23. Marcus

"Please state your name and pack association for the record," Alexander, the dark-haired vampire, begins after pushing the red button on the recording device.

"Marcus Stone, Vegas Pack."

"Lineage?" he asks, confusion evident as I don't share a last name with the current pack Alpha.

"Arnold and Meredith Stone. Middle rank. No Alphas for three generations." I say, hating the fact that things like this matter to these people. I'm proud of my parents, and I'm proud of my wolf. The Fates obviously trusted me with the elevated status. That's what they should care about. Not the fact that my parents hold no pack positions, and their wolves are average in the grand scheme of things.

"You were a late addition to this year"s Alpha recruits."

"That's not a question," I respond, causing him to smirk.

"Apologies. Why were you a late addition?" he corrects, tilting his head to one side as he waits for my response.

"You'd have to ask my Alpha. I'm not privy to his decisions. He told me to show up, and here I am." I reply, avoiding the answer.

"Of course," he laughs under his breath, and I wonder what his angle is here. "What about the victim? Did you know him?"

"Never met him before," I answer honestly.

"Then why kill him?" he asks, dropping the kid gloves and asking the question he is here for. I pause, choosing my words carefully.

"I don't take kindly to being attacked or threatened," I finally respond, my eyes sliding over to Stickman, my eyebrow lifting in accusation. His jaw tenses, and a sneer forms on his face.

"How were you threatened?" The vampire's voice breaks in, and I answer without removing my gaze.

"Well, when he informed me some of the recruits were told my partner and I were worth bonus points…" I leave the sentence hanging as fury builds in me.

Give me five minutes alone with this mother fucker. My wolf would rip him limb from limb.

Alexander's attention turns to Stickman, an eyebrow lifting in silent question. The Alpha's hands lift in an "I don't know what he"s talking about" gesture that makes me wish he could be adjudicated because I would bet money that his tune would change.

The vampire clears his throat and resumes his questioning.

"Please tell us what happened."

"I ran into Alvarez in the woods. We checked our maps to see if we were partners. They didn't match, so I tried to leave when he attacked me. I defended myself. He died." Period. End of story.

"Can anyone corroborate your story?" he asks, knowing the answer already since he would have seen Deacon's memory.

"I can't speak for anyone but myself." My response is clipped, and I offer no more explanation.

Alexander clicks off the recording device and finishes filling in the document in front of him.

"Okay, that's all that I have for the statement portion. I will need to verify your responses, and we can get you out of here." He stands, straightening his jacket before walking the length of the table and stopping behind my chair.

I intentionally let out a slow breath, calming my wolf, who doesn't like the threat now standing at our back. Clenching my jaw, I force a relaxed expression, not showing the war going on inside me.

Enough. We need to allow this.

My wolf is not convinced this is our best play, but until they release us from the rules of the first challenge, I won't risk any technicality removing me.

Cold fingertips connect lightly to my temples, and I slide my eyes shut, thinking about clearing my mind as quickly as I can.

"Relax, little wolf. This won't hurt."

The words bounce around inside my head, feeling different than the mind speak with my Alpha. It's more invasive, and I can almost feel them caressing my mind as he sends the message.

Stop calling me ‘little,' Vampire.

His laugh sounds the same in my mind as it did out loud.

Before he says anything else, I'm dropped back in the woods. I feel my head turning left and right as I scan the area.

Holy shit.

Everything appears exactly as it did earlier today. I can even smell the pine from the trees and feel the cold breeze on my skin.

How's he doing this?

"You sound impressed. I'll take that as a compliment."

I hear Alvarez jogging in my direction even as I remember the scene. The whistle makes me jump, surprising me even as the sound itself comes from me. The memory plays out. Matching the map, wishing him luck, blocking his attacks.

As I get to the moment I snap his neck, I try desperately to try to feel bad about it but come up empty.

He deserved to die. He would have killed me without a second thought. Fuck him.

"Such anger in you, little wolf. What is it you seek to prove here?"

His question gives me pause. I don't know how to block him from my thoughts, and I don't want to show him my cards.

"Interesting. You answer despite your silence. You're ambitious, Stone. I can respect that. A word of warning before I release your mind. Alpha Rodriguez has indeed put a target on you. Stick close to Dieci. You two share a common purpose and can help each other. Avoid the guards. Good luck. I, for one, love a good underdog story."

Like fog slipping away, I feel the moment he's no longer in my mind, and his fingertips leave the sides of my face. My eyes reopen, and I shake my head, trying to remove the lingering trace of his presence there.

"His version of events is accurate. He was attacked. Unprovoked. His innocence is clear. Let the council know we have what we need for the report. Alaric, we're done here." Alexander announces before nodding at Stickman and walking to the exit.

"Unit next time, little wolf."

Just as he leaves, he throws a wink at me, his comment from earlier making me roll my eyes.

Alaric nods to Stickman and follows his partner out the door, leaving the two of us alone in the room for a moment. I fight every instinct I have to lunge at him, make fun of him for the obvious split lip, or tell him he can take his training and go fuck himself.

Instead, I knock twice on the table, stand, and head for the door.

"You won't survive this camp. Do yourself a favor, leave." His voice is low and threatening.

"Thanks for the advice, Stickman, but I just got here. I think I'll stay awhile." I blow him a kiss and march myself out the door, giving him my back. I need to run. My wolf will not allow me to remain in control through another encounter with that asshole.

Day one done… forty-four more to go.