The soft puffs of warm air tickling the back of Jason's head woke him up. He hummed in contempt, snuggling deeper into his mate's loving embrace. However, he stopped moving when Killian's morning wood poked his ass cheek. No way in Tartarus did he want to wake the slumbering beast. His ass still remembered the pummeling he received the night before.

Jason was about to return to sleep, but a harsh knock on the bedroom door jolted him out of his groggy state. He bolted up in his bed just as the bedroom door burst open. Jason growled out, wanting to bitch-slap the sap who dared interrupt his cuddle time with his mate. He glared at the intruder. It was Ishmael. Jason was about to rib Ishmael a new one, but a sloppily hidden hickey on the warlock's neck slammed the brakes into his mouth.

"It seems we weren't the only ones who got frisky last night," Cyron said groggily while stretching out his body.

Jason chuckled and said, "It would seem so." He then sniffed the air to find out who was the lucky dog. Grass and Seder wood—Darren!

So the signals Jason picked up the day before between Ishmael and Darren weren't a figment of his imagination.

"Clearly not. You had to be a nun to miss the sexual tension between them. It seems that Darren laid his claim to ward off the Alpha from yesterday."

A grunt next to Jason pulled him out of his conversation. Killian rose from the bed, rubbing his eyes. Before Killian flung the duvet off him, he pecked Jason on the cheek before standing up. Jason's eyes nearly popped out of his skull when they landed on Killian's morning wood.

"Can you pull on some pants before Jason kills me for ogling your dick?" Ishmael chuckled, averting his eyes.

Killian turned to Jason and smirked. "Don't pout Jason. Nobody's allowed to touch what's yours."

Jason grumbled and then reached for the robe laying on the edge of their bed. What would Killian have done if another wolf ogled his body? Probability throw them off the highest tower of the castle.

Trying to divert the attention away from his possessiveness, Jason asked, "So, Ishmael? Why are you here at the crack of dawn and not in the arms of Darren?"

Ishmael's eyes shot to him. "And why would I be?"

Jason didn't miss the evasive manner in which Ishmael tried to play off his question. "You do realize that you've got a massive hickey plastered on the side of your neck, right?"

Ishmael's face turned white before he bolted for the nearest mirror. He grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and exposed the larger-than-life hickey. Ishmael cussed and then grumbled over his breath about teaching Darren a lesson later. Jason couldn't resist grinning at the Dom's predicament. However, the tables quickly turned against him when Ishmael's gray eyes scanned over his own body through the mirror's reflection. A stupid grin appeared on the warlock's face.

"It would seem I'm not the only one," Ishmael said mockingly, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jason reached up to his neck and brushed over his skin. A slight bump in the skin confirmed Ishmael's words. He glared at his mate for his possessiveness. Killian, however, winked at him. Jason quickly pulled on his robe. Before he tied the robe closed, Jason saw the extent of the damage his mate had left on his body. Dozens of hickeys littered his abdomen. He silently prayed to Hades, hoping the lord of the underworld would save him from his humiliation.

"Really, Killian!" Jason shouted. Ishmael and Killian burst out laughing, finding his predicament hilarious. "You're an ass."

Killian rushed over to Jason and enveloped him in a hug, nuzzling his neck. "I'm sorry, mate. But I couldn't help myself."

Jason grumbled, but accepted it. It was in Killian's nature to mark his mate in more ways than one. Jason just had to run with it. Carrying Killian's mark wasn't that bad, but the endless teasing he was about to suffer at the hands of his best friend was going to be a torturous event. No way in Tartarus was she going to let him get away.

"Next time, if you go overboard, I'll kick your sexy ass," Jason said, earning a chuckle from Killian.

His mate kissed him before they turned their attention back to Ishmael.

"So tell us, Ish," Killian said. "Why are you here so early?"

Ishmael's grin morphed into a scowl. "I'm the bearer of bad news. Alaric is on the move."

***

The war room's doors burst open as Jason and his mate entered the room. Ishmael followed suit, taking his place next to Darren, whose face brightened up when he laid his eyes on the warlock. Jason didn't miss the glances Ishmael received from the redheaded alpha. The alpha's eyes landed on the hickey on Ishmael's neck, followed up by a frown, then a glare he shot at Darren.

"A messy lover's triangle I see...," Cyron chirped happily when Jason took his seat next to his mate at the round table in the center of the room.

Jason silently observed the interaction between the three. "Well, that's putting it lightly. From the death glares Darren and the alpha are throwing at one another, it would seem we're in for a bloody fight to the death.Both of them, it seems, want to plant their flag up Ismael's ass."

Cyron burst out laughing. Jason couldn't contain his grin. Luckily, the lover's quarrel drew attention away from him. Mallory couldn't take her eyes off the three and saved Jason from becoming his best friend's torture victim. He wasn't in the mood for being teased about his mating with Killian.

"What are you grinning at?" Astrid said, glancing over at Darren. "Are you enjoying the show?" The vampire's red eyes lingered at the base of his neck. A grin spread across Astrid's pale face. Oh, no! "Lovely mark you have there, my dear."

Astrid's words jolted Mallory's gaze from the three lovers and landed on Jason.

"I'm so gonna kill Astrid one of these days," Jason grumbled internally.

A sly grin appeared on Mallory's face. Jason gulped. He readied himself for the onslaught his best friend was going to unleash upon him.

As Jason expected, she squealed. "Ahh! Look! My beloved hellhound lost his V-card."

The war room fell silent as everyone's eyes landed on Jason. Lord Hades! He was going to drag his annoying best friend into the underworld one of these days. Jason kept his eyes on his best friend, trying to ignore the smirks he gained from the rest of the room. Killian's one was the biggest, as if he won a prize.

Jason glared at Mallory and then said, "Keep flapping your gums and I'll drag you into the underworld."

Mallory faked her gasp. "Oh, I'm so scared."

"You should be. I hear there's no Wi-Fi in hell," Jason replied, leaning back into his chair.

Mallory's eyes widened before she snatched her cellphone off the table and clutched it in front of her chest. He got to her. There was nothing more precious to Mallory than her cellphone and her mate. Unfortunately for the brooding male beside her, her cellphone won by a mile. Poor mutt.

"Ladies and gents," Killian said, pulling Jason and Mallory out of their death-staring match. "Take your seats."

The five alphas, along with Darren and Ishmael, took their seats around the table. Down to business. A large map laid on the table, giving us an overview of the country. Several red circles dotted the map.

"As you are aware, Alaric has made his move," Killian addressed the room. "By the looks of it, he has already attacked over ten packs so far. And the information we've gathered indicates that he's building an army."

One of the young alphas leaned forward and scanned the map with a scowl. "How? I doubt that the packs he's already decimated would join his ranks."

"He has somehow perfected the vile concoction he gained from Jason's blood and has been force-feeding it to every captured victim of his. The serum forces his victims to follow his command."

Several growls rang out in the room. Jason, however, stayed silent, but underneath his skin, he was fuming. He couldn't have believed that the bloodsucker would use his blood in such a manner. Jason couldn't stop the waves of quilt washing over him. Alaric was forcing innocent people against their will to fight for him, and it was all his fault.

"Don't blame yourself, Jason," Mallory pulled Jason out of his guilt trip. How couldn't he? "Just like those packs, Alaric forced you to give your blood. The only one at fault here is the deranged lunatic, and he'll pay for this."

A warm, calloused hand glided over my clenched hand. Jason slowly relaxed back into his seat at the assuring touch of his mate.

"I agree," Killian said. "None of this mess can be laid at your feet. You're a victim of a cruel asshole's game."

"So...," Ishmael broke the silence. "How are we going to deal with crazy fucker? The longer we wait, the larger his army grows."

Several whispers rang out in the room as the council members discussed the problem at hand. Jason glanced over at the map. Alaric had already decimated ten packs and was making his way north. By the time Alaric reached the city, he would have had amassed a horde of abominations. There were still about thirty packs in his path. Jason's eyes furrowed as he scanned the map further, but his frown turned into a grin as his eyes landed on one particular pack. One place directly in the path of Alaric's army. Jason wondered if the moon goddess herself had a hand in placing the pack there.

Cyron cackled as he rolled over in Jason's mind. "How poetic! You gotta love Fate. She's a mean bitch!"

"I agree. It's time my father learned a lesson, don't you think?"

"Absolutely!"

Mallory pulled Jason out of his happy bubble by asking, "Jason? Why are you acting like an idiot on an acid trip?"

Jason's eyes shot over at Mallory. "Tell me, Mally? Do you believe in karma?"

"What does karma have to do with planning to stop Alaric?"

Jason leaned forward and then tapped on the map. His fingers landed on the newly formed Blue Hills pack. Mallory's confusion turned into shock.

"No, we can't," she gasped.

The room fell silent again.

Jason scoffed and said, "Why not? This whole mess started with them. Why can't they help clean it up?"

"What are you talking about?" Killian asked this time.

Jason grinned and then patted his mate's hand. "We should intercept Alaric's army before they grow too large. And the best place to do so is at the Blue Hills pack."