âWe both know youâre not just wandering around.â
Julian tensed as he passed the doorway, glancing through the slightly ajar door. He hadnât expected Alex to ignore his presence, but he couldnât help himself.
He had to find out.
Maya had kept him sufficiently distracted during the full moon that he hadnât worried about the threats outside, but now that daylight had come, his priorities had changed.
That, and Maya was keeping her distance.
Julian wasnât sure if it was because theyâd slept together, or because he had taken the lead.
He hadnât been dishonest. She wasnât accustomed to relinquishing control. But he fucking loved it. Watching her suppress her cries of pleasure, hearing her moans mixed with grunts.
The futile attempts to regain control while not really wanting to, deep down.
âMaybe Iâm just out for a walk.â
âYouâre a terrible liar,â Alex retorted.
âSo are you. Lockdown?â
âIt was a lockdown.â
âReally? Or was it to keep Maya in?â
âWhy canât it be both?â
âI wouldnât have let her get hurt.â
âYou already did once.â
Technically, sheâs under your protection. So you messed up.â
The words were intended to wound Alex and damage his ego, but they hurt Julian just as much, if not more. He knew the truth. He hadnât bitten her neck.
She hadnât acknowledged him as her alpha. He was supposed to be her mate, but he was nothing.
Alex was responsible for her life and her safety while Julian had to watch from the sidelines. It wasnât supposed to be like this.
âIâm not the one who brought a fucking hunter here, with damn silver arrows,â Alex shot back.
Good point, but he wouldnât admit that.
âThe full moonâs over. Whatâs the plan?â
Alex scoffed. âWhy would I tell you that?â
âBecause Maya got hurt, and sheâs mine.â
âBecause you couldnât persuade her to let you bite her.â
âI could have if I had wanted to.â
Alex snorted. âSure.â
Maya had offered her neck to him, leaned into his mouthâhe could have taken all of her. But it wouldnât have been right.
Not when things were uncertain and he didnât know enough to bond them together forever.
It wasnât like the urge wasnât overpoweringâbut he had to resist it.
So, Julian had to swallow his pride again. Like last night. For Mayaâs sake. For his own. âDid anything happen last night?â
âNot that we know of. I havenât sent anyone out yet.â
âWhy not?â
Alex clenched his jaw, his lips tight.
âBecause he could have lured us out, picked us off one by one and he didnât. So why not? He left a fucking corpse. He hurt Maya. Why hasnât he done anything else?â
Julian didnât know.
âTo taunt us?â
âUs? Or you?â
âWhat are you implying?â
âThe corpse was to let you know he knew where to find you. Maya was to show he could hurt you.â
âSo why not finish the job?â
This time, Alex remained silent. He didnât have the answer. He had raised a good point, but Julian wouldnât admit that.
Why not attack? They were clearly retreating inside. It could have been a good opportunity.
Unless, despite all appearances, it wasnât just mindless bloodlust. There was something else underneath. Why pursue Julian to the ends of the earth?
Why always force him to retreat and run like a coward?
Why was he such a target?
âHeâs out to get me,â he murmured.
Alex cocked his head. âThatâs clear as day.â
âNo, itâs more than that. Heâs got a personal grudge against me. Something happened and heâs out to inflict pain before he ends me.â
Perhaps that explained why heâd massacred everyone around him, leaving him alone amidst a sea of bodies. It all added up. Now, heâd found a new pawn to torment Julian with: Maya.
Julian was at a loss as to how the bastard could possibly know about her, but he had a sinking feeling that he did.
When Alexâs gaze met his, he saw the realization dawn. âHeâs biding his time for you to claim her.â
Julian had suspected as much, but hearing it voiced sent a shiver down his spine. Heâd hoped to claim Maya during the full moon, when they were secluded.
In a surge of desire and fury after what sheâd been through.
That was why the hunter had let Julian escape with her. He hadnât intended to kill her then and there. No, that wouldnât be painful enough. It wouldnât have the desired effect.
The bastard was toying with them, baiting them into his snare.
Because he wanted to kill Julianâs mate before he killed him and everyone else.
Why was he so hell-bent on stripping him of everything? His familyâaccording to Willow, and now his mate? What the hell had Julian done in his past to warrant this?
He yearned for his memories, to simplify his life, to progress.
But now, Julian wanted his memories for an entirely different reason. He needed to know about the hunter. A secret heâd kept even from his pack.
Heâd allowed these people to accompany him, fully aware that their lives could be at risk.
Unless Willow had deceived him.
Damn it.
He couldnât trust himself. He couldnât trust a pack member.
Now he had to depend on Maya⦠And this jerk. Alex.
âI need to remember.â
âYou sure as hell do,â Alex exhaled, his shoulders sagging as he let out a breath.
âI wonât risk any of mine. Weâre going to scout and see what this jerk might have set up as a trap. You can identify his scent, right?â
Julian nodded.
âThen letâs get moving.â
Julian nodded again, his stomach churning. Fear. Genuine fear. Not linked to any memories he could recall, but one primal instinct was clear: run.
But he couldnât.
He had to confront this.
For his own sake.
For Maya.