Page 5 of Howl For Me
“Have you been talking with my mother?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Nope, but the women are dying to meet you.” Spencer laughed, slapping him on his back. “We’ll go find the wayward wolf and make sure everything is okay. Go ahead and make your rounds, Alpha. Be cordial to our neighbors and allies.”
Gavin released a grumble. He moved away from his beta and enforcer as they laughed at his pain. He was pretty certain he could punish them for insubordination. They should be on his side and supporting him.
He knew that finding a good woman to settle down with would be the best for the pack. He would do it because the pack was his top priority as alpha. Sometimes an alpha had to be willing to sacrifice for his pack, and he would without question.
He sighed and put on a false smile as he approached a group of people.
A mating of convenience would benefit the pack.
He needed heirs.
He needed to think of the future of his people.
No matter what his heart was telling him.
The pack needed him to find a mate.
* * *
“So do you have a favorite color?” the female in front of him asked.
Favorite color?
What were they, in grade school?
“Um, no. I don’t think I do,” he replied, scratching the back of his head.
“Everyone has a favorite color. They say that a person’s color will tell so much about your personality.” She laughed.
He cringed on the inside. Her laugh reminded him of nails on a chalkboard. His wolf yawned.
If he couldn’t have his fated mate, he would at least like a mate who could keep his wolf’s attention. They both had to agree on someone. He couldn’t have a mate who his wolf would want to attack every time they shifted.
“Is that so?” he murmured, looking around the party. “Excuse me.” He didn’t even wait for her to reply as he left her.
He hurried away from that one. He ambled over to one of the coolers that offered ice-cold beers. He would need to have some liquid relaxer to help him get through the rest of the night. He snagged a long- necked bottle and popped the cap off. He took a hefty swig of the perfectly chilled beer.
The caterers his mother hired had grilled out. There would be food for days to accommodate the crowd. He glanced down at his watch and saw that it was only a little after eight p.m. He sighed. The party was to end at eleven. He quickly downed his beer and grabbed another one.
He slowly walked around until he found Spencer and headed toward his beta.
“Any word on the wolf?” he asked.
“Not yet. Solon and Kent went to look into it. They couldn’t find her.”
“It’s probably one of the women who came with one of the other packs.” He sipped on his beer. Shifter’s metabolism burned through alcohol. It would take a lot to get him drunk. As an alpha, his powers were strong, and a few beers wouldn’t even cause him to blink.
“Tomorrow before the pack run, I want to meet with all the enforcers,” Gavin announced.
“No problem. I can gather everyone together. Around what time?” Spencer asked, his gaze wandering to a few women who walked by them smiling. He tipped his beer to them.
Gavin rolled his eyes at Spencer.
“Let’s get together around six— ” He was cut off by a deep howl of a wolf somewhere off in the woods. He heart slammed into his chest at the pain buried deep into the howl. It was as if the wolf had lost a loved one.
He knew that howl.
