Explaining everything to Kobi and Liz was awkward, but by this point, Declan was actually becoming rather used to having strange and painful talks with Marcus about startling and bizarre things and then bringing his Betas into the loop.  At least neither Liz nor Kobi seemed frustrated yet with how they were always the last to know.  The only thing Declan left out of the rendition as he explained Marcus’s inexplicably omnipresent empathic link was his last confession: “I do like you.”  Then again, he expected that Kobi and Liz had already figured that out.  Upon the finishing of the short story, Liz looked sympathetically to Marcus, suggesting, “Maybe this is just because you haven’t been part of a pack in so long.  It’s been years since you had to deal with a telepathic link, right?”Marcus had alternated between pacing and sitting on the end

It didn’t take telepathy to discern Liz and Kobi’s clear concern as all four of them converged again, following Ada to her own personal office, the placard next to it denoting her full name (‘Miss Ada Summerfeld’) and her certification to sign all documents relating to Werewolf affairs.  There wasn’t time to explain the full breadth and width of what had just happened behind closed doors (and between entirely too-open minds), so Declan just flashed a small but encouraging smile before they all sat down.Ada slipped quietly to the other side of her desk without meeting anyone’s eyes, her steps quick and economical.  Marcus acted much the same but with an added level of unease, his movements anxious and almost feral, especially to Declan, Kobi, and Liz, who were used to his mannerisms – it was heartbreaking to see him reverting, even just a little bit, to the painfully shy thing he’d been at the start of their relationsh

As they stepped out into the midday sun, Declan smiled wanly at the sight of Marcus scratching at his inner arm.  Declan’s own right forearm was still a tad tender, but he could understand why the court had demanded that the chips be inserted subcutaneously.  For any human person of interest, a tracking anklet would serve just fine, but when it came to a person who could also transform into another animal entirely, the idea of fixed anklets was ultimately tossed.  The subcutaneous chips would at least stay with their wearers through every change in shape, and while it was less effective for actively tracking someone (by dint of the fact that the chips were obviously smaller), the court had decided that this was safety enough.  Having the word of three Alphas, saying that they’d watch Marcus, helped.Marcus, of course, disliked the whole idea on principle, and Declan would have felt terrible for him if he didn’t find the Omega’s disg

“So,” Melba said, as she rolled out the dough for her pie-crust.  She was aware of Leander washing up in the sink behind her, covered to the elbows in flour from helping her make said dough.  “Your sister has made some poor life-choices.”Leander puffed out a sigh that sounded like he was dragging it all the way up from his toes, a long and gusty breath.  “That’s one way of putting it.  She’s honestly lucky that my son didn’t turn her in on an attempted murder charge.”“Or try to kill her.”  Out of everyone in the pack, Old Melba was the most qualified to talk about killing and death.  She’s seen the most of it.  “I’ve seen Alphas makes themselves judge, jury, and executioner before.”  Melba listened as Leander made an unhappy sound before she added more gently, “Your son is a better man than those others, however.  His capacity f

Things happened quickly after that.   Holt was like a hound on a scent - a particularly vicious yet well-spoken hound, somehow managing to maintain manners even as he did his job with ruthless efficiency.  With this one witness stepping forward, the case against Marcus was already becoming shaky, and Holt was monopolizing on that like the lawyer he was.  It was becoming increasingly clear that the new evidence was going to trump the old: Marcus’s initial blood test had shown no drugs in his system, making his claims to ‘not remember’ anything seem fraudulent.  However, Werewolves all had a notoriously swift metabolism that worked hand-in-hand with their healing abilities - meaning if blood wasn’t collected fast enough or tested correctly, false negatives were easy to come by.  The new witness was coming with the blood sample that he’d stolen and preserved reportedly with great care, and Holt was already tentatively optimistic that this blood would sh