The white spear was pulled out of Cedrick's body, and he turned around, holding his wound with both hands, to find himself face to face with Brennan Tarik.

“You...” he muttered, bleary-eyed and staggering.

“There's something you're right about,” Brennan said to Cedrick. “I've loved him all my life, I'll be loyal to him until my last breath... and he's always known that. He's my Alpha, he's my brother, he's my friend, and he's always been aware that I'd rather drive a fucking Keqzhara through my own chest than hurt him.”

He took a couple of steps back without taking his eyes off Cedrick and pressed the button that opened the glass door. Aidan stepped out, walking past him, and gave his Beta a hug.

“Are you all right?” he asked, holding her neck and making him look at him.

“Well, now I have ‘playing dead’ as part of my special skills,” Brennan replied with a crooked smile.

“You were a very convincing dead man,” Aidan said and laughed, turning to Cedrick. “Wasn't he?”

The lycan staggered