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All my thoughts distract me enough that I reach my house quickly, my feet carrying me down the familiar pathways without even being told to do so. The dirt path cuts through the trees in a natural curve so as not to disturb nature. Wildflowers grow on either side, and bunnies scurry away at the sight and smell of me. I pause for a moment, taking in my cabin with a soft smile.
It’s built by the lake. Most wolves stay farther inland, but I chose this specially. The waves lap at the pebbled beach before my little cabin. The pointed roof reaches up into the sky, thepanels there catching the sun and using it for energy. The blue water calls to me as the sky turns red and orange.
The wooden cottage smell invades my nose as I head closer. The wraparound porch has swings and a massive egg chair to relax in when I need to escape the manic side of pack life. It screams comfort and home.
Solar lights hang down, off now that the sun is up, yet the chimney pumps smoke, letting me know one of the pack, probably an omega, has been here to ensure it’s ready for me. The door stands open like most of the cabins here. We are good at respecting privacy, and no one will disturb a beta in their nest unless it is necessary.
However, the alpha has no such qualms, and I see his bent back as he tends to the fire as I walk inside. The kitchen is open plan, connecting to the dining room and living room. Although it’s on the smallish side, it’s cosy and warm, done in a farmhouse style with blues and yellows, deep sofas and a huge TV, and bookcases on either side. The soft yellow curtains flutter in the wind. Upstairs to the right is the loft with my bedroom and bathroom. It has everything I could ever need. The alpha ensured it.
“I didn’t know you did an omega’s job. I feel honoured.” I smirk, padding inside on dirty feet. There is more than one claw mark within these walls, and dirt never bothered me anyway. This is my house, my home, my sanctuary, and he’s the only one to ever dare enter without permission.
It’s his pack and his land, and I’m his beta . . .
And his daughter.
“You know, even as a beta, you should show your alpha respect,” he mutters as he straightens and lumbers over to the wooden chair positioned by the fire.
I throw myself down in the matching one opposite his and grin at him. His face is wide and square, handsome even inhis older age. Wrinkles now line his eyes and mouth, ones that weren’t there a few years ago. There’s a rough scar across his forehead from a feral challenger who once tried to scalp him. His hair is now greying, but it has streaks of the burnt amber brown that I stared at for way too long as a kid. His brown eyes are kind and familiar, yet his huge body screams of power, as does his alpha stare—the alpha’s power. Once, I couldn’t withstand it, along with everyone else, but as I grew and came into my powers, so did my ability to meet his eyes. However, I lower mine slightly out of respect, and he huffs out a wolfish sound.
Alpha Jang is a good, kind man who fights for his pack in every way. He’s also the most feared and powerful alpha in this world, but at two hundred years old, he’s nearing his retirement age.
There are only two ways an alpha retires—either he stands down, nominating an alpha, or he is killed. I know which one I want to happen.
I don’t think I could survive losing him, even if it meant I never got the position I crave, knowing I could lead just as well as him and wanting to make him proud.
I grin. “Most fear you, I don’t.”
“You never did.” He snorts. “It got you into more trouble than anything else.”
Laughing, I stare at the flames, a comfortable blanket of silence stretching between us. It’s always been this way with us. He’s a man of few words, and when he speaks, everyone listens, so he’s here for a reason. I just need to wait it out. I learned at a young age not to rush him and that getting impatient would only prolong the wait. Instead, I now enjoy our companionship, one that has changed through the years.
“Quinny.” He sighs. “You must mate.”
“Don’t start this again.” I groan as I clamber to my feet. Ignoring his searching look, I move to the kitchen and quicklypour us two coffees before heading back. I hand him the mug I keep here for him. It looks tiny in his meaty hand, but he holds it delicately with a nod as I sit down and warm my hands on the porcelain, my eyes on the flames. I don’t want to meet his gaze. No matter how old I get, I still worry about disappointing him, and that is one thing I couldn’t live with.
Not after everything he and Marie have done for me.
“Quinn,” he murmurs, and that’s when I know he’s serious. It’s always been kiddo or Quinny with him. I only ever get Quinn when I’m in trouble, something I strive never to be, not wanting to hurt him. I’m lucky to be here. I know that.
“David,” I respond, and his eyebrows rise, his lips curving before his stern expression returns.
“I’m not getting any younger. I want to know you will be taken care of when I’m gone.”
“Stop talking like that. You’ll live forever.” I wink.
“I don’t want you to be alone in the end, Quinny,” he says, and I swallow hard, meeting his kind eyes. “That’s my biggest fear for you, that you will be alone in the end. Being in the middle of the pack, or even being alpha won’t stop that from happening. All I want is for you to be happy, to be complete.”
“That doesn’t mean I need a mate to be complete.”
“As a wolf, it does. Without a mate, your wolf will always wander. Please, Quinny, I know you are annoyingly independent and think you have something to prove to everyone, but do not hinder your own happiness just to make a point. You owe no one, least of all me, anything. Now, that’s all I will say on the matter as your father. As your alpha, I applaud your escape in the mating ceremony. It demonstrated good hunting and tracking skills.”
I smile, but it’s sad. Does he really worry about me being alone?
“Alpha Jang.” I lower my eyes out of respect. “I do not fear being alone. I fear never being able to live up to your name. I have dreams, and I have drive. You understand.”
“I do.” He stands, taking my hands as he crouches before me. “When you were a little girl, you were always so independent, always doing everything your own way. It scared me as much as it made me proud. I always knew you would take your own path. I just wish you didn’t walk it alone. Do you remember what you told me on your fourteenth birthday?”
I groan. “I was a kid!”
