CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Ari waited for the room to clear and then leaned back in his chair.

Ben’s refusal to come home changed everything.

The vampire was like a son to him, and at times, he thought he knew Ben better than the male knew himself.

He was an exceptional warrior, his best, and he was sad to lose him. But this was the life Ari had led time and time again. Vampires mated, and he knew the behavior well after fifteen centuries.

It was likely Ben was fighting with himself over his loyalty to The Institute and him, and struggling to acknowledge what was happening.

Ari didn’t envy him. It would be a hell of a decision.

Except there wasn’t one.

Mates trumped everything. Every vampire knew that, even if they hadn’t yet met theirs.

Still, Ari felt there was more going on. Was the female connected to the Moretti’s? Why hadn’t Ben told him about her? Denial aside, they were close enough for the vampire to speak to him about these things.

The fact Ben was in Italy near the royals, and the connection between his sister and her new mate, who was in the army, told him there was a high chance Ben’s mate—or potential mate—was linked to the family.

His family.

Ben may think he had just asked for a few more days, but what he had technically done, and everyone who had heard him knew this, was to go rogue.

Ari had only agreed to smooth the transition of his departure.

Shit no, he wasn’t firing the male. He loved him like a son.

Ben may not know it, but in choosing what he had tonight, he had chosen his future. The warrior he knew would have followed instructions. Yes, he usually asked questions; yes, he pushed limits. That was what made him better than everyone else. But he never went rogue.

There was only one thing which would drive a warrior to that. His mate.

Ari had no idea who she was, but she had been there at the apartment when they had spoken recently.

Both Oliver and Ben had lied.

That would be dealt with at a different time.

Right now, Ari had a different decision to make. A fucking huge one. The latest information flowing through their data systems was terrifying.

The vampire race was facing a danger unlike ever before. In typical human style, it had all been going on in the shadows, and had been for a while.

They had run out of time.

It was up to Ari to save his brother’s vampires. Because they were Gio’s. Not his.

He hadn’t yet produced a single heir.

And until his heart stopped fucking beating, he wouldn’t give up hope.