Page 1 of Golden Valley
Prologue
“Are you really going to come back, Morgan?”
Zipper raised halfway, Morgan looked up and met Lillian’s worried gaze. “Of course, I’m coming back. Golden Valley is my home.”
“Well, yeah, but when you’re living with all those other packs, you’ll meet tons of new people. Maybe you’ll even visit a pack that needs an Alpha.” Teeth digging into her lower lip, she fiddled with the sheet pooled around her waist and shrugged. “Why would you bother coming back to Golden Valley when you know your brother’s set to lead the pack after your dad steps down?”
“Come on. You know me better than that.” He and Lillian had been friends for as long as he could remember and lovers for a few months. They weren’t mates, so the current arrangement wouldn’t have lasted even if he wasn’t leaving, but she knew him better than anyone. “I have no interest in leading a pack. None.” He finished zipping and buttoning his pants, pulled his shirt over his head, and then he stepped over to the bed and sat down. “I’m going to tour through other packs so I can learn skills that help Golden Valley.” And if he was lucky, he would meet his mate, bring her home, and they’d have a family. “It’s only five years and I’ll come home to visit during breaks.”
“Onlyfive years.” Lillian rolled her eyes and then collapsed backward on the mattress. “That’s forever.”
“This dramatic side of you is new,” he said with a laugh. “I think I like it. And I won’t be traveling all that long when you consider how many packs I’ll get to live with. Plus, it’s an amazing opportunity.”
“I know. I know. It’s great for you.” She huffed and crossed her arms over her bare chest. “But I don't buy the not-wanting-to-be-pack-Alpha thing.EveryAlpha wants to lead a pack. It’s like ingrained in you guys. You’re never coming back to Golden Valley.”
“NoteveryAlpha wants to lead a pack.”
She turned her head to the side and arched her eyebrows, her expression disbelieving.
“Seriously, Lil.” He chuckled as he reached for the blanket and shook it over her. “Why would I want to be a pack Alpha?”
“Uh, because you’d be the most powerful wolf in the pack. Everyone would listen to you and throw themselves at you and you’d get to make all the decisions and—”
“I’m already the third most powerful wolf in this pack after my father and my brother. That’s plenty powerful. And with everything I’ll be learning during my travels, I’ll be able to manage pack finances and businesses. That’s an important role full of decisions. And sleeping with random pack members until they find their mates is Jerold’s thing, not mine.” With as many pack members as his brother took to bed, it was a wonder he had time to do anything else. “I want a family and the most important part of that is having a mate.” Although shifters were usually blessed with a mate to share their lives, some people said the fates gave an Alpha wolf a mate only if he was powerful enough to care for his pack and his mate. His father told him that wasn’t true, but Morgan wasn’t one for taking chances, especially with something this important. If he wasn’t leading a pack, there would be no risk that he’d miss out on having a mate and a family.
“You could lead a packandhave a mate.” Lillian leaned up on her forearms. “You know that stuff about Alphas not having mates is an old wives’ tale. Your father has a mate and he’s pack Alpha.”
“Maybe my dad’s an exception. Most Alphas aren’t as powerful as him.”
Alexander Peters was strong, smart, and charismatic. The pack admired him and other Alphas envied him. He was the perfect leader. But he was also the man who had played catch with him and Jerold when they were kids, who still read bedtime stories to their little sister, and who danced with their mother in the kitchen.Thatwas the part of his father’s life that Morgan had grown up wanting, and he had no desire to risk losing it just so he could be pack Alpha. “Lots of Alphas don’t have mates. Look at my brother.”
“Your brother’s only twenty-six. He could still find his mate.”
Morgan arched his eyebrows and coughed. His brother would make a solid pack leader. He oozed charisma, everyone loved him, and he had been trained since birth for the role. At his age, Jerold could have already taken the reins from their father, but he was still too busy having fun. And Jerold’s version of fun meant hunting with his buddies and fucking his way through seemingly every pack member who came of age. Taking over pack leadership would require Jerold to settle down some, but having a mate and children would put an end to his lifestyle entirely. Even without a pack to run, Morgan doubted his brother had the capacity to care for a mate, and he certainly didn’t have the desire.
“My brother doesn’t want a mate and I can’t imagine the fates would bless him with one,” he said.
Based on the whispers Morgan had heard from the dozens of shifters his brother bedded, he pleased them sexually, but that was where his interest ended. Most people knew that before they got naked with Jerold, and if they were confused, he firmly set them straight. That had satisfied everyone except one pack member who had recently moved to their pack and immediately latched onto Jerold.
Timothy Tillers was a male Omega, a combination so uncommon that Morgan had never met another one. Some people said Timothy’s nature had predisposed him to seek out an Alpha at all costs and that was why he had become fixated on Jerold. And when their father, in a rare display of temper, had yelled at Jerold for bedding the Omega even after he knew the man’s feelings ran deep, Jerold had justified his behavior by saying Alphas were naturally drawn to Omegas and the draw was stronger with the male variety so he couldn’t be blamed for following his instincts when the male Omega had constantly sought him out with the intent to seduce him.
From Morgan’s perspective, whether his brother was right about the draw to male Omegas didn’t matter. An Alpha needed to be strong enough to protect other wolves, even if that protection was from themselves. The male Omega was undoubtedly odd, and he may have chased after Jerold, but as an Alpha, Jerold should have had the strength to turn him away instead of allowing his lust to take over. Instead, he had slept with the Omega and then decided to stop sleeping with him, which sent him into such a frazzled state that their father had been forced to relocate him to the Green Field pack.
“Your brother probably isn’t a great example of a pack Alpha who’s likely to have a mate,” Lillian agreed. “But that doesn’t mean Alphas who want mates can’t have them. And besides, even if only the strongest pack Alphas are blessed with mates, you’ll be fine. You’re crazy powerful, Morgan. You’re only sixteen so you’re still growing, but your wolf is already huge and I bet by the time you’re as old as Jerold, you’ll be the more powerful Alpha. Plus, you have the golden star, same as your dad and your grandad.”
His brother was ten years older than him, not much taller, more muscular, or stronger in his human form and noticeably smaller as a wolf. Lillian was right, Morgan would probably be more powerful than his brother eventually, but that didn’t matter. Jerold loved talking in front of people and reveled in having all eyes on him. He had been born to lead the pack, raised for it. His brother wanted to be Golden Valley’s Alpha whereas Morgan had never been interested in following that aspect of his father’s life. Not at the risk of giving up the rest of it.
“A birthmark doesn’t have anything to do with leading a pack. I don’t want to be pack Alpha, Lil. I want a family.” A home full of happy kids and a mate to dote on were all he had ever wanted. Being Alpha meant dealing with pack politics and drama, which would inevitably take his attention and time away from what mattered. No amount of power was worth that sacrifice.
“You’re the only teenage boy I know with a ticking biological clock.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s weird.”
“Valuing family above everything else isn’t weird, it’s natural. Besides, even if I did want to be pack Alpha, I couldn’t do it here because that’ll be Jerold’s role.” He tilted his head to the side and grinned. “You know, for someone who claims she wants me around, you sure seem to be doing your best to talk me out of coming back to Golden Valley after I’m done with the pack tours.”
“No, I’m not!” she said, eyes wide. “I guess I was, wasn’t I?” She folded in on herself. “Ignore me. I’m being a jerk because you’re like my best friend and I’ll miss you.” She reached her hand out and braided her fingers with Morgan’s. “I’m sorry.”
“Maybe when I’m gone, you’ll meet your mate. Then he’ll be your best friend.” As it was supposed to be. “Just don’t forget about me completely, okay?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She smiled up at him. “What do you think he’ll be like?”
