At that thought, he barely held back a growl. Xavier could heal. What had they actually done to his little wolf?

  “You know,” Julian drawled, bringing Liam’s attention back to the present. “Everyone warned us that you were cold. I’m not seeing it.”

  Liam arched a brow. “Thank you?” What the hell did you say to something like that?

  Julian laughed quietly. “What I mean is, I didn’t expect you to give a damn about some wolf you barely know. But you do, don’t you?” He scratched at his chin. “Now, either you’re actually a good Samaritan in disguise…” He sent a pointed look at Liam. “Or you know what the little bugger must be going through. How close am I?”

  The cat wasn’t smiling and somehow that sent a shiver down Liam’s spine. Not that he’d ever admit that. He’d earned that reputation of being a cold bastard, after all.

  “I don’t think that’s really any of your damn business, kitty.”

  “Hmm,” Julian hummed. “I’d agree if not for the fact it might help us.” He narrowed his eyes. “So what’s going on, wolf?”

  Liam blew out a breath, collapsing into his chair. He ran a hand over his face. “Did Derren ever tell you I owe him a huge debt?”

  Julian shook his head. “Can’t say it came up.”

  “Of course not.” He dropped his head back against the back of the chair. “About seventeen years ago, Derren found me outside his house. I was bleeding. Cut up. Hell, I probably looked like I’d walked out of a horror movie.”

  Julian sucked in a breath. “Bloody Hell. Please tell me it was just a job gone wrong and not what I’m thinking.”

  “If you’re thinking they wanted a Seer and took their second best option, then yeah.”

  “You’re a Seer?”

  “No,” Liam drawled slowly. “I’m the second best option.”

  “The fuck does that mean?”

  “It means,” Liam replied as he stood up, needing to pace again. “That I’m not a damn Seer, but I still get visions. Jumbled ones that aren’t useful, but I get them.”

  Julian opened and closed his mouth before shaking his head. “You wolves confuse the fuck out of me.”

  Liam snorted. “Yeah, I don’t wanna hear shit from a tiger. Last I heard, y’all still got that weird as fuck mind reading bullshit with your mates.”

  Julian laughed. “That’s only born tigers, not created ones. Me and Josie don’t have to worry about that.”

  “Really? Didn’t know that.” He tilted his head. “Also didn’t know you weren’t born.”

  The tiger shrugged. “Not something I advertise, really. Born tigers tend to be a little…unkind to turned.”

  “I’d like to say wolves are better, but my pack wasn’t a good comparison for morality so I can’t.”

  Julian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his now-spread knees. “I’m guessing they sent you off to Sergey.”

  “If by ‘sent’ you mean ‘sold,’ then yeah.” He snorted. “Heard they made enough that they moved to a nicer place. Good for them, I guess.”

  “No one stopped them?”

  Liam shrugged. “The alpha wanted me gone and no one was gonna argue with him. I could’ve taken his place and he didn’t like it.”

  “So he decided to take out the competition but act like he was doing the pack a favor. That’s bloody clever, but a hell of a dick move.”

  “Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.” Liam scrubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.”

  Julian considered him for a moment before nodding. “All right.” He leaned back on the couch. “What exactly is your plan?”

  Liam blew out a rough breath. “That’s the hard part. Sergey’s gonna up his guard now. He’s paranoid as shit on a normal day, and the fact that two of his recent catches got away? Yeah, that’s gonna irk him something fierce.”

  Julian tilted his head, a lazy smirk growing on his face. “So you need more guys? You know who we are, right? That can be arranged.”

  “For how much, exactly?” Liam was more than willing to pay to get this son of a bitch.

  Julian shrugged. “Not sure about the others, but I’ll be in for free.” When Liam opened his mouth to argue, the tiger shook his head. “No. I saw enough of the fear in Greg’s eyes to know this fucker needs to be stopped.” His grin was feral. “Plus, if he thinks about hurting Tara he’s a fucking dead man.”

  “I wish I could argue, but I really can’t.” He sighed, feeling more exhausted than he had in a long time.

  “Do you need protection for them? I know you said you could do it, but…” The tiger trailed off and Liam heard the offer in the air.

  “Maybe. Xavier can shift now, but Tara—”

  “Tara can kick my ass, just so you know.”

  Liam blinked, looking up at Julian. “What?”

  Julian shrugged. “I was a scrawny little thing and got picked on. Tara decided she’d had it and started taking self-defense classes so she could kick the bullies’ asses. It worked really well, lemme tell you.”

  Liam snorted. “Ya know, I’m not even really that surprised.”

  “Good.” Julian shook his head. “But you don’t have to worry about her. Even so, if you need someone to watch them, I will.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “So, wanna tell me the real reason Liam wanted us out of the house so damn early?”

  Xavier winced slightly as he and Tara walked down the street. He wasn’t sure how much he should tell her, but she was their mate. And she’d find out eventually anyway.

  “Do you know what he does?”

  Tara shook her head. “Hasn’t come up.”

  “He’s a mercenary. As far as I can tell, anyway.”

  She skidded to a halt, stopping in front of him. “What?”

  “It’s… It’s all really complicated, Tara. The last year has been…” He trailed off, biting his lip.

  “Does this have to do with the scars you have?”

  He gulped, nodding his head. He didn’t like to think about them, but denying where they came from was impossible. In the end, he knew what his mates saw. Scars that marred his arms and chest. A large one ran down his thigh, the worst one he’d received by far.

  “All right.” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. He reveled in the small gesture of kindness and it made his eyes water. “Let’s go to my place for a bit, okay?” She moved a hand to his wrist, gently rubbing his pulse with her thumb. “I don’t want you to talk about this on the street, okay sweetie?”

  He nodded dumbly, following her as she led him to a small apartment complex. They went up a few flights of stairs before making it to the apartment. She opened the door quickly, gently pulling him inside before she locked the door behind her.

  “Come on. I’ll make you something to eat and then we’ll talk.”

  “Y-you don’t have to—”

  She just raised an eyebrow and turned toward the tiny kitchen. He looked around the apartment, taking in the sparse furniture. There was a simple red couch in the corner with a small wooden table in front. It was obvious their rabbit had a minimalist taste in decorating. The only thing that stood out were the walls. They were painted a dark purple with gold swirls covering them. It was beautiful. There was a stool near a wooden kitchen counter so he sat.

  “Do you mind a salad?” She smiled sweetly. “I don’t really keep a lot of meat around, you know? I only buy it when Jules is coming over.”

  “That’s fine.”

  He watched her move around the kitchen. She opened the fridge and gathered ingredients, closing the door with a bump of her hip. She grinned as she placed everything on the counter.

  “I might not be able to cook that well, but anyone can make a salad, right?”

  “I can… I can cook for us.” He fiddled with a fork she’d placed in front of him. “I can’t do a lot, but that’s something I enjoy, at least.”

  “If you want. I’m not gonna say no to it.” She tilted her head as she chopped up a carrot. “Guess I’m gonna have to get used to the smell of meat, huh?”

  “Just a little bit.”

  She laughed quietly. “My mom is gonna love this.”

  “Hmm?”

  She turned around and grabbed some plates from a cabinet. “She actually always joked that I would get a wolf shifter mate. I don’t know why, but she was pretty damn sure of it.”

  “And then you got two.”

  Her laughter was louder this time, the sound filling some of the broken parts of his soul. “You’re right. Oh she’s gonna love it.”

  “What about your dad?”

  Tara shrugged as she spooned some salad into the bowls. “Wouldn’t know. I never met him.”

  “You never met him?”

  She sighed as she leaned down with her elbows on the counter. “No. My dad was human, and back when I was born shifters weren’t as well known. He couldn’t take it and bolted before I was born.” She shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal, honestly. Mom seems perfectly content with her mate.”

  “Her mate? But you don’t call him—”

  “Her.” Tara grinned. “Mom’s mate was female.”

  Xavier laughed. “I see. Well, then maybe it worked out for the best, huh?”

  “Yep.” She pointed a salad-filled fork at him. “Now, talk.”

  He stared down at his food, suddenly no longer hungry. He placed the fork on the counter. “Liam never told you how I got there, did he?”

  “No. I just assumed you guys were pack-mates. I’m guessing that’s not the case.”

  “It’s not, no.” He bit his lip, wondering how to start. “I should’ve been a Seer,” he whispered, his voice feeling broken as he pushed out the words. “I could heal, but I never got visions.”

  “And it takes both?”

  He gave a jerky nod. “Seers can see the future, but they also heal. That’s why they’re so vital to a pack. Not every pack is lucky enough to have one, so they’ll fight tooth and nail to keep the one they have.”

  “But you’re not a Seer.”

  “But I’m not a Seer,” he repeated softly. “I was just an omega with freaky powers.”

  Tara growled. “Don’t say that.”

  He shrugged. “It’s the truth, Tara. That’s what I am. Denying it doesn’t change it.”

  “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She sighed. “But continue.”

  “Sergey kidnapped me. That’s who Liam’s trying to find.” He shuddered. “I hope he does, because the man needs to pay for a lot.”

  “What did he do to you?” She placed her hand on his, squeezing it reassuringly.

  Xavier shook his head and looked at her again. “He didn’t do anything to me. He pawned me off on an alpha named Issac. Issac… I don’t know what his goal was, really. To break me, I guess. When I showed up, I wasn’t what he thought a proper omega should be. I wasn’t obedient.” He laughed, the sound scratchy and rough even to him. “I punched him in the damn face.”

  “Good.”

  “Yeah, well.” He fiddled with his salad, pushing it around the plate. “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t. Sometimes I wish I’d just played along. But I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t pretend to be obedient. So he made me.” He absently rubbed his arm. “They did experiments. Tried to find out why I could heal when I shouldn’t be able to. I don’t know if they ever actually found a reason, but they were thorough.”

  “How long—”

  “A little over a year. Greg Little got captured, and his mate and Liam came to rescue him.”

  “Wait, they got Greg? Josie’s brother?”

  Xavier blinked. “You know them?”

  Tara nodded. “Josie’s a close friend of mine. I never spent a lot of time around Greg, but he always seemed like a scary motherfucker.” She shook her head with a quiet laugh. “Though, I guess now that he’s a wolf, he definitely is.”

  “He was really nice to me.”

  Tara smiled. “I never said he wasn’t nice. Just said he was scary. I wouldn’t wanna piss him off, is all I’m saying.” She laughed. “But it doesn’t surprise me that he would be nice to you.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, for starters, you’re adorable. Second, he has a thing for adopting younger siblings if you haven’t noticed. You probably got yourself a very protective older brother and didn’t even realize it.”

  “I don’t think—” He paused, tilting his head. “Well, Greg did call Liam a lot to ask how I was, apparently. Annoyed the hell out of him.”

  Tara giggled as she picked up their bowls, putting them in the sink. “There you go.” She sighed. “But he saved you?”

  “Yeah. Issac was… I don’t know what he was going to do, but Greg lost it. He and Liam took him out.”

  “Then I apparently owe Greg some flowers.” She grinned. “Or maybe I’ll send him some of my bath stuff. I bet he’d love smelling like fruit.”

  “Your bath stuff?”

  “Huh? Oh yeah. That’s what I do. I make bath stuff and sell it online.” She shrugged. “It started as a fun hobby, but ended up making more money than I expected.”

  “What did you do before that?”

  “Accountant, actually. Helps knowing how to manage my money for my business now.”

  “O-oh wow.” He smiled softly. “I was in school before…everything, but it wasn’t for anything like that.”

  “What were you studying?”

  He felt his cheeks heat. “Art. I-I wanted to be a teacher.”

  “That’s amazing, though.” She started cleaning dishes, and he barely stopped the urge to go help her. “Did you like it?”

  He nodded. “I loved it. I’d like to go back maybe… If I can…”

  “You can do whatever you want, Xavier.” Her hand tightened around a glass so hard he was afraid it would shatter.

  Xavier finally stood up, circling the counter. He gently placed his hands on her face, making her look at him. “It’s okay, Tara. I’m here now.”

  “I know, but I don’t like it.” She practically growled the words and he had to smile. His mates were both so fierce.

  “You know you sound like Liam when you say that, right?”

  She sniffed, looking offended. “I do not.”

  “You know you like him.”

  Her eyes softened. “Of course I do. He’s my mate. Doesn’t mean he’s not a bit of an asshole, but…” She shook her head and trailed off.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s nothing, sweetie. I just think we all need to sit down and talk soon.”

  “I… Okay, yeah.” He felt his cheeks heat up. “Do you mind if I kiss you?”

  Tara smiled. “You never have to ask that, Xavier.”

  “I know, but I want to. For now, at least.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Then, yes, you can kiss me.”

  He shuddered a bit before leaning up to kiss her lips. He kept it gentle, because he honestly didn’t know any other way. But he should’ve known his mate wouldn’t have that. She licked the seam of his lips, and he opened up for her, a low whimper trilling out of his throat. He didn’t know how to ask for what he wanted, so he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She let out a quiet moan, muffled by his mouth, and he nearly growled. His wolf felt possessive for the first time in his life.

  She pulled away and he whimpered. “T-Tara?”

  “You know, sweetie,” she said quietly, running a hand through his hair. He leaned into the caress. “We haven’t been alone yet.”

  Did that whine come out of his throat? Because he was sure it had. “W-we haven’t.”

  He knew Tara and Liam had been and he was honestly happy about it. Part of him worried the two would never get along, but they seemed to have some sort of bond forming that he enjoyed watching grow.

  She tilted his chin up with her hand. “Do you want to?”

  “I-I do. I’m just…nervous.”

  “Don’t be.” She smiled sweetly. “It doesn’t have to be perfect or anything, Xavier. It just has to be you.”

  “I know, it’s just…” He blew out a breath. “You know you and Liam were my firsts, right?”

  “I guessed as much.” She lightly ran a hand through his hair, making him shiver. She moved the caress to his cheek, and he nuzzled against her hand. “But that’s okay. I’m glad it could be us.”

  “I…I am too.”

  She smiled. “Good. Now, would you like to see my bedroom?”

  One day, Xavier would stop blushing about sex. This was not that day. His face felt hot as he nodded. She gently took his hand, leading him into a small bedroom. He barely had time to take in the surroundings before she cupped his face and kissed him. He groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Tara wove her hands in his hair, pulling his face closer. He hadn’t realized before how much he loved having his hair played with, but damn if his mate wasn’t proving it.

  She pulled away with one last lingering kiss before smiling serenely. “How do you want to do this, sweetie?”

  He groaned, his cock hard against her belly as she lightly rubbed his back. “I don’t know.”

  She leaned down to nip at his neck, right at Liam’s claiming mark. He whimpered, rolling his hips against her.

  “There are so many ways we can do this, Xavier,” she whispered against his neck, making him shudder. “I just want you to enjoy it.”

  “I will,” he moaned when she found a particularly sensitive spot. “It’s with you.”

  “Hmm.” She pulled away, and he almost whimpered before she pulled her shirt over her head. Next went her pants and he felt his knees shake.

  “You’re so beautiful, Tara.”

  She smiled as she slipped off her bra and panties. “Thank you.” She lightly touched his cheek. “You’re pretty gorgeous yourself.”

  “I don’t know about that, but thank you.”

  “Shh.” She leaned down to kiss him, pushing her hands under his shirt. He hissed out a breath when she touched his sensitive nipples. She and Liam had had fun finding all his hotspots the night they mated and apparently his nipples were one of them. He felt his cock twitch in his pants and he almost worried that he’d have an imprint of his zipper on it at this point.

 

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