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“Thank you,” I whispered, my arm settling over his as I reached over to squeeze his shoulder, our equivalent of a hug.
“I think Payne intends to marry your sister,” Dad said, changing the subject and I chuckled.
“I think you might be right,” I agreed. “About time,” I added and Dad nodded slowly.
“I wish I’d known before,” he murmured, “Things might have turned out differently.” I knew he meant Payne breaking up with Sam because of the Alpha’s decree, but I wasn’t sure even Dad could have changed the Alpha’s mind.
“How’s it look inside?” I asked, jerking my head toward the Pack house, my turn to change the subject as I considered what we were about to walk into.
“Tense,” Dad muttered, his long stride matching mine as we moved toward the front. “There are some that don’t like the fact that you went on Hanley lands to get the boys back, especially since neither of the boys are of the Navarre Pack.”
I let out a low snarl, “Both of those boys belong to me, one by blood and the other by mating. There is no way in hell I wouldn’t have gone after them.”
“I agree,” Dad said mildly. “It’s just another excuse for the ones that take exception to young Caleb being Alpha.”
“It’s been decided,” I reminded him unnecessarily. He’d been there, hell, he’d voted just as I had. It still bothered me that they would question Caleb as Alpha.
“It was voted on,” Dad corrected and I glanced at him. “Nothing has really been decided.” He shot me a look that spoke volumes as he lowered his voice. “Caleb is still struggling and we can’t afford a divided Pack with the Hanleys breathing down our backs,” he warned, the words barely audible and I knew it was so no one would overhear him questioning our Alpha. Dad supported Caleb, but it didn’t mean he didn’t see the pressure Caleb was under or how he struggled with it. “Help him decide,” Dad added as he opened the heavy door and I paused, not sure I’d heard him correctly. Dad disappeared inside without saying anything more and after a second, I followed with an even heavier weight on my shoulders.
It was a small gathering inside with only the elders and shifters invited. I nodded to Gregory, hoping to catch him after the meeting. He’d raised questions for Jess, which meant I needed to know exactly where he stood when it came to our Alpha. Do you have time to speak after the meeting? I asked him over the bond. He smiled knowingly, giving me a slow nod, the deep folds of his face barely creasing at the motion. Anna hovered near Caleb, who stood near the back, tension radiating from him. I tilted my chin as I caught his eye and he visibly relaxed.
Thought you might leave me to face the lion’s den alone, he muttered, any chance of his words being a joke falling flat at his expression.
Anna’s here, I teased him lightly, nodding to Pack members as I cut through the room toward him.
I felt his mental unease at my mention of her and barely suppressed a sigh. I knew Anna was conflicted based on what Jess had said, but I also didn’t think it was right for Caleb to lead her on. You need to talk to her, I said sternly and felt him squirm. She deserves better, both as a female and a Pack mate.
I know, he said defensively. I just….. He trailed off as Anna’s father called the meeting to order and a stab of frustration cut through me. It was past time I sat down and talked to Caleb, but it wasn’t my imagination that he’d been dodging me, an easy feat since I’d been staying at the motel for the past few days. I had to make time, I acknowledged as Dad’s gaze met mine. Caleb needed to decide if he was the Alpha or just a placeholder.
“First order of business, Zeke Daniels.” A low murmur went through the group at the mention of the young teenager. It was no secret he would soon be going through his first shift, but he hadn’t been initiated into the Pack. Without the Pack bond in place, he’d go through the shift alone, an event none of us wanted to see happen. I rubbed my neck, thinking about Jess’ request for me to initiate Monster. My immediate reaction was to say yes, I wanted to bond her to me in every way, including having her brother as a Pack mate. The reality was more complicated. Initiation was a choice each of us had to make and I didn’t want to take that from him. It didn’t help that I was basically Alpha of an unacknowledged Pack.
“Has he decided?” The question broke through my thoughts in time to feel the simmering tension in the air.
