Page 53 of Wild Wolf
Sam dug into his prime rib. “Where’s yourbride?”
“Resting upstairs.” Nolan looked around. Most of the pack had elected to eat here tonight at the same time, even the families who had their own cabins apart from thelodge.
“You wore her out last night. Poor thing.” Samwinked.
Nolan laughed, but it sounded forced even to hisears.
But his friend, who had always seen through him, sharpened his gaze. Sam pointed to the empty chair. “Talk tome.”
Nolan pulled out the chair, reversed it and straddled it, resting his arms on the back. He lowered his voice. “She challenged my authority at the meeting and I had to stop it. Think her feelings arehurt.”
“You did what you had to. Soon as the youngsters in the pack sniffed out that you were vulnerable, they’d jump all overyou.”
Nolan snorted. “Youngsters? Palmer and Todd are barely two years younger thanme.”
“Which makes it even more important to stay strong to yourself and youragenda.”
“Last month, my agenda didn’t include having a mate, let alone a strong-willedone.”
“Jordan’s a wild wolf. She’ll always follow her own way. When you two were kids, that path was your path. Things have changed.” Sam sipped his sweet tea. “She’s been a loner for six years and that means adjusting to this pack’s rules and your life. If she had stayed, you both would have growntogether.”
“Or not.” Not if she truly was in love with Bryce. Yet he wondered about that. When Bryce heard Jordan had left, he laughed and said ‘Goodriddance.’
“Point is, it’s your pack now.” Sam gave him a level look, wise beyond his 30 years. “You run it as best as you see it. I know it, and I’m here to support you. Jordan should aswell.”
“Thanks.” He appreciated that support coming from Sam, considering his friend had left because the long-ruling alpha haddied.
“You have to give it a chance, Nolan. When your father died, it tore our pack apart. We were wolves chasing our own tails, trying to make sense of the fact our leader was gone. You should have had more time to grow into the job of alpha. You didn’t. So if you have to be tougher than normal, you doit.”
“It is what it is.” Nolan looked around the dining hall. “I did what I had to, and I’ll keep doing it. But I don’t want to lose her again, Sam. She turns me inside out and upside down, but the thought of her walking out that door and never coming back tears meup.”
“You’re in love,” Sam noted. “That’s what love does to you. Felt the same with my sweetheart, and then she left with her folks for Alaska. That ended that. You think I’d want to feel that again, the torment and the agony of a brokenheart?”
Nolan fell silent a moment. “That’s why you really left the pack. It was Zoe. Not my father’sdeath.”
Sam nodded. “Wanted to tell you, but you were overwhelmed at the time with being the new alpha. I felt bad for abandoning you, Nolan, but I couldn’t stay. Not with all those memories here. That’s the real reason I wanted the job as your beta. Figured it would take my mind offZoe.”
“I understand.” He did, too. Except he didn’t have the luxury of packing his bags and hoping to erase memories on the road. He was thealpha.
Sam gestured to the table. “You eating? I’ll get them to fetch a plate foryou.”
“Not tonight.” A restlessness claimed him. “Going for a run. I’m going to hunt for my dinner the old-fashionedway.”
He saluted his friend and left the dining hall. Todd and Palmer sat on the porch, whispering. They saw him,smirked.
Nolan could read their body language. They’d seen what happened at the meeting, and saw Jordan as a weak link in his chain. He ground to a halt andturned.
“You got a problem?” heasked.
“No alpha,” Todd said, lowering hisgaze.
Nolan regarded them both for a long moment. “If you’re done with dinner, go help in thekitchen.”
Palmer sputtered. “That’s women’swork!”
“You eat the food, you help cleanup.”
They both sulked, but stood. And then they walked over to the stairs, as if toleave.
