Blue Moon: Blood Moon Trilogy #3 (15 page)

I didn’t like the idea of leaving Jackson out there on his own, but looking around at the rest of my packmates told me to trust that he’d be fine for a while longer. So, even though it went against what my gut was telling me—something I rarely ever ignored—I conceded.

“Now, why don’t we wait for Jackson to contact us again?” Marcus suggested. Everyone agreed, so he continued. “Let’s take an intermission, and we’ll reconvene a little later. If any of you think of anything or have any ideas for when we’re ready to proceed, bring it to the meeting tonight.”

Inhaling deeply, I turned away from Marcus and walked around the table toward Nick. He wrapped an arm around me and kissed the top of my head as we headed toward the door. Before we could leave the library, Marcus spoke again.

“Brooke?” I turned at the sound of my name, meeting his expectant stare. “Can you spare a moment? I’d like to speak with you privately.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but no sound came out as my nerves caused my vocal chords to seize.

Nick gave my hip a gentle squeeze, coaxing my eyes to his. “I’ll be upstairs. Come find me when you finish up.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine before leaving Marcus and me alone.

The sound of the heavy library door closing seemed to echo in the silence of the room, and I bit the outer corner of my lower lip nervously, folding my arms in front of me. I was pretty sure I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did I feel like I had?

Marcus smiled, but it did little to assuage my fears. He waved a hand in front of him, indicating the various chairs at the table. “Please, have a seat,” he offered. He took note of my nervous gait, and laughed. “No need to be nervous, Brooke.”

I heard the words, but for some reason, I didn’t quite believe them.

I
took a seat across from Marcus and watched as he lowered himself in the chair behind him. His eyes held mine, but I couldn’t get a read on what he wanted to talk to me about. Alone. Without any of the other pack members around. I could count on one hand how many private meetings the two of us had shared…

Though, if I thought about it, each one of our interactions had always been positive or informative.

Realizing this helped me relax, and I noticed Marcus’s posture soften a little as well.

“That’s better,” he said with a grin. “You were so nervous, I was debating whether or not to offer you a drink.”

Laughing, I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. As Alpha, I’m generally a little more sensitive to the emotions each of you experience,” he explained. “Which is kind of the reason I wanted to talk to you.”

Intrigued, I leaned on the tabletop and prepared to listen.

“Now, I understand with everything you’ve been through, your tension is justified.”

I could feel my body stiffen as it prepared itself to talk about my time in the compound again. It didn’t seem to matter how much I talked about it; it still wasn’t any easier.

“I’m not going to hound you for more information than we need. The things you experienced, how they made you feel…well, I can only imagine the toll it must be having on you. I just want you to know that I’m here—as a friend and as your Alpha—should you need to talk to someone.” He shrugged. “Assuming you’d want to talk to me, that is.”

Smiling, I reached across the table and patted his enclosed hands. “That’s sweet. I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”

Marcus cleared his throat and pulled his hands back. It was
his
nervousness that polluted the room now. “Now, that’s not the only reason I asked you to stay behind.”

“Okay.”

“Your brother,” he continued carefully.

I shook my head vehemently, recalling the things Bobby did and said to me down there. “That
thing
is not my brother. My brother died seven years ago.”

“Fair enough.”

“What is it you’d like to know?”

Marcus hesitated. “I’m sure you understand that a war is coming.”

I couldn’t keep the tremble from my hands, so I moved them from the table to my lap, hiding them. “Seems inevitable, yes.”

“It’s been escalating for decades. But now, after taking Cordy and then you, doing the things they did to you both…I can’t stand by and not avenge my family. I won’t.” The growl in his voice was low, coming from somewhere deep within him. The amber rings around his pupils flared, and I could feel the waves of heat rolling off him.

“They’ll come for you again,” he predicted, and I knew he was right; Bobby hadn’t gotten what he wanted while he had me. “But I won’t let them near any of my family.”

“He won’t come for anyone else,” I stated confidently. “I’m the key to this crazy hybrid plan. He wants me to be the first. After that…I can’t be sure. Nick seems to think he’ll want to make more and then colonize after wiping the Pack out.”

Perplexed, Marcus inquired further. “If what you’re saying is correct, and it’s your DNA that makes you a viable candidate to his…
cause
, then I don’t understand how he figures he’ll be able to reproduce more of this new species.”

“I don’t either,” I answered truthfully, “but Nick has this theory that once a hybrid has been successfully transitioned, they’ll be able to create more. Using humans as their starting point.”

“Good lord,” Marcus exhaled, falling back in his chair. “We’ll need to act fast to avoid this from happening.”

“Which is why I think Jackson is wrong to stay out there alone,” I argued. The wolf inside me stirred, reminding me to mind my place with my Alpha. I backed down sheepishly. “Sorry.”

With a broad smile, he brushed my apology off. “Don’t ever apologize for following your instincts and standing up for what you believe in,” he commanded, standing up and heading to the window. “This brings me to the other reason I asked to speak to you privately.”

His back was to me, arms crossed in front of him as he stared out at the mountains. It looked beautiful outside, the sun shining in the blue sky with barely a cloud in sight. Now that the wolf was awake, she was itching to go out for a run; it had been a while since I’d shifted, and I craved it.

“With the war coming, I need to prepare this pack for the worst.”

My feelings of dread from earlier returned with a vengeance. I knew I sensed something when he asked to speak with me. “Wh-what do you mean?”

He exhaled a heavy sigh. “After everything that’s happened in recent weeks, and as Alpha, it is my duty to protect this pack until I take my last breath.”

“Marcus—”

“This will be the biggest battle this pack has ever been thrust into, and I need to make sure this pack is taken care of after it’s all over.”

I tried again, sensing where this conversation was going. “Marcus—”

“If something should happen to me, I want to name you my successor, Brooke.” He turned to me then, eyes hard, serious.

It was just as Nick had predicted before I’d been captured. “Me?” My voice reached an octave I hadn’t even realized was possible. “But…Corbin?”

“Isn’t ready,” he admitted honestly. “He knows this, and agrees with my decision.”

“Then Nick…Jackson? Surely they’re better suited to the position than me,” I said, pushing my chair back and standing up quickly.

“Nick and Jax are both great at what they do, but they’re too hot-headed.” No arguments there. “I need someone who can think rationally and act with caution in any situation. They’re both ‘act now, think later’ types, and their past is colorful. There would be a power struggle between them, and I need this pack to remain unified. A family. One glimpse of weakness in our ranks, and our enemies will use it to their full advantage.”

My head shook as I moved toward Marcus. “I’m not ready. I’ve only been in this life for a couple of months. It’s…it’s not enough time.”

Marcus gripped my upper arms and held me in place, his dark eyes boring into mine. “Then let me guide you. Who knows, maybe we’ll make it through this with no casualties, and we’ll laugh about this later. Either way, you’re exactly what this pack needs in its future.”

“I don’t see how. I can barely shift on my own.” Even just bringing it up had the wolf scratching at the edge of my subconscious. “I could get us all killed.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. I’ve been watching you since you arrived, and while you could definitely benefit from some more practice, you’ve come a lot further than most who are bitten this late in life.”

If I wasn’t still stunned about his wanting to name me the Pack’s future Alpha, I probably would have been a little offended by the age comment.

“Your experience on the police force is a valuable asset. It’s taught you to think before acting. You’ve been programmed to look at the entire situation before coming to a conclusion. You’re rational and level-headed, compassionate, resourceful, and able to put your differences with others aside for the good of the Pack.” He was talking about my history with Roxanne. “These are all desirable attributes for the leader of this pack. And you embody every single one and more. The Pack would be lucky to have you lead them.”

“You’re saying this like you know something is going to happen to you,” I interjected, my voice soft and wavering.

Marcus shook his head once. “Just putting all my ducks in a row in the off chance something should. I wanted to approach you and give you the option.”

“So I can say no.”

Smiling, he dipped his head and closed his eyes. “You can, though I’d really rather you not. I won’t force you into something that makes you uneasy, but I have no doubts you were made for this. And with Nick by your side…you’d be unstoppable.”

“Well, that’s because he’s built like a bulldozer,” I joked, making Marcus laugh loudly. “Do I have to decide right now? How long do I have to think about it?”

“I’ll tell you what,” he began, taking on a bargaining tone. “Take the next couple of days to think about it, but during that time, I want to meet with you to talk to you and teach you a little more about what it is you would be doing.” He paused. “I won’t pressure you to accept the offer, but this way you can gather all the information and make an informed decision regarding your future and the future of the Pack.”

“You mean, use that level-headed rationality you were just praising me for a moment ago.”

Marcus winked and shot me a finger-gun salute. “Exactly. What do you say?”

I took a deep breath and contemplated the offer and his compromise for a minute. Being Alpha was a huge responsibility, and I honestly wasn’t sure I would be ready for it, let alone any good at it. I worried that my inexperience might cost each and every one of them their lives.

On the flip side, I was only aware of what I was seeing as the new wolf in the Pack, and I couldn’t say no without knowing everything the position entailed.

Realizing this, I thrust my hand toward Marcus. “You’ve got a deal.” He eyed me curiously, probably wondering which part of the deal, so I elaborated. “I’m not saying yes, but I am agreeing to learning more about it in hopes of reaching my decision soon.”

Marcus took my hand in his, gripping it firmly and shaking it. “You won’t regret this decision. You’ll see.”

Unfortunately, being faced with the proposition only served to insert the most horrible images into my brain. All of them led to me rising through the ranks after the death of Marcus, and I couldn’t shake them no matter how hard I tried.