Marked Northern Shifters 1

Liam just stared. “Wow. A compliment from Trey.”
Alec frowned. “But I thought he was one of the good guys.”
“Oh, he is,” Liam said immediately, as if he was parroting some party line. “I don’t always get along with him, that’s all. But he helped me save Ira.”
“Where is he now?”
“ That is the million-dollar question.”
Alec rather thought there were a number of other big questions, but felt too overwhelmed to ask them. Instead, he spent the rest of the day hanging out with the kids who vied for his attention when they weren’t engrossed by David’s Lego action or Seth’s card tricks. No adult seemed particularly happy during this dutiful play. They were waiting to hear from Trey, and if they didn’t soon, they would make a move without him. The specifics of said move, Alec intended to discuss later when he was alone with Liam. Because he preferred that the other—adult—werewolves ignore him, even if he listened carefully to their quiet conversations when he could.
He’d come to the conclusion that these wolves were not the same as “the quad”, but he found it hard to feel at ease after being at the mercy of Gabriel’s intense focus, after being marked and petted. Those memories made Alec want to creep around in the shadows of this house. If he could have found shadows. Today the sun shone brightly.
After supper, Alec withdrew to the corner of the living room and toyed with the idea of going back to the bedroom. It had been a long day out here in the company of wolves. Problem was, he craved Liam’s company right now. A compulsion he didn’t quite understand and yet could not ignore. He supposed his days in the shed, Claire notwithstanding, had felt terrifyingly alone. Even his year on his own since being marked by Gabriel had been isolating. And his years since his parents had booted him out on the street had been difficult, with no one to count on but himself. So now that he was counting on Liam, Alec felt nervous, fretful.
Alec looked up to find Seth’s unsettling gaze on him. Those blue eyes so like Gabriel’s, weird and intense, though Seth’s eyes were admittedly softer, warmer. More human. Even if Seth was not human.
Seth’s mouth quirked up and he turned to Liam, murmuring, “I guess he’s yours, huh?”
Alec wasn’t supposed to hear that. Perhaps Seth thought him deaf? Seth-with-theeyes-of-an-angel then clapped Liam on the back in congratulations and walked off.
As the panic attacked again, Alec felt like he was going to barf.
Across the room, as if aware something was wrong, Liam frowned at Alec. Then Claire broke Ira’s Lego, Ira hit her and Claire wailed.
“Ira,” Liam snapped and pulled him away, a little roughly, which caused Ira to burst into tears. David and Veronica both stepped in and Alec disappeared upstairs.
His heart was racing.
Liam had said he was safe. But was he also something else? This idea of being a pet, he couldn’t get it out of his head, couldn’t get Gabriel and his petting sessions out of his mind. Did he, Alec, somehow belong to Liam? What the fuck had Seth-with-Gabriel’seyes meant with I guess he’s yours and that indulgent smile?
Alec didn’t think he deserved this. Life wasn’t fair and all that. But he couldn’t exactly roll with the punches here. He had to get out. Half the time he was terrified Liam would kick him out and the other half he longed to escape.
He scrubbed his face, trying to calm down. He didn’t cry. Wasn’t his thing, but if it was, he’d be weeping now.
“Alec?”
He flinched, then tried to go very still. Which was stupid, given Liam’s incredible sense of smell.
Jesus. He was cracking.
“I’m going to turn on the light, okay?”
Fucking basket case. He’d always thought of himself as mentally strong before this year, this week.
Liam crouched down beside him and Alec clenched his fists. “I’m yours?” he gritted out. “I am not yours .”
    “Okay.” Liam just wanted to agree with everything Alec said, if that would calm him down, though it hurt a little to go along with this statement.
Alec’s terror was back. Liam touched his shoulder—why was Alec cowering in the corner?—and Alec’s gaze, wild and angry, as if caged, met Liam’s. Alec pushed forward, barreling into Liam, knocking him flat on his back and Liam inwardly groaned. Not again .
Liam went limp, not understanding why, apart from last night when Alec had clung to him, Alec had to start every physical encounter with this