothing the entire three-hour car ride. Marcus drives our car up the gate of Silver Run, talking to the warrior at the post, explaining who we are and showing our IDs. While two others examine the car with metal detectors, taking precaution to the next level.

Not paying attention to my brother, I let my eyes wander the tree line, a hidden figure calling to me like a siren. Without having to look too hard, I find a pair of brown eyes hypnotizing me as my heart hammers in my chest.

Viola, my wolf, perking up for the first time in weeks, thrashing forward with a sudden urgency, I can barely contain her. Before I can decipher the shade of brown or make out any other features, Marcus drives into the territory, while Viola whines incessantly, wanting to go back.

“Listen, Nora,” Marcus grumbles, glancing at me, “if you can’t behave tonight, you will leave me no choice but to put you into council warrior training.”

“You wouldn’t,” I gasp, facing him, but his expression is serious. Even more so than when I wrecked Hazel’s car. Council warriors are in for life, and take a vow of celibacy. They wear scent blockers to hide their scents from their mate, and it sounds like the loneliest existence. It’s also a last resort for unruly wolves. Instead of turning them rogue, it’s essentially a prison sentence.

“Fuck around, and find out,” he turns to face me, and for the first time in my life, I can’t tell if he is bluffing or not and I am a little scared to find out.

*************************

So much for house arrest and being attached to Marcus side the entire time. The second the ceremony was done, he squirreled away with a group of semi- recognizable Alphas and Betas.

His parting words were cryptic and nearly nonsensical. “Be careful around the New Moon, and Silver Run members. Especially the Alpha couple.” That’s all I got from him before scurrying away, head bent in whispered conversation.

Leaving me to my own devices, I wander the room eyeing the fresh foods on the appetizer tables and decorations. The feeling of being watched makes my hair stand on end. I know I should be concerned, but I can’t help the excitement stirring in my stomach. Looking frantically, I try to find who is staring and from where.

After a few minutes, with no luck, I head to the bar. Thankfully, there’s no line standing between the bartender and I. While the urge to order an alcoholic beverage scratches at the back of my mind, I order a coke instead, trying my hardest to behave. I have no desire to call my brother’s bluff.

Turning with a drink in my hand, I smack into a hard wall I know wasn’t there before spilling my drink all over the person. Looking up, into a pair of hypnotizing brown eyes, olive skin, and a charming smile lighting his face. Viola coming forward, full of curiosity as we study a man around my age.

“Oh, shit,” I mutter, blushing when I realize I have been staring like an idiot. Placing the drink on the counter, I grab a stack of napkins, dabbing away at the stranger’s shirt. Good to know that even sober, I still have no shame.

“Had I known coming to the bar meant getting felt up by a beautiful woman, I would have been here sooner,” the man flirts with a chuckle. “Seems I came at the perfect time, though. You know this is a celebration, right?”

Clearing my dry throat, I answer like a bumbling idiot. “Yes, “ I continue with a lie, “but I don’t really know anyone, so you know…”I trail off, realizing I do not know how to flirt. It’s been so long since I have had to.

“Well, let’s change that,” he says with a wink, putting so much charm behind his words I do nothing but giggle like a middle school girl. What the fuck is wrong with me?

‘Jesus christ, can you stop making us look like bumbling idiots,’ Viola mutters at the back of my mind, talking to me for the first time in months. Without answering her, I raise my chin and straighten my shoulders, and return his penetrating gaze.

“My name is Nora’s, yours?” I ask, keeping my voice even as I try to tame the blush creeping up my cheeks. Refusing to lose the composure I have gained, I meet the gaze of this god-like specimen.

“Theo,” he replies, before asking a question of his own. “So what drink should we get to celebrate the new Alphas?”

“Dealer’s choice,” I say, my restraint breaking the more nervous I get around this man. It’s not a nervousness, but whatever it is, it’s….interesting and I somehow know I can trust him.

“Two ranch waters,” Theo asks the bartender, who gets to work making the simple drinks. “So, Nora, are you here with anyone?” he questions as he leans against the bar, looking at the crowd while I watch the bartender.

“My older brother, Marcus,” I comment, as the bartender brings back our drinks, placing them in the front of us on little specialty made coasters with the couple’s initials on them.

Theo watches with amusement as I take large gulps of the drink in my hand, letting the fiery liquid calm my nerves.

“I don’t make you that nervous, do I?” he asks, a light teasing tone but a hint of concern hiding underneath his words.

“It’s not you,” I comment, before finishing this drink within seconds. “I well…” I trail off again, seemingly unable to get my brain to work around him. Am I having an aneurysm?

“Well, if I am making you nervous,” Theo whispers, leaning close to my ear, his scent invading my nose for the first time in this crowded room. “I enjoy making you blush.” I can barely breathe as his warm and spicy scent lingers on my tastebuds.

Before I can put my foot in my mouth further, he turns to the bartender, asking for another drink for both of us and a few shots. I know I shouldn’t indulge, but an insecure part of me wonders if I am only interesting with tequila coursing through my bloodstream.

After we finish the shots within seconds of the first, Theo grabs my hand as his thumb strokes my palm. A warmth spreading across my skin. “Maybe if talking makes you nervous,” he whispers in my ear. His large body pressed against me, my entire body heating with the closeness. “We can say what we need to with dancing.”

I practically choke on the brazenness of his words, as an “okay” tumbles past my lips without giving it further thought. Taking my drink in one hand, I take his