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“Yup, just arrived a half hour ago, looking at the kitchen problem.”
“Good.” I nod and head inside to see what’s happening.
The cottage is a disaster, as expected for an active construction site. A couple of saw horses are set up with a piece of plywood lying on top, making a makeshift table, tools covering it completely. Talking comes from the kitchen area, but the subject isn’t what you would expect from workers trying to fix a structural issue in a cottage. Seems news of Quinn has spread and made it all the way here.
“Did you get a look at her? I heard the Alpha was looking for a mate; the elders were putting a lot of pressure on him to find one.”
“Damn straight, he should be finding a mate; it’s not in our culture to have an unmated Alpha. We have a long history of strong Alpha families making strong packs.” That’s one of the older shifters in the pack. Some of the younger shifters are a bit more flexible on the subject.
“I don’t know; I don’t think he has to find a mate if he doesn’t want to. Seluna knows I wouldn’t want to pick a random mate for life. Besides, what about his true mate? Maybe he wants to wait.” See.
“You youngins don’t know a damn thing; living in the clouds is all you do nowadays.” The back door opens and closes, indicating the older shifter doesn’t want to continue this conversation.
“Well, I just came from the pack house, and you could tell the she-wolves were not happy that he seemed to have found someone. However, I did hear that the woman he picked has a pup and she is from the Clearwater pack. This isn’t going to sit well with a lot of people.” I knew it would likely cause some issues, Quinn being from Clearwater, but I didn’t expect it to go through the grapevine so quickly.
“Who cares if the woman has a pup? Pups are important to the pack, and if they need a pack, then we should welcome them.” Eric seems to have joined the conversation now. “Besides, who are we to judge if the Alpha likes her? Come on, man, we have work to do, and if you’re not careful, the Alpha will walk in on this conversation; he is headed this way.” Well, he’s not wrong. Taking that as my cue to come around the corner, I walked in with purpose, not letting on that I heard anything said. You could tell by the subtle glances that they were wondering how much I had heard, but I didn’t let on that I had heard anything.
“Fellas, where we at?”
Eric steps up and starts pointing at the structural beams. “The Andersons came in this morning and weren’t happy with the archway idea leading into the kitchen; the problem is that this part of the house has a structural beam right smack dab in the middle of the room, blocking off the living area and kitchen. They demanded you come in and look at it and see what could be done. The inspector says we can’t remove the beam, or the roof won’t have the structural integrity it needs.”
I nod, acknowledging what he said, and look at what can be done. It takes me and the guys about an hour of tossing ideas around to come up with a few possible solutions.
“Good work, guys; I’ll call the Andersons and let them know their options. For now, finish up the rewiring and, get that up to code and finish the roof.” The guys disperse as I turn to head back to the office. As I climb into the SUV, Eric comes jogging up to me.
“Alpha, wait up.” I’m half sitting in the SUV, so I hop out to talk to Eric.
“What’s up? Something else you want me to look at?”
“Nah… Look, I know you heard what the guys were saying,” Interesting… his awareness is significantly better than his pack mates. “They didn’t mean anything by it… Well, maybe Max did, but I think everyone else just cares about what happens to you.” It’s nice he cares, but it’s not necessary; he doesn’t need to worry about my emotional well-being, that’s my job to worry about the pack.
“Don’t worry about it, Eric. I’m not offended; it was bound to happen, but I appreciate your loyalty. I’ll remember that you’re a good pack member, and I look forward to seeing where you will go from here. If this project goes well, I can see you being the project manager in the future. You’re hard-working and have the respect of your peers, everything I’m looking for.”
“Wow, thanks, Alpha. Everyone respects you, so no matter what happens, you have the support of the pack; I know it.”
“Thanks. Now I gotta make a phone call, and you have work to do.” He chuckles a little and jogs back to the site. This time, I climb into the SUV and close the door. I need a little space to process all this. It seems the pack has mixed feelings about my relationship status… I knew becoming Alpha would be a lot of work, but I was naive to think finding a mate would be a personal endeavor with little acknowledgment from the pack. Stupid, O well, what they think doesn’t matter. What Quinn thinks, on the other hand, matters a great deal to me. This time, I won’t pick the pack over her; she probably deserves better than me, but I am selfish and want her in my life.
The drive back to the office consisted of me trying to explain to the Andersons that they can’t have a fully open-concept kitchen, but we agreed on a different design they seemed to be on board with. Hopefully, they don’t change their minds; some people think they can change their minds during a construction project, but they never stop to think about building material costs or even what we’ve already completed. Making my way into my office, I see Dean looking at the books on the wall. If he is here, something is wrong with the pack; he usually doesn’t come here unless we have pack business.
“Dean.”
“Eli, how is the Anderson site?”
“Bothersome, the Andersons seem to be amenable to the new designs, but I doubt this will be the last ‘issue’ they have that will require my attention. But you’re not here to talk about the Anderson’s cottage; what’s the problem, Dean?”
“Always one step ahead, Eli. Do you remember Vicky? She lost her mate last year and has two young pups.”
I nod my head. “Ya, sad situation that was.”
“Well, her sister got in contact with me; it seems she has been really depressed the past few months… Kids are suffering, and the sister can’t seem to coax her out of her house.” Dean crosses his arms and stares at me for ideas.
“Damn, alright, I’ll talk to Mom and see if she can go out there to talk to her. She lost her true mate, and we all know how hard that can be on a wolf. Mom does better with that stuff anyway. As for the kids, let’s start a rotation where pack members go over, take them out, and connect with them. Vicky needs to go through this, but we can help relieve the pressure of caring for the kids if we can. Also, allocate some funds for their family, and make sure they are financially okay.”
“Good idea. Maybe when you finally mate Quinn, she can help with this stuff.” A very vivid image of Quinn helping comfort my pack comes to mind, and I get this overwhelming feeling of rightness. She would do a fantastic job; she already takes such good care of Maddie; I can see that overflowing into the pack. I walk around and sit at my desk, flipping open my laptop to draw up plans for the Andersons. Dean sees himself out while I try to focus on work, not the gorgeous woman who is currently at my home with my daughter. I would much prefer to be there than here, that’s for sure.
Chapter 8 - Quinn
Darlene is absolutely amazing. She drives us back to the house and gets us sorted with lunch. She is sweet and considerate, making me feel right at home. I wish my parents could be a part of Maddie’s life. I worked hard at hiding from my pack, so staying in contact with them wasn’t a good idea if I wanted to keep off Jake's radar, but it doesn’t take away the desire to see them playing and loving on Maddie. I still don’t even know what they would say about me having her. They were acting so weird before I left; I can’t imagine them accepting her as readily as Darlene has, though. But maybe that is me projecting my fears of my pack on how they would treat my daughter. After I get Maddie down for her nap, I go into the kitchen to help clean up.
