Marked Northern Shifters 1

of stunned reprieve and he lost sense of time.
“Alec?” It took a moment for him to realize someone was repeating his name. When
    Seth—where had he come from?—lightly touched his shoulder, Alec flinched. “You look sick again,” Ira declared, and reached for Alec’s hand, to hold it and pat
it. When Alec looked down, Ira’s forehead was puckered in concern.
“Did something happen?” asked Seth.
Ira’s face brightened. “We saw Trey!”
“Are you sure, Ira?” Seth demanded.
“Yes,” he said a little indignantly. “Alec saw him, too.” Ira craned his neck back and
addressed David, who was ambling towards them. “You saw him, David, right?” David nodded. “Looked like Trey. Acted like Trey. Veronica will be so relieved.” Seth turned his overly blue gaze on Alec. It was not unlike Gabriel’s gaze, but he’d
never seen concern in the other’s face.
Alec swallowed. “I thought it was Gabriel.”
Seth nodded. “The brothers do look alike.”
“Why don’t Liam and I look more alike?” piped up Ira. “We’re brothers, too.” “You each take after your fathers,” Seth explained.
“I want to look like Liam.”
“You, Ira, are a very handsome wolf.” Seth ruffled Ira’s curly hair and turned the
conversation back to Trey. “Where was he? I don’t smell him.”
Ira pointed.
Trey, Alec reminded himself, was a good guy. Apparently.
“Downwind, of course.” Seth crossed his arms. “Well, we’ll wait. He’s not too slow
at shifting.”
It didn’t take all that long before a large, naked man emerged from the copse of trees.
Seth just grinned. Then he waved, a rather jaunty gesture.
“He’ll never wave back,” he informed Alec. Evidently this was reason to speak
fondly about the stranger striding towards them.
Wishing Liam were home, Alec tried not to cringe.
    At first glance, Trey had struck Alec as wild eyed and wild haired. But he cleaned up to a rather stone-faced man with a closed expression who maybe softened at the pleasure Veronica took in seeing him.
    He was polite, if distant, with the kids, who hung back in some kind of awe. Alec had expected Claire’s “friend” to be a little affectionate, not aloof. When he pointed this out to Liam later, he said quite matter-of-factly that Trey needed to eat and sleep, and the kids understood that.
    Trey slept for two days. If the sex hadn’t been so good, Alec would have gone nuts, stuck in a house full of werewolves. The tension was thick and it wasn’t just because of him and his nightmares. Everyone was affected, including his golden boy.
    Alec decided to work on Liam’s personal tension. This thing between them was strong and sexual, but not always comfortable. Being overwhelmed by Liam and his desire was amazingly freeing in its way, but Alec sometimes wanted to know what was going on in Liam’s head.
    They’d showered and now sat on the bed, sated. Feeling in an experimental mood, Alec rose onto his knees and pushed Liam’s shoulders until he lay down on his back. Liam reached for him, but Alec eluded his grasp.
    “Stay there,” he ordered.
Liam appeared taken aback, but tried to hide it. “What are you doing?” “You can quite clearly observe what I am doing.” Alec raised Liam’s now stiff arm
    and stroked lightly under the freshly washed armpit. Soap and the clean smell of Liam made him smile. “You’re not too hairy for a werewolf.”
“We vary,” Liam answered cautiously.
Alec placed Liam’s hand above his head, then ran a palm along his biceps. The scrutiny obviously discomfited Liam.
“You don’t let me spend much time on you, Liam. Why?” Alec traced a few ribs before lightly brushing the erect pink nipple.
“I like spending time on you more.”
Alec paused in his actions. “So this is unwelcome?”
“Not exactly.” Liam’s voice sounded thick and it wasn’t just desire. The effort to stay still wasn’t easy or comfortable. Alec thought back to other times when he’d attempted any kind of control, usually when he was incredibly angry, and Liam had either been stiff, or limp—which was so much worse.
“You said you didn’t want me to fight you.” As Alec stroked Liam’s stomach, he observed his lover’s cock beginning to harden in response. “Why not? Don’t you alphas like to fight?”
“Not with our mates.”
That word gave Alec pause.
“Sorry, I forget you don’t like me to say it.”
“There’s just too much I don’t understand.” Alec backed up from Liam, who looked