Page 27 of The Alpha Option
“—and pretty,” Stephanie inserted.
Cassidy kept rolling. “Very pretty. Plus, there’s some element of power to him that at first made me want to stop and listen. I like him, but the longer we talked, the more he annoyed me.”
Jace’s lips curled upward into a grin. “I like you.”
“Of course you do. I’m very likable.” She took a sip of her coffee. “And I don’tdislikeDel, but it’s as if there’s something off. Something that’s out of balance or mixed up.”
Jace’s poker face didn’t change, but Blue looked thoughtful. “That’s a really good way to put it, all things considered.”
“How about some more details. Because he’s obviously a wolf, and the fact all of us are invited to the wolf hoe-down except for Jace says there’s something going on that I don’t understand.”
“Del looked at me funny,” Stephanie said. “As in weird funny, notha- hafunny. And then this one”—she pointed across the table at Blue—“appears out of nowhere while I’m loading the washing machine. The next second I’m wrapped in a giant hug. Not that I minded terribly, but it’s a good thing I don’t have phobias about people jumping out of dark corners.”
Another interesting point. Cassidy squeezed Stephanie’s fingers for a moment before the two of them turned to stare at Jace.
“Long story short? Del is the Alpha of the Jasper pack. His dad, our uncle Paul, used to be in charge, but the man went off the rails. Someone had to take over, and the usual way to do that in a wolf shifter pack is to prove you’re the most powerful.”
Stephanie wrinkled her nose. “Why do I think you’re not talking about arm wrestling?”
Jace’s shoulders lifted, fell. “We’re human, but we’re also wolf. When Uncle Paul became a danger to the pack, someone had to do something. I would’ve done it, but Del stepped up first. Which meant I had to acknowledge Del as my Alpha, challenge him to take over, or get the hell out.”
There was a whole lot unsaid in that summary sentence. Cassidy needed clarity, no matter how outrageous this all was to her on one level. “When you say Del stepped up, does that mean he did something to his dad?”
Across the table, Blue sighed softly. “Uncle Paul got into drugs. They don’t mix well with our shifter side, and he became a threat not only to himself but to the pack. Anyone less powerful than him was at risk, so Del did what had to be done.”
Jace still hadn’t moved.
Cassidy leaned in closer. “And you didn’t want to stay here with Del as your Alpha?”
He met her gaze firmly. “I’m stronger than him. My human side can bow and grovel for a certain length of time, but my wolf absolutely would not accept anything but being in charge. Plus, taking on leadership of the pack would have meant abandoning the project I’d been working on for years that was about to become viable. My work required me to travel away from the pack, which is not what an Alpha does.”
He still didn’t say the final truth, so Cassidy said it for him. “And taking on leadership would’ve meant you had to kill your cousin Del.”
His goddess wasn’t lettinghim get away with anything. Inside, Jace’s wolf rumbled with approval. “Shifters are pretty basic when it comes down to it. The strongest leads. You prove where you stand in the hierarchy. Fighting is a quick and simple way to figure it out.”
Stephanie looked shocked, but Cassidy considered, nodding slowly. “If you were going to leave to finish your project anyway, there was no use in going after Del, who had already taken a huge step in order to become Alpha.”
Across the table, Stephanie frowned. “But Del was here today, and other than flexing your macho charm muscles at each other, you two seem to get along.”
Blue chuckled. “Macho charm. I like it.” He grinned at Jace. “Let me see if I remember this correctly. Becausenotbecoming Alpha when you potentiallycouldbe one is as big a thing as becoming one, Jace and Del did have a confrontation. Del issued a bunch of threats, Jace somehow kept his wolf from ripping Del apart, and at the end of the day, Del was leader and Jace was gone.”
“But you’re supposed to be Alpha. That’s why it didn’t feel right when Del attempted to order us around,” Cassidy suggested.
It was tempting to leave it at that, but Jace really couldn’t. “You’re about eighty percent. It doesn’t feel right for Del to orderyouaround because you’re also powerful enough to be a pack leader.”
“Get out.” She blinked rapidly at him. “I’m not a shifter.”
Blue flashed two thumbs up. “You said ‘shifter.’ Go you.”
Cassidy tossed him an annoyed look.
Time to head this in a different direction for a moment. “We’ve got more to talk about, but if we’re going to explain in detail how pack dynamics work, can you explain how you know about shifters?”
The women exchanged a quick glance.
Stephanie took a deep breath then dipped her chin once before explaining. “My sister’s first husband was in the military. Stacy got pregnant right before he headed off on tour. He didn’t come home.”
Cassidy looked down as if she were holding something. “I was giving Colt a bath. He was about four months old when suddenly instead of a baby boy, I had a very wet and squirming wolf in my hands. I knew it was him, so I couldn’t freak out or anything. Just held him as he played for a while as a wolf and then switched back to being a kid again.”
