Marked Northern Shifters 1

Veronica’s brother, Seth, was apparently very glad to meet Alec, who tried not to freak out. Instead, he reached for Liam’s hand, gripped hard, and found reassurance.
“Hungry?” Liam asked.
Alec nodded and they walked to the kitchen. Seth raised his eyebrows at their handholding, a reaction Alec didn’t have the energy to decipher. To say he felt out of his element would be an understatement.
He gulped down breakfast, ignoring Liam who studied him.
“Alec?”
“Yep?” Crap. The panic was back. Because Liam was going to kick him out. He’d have to leave. Alec knew he’d have to leave. Which would be great, given that he was surrounded by fucking werewolves, but Christ, evil werewolves existed outside this house. Liam was miles better than Gabriel.
Liam knelt beside Alec to rest a hand on his thigh, and Alec worked hard at not jumping. This seemed to be Liam’s new modus operandi , positioning himself to rest lower than Alec. Perhaps it was a werewolf thing.
“It’s safe here,” Liam assured him. “David has a gun and knows how to use it. And Seth, he’s a beta”— beta? Was that versus alpha? —“but he actually knows how to fight. He’s been there before and he’ll kill when he has to.”
Alec found himself blinking, not knowing why Liam was saying this. “Kill who?”
“Gabriel and Luke. They’ll want you, Claire and Ira back.” Liam paused, his golden eyes darkening for a moment. “And me, too, for that matter. Even if I left them ten years ago, I was with them the longest. We’re staying together until this is over. So we’re all safe.”
Despite finding it difficult to look into Liam’s eyes again, Alec nodded agreement. There was something of shame in him, for being shackled, for being rescued. And he felt so exhausted.
He gave up trying to sound casual, as if his question didn’t matter to him. The words came out tight and tense. Pathetic. “I don’t have to leave your house now?”
“ No .” A line formed between Liam’s eyebrows. “You stay with me.”
The worst of Alec’s jitteriness subsided. Gabriel would be kept at bay for the time being. What Alec’s relationship with Liam was, he’d have to figure out later. Hopefully not pet . He couldn’t get that fucking word out of his head. Alec had always taken such pride in his independence, from the day he’d been on his own. And now look at him, needing Liam and scared he’d be kicked out of the house again.
“I’m tired.” As if that explained his turmoil.
“That’s understandable.”
Alec snorted, then glanced down to see Liam’s bewildered frown. But Alec just couldn’t say anything more. Fortunately, Ira chose that moment to trot up, book in hand, and Liam pushed up to standing while he regarded his younger brother with some exasperation. “I’ve told you, Ira, that Alec isn’t feeling well. He can’t read to you right now.”
Ira’s chin lifted to tilt at an angle. “I thought Alec would like to read this,” he informed his brother stiffly.
Alec glanced down to see the first Harry Potter book. “Thank you, Ira.” He took it and placed it on the table.
“Alec was my special friend first.” This was said with some belligerence.
Liam sighed.
“Well, you’re a good friend, Ira. Thoughtful.” Alec’s praise brought Ira’s chin down a notch.
Liam placed hands on his brother’s shoulders. “Ira. This is not a competition. Alec can be friends with you and Claire both, all right?”
Ira gnawed on the knuckle of his thumb while he considered this rather dubious possibility.
“Now, off you go.” Liam pushed Ira towards the door. “That was thoughtful of you to bring Alec a book.”
Dragging his feet, Ira left.
With a rueful expression, Liam turned to Alec. “I’m sure I could find the humor in Ira’s jealousy if I weren’t stressed about the quad. As it is, Ira’s so insecure I have to keep a certain distance from Claire so he doesn’t have a meltdown. Fortunately, Veronica and Claire are bonding. And Seth and David are paying a lot of attention to both kids.”
“Good. Claire was a sweetheart.” He didn’t say out loud, when I was in the shed . “I want her to be okay.”
Liam smiled. “Thanks to you, she may be.”
“Trey was bringing her to you.”
At that, Liam cocked his head in question.
“Claire told me that Trey was bringing her to someone who knows how to raise werewolf kids and she would have a brother. I assumed he was talking about you and Ira.”
Mouth slightly open,