Macauley shifted just before he entered his cabin. He’d heard friends and pack mates shouting his name as he’d run to his house, but he’d ignored them all. That was the closest to death he’d ever been. If it hadn’t been for Adres, he’d surely be…

Macauley pressed his bare back against the wooden door. He was still gasping heavily, the pressure in his chest making it difficult for him to take a deep enough breath. He hadn’t wanted to leave Adres, but he had a job to do and needed to get home to protect his pack.

But, gods, he’d never felt so helpless out there in the middle of a vampire attack, alone in the forest, and he hadn’t been able to call for help. He’d had to put his trust in Adres to protect him. And fuck if he hadn’t delivered.

Why did he do that? It can’t be because of his oath. He swore to protect his king and Belleron… not me.

“Mac! Thank the Mother.” Macauley’s first beta, Bundy, came around the corner with his other two trailing closely behind. “We heard the explosions. Are you all right, Alpha?”

Macauley should’ve known they’d be in his cabin waiting for him and wanting answers. Wrath and Adres’s battle had probably woken the entire city. Macauley put his hand up to try to ward them off. “It’s all right. I’m all righ—”

“You smell awful! Like smoke. And what the hell happened to your clothes?” Anna asked as she hurried to a basket of unfolded laundry Macauley had on his sofa and threw a pair of blue sweatpants at him.

He caught it and used it to cover his junk but didn’t put them on. He needed a hot shower and five minutes alone to think.

“Was that Wrath out there tonight? We tried to come find you but Justice forbade any of the pack from going up the mountain,” Anna argued. “What the hell was that all about? We’re your betas. We should’ve been permitted to go!”

Anna was his second beta, but she acted as his first. She was fiercely protective of him and had been reprimanded more than once by Justice for jumping to Macauley’s defense, not caring who she offended. Not to mention how quick she was to show off her fighting skills.

“Did Wrath kill someone? We heard prisoners were escorted to holding cells in the war room,” Bundy said with excitement lacing his deep voice. He was twenty-four and had been waiting for a fight ever since he’d been named his beta.

“Guys, can you wait outside for me… please. I just need a minute.” Macauley rubbed at the tension building at the base of his skull.

“Alpha… are you sure we can’t—”

“He said to wait for him outside,” Anna snapped. “Now, move.”

Macauley touched his third beta, Rich, to reassure him when he walked past. He was the quieter of the three, but his wolf was anything but. “I’ll be out soon.”

Before Macauley could step into his bathroom and get the water started, his siblings’ voices all blared in his head at the same time.

“Mac, are you home?” Justice asked.

“Were you hurt, brother?” Taleb inquired next.

“We need you in the war room, Mac.”

Macauley gritted his teeth to keep from barking at his family. “I know, Justice. I’m coming. Give me a sec—”

“Are you sure you weren’t hit with one of those darts,” Farica urged, pushing her comforting energy at him.

Her soothing abilities enabled him to release the breath that’d been caught in his throat for a while and got his hot water running. His head was all over the place, and he couldn’t answer one question before another one was fired at him. Not to mention his mind was still fucked-up by Adres’s gift.

He had received a head from a horseman.

What did it mean that Adres hadn’t hesitated to kill for him? And that Macauley had liked it. His wolf had been proud to receive it.

Guys, guys, I’m fine. Yes, I’m home. No, I’m not hurt, not even a scratch. Justice, I need to take a quick shower, then I’ll be headed towards you. Macauley stepped into the shower, groaning at the high-pressured water beating against his chest. And Farica, I was not hit, I promise. If I was, I wouldn’t be talking to you now.

My gods… I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you… I wouldn’t—

He could feel her anguish, but he didn’t have the strength to console her. Instead, he told them goodbye and hurried to clear the link… meaning the conversation was over. They weren’t forceful with their communication if one of them was done talking; it could cause a splitting migraine if either of them pushed too hard.

Macauley began to wash quickly, not having the luxury of enjoying the peace and quiet as he scrubbed away caked-up dirt and grime. He continued to replay the details of the fight in his head to keep them fresh, knowing he was going to have to give a full account to his brother and the vampire king in front of their entire court.

However, all he was able to focus on was Adres’s frustrating scent… or lack thereof.

Adres had slowly allowed Macauley to smell a bit more of him than he did at their first encounter, but it wasn’t near enough to satisfy him or his wolf. The small amount he did get had been good. Really good. When Adres had permitted him to get as close as he did—so close that Macauley had felt the vampire’s cool breath on his jaw—he’d caught the scent of berries beneath the potent smell of leather and darkness.

His heart began to beat faster, and his cock got heavier, which was confusing the hell out of him. It was no secret he adored the ladies. When the female betas went into heat was one of his favorite times of the month, always being one of the first to offer his services. Never had he gotten a fucking chub from thinking of another man’s scent, so he was sticking with his original theory that Adres was someone important to him.

Most likely his mate.

It was the unexplainable void in the center of Adres’s soul that made it impossible for Macauley to know for sure, and it was making his wolf anxious to claw its way to its origin and eliminate it. But the only way he could do that was if Adres allowed it, because the brute force he’d been using before to penetrate Adres’s core had been ineffective.

He thought of the way Adres had pushed his righteous energy right back at him and blocked him from reaching a deeper part of him. No one had the strength to do something like that except for his older siblings or a god.

And Adres was neither.

Unless, of course, he’s more than just a vampire. Macauley turned off the hot water and stepped out of the steaming room, his head almost as foggy as his bathroom mirror. Fuck! I just wanna know if he’s mine.

He ignored his hard-on that refused to go down as long as he kept reliving what’d just happened. Macauley hadn’t been able to see the fight, but he’d heard it. And he now knew firsthand just how deadly Adres Cavalerie was.

Fuck me. He groaned as a long trail of pre-come leaked from the tip of his dick to his thigh. Is this really happening? He was still dripping wet from his shower when he struggled to pull on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve sweater that only had a couple of holes in the back.

It was almost three in the morning, and his king-sized bed was calling to him, but his stomach was yelling even louder. He was on his way to his kitchen to grab a couple of protein bars when he heard growling just outside his front door. Still on high alert from the attack, Macauley darted around his dining table and leapt over the sofa. He exploded out of the door in time to hear his first beta give Anna and Rich the order.

“Shift,” Bundy growled, and both of Macauley’s betas ripped through their clothing, their snarling wolves glaring towards the tree line. “Either come out, or I’m sending them in to get you!” Bundy stood with his big fist clenched at his sides, the veins in his forearms bulging, his jaw set firmer than steel. “Your choice!”

“What the fuck is going on out here?” Macauley barked, his eyes trained on the dark woods.

“There’s someone watching your place.” Bundy narrowed his eyes.

Macauley couldn’t see anything but blackness, but his betas were right. He could smell them. Vampires.

“Come out now!” Bundy demanded, his temper flaring.

Macauley didn’t think any hostiles would’ve made it this close to the main compound—they had too many guards posted for that—but he wasn’t taking any chances, and it didn’t appear his betas wanted to, either. So, it’d be wise if whoever was hiding didn’t test them.

It only took a few seconds before two identical vampires emerged through the thick foliage surrounding the side of his cabin. They were not threatening as they came towards them with their heads lowered and their eyes darting back and forth between each other as if one was silently blaming the other.

“Why are you lurking outside of my alpha’s house?” Bundy asked in his stern tone before the vampires could open their mouths.

“I am Omor, and this is my sister, Daciana. We apologize for making our presence so obvious, Alpha. We’ll do better in the future,” the male said. At least, Macauley thought he sounded male, but he looked exactly like his sister. Long, thick blond hair, plump lips, and flawless alabaster skin.

“What do you mean ‘in the future’?” Macauley stepped in front of Bundy.

“We are to keep you safe, Alpha.” Both of them bared their throats, causing him and Bundy to gasp as they glanced at each other in disbelief.

“Did that seriously just happen?” Anna whispered after she shifted.

“We only bow to our king, but we understand that this is the greatest form of respect to an alpha,” Daciana said in a low tenor with her head still tilted to the side.

“I appreciate your respect.” Macauley didn’t touch their throats like he would’ve another shifter, because vampires didn’t have a beast within that would feel the comfort. But he wanted them to know that he respected the gesture. He just wasn’t sure what he’d done to earn it. “Thank you. But you don’t need to hide in the woods behind my house. I don’t need your protection. You can go back to your duties for Wick.”

The twins glanced at each other, appearing uncomfortable before the male tilted his head again. “We assure you, we will be far more discreet if our presence bothers you.”

Anna put her vest back on and slid the flimsy material she used as a skirt up over her full hips. “Our alpha said he doesn’t need your protection. Besides, he has us.”

“That’s right. So, you’re both relieved of your duty.” Bundy folded his arms over his chest, still eyeing the vampires as if he didn’t believe them, but so far, they had told nothing but the truth.

Omor seemed to be the more vocal of the pair as he was the first to address the awkward silence. “I’m afraid, beta, that you do not have the authority to relieve us of this duty.” He glanced at his sister, and she gave him a quick nod. “Our orders come directly from the Lord of Arms.”

Omor looked Macauley dead in his eyes. “We are to guard you with our lives… or else…”

He didn’t need to finish his sentence for Macauley to understand what he meant when he let the rest of his words trail off. “Adres sent you?”

Daciana nodded, a slight smile tilting her angelic face. “It is a high honor.”

“Holy shit,” Bundy muttered. “That scary-ass guy did this? Why would he give you a protection detail?”

Macauley knew exactly why. It meant he hadn’t been the only one who felt their connection.