Read Online At First Sight: A Timber Wolves Companion by Tammy Blackwell - Free Book Online
Authors: Tammy Blackwell
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to pale.
“Have it your way,” Liam said before tugging down his jeans.
“This is so not what I meant when I said I wanted to see a strip show,” Jase muttered, staring at the ground. Toby was watching Liam. And me? I was watching Alex. I watched his pulse jump erratically in his throat and his fist squeeze together at his side and knew Toby wouldn’t see anything on the elder Cole’s hip.
“My apologies… Taxiarho Cole?”
I snapped my attention back to my own brother to see him with his head bowed and neck arched in submission.
“Potential Cole,” Liam said, marking himself as someone who would one day ascend to the rank of Taxiarho or Stratego, the Shifter equivalent of the Royal Guard. Some Potentials never reached either of those stations, but if Liam had the mark, which he must for Toby to have submitted so completely and quickly, then he was definitely moving up in the Shifter world, sooner rather than later.
But it didn’t make sense. I may not be the most observant guy in the world, but I can tell when someone is about to wet themselves because they think they're about to get busted in a lie. And Alex was going to have to change his underwear when we left. Something wasn’t on the up-and-up. I could feel it in my bones.
I glanced over at Jase. We were only cousins, but in many ways he was closer to me than even Toby. We grew up side by side and could communicate with nothing more than a look. The one we shared in front of the Cole’s home said neither of us believed a bit of this crap.
Toby, however, seemed to believe him but wasn’t exactly impressed. “If you don’t mind my asking, Potential Cole, why have you and the Alphas decided to grace us with your presence?” The annoyance in his tone was more than evident.
Liam ambled down from his perch, leaning against the rail once he was on the bottom step. “I have business to attend to here.”
“What kind of business?” Toby asked.
“Private Alpha Pack business.”
“So, I should contact the Alpha Pack with my inquiry?”
Alex’s fist clenched again. Perhaps my brother wasn’t as oblivious as to the wrongness of this situation as I thought.
But while Alex looked like he was on the verge of some sort of fit, Liam just casually shrugged his shoulders. “If you choose to bother them with your concerns, that’s your call.”
The wind blew, carrying Liam’s scent with it. This far away from a full moon, I shouldn’t have been able to pick up his smell so easily, and it certainly shouldn’t have triggered a fight or flight response. I watched Toby, ready to follow my pack Leader’s decision on what to do next.
To my surprise, Toby didn’t growl or offer his throat in submission. Instead, he uncrossed his arms and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He rocked back on his heels as if he was completely unaware of the way the other Shifter’s scent had affected me and Jase, who was snarling quietly at my side.
“Here’s the way this is going to work,” Toby said, causing Liam’s eyes to narrow. “You can stay here, and I won’t alert the Alpha Pack.” Liam started to say something, but Toby held up a hand. “Maybe you are who you say you are, or maybe not, but I know that neither of us really want to get the Alphas involved in our business. So, you stay, and I’ll keep my mouth shut, as long as you agree to a few terms.”
“Terms?”
“You’ll stay within the confines of Lake County during the full moon, and you won’t have any contact with any member of my pack. Deal?”
“Deal.”
I thought I might have heard Toby sigh in relief.
“For the record,” Jase said, “My sister is part of the Hagan Pack.”
“No.” I wasn’t quite sure who had said it, but then he repeated himself. “No. I’m not staying away from Scout,” Alex said.
Liam rubbed the back of his head. “Alex…”
“No. She’s mine. You can’t make me stay away from her.”
Of the three of us, I’m the least volatile. As Pack
“Have it your way,” Liam said before tugging down his jeans.
“This is so not what I meant when I said I wanted to see a strip show,” Jase muttered, staring at the ground. Toby was watching Liam. And me? I was watching Alex. I watched his pulse jump erratically in his throat and his fist squeeze together at his side and knew Toby wouldn’t see anything on the elder Cole’s hip.
“My apologies… Taxiarho Cole?”
I snapped my attention back to my own brother to see him with his head bowed and neck arched in submission.
“Potential Cole,” Liam said, marking himself as someone who would one day ascend to the rank of Taxiarho or Stratego, the Shifter equivalent of the Royal Guard. Some Potentials never reached either of those stations, but if Liam had the mark, which he must for Toby to have submitted so completely and quickly, then he was definitely moving up in the Shifter world, sooner rather than later.
But it didn’t make sense. I may not be the most observant guy in the world, but I can tell when someone is about to wet themselves because they think they're about to get busted in a lie. And Alex was going to have to change his underwear when we left. Something wasn’t on the up-and-up. I could feel it in my bones.
I glanced over at Jase. We were only cousins, but in many ways he was closer to me than even Toby. We grew up side by side and could communicate with nothing more than a look. The one we shared in front of the Cole’s home said neither of us believed a bit of this crap.
Toby, however, seemed to believe him but wasn’t exactly impressed. “If you don’t mind my asking, Potential Cole, why have you and the Alphas decided to grace us with your presence?” The annoyance in his tone was more than evident.
Liam ambled down from his perch, leaning against the rail once he was on the bottom step. “I have business to attend to here.”
“What kind of business?” Toby asked.
“Private Alpha Pack business.”
“So, I should contact the Alpha Pack with my inquiry?”
Alex’s fist clenched again. Perhaps my brother wasn’t as oblivious as to the wrongness of this situation as I thought.
But while Alex looked like he was on the verge of some sort of fit, Liam just casually shrugged his shoulders. “If you choose to bother them with your concerns, that’s your call.”
The wind blew, carrying Liam’s scent with it. This far away from a full moon, I shouldn’t have been able to pick up his smell so easily, and it certainly shouldn’t have triggered a fight or flight response. I watched Toby, ready to follow my pack Leader’s decision on what to do next.
To my surprise, Toby didn’t growl or offer his throat in submission. Instead, he uncrossed his arms and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He rocked back on his heels as if he was completely unaware of the way the other Shifter’s scent had affected me and Jase, who was snarling quietly at my side.
“Here’s the way this is going to work,” Toby said, causing Liam’s eyes to narrow. “You can stay here, and I won’t alert the Alpha Pack.” Liam started to say something, but Toby held up a hand. “Maybe you are who you say you are, or maybe not, but I know that neither of us really want to get the Alphas involved in our business. So, you stay, and I’ll keep my mouth shut, as long as you agree to a few terms.”
“Terms?”
“You’ll stay within the confines of Lake County during the full moon, and you won’t have any contact with any member of my pack. Deal?”
“Deal.”
I thought I might have heard Toby sigh in relief.
“For the record,” Jase said, “My sister is part of the Hagan Pack.”
“No.” I wasn’t quite sure who had said it, but then he repeated himself. “No. I’m not staying away from Scout,” Alex said.
Liam rubbed the back of his head. “Alex…”
“No. She’s mine. You can’t make me stay away from her.”
Of the three of us, I’m the least volatile. As Pack
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