Page 20 of The Night Wolf
SEAN’S STOMACHfluttered when Gareth opened the door to his office. If Sean had been expecting something small and messy, he was mistaken. Gareth’s workspace was huge, with a large desk in the corner of the room, which held a computer with an enormously wide screen. On it, Gareth had opened three spreadsheets, each replete with numbers.
“Come on in. Dinner should be here shortly.”
The man looked incredible. A black henley stretched over his wide chest, a pair of cargo pants, and….
“Hello Kitty socks?” Sean bit his lip to keep from laughing. “That’s… cute.”
“Shut up. Dani gave them to me, and I have to wear them on occasion, or she asks about them.”
The hits kept coming. “Why do you care? You’re the Alpha.”
Gareth blew out a slow breath. “Okay, I know you seem to have had issues in the past with Alphas, and I haven’t given you reason yet to trust me, but I absolutely, one hundred percent care what my wolves do and think. They’re the heart of Lydon, and without them, we don’t have a town or a community.”
He seemed so sincere. And on their trip through the town, Sean had seen how the people reacted to him. There wasn’t any fear, only smiles and laughs. When Gareth met a young woman with a pup, he bent down and spoke with the young girl, who smiled up at him, then held out her arms. Ryker would have batted her away or worse. Gareth picked her up and booped her nose, which made her dissolve into peals of laughter.
There was no doubt that Gareth was nothing like Ryker.
“Sean?”
He jerked his head up, only to find Gareth giving him a curious smile.
“Why not take a seat. I really have to get back to work.”
Sean stepped into the office. The smell of leather mixed with a more delicate scent. “Dani was here recently.”
It wasn’t a question. Sean’s wolf knew Dani’s scent now, just as it knew Gareth’s. Hers was cloves and spices and reminded Sean of the fall, whereas Gareth’s was something primal, deep, and mysterious.
“When I told her you were coming, she insisted that she needed to clean in here, even though she dusted two days ago. It made her happy, so I let her do it.”
Gareth’s chair protested under his bulk, the springs squeaking, and Sean watched, amazed that Gareth’s hands, despite being so large, danced over the keyboard effortlessly.
“What are you working on?”
“Dani convinced me that we needed to allow more pack members in Lydon. And you were the catalyst for that.”
“Me?” Sean squeaked. “How am I responsible for any of this?”
Gareth swiveled and stared at Sean. “Because you needed help. Dani reminded me, in her not-so-subtle way, that we need to help, especially because of the problems you’ve had with other packs. My ancestors built Lydon as a haven, where those wolves who didn’t fit in would have a home.”
Years before, Sean’s grandmother had told him that such places existed. She said in her time, they were sparse, but previously they’d been everywhere. He’d always dismissed them, though, especially after dealing with Ryker. Maybe it was Sean who needed the reality check.
“Listen, I know you’re busy, but can we talk?”
Gareth stopped what he was doing and gave Sean the full weight of his attention. Sean shifted uncomfortably on the seat.
“Of course.”
The story started slow, with Sean mixing in the stories of Lottie, of Ryker wanting to take Sean as a pet, and the other horrors he’d seen. Through it all, Gareth sat there, fists clenched, his teeth gritted, and a low, guttural growl emanating from his throat.
“He collared you and said you were going to be his pet? At fourteen? That’s obscene!”
Sean’s cheeks heated. “He often took the virgins, claiming it to be his right as Alpha.”
Gareth pushed out of the chair and stalked away from Sean.
“Gareth?” Sean reached for him. “Are you okay?”
He held up a hand. “Don’t. Just give me a minute.” Gareth’s nostrils flared as he breathed deep. “I understand your mistrust. I’m sorry that happened to you.”
