62. Challenges (Luke POV)

Pulling on black pants and a white button-down, I surveyed my reflection in the full-length mirror against the bedroom wall. My fingers grazed over a sleek, dark tie resting on the counter, but I hesitated. I glanced in the mirror at the mark on my neck, exposed to anyone who bothered to look closely. It was tempting to button up the collar and hide the intimate brand that linked me to Clay and Lexi. The werewolf world didn't know about us, not in the way that mattered. Yet, even as I considered the tie, I pushed it aside.

I could almost hear the whispers and feel the questioning glances, each one a stab at my newly complicated identity. But there was no real point in hiding it. Our kind wasn't easily fooled. Their senses would alert them to the oddity among us. Rumors spread like wildfire, especially about a prodigal Alpha-to-be who left for the human world and returned...different. My shirt stayed open, and the mark remained exposed. A symbolic, if futile, 'come and get me' to anyon