Page 32 of Next Door Midlife Alpha
Several members nodded their heads.
Energy zipped through his chest as he prepared for the next part. “I’ve been trying to determine for some time whether or not the Williams family could be like the Suttons for us, if they could be safe humans for us to be around. As part of this process, I’ve shared our true identity with Stacey.”
The room was instantly abuzz as membersleaned over to whisper to each other. Eyes widened and mouths pinched.
“What the hell?”
“That’s crazy.”
“Why would he do that?”
Even if they hadn’t intended for him to hear, Dylan definitely heard. He’d heard it all inside his own head before he’d even started this meeting.
“How do we know we can trust them?” an older gentleman near the back asked.
“I’m asking for your trust in me as Alpha,” Dylan replied. He’d made a mistake in that Stacey had seen him in his bear form even before he’d told her what he truly was, but he’d known it was coming anyway. It was like a wall of tension between them, something he needed to burst through before he could figure out anything more about their future. He knew now that he would’ve told her anyway, even if she hadn’t seen something as wild as two bears on a fishing trawler.
Ross shook his head. “I can’t believe you just let our secret out to your summer fling.”
Dylan’s stomach crumpled as he looked his brother square in the eye. Telling them he’d revealed their secret to Stacey had been much harder than explaining the new connection with Will. What hehad to say next was even harder than that. “She’s not just a summer fling. She’s my mate.”
This time, the room burst into questions and objections. There were no hushed concerns or secret stares but outright concern.
“A human?”
“Has anything like this happened before?”
“Not in our clan, I can assure you of that.”
“Unbelievable.”
Dylan let it come and did his best to let it flow around and over him. Let them say their words and get it all out now because they were going to anyway. He gave them time to get through it as he waited patiently at the front for things to die down. As he scanned the crowd, he met his mother’s gaze. She and his father were the only ones who waited just as calmly and patiently as Dylan did. Barbara gave him a small smile. Paul’s head bobbed forward in a barely perceptible nod. They approved, and that was all the approval that mattered to him.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, putting his hands out to get their attention and try to calm them down, “I understand that this is quite the revelation. It’s not what you expected. To be honest, it’s not what I expected, either. None of us get to choose who our fated will be or when we’ll have the privilegeof meeting them. We’re expected not only to wait patiently but also act when we know the moment is right and everything has come together the way it’s meant to be. For those of you who’ve already found your mates, I ask you to think about the moment you met them. Did you have concerns about who they were as a person? Or whether the two of you were truly a good match? You probably did, but underneath it all, you felt that special pull between you, the one that told you it was right no matter how much you might question it. Youknew,without any doubt, that this was who you’d be spending the rest of your life with. What would you have done if someone told you no? If you were told you had to stay away from that person—your true soulmate—for the rest of your life simply because they weren’t what was expected?”
That left them a bit stunned. Several couples exchanged looks or reached for each other’s hands, perhaps remembering how they’d met or some opposition that’d tried to stand in their way. He’d convinced some, but others would take more time. He probably wouldn’t even be able to convince them that night. Some members would talk for weeks or perhaps even longer as they wondered if their Alpha was truly qualified to hold the position. Dylan hadto be okay with that. Fate had brought him to the leadership of this clan just as it had brought Stacey to him.
Just as he was about to start speaking along those lines, Lila got out of her seat. She stepped forward, smiling at him. “Can I say something?”
Though Lila had always understood that her destiny was to lead the Brighams herself one day, she’d never spoken at any meetings. Her training had been more behind-the-scenes, understanding how the finances worked or helping to assist members in need. Pride moved through him, squeezing out the worry. Dylan nodded as he stepped aside.
The moment she took the podium, the crowd silenced once again, and all eyes were on her. “Hi, everyone,” she said, laughing a little. “I didn’t prepare anything, so I apologize if I ramble a bit. Anyway, my Dad didn’t tell me this news before the meeting, so I’m finding out at the same time that the rest of you are. Except that I’m not. I’ve seen the looks that have passed back and forth between Dad and Stacey, even when they hadn’t realized anyone was noticing. I’ve sensed their connection, even though the true feeling behind it is something only the two of them will ever truly understand. I’m notsurprised in the least at hearing him make this announcement.”
Dylan’s throat grew thick and tight. She was eighteen and she’d graduated. Those were cold, hard facts. But there was much more maturity in Lila that couldn’t be measured. She was a sensitive, observant young woman, and she was going to make an excellent Alpha someday.
Lila continued. “I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Stacey and her kids, and I can tell you they’re good people. If Dad trusts them enough to know our secret, I think the rest of us should, too. I know I do. I also know that I’m really happy for him. He’s dedicated his whole life to this clan and the betterment of everyone in it. He’s always concerned about everyone else before himself. He would never do anything to cause the rest of us harm, and he deserves happiness just as the rest of us do.”
Jace shrugged. “We always had a good relationship with the Suttons. Why couldn’t we have one with the new family?”
Dex seconded this. “It’s much better to have someone there that we’re friendly with. We’ve been worried for a while about who might move in, and it sounds like we’ve got the best possible scenario here.”
Even Ross finally nodded. “We can’t live the rest of our lives pretending they’re the enemy just because they’re human.”
Paul slowly got to his feet, and everyone turned to look. The quiet retired Alpha was at every meeting, showing his support for Dylan, but he rarely interrupted or even interjected with an opinion. Anything he had to say happened behind closed doors with his sons. Now, however, he crossed the room to the kitchen. He opened the fridge door and pulled out a beer. As he turned back to the gathered assemblage, he held the drink high. “To Dylan and Stacey!”
A new round of applause ruptured the silence that’d fallen while everyone waited to see what he’d do. The Brighams nodded and clapped, truly supporting their leader in the decisions he’d made and the ones that destiny had made for him.
Dylan put his arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “You’re something else, kid. You didn’t have to do that, you know.” He heard a knock at the door, but Jace ran off to get it.
