Page 17 of The Night Wolf
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Sean had no idea what else to say. Death was part of a wolf’s world. He should know—he’d seen enough of it.
“We’re okay now. It took a long time, and our Alpha, to get us into a good spot again.”
“Oh? What did he do?”
“Gave me this job, for one. And he’s paying for Caleb’s schooling when he’s ready to attend college. Well, to be fair, he pays for all our cubs to attend school. He built a campus nearby, and our children go there. After their first shift at eighteen, when they’re ready to go out into the world, the pack pays for their tuition on the condition they do something they’re passionate about.”
The more Sean learned about Gareth, the more humbled he was. Gareth had treated him with kindness, which was a foreign concept to Sean in recent years. He was funny, easy to smile, and had taken Sean in, no questions asked.
“He’s also cared for Caleb as if he was his own son. He doesn’t even mind it that Caleb worships the ground his Alpha walks on.”
What was it about Gareth? How did he manage to engender trust from his people when every other Alpha Sean had met ruled through fear?
“What are you thinking about? You’ve got this look on your face that tells me you’re not really here.”
Sean sighed. “Gareth isn’t like other Alphas. Every one I’ve ever met has tried to… hurt me.”
She nodded sagely. “My grandma used to tell me stories passed down from her grandmother’s mother and even before, about the old days, well before Grandma was born, when Alphas cared for their pack. She would tell me how the Alpha wouldn’t let his pack go hungry, how they would sacrifice their own lives to save their people. Humans were spreading across the continent and land was becoming scarce. There were great, bloody conflicts, and yes, Alphas died in brutal battles trying to secure resources, but it wasn’t out of greed or selfishness. Rather it came from the love of their people.”
Sean realized he’d paused, the spoon halfway to his mouth, as he listened to Dani’s story. He ate his soup quickly as he ruminated on her words. “What changed?”
Dani scooped the vegetables into bowls, snapped a lid on each one, then stored them in the refrigerator before she came back and took a seat across from Sean. “Avarice, hatred. The same petty squabbles the humans were undergoing had infected the wolves. One by one, good Alphas were forced out or hunted down and killed, and the rot began to creep into our society, moving forward like a tide, until there were more bad Alphas than good.” She shrugged. “Of course, these are stories, and I don’t know how valid they are.”
“She wasn’t wrong. There’s a stain on many of the Alphas I’ve encountered. Some of them start out seeming nice, but that all changes when…. It changes.”
“When what?”
Dani was so easy to talk with that Sean wanted to unburden his soul. But Gareth deserved to hear it first.
“No, nothing. It’s fine.”
“Okay. If you ever need to talk, my kitchen is always open to you.” She tilted her head in the direction of the bowl. “Would you like some more? I’ve got plenty.”
He leaned back and patted his stomach. “No, but thank you.”
“If you’re feeling up to it, tonight I’ll make you some fresh pasta.”
“I’m sorry, I—”
She flicked her wrist in his direction. “Will you stop apologizing? It didn’t go to waste. I promise. Caleb has a great, gaping maw instead of a stomach. It’s a good thing Gareth has money, because otherwise the pack would go hungry just feeding my son.”
Sean couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him. When Dani arched her brows, he lost it completely. God, it felt so good to let loose and find humor in something.
When he could finally breathe again, Sean reached for Dani’s hand. She curled her fingers with his, and the connection between them was… nice.
“He seems like a good guy. Your son, I mean.”
She sighed, squeezing. “He’s the light of my life. I would do anything for him.” She pinned Sean with a stare. “Did your parents kick you out? Because that stuff makes my blood boil.”
Warmth washed over Sean. She cared about him. “No, it was worse than that.”
Her eyes went wide. “Worse? What could—?”
He held up a hand to forestall her. “I’m going to tell Gareth about it when I see him next, but he should be the first person to know.”
“Okay, that makes sense. He’s Alpha, after all.”
Yes, he was. An Alpha unlike any Sean had met or even knew existed. Maybe the one person who could finally—no, best not to get ahead of himself. Hopes died easily, and dreams were quite often crushed under their own weight.
