AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I refused to take the alpha position from him, but I swore my loyalty to him as alpha, so he let me stay despite my dominance over him. I don’t really fit into the pack now. I’m a bit of a misfit.”
I snort. If anyone knows about being a misfit, it’s me. Rook smiles, knowing exactly what I’m thinking. “People still like me well enough, though,” he says. “I’m basically the pack handyman now, and Peter uses me as a special advisor. He’s still my best friend. He tries to convince me to take the pack back every know and then—says I’m better suited for the job than he is—but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. Can’t seem to get back in the saddle after Lily, either. No matter how much Wulf tries to push me back up on the horse.”
Conversation dies until we finish our dinner. I help him with the dishes and notice a couple of women growl and glare at me when I enter Rook’s house. Again, I wonder if it’s because I’m human. Is hanging out with me some kind of werewolf faux pas, and Wulf just lied to me so I’d spend time with Rook and let him train me?
Rook washes and I dry. As he hands me a dish, I finally bring it up, because people are trying to spy on us from the park through Rook’s sliding glass door. I throw as much sarcasm into my voice as I can and say, “Don’t look now, but I think we’re being watched.”
When we both glance out the window, our lookie-loos scamper off. Rook chuckles as he hands me a plate. “I was wondering if you would notice.”
“Oh, I noticed the second we left the gym. Is it because I’m human? Wulf says you guys are friendly toward humans, but after I learned he was only trying to hook us up, I’m not sure I want to believe anything the meddlesome bastard says.”
Rook laughs again. He does that a lot for a guy who’s been through so much. He’s a lot like Wulf that way. For a loner, Wulf is one cheerful werewolf. “It’s not because you’re human,” he finally admits. “It’s because you’re hanging out with me. I may be well liked in the pack, but I’m not the most social. I’m polite and friendly to everyone, but I keep to myself as much as possible. Peter’s really my only friend.”
“Huh. I wouldn’t have expected that.”
He shrugs. “It’s awkward not having a real rank within the pack. Guys are on edge around me because I used to be their alpha, and the women…” He shakes his head and shudders. It’s the exact same gesture Wulf does whenever he talks about pack females. “They can’t help themselves. They have an instinct to mate, and their wolves are attracted to power.”
“Then that must make you the pack’s most eligible bachelor.”
When Rook grimaces, I snicker. “So, werewolves are the jealous type?” I ask, realizing that all the glares came from females, while the men only looked curious.
“Jealous,” Rook agrees, “and possessive.”
“So I should watch my back on the walk to my car, then?”
“No. I’ll walk you, but you’d be fine even if I didn’t. No one could challenge you unless I turned you and announced a mate pairing. Come on, the kitchen’s clean enough. Let’s get you back so you can go home and rest.”
I groan but follow him good-naturedly back toward the clubhouse and my car. “What do you mean, no one could challenge me? Do you mean fight me? Like your beta fought Wulf?”
Rook nods, like it’s no big deal. “It’s a werewolf thing. Once a mate pairing is announced, wolves can challenge the mated pair—the females for the right to take the female’s place, and males to challenge the male’s place.”
I stumble to a stop. “Wait. Two people announce they essentially want to get married, and other people can fight them for the right to marry their lover instead?” Rook nods. “That’s awful. Why would anyone want to mate with someone who hurt their lover in a fight?”
“They proved they’re stronger—a better match.”
“That’s messed up. What about love?”
Rook sighs. “It’s hard to explain, but shifters have two different personalities—the human and the wolf. When it comes to mates, the wolf instinct is stronger than the human desires. Wolves mate with the strongest eligible pack member. If your wolf doesn’t agree to the pairing…” He shrugs again, a helpless gesture. “The pairing won’t work out.”
That’s insane, and I shake my head to let him know I think so. “Still, that sounds whacked.”
“It doesn’t happen often,” Rook agrees a bit sheepishly. “Most werewolves want their human side to be as happy as their wolves. But it’s always a possibility. Peter and his luna are that way. Marie was the next strongest female after my Lilly. When I gave up the alpha spot, Marie challenged Peter’s girlfriend for the luna spot and won. Peter accepted the pairing because an alpha needs the strongest female to be his luna, but it was hard for all of them for a while. Peter’s lover eventually left the pack when Peter and Marie were mated.”
“Wow. So Alpha Toth just let his girlfriend go and mated the luna, even though they don’t love each other?”
Rook shrugs. “I think they do, now. When wolves accept each other, they can have a strong influence on their human sides.”
“Huh.” I blink a few times and shove my hands into the pockets of Rook’s jacket. It’s hard to imagine having another spirit inside me and having to reconcile with its instincts. “Learn something new every day. Werewolves are strange creatures.”
Rook laughs. “I guess it’s a good thing we’re not dating.”
I smirk. “I guess so.”
We finish our walk in companionable silence. When we get to my car, I shrug awkwardly. “Well…this is my stop.”
I start to take off his jacket, but he stops me. “Keep it. Give the busybodies around here some good rumors to spread,” he says with a wink.
I snort, but push the zipper back up. “As if they don’t have enough gossip fodder already?” I slide into my car. “Thanks for making me lunch. Well, second lunch. I feel like a hobbit, but it tasted great.”
