Page 119 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

He rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging humbly. The shame that a non-pack alpha had saved our omega hung between us, but Julian was smart enough not to rub it in our faces. He hadsomesocial skills, I had to give him that. “I was heading over here for dinner when I saw a female struggling in the back of a car. She looked like Marlowe. I mean, I would have gone after them even if it had been someone else, but…”

Cam let go of Marlowe and made his way to Julian, embracing him tightly. Julian looked a little like he didn’t know where to put his hands, and Marlowe laughed. “For god’s sake, Cam, put some clothes on. You’re going to scare our new pack mate.”

I turned back towards Marlowe and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Marlowe grinned, wiping blood off my cheek. “He knocked out a vampyr with one punch. I want him on our side.”

I glanced over at Julian. He was a little young, but I supposed his scent wasn’t too bad. And if Marlowe was fine with it...

“Well, can’t argue with my omega,” I replied.

Archer and Nolan came running back up the driveway, and Marlowe let me go to lean down and pet them. They pushed her over in their excitement, licking her and wagging their tails while she giggled.

“You all keep wolves?” Julian asked in amazement. “They’re beautiful.”

Nolan shifted back into his human form, giving Marlowe a kiss on the cheek below him and then standing to his full height. “Beautiful, huh?”

The color drained from Julian’s face. “Wait… you all can…”

Archer shifted back next, picking a leaf out of his hair before walking towards Julian, a wide grin on his face and his hand outstretched.

“I suppose this means welcome to Pack Wolcott?”

62

MARLOWE

Cam’s house was a disaster.

Even if we could somehow ignore the fact that the first floor was littered with vampyr bodies and piles of ashes, the smoke that still clung in the air and all of the broken windows made it completely unlivable.

Nolan and Elias stayed back with Cam to talk to the police, while Archer, Julian and I packed a few bags and headed to my dad’s house, as it was the next biggest property in our pack and could accommodate us the best.

There were five bedrooms for us to choose from, but that night, I just wanted to sleep with my pack. After we all showered, I went to work turning the living room into a giant nest, dragging all the blankets and pillows I could find downstairs and arranging them so I could sleep in the middle and cuddle with everyone.

Archer simply sat back and watched in delight. “Such an omega,” he teased.

I stopped, scrunching my face. “I don’t know if that’s supposed to be an insult or not.”

“It’s not,” Julian said. He had distanced himself slightly, observing from the chair farthest away. “I never thought I’d see this in person. It’s… adorable.”

I threw a pillow at his face.

Archer’s phone chimed, and he looked down, sighing. “It looks like they’re going to be a while, so Nolan says we should eat without them. I’ll go pick up some fast food – you two stay here.”

He grabbed his coat, giving Julian a nod on his way out.

I snuggled into my makeshift nest and turned on the TV. My dad had cable, which in an era of streaming entertainment was fascinating yet frustrating to navigate. I scrolled through the channels and pumped my fist in victory when I finally found something to watch on the Hallmark Channel. “Score…”

Julian still sat quietly on the other side of the room, and I patted the space next to me. “Come over here, I don’t bite.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk, and he leaned forward in his chair. “Maybe not, but your ex does.”

I gave him a horrified look and he laughed. “Sorry, too soon?”

My fingers brushed against the marks on my neck where Mike had bitten me. Compared to the beautiful crescent moons left by my pack, the pinpricks had seemed vulgar when I’d inspected them in the mirror.

I shivered slightly, remembering the way Mike’s fangs had felt piercing my skin, but Julian’s scent and handsome face calmed me. “Entirely, but I will forgive you if you cuddle with me.”

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