AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Please, Garrett. This is your future we’re talking about. Even if it isn’t a real relationship, you’ll be mated to one of these women. Make sure it’s the right woman.”
You’re the right woman, I wanted to scream, but I kept my mouth shut, clenching my jaw as Reagan appeared, walking down the steps. I gave Jessica a quick nod. “I will. But only because I can’t say no to you.”
I moved to join Reagan, afraid if I stayed by Jess any longer I’d blurt out the truth to everyone and call the whole thing off. But I couldn’t do that to Holden, to the packs. So I gritted my teeth and prepared to spend the day finding out what I really thought of Reagan.
* * *
It wasn’t a bad date.Far from it, though I would have rather been at home with Jessica.
Reagan and I had a private brunch in her hometown where I really tried to get to know her, asking all about her life growing up, her family, and her hopes for the future. I didn’t ask if she wanted children, and thankfully, she didn’t mention it.
After brunch, we joined her parents at their hilltop mansion that overlooked forested rolling hills in all directions as far as the eye could see.
“It’s beautiful here,” I told her mother, who had the same dark hair as Reagan.
“We love it, but it’s never been enough for Reagan, has it dear?” She gave her daughter an affectionate smile. “She’s always wanted to do big things, make positive changes in the world.”
“She’s a smart woman.” That much was true.
“And ambitious,” her father chimed in, joining us outside on the large deck. Markus gave his daughter a look of pride, his eyes shining with love. It was a look I was unfamiliar with coming from him. He was always such a hard-ass. One of the most difficult alphas to deal with. Seeing him here with his family like this was beyond strange.
“Reagan will be a great addition to the council, Garrett,” Markus continued. “I’m happy to see she’s made it this far.”
Reagan beamed at me, and I wondered if her father was aware of the deal she’d brokered to make sure she did. She was intelligent and would be a huge asset to the council.
As the day wore on, I made a point of talking to her about her thoughts on how the pack could move forward and how she could be an instrument for change. She was well aware of what we’d be facing, and unless I’d grossly misjudged her, she was fully on board with Holden’s and my goals of melding tradition with a more modern approach to pack law and leaderships.
Honestly, she was one of the few contestants who’d been level-headed about this whole thing rather than having her head in the clouds like the Contention was some kind of fairy tale. By the end of the day, I was convinced she was the right choice even if my heart was heavy at the prospect of finally choosing because it would mean that what Jessica and I had was truly over.
We had a cookout with the family in the late afternoon and went for a shifted run in the woods after, just the two of us. It was a full day, and as we arrived back at her family home, I was ready to call it a night. I couldn’t wait to get back to the estate and climb into bed next to Jessica—there was no way in hell I’d spend one of our last nights together not sleeping with her in my arms. At least I could tell her I’d done my part today and truly committed to getting to know Reagan. At least with her, there’d be no expectations for a real relationship.
As we walked inside, ready to say our goodbyes, I was surprised to only find Markus standing there. His face was blank, unreadable, but there was no mistaking the protective tone to his voice when he said, “Garrett, I’d like a word with you. Alone.”
I glanced at Reagan, wondering if she knew what this was about, but her expression didn’t give anything away.
“I’ll just go check on Mom,” she said, disappearing through a doorway.
“Markus.” I gave him a quick nod.
He stepped forward. “Let’s go outside, shall we?”
Something was off here, and not just because the power dynamic was turned on its head. Technically, as the beta of the North American pack, I outranked all the alphas. But here, on Markus’s territory—in his home, where I was considering choosing his daughter as a mate—everything was different.
I followed him back out onto the large deck that overlooked the rolling hills. The sun had set while Reagan and I were on our run, and now the moon and stars had made an appearance.
Markus turned to me. “I know what’s going on.”
Heat rushed through my body at the words. Somehow, I already knew what he was talking about, but I waited for him to continue, cocking my head to the side.
“Reagan has told me you’re in love with another woman—the daughter of another alpha, no less.”
The breath whooshed out of me. He did know. His expression was still unreadable, though, his tone flat, and I had no idea what he would say next.
“I respect Derek, and his daughter. But more than that, I respect my own daughter.”
His eyes bored into me, and I wondered if he was implying that I didn’t. “Markus, I—”
He held up a hand, silencing me, and again the shift in the power dynamic struck me. I may have outranked him, but here in his home where we were discussing his daughter’s future, I felt compelled to show him due respect.
