tackle their partner before he could reveal the truth and open himself up for attack. “And the male reading from the Grimoire was Maxim Clerinell. My brother.”
*
Dylan closed his eyes, refusing to see the hatred and disgust on their faces. He wasn’t proud of his family connections. It was why, after he was kicked out of the house at thirteen and taken in by Zeke’s family, he changed his name. The Roberts family had no connection to the five families. They were working class and never batted an eye when Dylan was dragged home by his best friend and just never left.
It hadn’t taken much convincing to get his father to approve Dylan’s adoption and Zeke’s parents had taken Dylan’s choice of name in stride. No, Mrs. Roberts merely gave him a tight hug, a kiss on the head and murmured that it was his decision.
So, for seventeen years, he’d been Dylan Clarke. The boy with no past.
Now he was Dylan Clarke. The son of Walter Clerinell—one of the men who’d done their best to destroy Emmett, Levy, and Whitney. He was also the brother of Maxim Clerinell—the wolf who’d tried to kidnap Lorelei mid-teleport.
Whitney and Dylan would have been there as well, but he had a feeling that Maxim was after Lorelei. His brother’s focus, his intent gaze, was on the prone woman and not on Dylan or Whitney.
No, Maxim wanted his mate.
His brother didn’t know he’d never get his paws on her.
“Excuse me?” Madden’s voice was soft, the words hardly above a whisper, but he sensed the wolf’s suppressed violence.
“I am Dylan Clerinell. My brother Maxim attempted to tear Whitney, Lorelei, and me from the void. He almost succeeded. I had to pull on Lorelei’s power to get us out. Combined with Whitney’s efforts, we were able to break free.” He refused to let the words tremble as he pushed them forward. Yes, he was a Clerinell, but he was Dylan Clarke, adopted son of the Roberts clan.
Levy growled. “Why didn’t she say anything? Why didn’t you ?”
He closed his eyes and thought back to the adrenaline filled fight. “I don’t think she remembers. She was consumed by magic. I mean… I couldn’t even see the color of her eyes. She was white. It wasn’t a glow, it was…” He shook his head. “God damn, she was pure magic. And I…”
Maybe he was a pussy after all.
“And I used Lorelei.” He sighed. “But the women’s lives were more important to me than—”
“Than telling us that the threat hit damn close to home,” Madden snarled at him and Dylan didn’t have anything to say to that.
Apparently Zeke did because he shot to his feet and bared his teeth at the Ruling Alpha. The man always was a hothead. Especially when it came to defending Dylan. His friend still hadn’t realized Dylan wasn’t a battered and beaten kid any longer.
“What? So you can do what you’re doing now? You forget that he fucking saved your mate’s sister, asshole.” That was Zeke, the king of discretion.
Levy jumped into the verbal fray. “Whitney wouldn’t have been in danger if—”
Zeke bared a fang. “Fuck you, you know she would have. She was transporting them. If it wasn’t Dylan’s brother, it would have been some other wolf from the five families. Everyone knows the wolf who kidnapped Rebecca last night was from the Dannel family. That clan is powerful, but they breed idiots. So, that was one of five. How hard is it to figure out the other four are here and they’re pissed?”
“Maybe he’s in on it,” Levy shot back. “Maybe they were waiting—”
Dylan didn’t think of the consequences or what it would mean for him to react to those words. He just did . In one monstrous leap, he went after Levy. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the wolf was one of the Ruling Wardens. Dylan understood Levy could destroy him without thought.
But that didn’t stop him.
His claws burst forward first, human hands giving way to wolfen paws in an instant. His face slowly followed, the bones
*
Dylan closed his eyes, refusing to see the hatred and disgust on their faces. He wasn’t proud of his family connections. It was why, after he was kicked out of the house at thirteen and taken in by Zeke’s family, he changed his name. The Roberts family had no connection to the five families. They were working class and never batted an eye when Dylan was dragged home by his best friend and just never left.
It hadn’t taken much convincing to get his father to approve Dylan’s adoption and Zeke’s parents had taken Dylan’s choice of name in stride. No, Mrs. Roberts merely gave him a tight hug, a kiss on the head and murmured that it was his decision.
So, for seventeen years, he’d been Dylan Clarke. The boy with no past.
Now he was Dylan Clarke. The son of Walter Clerinell—one of the men who’d done their best to destroy Emmett, Levy, and Whitney. He was also the brother of Maxim Clerinell—the wolf who’d tried to kidnap Lorelei mid-teleport.
Whitney and Dylan would have been there as well, but he had a feeling that Maxim was after Lorelei. His brother’s focus, his intent gaze, was on the prone woman and not on Dylan or Whitney.
No, Maxim wanted his mate.
His brother didn’t know he’d never get his paws on her.
“Excuse me?” Madden’s voice was soft, the words hardly above a whisper, but he sensed the wolf’s suppressed violence.
“I am Dylan Clerinell. My brother Maxim attempted to tear Whitney, Lorelei, and me from the void. He almost succeeded. I had to pull on Lorelei’s power to get us out. Combined with Whitney’s efforts, we were able to break free.” He refused to let the words tremble as he pushed them forward. Yes, he was a Clerinell, but he was Dylan Clarke, adopted son of the Roberts clan.
Levy growled. “Why didn’t she say anything? Why didn’t you ?”
He closed his eyes and thought back to the adrenaline filled fight. “I don’t think she remembers. She was consumed by magic. I mean… I couldn’t even see the color of her eyes. She was white. It wasn’t a glow, it was…” He shook his head. “God damn, she was pure magic. And I…”
Maybe he was a pussy after all.
“And I used Lorelei.” He sighed. “But the women’s lives were more important to me than—”
“Than telling us that the threat hit damn close to home,” Madden snarled at him and Dylan didn’t have anything to say to that.
Apparently Zeke did because he shot to his feet and bared his teeth at the Ruling Alpha. The man always was a hothead. Especially when it came to defending Dylan. His friend still hadn’t realized Dylan wasn’t a battered and beaten kid any longer.
“What? So you can do what you’re doing now? You forget that he fucking saved your mate’s sister, asshole.” That was Zeke, the king of discretion.
Levy jumped into the verbal fray. “Whitney wouldn’t have been in danger if—”
Zeke bared a fang. “Fuck you, you know she would have. She was transporting them. If it wasn’t Dylan’s brother, it would have been some other wolf from the five families. Everyone knows the wolf who kidnapped Rebecca last night was from the Dannel family. That clan is powerful, but they breed idiots. So, that was one of five. How hard is it to figure out the other four are here and they’re pissed?”
“Maybe he’s in on it,” Levy shot back. “Maybe they were waiting—”
Dylan didn’t think of the consequences or what it would mean for him to react to those words. He just did . In one monstrous leap, he went after Levy. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the wolf was one of the Ruling Wardens. Dylan understood Levy could destroy him without thought.
But that didn’t stop him.
His claws burst forward first, human hands giving way to wolfen paws in an instant. His face slowly followed, the bones
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