Page 69 of The Night Wolf
“We trust in you, Alpha. You’ve grown into a man your father would be proud of.”
Gareth found it hard to speak. He’d always hoped to be the same type of Alpha his father had been: kind, courteous, gentle. He’d never fought either. Not because he was averse to it, but because he always found a better way to deal with problems. And now, years later, Gareth was going to do something no Alpha from Lydon had ever done. He was going to take the life of another wolf.
“What do you think he’d say if he knew what I was about to do?”
Dani took a seat next to Gareth, her own bowl of chili steaming in front of her. “He’d look you in the eye and say, ‘You need to do what you have to, son. The world isn’t the same as it was when I was Alpha. There will always be good people, but there’s going to be bad things on the horizon, and we have to deal with them when they come up.’”
The words soothed his troubled mind. He believed Dani was right. His father had always said that as the world changed, wolves would need to change with it. Their secrecy was in constant jeopardy, what with new surveillance techniques, more and more people moving into less populated areas, and the constant interactions between human and wolf. Eventually they wouldn’t be able to hide who they were anymore, and they would have to adapt.
“Would you like another bowl?”
Gareth’s gaze dropped to his empty bowl. He didn’t even taste what he’d been eating.
“No, I’m good.”
Dani laughed. “That’s mine. I swapped while you were off in another world.” She put his back in front of him. “Eat.”
“You know, when I asked you to be on my council, I didn’t realize you were going to get so bossy.”
She flipped her hair as she got up and went to the sink. “I’ve always been bossy, but you do things my way, so we’re good.”
He laughed.
A few moments later, Sean came down, rubbing his eyes. “I smelled the chili upstairs. Is there more?”
The smile Dani gave him lit up her whole face. “Of course there is, sweetheart. Have a seat. How’d things go with Caleb?”
“Oh, fine. You know, I talked with him, but he didn’t answer.”
She sighed. “I wish he’d shift back. I miss seeing him gorge on breakfast.”
Sean shifted uncomfortably. Gareth reached out, trying to initiate contact between them again, but nothing happened. Still, Gareth could sense Sean was hiding something. It was his business if he wanted to share, though.
“I saw the two of you snuggled up together.”
“You did?” Sean’s eyes went wide, and panic rolled off him. “When?”
“About thirty minutes ago, give or take a few. You had your face buried in his fur.”
“Oh.” Sean relaxed visibly. “He’s good people. He let me talk his ear off, and then I got tired and fell asleep. When I woke up, he was still snoring, so I left him there.”
“I’m surprised you came down. I distinctly remember telling you to rest.” Gareth raised his eyebrows. “Or was that some other mate I was speaking with?”
The corner of Sean’s lip curled up. “Mate. I like how that sounds.”
A noise behind them had Gareth and Sean looking toward the stairs. There stood Quinn, his arms wrapped around his waist. He’d put on jeans and a shirt that Dani had raided from Caleb’s closet. They hung off him like curtains, but he was at least comfortable enough to come downstairs.
“It… it smells good down here.” His voice was tremulous, and his gaze constantly darted around the room.
“Would you like a bowl of chili, Quinn?”
He gave a hesitant nod. “Yes, please, Master.”
Gareth sighed. “I’m not your master, Quinn. No one is.”
His lip wobbled. “But… I need someone to tell me what to do. I can’t….” He clutched his hair. “I can’t think. It hurts.”
Sean got up and went to Quinn, who collapsed into his arms. “It’s okay. We’re going to help you. I swear.”
