“Last time I checked, you were meant to be at school.”

My eyes darted up, focusing on my mate, making the connection that she had addressed the child. It was the first time that anyone had spoken since we had come to the decision to discuss matters in the pack house. Malcolm and I were walking behind the two of them, who were leading the way, with the wolves surrounding us in a barrier like formation.

“Well, I was, but they sent me home. And of course, you weren’t there, so when I asked where you were, they told me—”

“You know just as well as I do that I don’t care what ‘they’ told you. I want to know why you were sent home, and I want to know where Dev is.”

Despite my lack of background knowledge to their conversation, I was doing my best to make as much sense of it as I could. I was getting a strong feeling that the two of them knew each other well. I found myself wondering whether or not this ‘Dev’ character would turn out to be the third musketeer.

“You should know by now that the only place Dev ever goes, is the abandoned outpost. I swear, some day I’m going to tear that thing down. I’m surprised it’s been standing for this long on its own.”

“Well, that explains where Dev is. Now, why were you sent home, Zee?”

The boys shoulders dropped, making him seem a lot smaller than he was, but it only lasted a moment before his posture was corrected and he had his face turned towards Luciana, all of his attention focused on her.

“But you already know what I’m going to say.”

Her hair moved from side to side when she shook her head, a sign I thought meant that she was getting irritated with the boy.

“That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear it from you.”

“Well, they sent me home because Marcus picked a fight with me. And he lost, of course. Again. I swear, I’m going to take the Beta title from him when he gets it. Then I’ll be your Beta, and Dev can be your Gamma.”

I found my eyes darting in Malcolms direction, who seemed to be assessing the child even more carefully than I had been doing. I knew that he wasn’t oblivious to the odd resemblance that the child bore to him, and neither were the rest of us. The fact that he had his sights set on becoming a Beta, meant that it had to be in his blood... Right?

Luciana was shaking her head more vigorously now, her shoulders tense. I could practically feel the anxiety radiating off of her. I just wasn’t sure whether or not the mate bond was to thank for that, or whether her feelings were just that strong.

“Zee, how many times do I have to tell you to control yourself? One day you’re going to pick a fight with someone you won’t be able to beat.”

“You’re forgetting that it’s already happened.”

He looked at Luciana again, the light catching his face in a way that seemed to highlight the scar running down his face. I got the distinct impression that the fight he had been referring to, was the one in which he had gotten that very scar.

“The only reason that you were even in that fight was because of Dev, and you know it.”

“Yeah, well, it is what it is. There’s no way to change what’s already been done.”

My eyes stayed glued to my mate, noticing the way that her shoulders sagged as she realized that he had effect my ended their conversation. I had to admit that I was surprised to find that she didn’t drill him again, as she had done before.

“But on to the bigger question, have you decided on a plan for the pack?”

The question had been asked a lot softer than what their previous conversation had, but even then, I got the distinct impression that ‘Zee’ wasn’t all that bothered with us, or whether or not we were eavesdropping on their conversation—which we were obviously doing.

“There’s not really much of a choice for me, is there? They’ve made their choice. I can’t change their mind.”

Her voice had adapted a quality that came across as monotone, but I had the gut feeling that she had deliberately done so in an attempt to come off as unaffected by what she was saying.

“Luciana, you’re the Alpha here. They’re supposed to be the ones listening to you, and not the other way around. You know that, right?”

The anger in Zees voice was easy to pick up on, his loyalty to her as clear as daylight. I could not recall having witnessed a bond that seemed as strong as this one ever before.

I found myself looking at Malcolm once more. His hand had wrapped itself around my arm, pulling me to a halt. The pack started to halt, looking at us in confusion, but Malcolm signaled for them to continue walking, clearly wanting some privacy.

They seemed to be getting farther and farther away from us, his hand loosening with each step they put between us. He let go of my arm in a manner that suggested I had burnt him.

My eyes stayed glued to him, watching him pace from side to side in the small area around us. It looked as if there was a sheen of sweat covering his skin.

“Malcolm?”

I knew that it was foolish of me to want him to tell me what he was already thinking, when I was already thinking the same thing. I knew what had happened, and I knew how my mind would have worked if I were in the same situation.

“That’s my brother, Isaac! You might think me crazy, but I swear, that’s him.”

There was a growl lacing between his words, and I narrowed my eyes when he took what I believed to be a threatening step towards me. I could already feel a stirring within me, and I knew that it was bound to cause trouble.

“Well, I guess the bigger problem at the moment is what you plan on doing with that information.”

He took a kick at a rock, letting out a loud growl in the process. His chest was heaving, and the golden glow that his eyes had adapted was impossible to miss. I knew that he was on the verge of shifting. He only that so much self control to go around.

“What do you expect me to do?!”

He turned to me once more, the panic on his face as clear as day. It was out of character for him to lose control like this.

“I think talking to him would be a good place to start.”