Page 155 of Marked

“You said he sort of appeared a couple decades back,” Nate said. “Lots of money, desperate to join up, and with a kid in tow.”

“Yeah. Lincoln Masters has beenverycovert about his past, but rumors still get out. There’s no proof to it, but people always said he probably came from the Detroit area. That he’d been a member of that pack and had some sort of falling out. I checked, and around the same time he joined up with the Toronto pack, a huge meth problem plagued Detroit. More than the usual drug crisis. This stuff had absolutelyfloodedthe streets. The kicker? Almost as soon as Lincoln joins Toronto, the problem eases.”

“What the fuck?” Nate’s face was a mask of confusion that matched what I felt inside. What was Ollie getting at? Could Rick’s father have been the reason for the surge in drug use back then?

“The guy gotreallylucky, too,” Ollie went on. “Before Lincoln joined up, the laws about switching packs were pretty lax. Shifters are pretty goddamned loyal, so bouncing around packs was never a huge problem. Packs were always hesitant to bring in new people, but it wasn’t as big a deal as it is now. Plus, Lincoln probably greased the wheels with cash. A few grand in the pockets of certain elders makes the process easier, if I had to guess. With all that, no one thought we needed restrictions?—”

“I know where you’re going with this,” Nate said through gritted teeth.

“Yeah. About three months after Lincoln joined, a feral wolf ends up murdering an alpha’s mate out near Maine. That sent the entire North American pack system into a frenzy. Alphas became paranoid, and packs enacted a ton of laws and unspokenrules about stamping ferals out like some cancer, shunning lone wolves because they were more likely toturnferal. It was a huge deal.” Ollie sighed. “It’s also why you’ve had such a rough life, Nate, and I’m sorry for that. I wanted to give you an overview of what I found.”

“You said there was an explosion in methamphetamine use in Detroit,” I said. “But I don’t recall ever hearing about anything like that here.”

“If he was involved, and I want to put an emphasis onif, then he’s much smarter about it this time around,” Ollie said. “Meth use on the streets began to rise almost from the moment Lincoln arrived. I pulled arrest reports for the last twenty years. You can see the steady rise, beginning within months of his arrival and acceptance into the pack.

“After seeing all this, I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that the guy Rick sent after Cameron randomly happened to be an addict from Lincoln’s old stomping grounds. There’s too many threads connecting this family to all this shit. We said Lenny was being controlled, and I think Rick did it with drugs,” Ollie said.

“Where do we go from here?” Nate asked. “Everything you’ve said sounds circumstantial. Is there any concrete proof?”

“Not as of yet. I’ve reached out to a contact in Detroit. I’m waiting to hear back if he can meet up. There’s a chance he has some dirt we can use against the Masters family. I’ll let you know what he says, and maybe the three of us can speak to him.”

“Definitely,” Nate said. “Tell us as soon as you have a meeting set up.”

“Will do. That’s all I’ve got. I wanted you to know.”

“Thanks. Call if you hear any more.”

“Will do. Bye, guys.”

When Nate ended the call, I could see the wheels turning in his head. This was getting weirder by the minute.HadRick’s father amassed his fortune through drug sales? The idea wasso incongruous with the image I had of him that it made me dizzy. I recalled the ritzy gala where I’d met him and his wife Madison for the first time. In my mind, drug dealers were street-level criminals dressed in torn jeans and scuffed boots. They definitely weren’t polished, coiffed snobs wearing three-thousand-dollar suits and thousand-dollar shoes.

“Are you still hungry?” Nate said. “You didn’t get the snacks you wanted, and I’m starving.”

My stomach was still grumbling. In fact, it made a loud gurgling sound when he mentioned food, and I blushed in embarrassment.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Nate said with a grin. “I’m going to order more takeout. I’d rather not leave the house again. I’m fairly certain this house is safe, but after what happened earlier, I’d rather not take chances.”

“Good call,” I agreed.

An hour later, we were sitting on the couch, eating falafel and gyros while watching TV. His knee brushed against mine, and I was struck by how strangely domestic this all was. As though we’d been spent years together doing this. I enjoyed the steadiness that came with being around Nate, as did my inner wolf.

When we were done eating, I leaned against him, letting his warmth radiate into me. The show we were watching faded into the background as I curled up against him, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

After a while, I felt eyes on me. When I looked up, Nate was staring down at me. Almost drunk on his scent, I grinned, and when he leaned down to kiss me, I parted my lips and swept my tongue into his mouth. The kiss was deep, passionate, and sent a shudder of desire through me. Nate growled and pulled me closer. My wolf let out a low, happy growl as he wrapped his arms around me.

After all that had happened, we both needed a release. A moment to forget everything. The fear, the worry, the drama that had filled our lives the last few days. For all we knew, this could be our last chance to be together. Even with all of JC’s promises and assurances, the pack could turn Nate away. If that was the case, then I wanted to drink in every moment with him.

I ran my fingers into his hair and kissed him even harder.

40

Nate

Heat radiated from Cameron as we kissed. I could actually feel her temperature rise as my tongue slid against hers. I pulled Cameron onto my lap, and she straddled me, grinding against my already rock-hard erection. Our breaths mingled in heavy gasps and hungry moans. My cock strained against my jeans, like a sentient creature begging to be set free.

Iwantedher. My body, soul, and wolf yearned to make her mine. Like a man wandering in the desert and desperate for water, I was desperate for Cameron.

My wolf let out a snarl that was pure, carnal need. Carnal, yes, but something more than that. I needed her in a way I couldn’t even fathom. Everything about Cameron—from her scent to the way she laughed—filled me with desire and something even deeper than that. Something that was, quite honestly, terrifying. But in a good way. I’d never met a woman I couldn’t say no to, couldn’t walk away from, couldn’t forgetabout. Now, with Cameron? That wouldn’t be possible. I needed to do all I could to make sure I never left her side.

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