Marked Northern Shifters 1

their best bet.
“I think you have to try, Claire. I think it’s worth trying.”
“If normals grab me, they’ll chain me.”
Alec shook his head. “They’ll think you’re normal, see?”
“But I can’t stay a girl,” she said, appalled.
“For a short time, you must. You can’t remain here, Claire. Once you’re with Liam, you won’t have to stay a girl all the time, right?”
She placed a hand on his chest, clutching his shirt a little. “But I like being with you.”
His chest hurt. “I like being with you, too, sweetheart. But it’s a bad place to be. It will make me happy to think you’re in a better place.”
She thought about this, brought her thumb to her mouth and sucked on it. Alec didn’t interrupt her thoughts.
“I don’t want to leave you here,” she said after a while.
“You can tell Liam where I am.”
Her eyes widened. “I’ll tell him to rescue you.”
Alec didn’t react. It was possible Liam wouldn’t care about non-werewolves or marks or even just Alec. Alec didn’t want to hope and have that hope crushed. Though he was banking on Liam caring about a little wolf girl because Liam cared about Ira.
“I will.” This rescue idea seemed to give Claire confidence.
“Okay.”
“And if he doesn’t, I’ll come back here with my friend Trey. Because they only keep you because I like you. The last girl with the quad killed herself and they don’t want me to do that.”
Christ, who had told her that? “Please don’t kill yourself, Claire. I like you too much.”
She snuggled up to him then, making a rather wolfish noise of pleasure, and he brought his arm around her.
“Alec?”
“Yes?”
“Do you like Liam?” She sounded worried.
He dragged a hand through his filthy hair. “Yes.” The word came out a shuddery sigh that would have embarrassed him if he weren’t so exhausted. He was descending into a stupor.
“When do I have to go?”
“As soon as possible. You go tomorrow if you get the chance. It’s that important, Claire.”
“Okay.”
“Now, you’re going to learn the phone number.” He recited it and she repeated it to him many times, until it became an odd kind of comforting chant.
After a time, she rose, wanting to leave before Gabriel or Luke found her girl-form with Alec. Her thin undernourished body moved out of the moonlight and into the darkness. If he could get her away from here, it was worth something. He just hoped Liam could be trusted.
    “Where the fuck is Trey?” Liam didn’t mean to sound like an asshole, but he needed Trey here yesterday .
Veronica eyed Liam, clearly annoyed. “I am worried about him. That Trey’s not here by now doesn’t make sense unless…” She bit her lip.
“Unless he was more injured than he let on,” Liam said in disapproval. Trey never liked to appear vulnerable.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“It would have been responsible, under the circumstances, to let you know exactly what was going on, Veronica.”
She placed fists on her hips, but David spoke up. “How many are there in the quad now?”
“Three,” answered Veronica. “Though the girl cub doesn’t count.”
“So they picked her up how?” David’s question echoed Liam’s own. Where was the girl from?
“I don’t know. Trey cut the conversation short. You know he doesn’t like phones now.” Not since his former employer, the FBI, wanted to find him. But Liam didn’t have time to think about Trey’s troubles.
“The quad has Alec,” Liam declared, certain of it. “We have to look for him, with or without Trey.”
“You don’t know—” began David.
“They have Alec,” Liam repeated. “ I know. I know them. I belonged.”
“Ten years ago,” Veronica pointed out.
“Gabriel has not changed, I promise you. Trey should have put a bullet in his brother’s head long ago.”
Veronica and David just stared at Liam. They believed Trey had tried. Liam had his doubts and now Gabriel had Alec. It made Liam wild with fear. “We can’t just wait until he kills Alec.”
“We need to protect Ira, too,” Veronica said quietly.
Liam glowered at her. “It’s the fucking reason I’m here.”
Veronica flinched. He was going all alpha on her, but he didn’t care. “I want to protect all my pack, not cherry-pick favorites.”
David swore and stepped in front of Veronica, ready to go toe-to-toe with Liam. He abruptly turned his back. It was hard, he wanted a showdown, but not with these two, not with his only friends.
“This is