"Hello, brother." The words slipped seamlessly off of Dominic's smiling lips.

I couldn't speak. I could hardly comprehend his words! Brother? My head swiveled between the two males. Disbelief and confusion clouded my mind as I made to step away from Dominic.

But the more I looked between the men, I realized that they resembled one another. Dark brown, almost black hair that complemented an olive complexion. Sharp facial features, even if a puffy scar ruined the right side of Dominic's face. They were roughly the same height, but Nolan clearly packed more muscle than his lithe brother. Even in wolf form, I knew that Nolan could beat this male in a fight. Regardless, both men radiated an intimidating amount of power...

And they shared the same eyes: mysterious, cold, and unbelievably blue.

"Oh dear..." Dominic clicked his tongue, like a mother scolding her youngest child. "You haven't told Charlie about me yet?"

Nolan answered with a snarl and prowled forward like a predator stalking his prey. He never once spared a glance in my direction, even though I tried desperately to meet his gaze. I wanted to see him-- to offer him an unspoken apology. Guilt twisted my stomach into a knot.

"Perhaps you should change in to your human form to make this a more civil meeting?" Dominic folded his arms across his chest. He certainly seemed un-intimidated by my mate's threatening glare. I wouldn't have been surprised if the rogue yawned at the sight.

Nolan huffed, clearly displeased at Dominic's unwarranted suggestion, but disappeared into the darkness nonetheless. A moment later, my mate returned with a pair of dark gym-shorts hanging low on his waist. My eyes drifted from his impressive chest down, past the hard ridges of abdominals, to the trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts. The muscles on his sides and hips crafted a perfect "V", a pathway toward what might one day await me...

My cheeks flamed at the thought, and I quickly averted my eyes. When I met Nolan's gaze, I blushed for an entirely different reason. Shame. "I thought you wouldn't be back until the end of the week..."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Nolan seethed.

I almost whimpered at the poison dripping from his words. I felt like a child again, when my father caught me with my hand in the cookie-jar when I'd already eaten dessert. I instinctively lowered my head in respect and allowed the guilt to suffocate me.

Two masculine fingers touched my chin, guiding my head upward. The contact sent a shiver down my spine, and, when I looked up, I expected to see Nolan in front of me. I swallowed the lump in my throat when my eyes met Dominic's. His blue orbs held a silent command: Do not let him control you.

Before I could respond, a low growl rumbled from beyond and Dominic spun back toward his brother. He raised both palms in the air, "You have not even marked her yet! Why?"

Nolan's shoulders tensed, clearly taken aback by Dominic's question. In truth, I wanted to know the answer myself. But Dominic was on a roll. He did not stop his questioning: "Is it because of what happened with Sarah?"

I could physically feel the pain that clawed at Nolan's chest at the mention of his former mate. Torment flashed in Nolan's eyes, and I knew that I had to stop this. I could not bear to see my alpha in so much pain. "Dominic, stop," I warned.

Dominic paused upon hearing my interruption, and, for a moment, I thought I noticed a glimmer of hurt in his expression. But I did not care. Not when I could feel my connection to Nolan strengthen with every passing moment. My feet carried me to Nolan's side, and something inside of me sang when he tucked me into his side. I leaned into his touch, unable to resist the flames that danced on my skin where our bodies met.

Nolan let out a surprised, shaky breath at the feeling of my body against his, "Charlotte... We need to leave."

"No. I want answers." I demanded.

"I know. And I promise to give them to you, but not here." He whispered, even though Dominic could still hear every word.

"What about Dominic? I want to hear what he has to say too..." I risked a glance back at the rogue, Nolan's brother, but immediately looked away when his captivating eyes locked with mine.

"No." Nolan growled, "I can already sense the hold he has on you."

I knew that the chances of persuading him were slim, so I sighed in defeat. "Fine, but-"

Before I could get another word out, Nolan wrapped his hand around my wrist like a steel hand-cuff and pulled me away from Dominic and the small clearing. "Hey!" I protested, but Nolan kept pulling in the direction of the pack house until Dominic faded into the darkness behind us. "Ouch! You're hurting me!"

Nolan's grip did not loosen until we cleared the woods, and I snatched my arm away from him and massaged my sore wrist. "Do not do that to me again!"

Nolan ignored my growl and continued walking forward. My eyebrows furrowed when I realized that he led us away from the pack house, which stood proudly atop the hill. We were descending in the opposite direction.

I struggled to match Nolan's long strides, and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally slowed. I took a moment to catch my breath. "You have a rogue brother?"

He frowned, "Obviously."

He was angry-- no, he was furious. And I could not blame him. I'd deceived him. Invited a rogue into his territory and lied about it. How could I have been so careless?

"I-I'm sorry, Nolan." My voice cracked. As soon as the words left my mouth, a howl echoed in the distance. Dominic. I prayed to the Moon Goddess that he would run as far away from Black Lupis territory as possible.

Nolan stopped mid-step. I wanted to reach out to touch every rigidly tense muscle on my mate's body. I wanted to stroke his hand, to relax the bleached knuckles that were curled in strain. But I was a coward. I could only watch as my alpha closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath. The sigh seemed to release one thousand worries into the wind.

When he finally turned back toward me, my breath caught in my throat. "You wanted answers, right?"

I appreciate my readers so so much! ****