Page 29 of Next Door Midlife Alpha
“Right.” Men could fight and then go back to being friends. Apparently that was the same for bears? She looked at him again, this time openly examining his ribs and stomach. “I saw blood, though. Claws and teeth. That was a real fight out there, not just a scuffle.”
“These animals inside us aren’t the only way that we’re different from other people. We also heal incredibly quickly, especially when we’re in our animals. What shallow injuries we inflicted on eachother out there were almost gone by the time we were on two feet again.”
“But…my god.” Her lungs ached as she forced them to work. The world was spinning around her. She tipped her head back and tried to focus on the white beadboard that covered the underside of the patio roof. “Elijah was right, wasn’t he? When he said that Will’s eyes had changed and that there were fangs in his mouth?”
Dylan nodded solemnly. “Yes. My anger toward him over that was genuine. He never should’ve yelled at Elijah, but I was also infuriated to know that he slipped up. That’s not how we do things.”
Her mind roved back to those very first days there. They weren’t all that long ago, but in some ways, it seemed as though a lifetime had passed since then. “He said there were wolves on the beach, but you’re a bear.”
“There are a couple of wolves in our clan—in our family. You could say they married in. That’s the simplest way to explain it, anyway.”
Her heart sank, a rock that plummeted down beneath the ocean waves and sent a puff of dirt up as it reached the bottom. “Oh, my poor boy. He’s said so many things since we got here, and I thought they were all just childish fantasies.”
“It’s all right.” Dylan’s voice was as calming as the sound of the ocean as he moved his right hand over so that he held her hand in both of his. “No one can blame you for that. It’s what any parent would think. Now that you know the truth, you can talk to him about it.”
“Talk to him?” she repeated, hearing her voice rise an octave. Stacey had managed not to screech and scream just yet, but she wasn’t sure how much longer that would last. “You want me totellhim this? How can I tell him—or anyone—what you’re telling me?”
A sad smile crossed his lips. “Believe it or not, it’s actually good to hear you say that. As I mentioned, we’ve had to protect our secret in order to protect ourselves. We can’t risk letting just anyone know about us. The outcome of that is unpredictable only because there are so many ways that humans might choose to hurt us. We have to be careful, and up until a few months ago that included making sure we were living near people we could trust. The Suttons were such people.”
“The Suttons?” she echoed. She’d hardly thought of the couple who’d owned her house previously. They would’ve lived right next door to Dylan, and he’d already told her that the other homes on thispart of the beach were owned by his family. Anyone who lived so close would be bound to find out who their neighbors really were sooner or later. “They were safe for you.”
“Yes, and I’m asking that you will be, as well. We just want the chance to live our lives for ourselves, to know that we won’t be killed because we’re different or hauled off to some government lab to be studied. I can promise that we’ll be safe for you, as well. We’ll never be a threat to you or your family. I know Will made some mistakes, but that’s not the norm. You don’t owe me anything, Stacey. I can’t make you keep this a secret, but I’m asking you to not let this out of your household. It’s for the safety of everyone I love.” Those dark eyes pleaded with her.
Everyone he loved. There was a whole family of shifters on their little piece of paradise, bears and a few wolves. But also, they weren’t just bears and wolves. They were people. Either way, how could she know that this would all work? “What if they don’t agree with this?” Stacey gestured vaguely in an attempt to encompass their conversation. “What if they don’t want me to know?”
“That’s for me to worry about, and I assure you I can handle it. I’m the Alpha of our clan. It means that I’m their leader. I’m the one who makes sureeveryone is taken care of, and I also make all the major decisions for us. Just like my bear genetics, it’s something I inherited. My father was the Alpha before me, and his before him. In fact, the Brighams have been on this beach for centuries now.”
Decades and decades of not-quite-humans. It was so much to digest, and her stomach wasn’t quite up for the challenge. This handsome neighbor had made her argue with herself a hundred times, but none of those inner debates had anything to do with his humanity. Now, she had to accept the fact that he wasn’t just the sexy guy next door but a leader of shifters.
“Are you okay?”
It was when he spoke that she realized she’d been staring off into the distance for quite some time. “I’m trying to be. I’m not going to say anything, Dylan, but this is going to take some time for me to wrap my head around.”
“I know. I expected that.” He sounded just as resigned and solemn as she felt jumpy and uncertain.
She slowly stood, testing out her legs before she slipped her hand out of his. “I think I need to go home and…think.”
“Of course.” He walked her down off the patio,brushing his fingers against her elbow before she turned toward her house. “If you have things you want to ask, if you want to know more, I’m here. I’m not going to be offended. I think it might help us both, actually.”
She nodded slowly. Her mind was swirling with questions, but right now, she couldn’t force any of them out through her mouth. “I’ll see you, Dylan.” Feeling like she’d just woken up from a vivid dream, Stacey made her way back through the gate. She’d picked up and moved her household, wanting a change, but this was a much bigger change than she’d ever imagined.
16
Dizziness threatenedto take hold of her once again. Stacey raced through the back door, longing for the safe confines of her home before she tripped. She stumbled through the door and shut it firmly behind her. The walk back from Dylan’s patio had left her breathless, even though it hadn’t been very long.
“What’s the matter with you?” Carol stood in front of the open fridge door, holding a plate of cheese. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“I wish.” Stacey frowned. She wasn’t the only one living next to a group of shifters. Her entire household did. That included her mother as well as her children. Dylan had urged her to tell them andmentioned they were just as much a part of this as she was. Stacey understood to a degree, but none of it made enough sense for her to put it into any logical order in her brain.
“What’s that mean?” Carol demanded. She closed the fridge and came closer, peering into Stacey’s eyes. “You’re not usually one for drama.”
Stacey pushed herself off the door and moved to the breakfast bar, gesturing wildly as she went. “No. No, I’m not. I don’t do wild things like move my whole family out to the beach. I do things like get up at the same time every morning, go to work, and make sure all the bills are set up to be paid automatically. I don’t frolic around on the shore or feed the kids ice cream for dinner, and I sure don’t…” She cut herself off short as she leaned her weight into a barstool, knowing that she couldn’t really finish that sentence.
“Sure don’t what?” Carol pressed, following her. A deep crease of concern had formed on her forehead, something Stacey hadn’t seen very often.
“I sure don’t have sex with man-bears on the beach.” As soon as she heard the words, a snort of laughter escaped her. Stacey’s brain was already so tired from trying to understand, and she’d hit thetipping point. Every word of that sentence was true, but it was also absolutely ridiculous.
Carol straightened, turning her head slightly to the side so she could glare appropriately at her daughter. “What the hell are you talking about? Are you drunk?”
