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I snorted. “You’re more of a crusty old man than he ever was.”
“He must’ve loved you a great deal.” West paused. “Guess we both lost our parents at a young age.”
“I was too young to remember. It must be so much harder for you.”
He shook his head. “A great loss is a great loss, Clay. Doesn’t matter how or when it happens. Only matters that we have to endure it.”
“Sage loves you, you know.”
“I know, and I’ve put her in grave danger. I never should’ve sought sanctuary in her house. It was selfish of me.”
“She’s your safe space, West. Of course you wanted to go to her in your time of need. That’s only natural.”
He turned an absent gaze to the kitchen window. “I need to find a way to end this before anyone loses more than the tip of an ear.”
“I agree. What’s your plan?”
He shifted his focus back to me. “It’s pack business.”
“It ceased being pack business the second those yahoos rolled into my town. I’m the liminal deity of the crossroads, West. The safety of Fairhaven is my responsibility.”
He wore a vague smile. “When did that happen? Did I miss the official ceremony?”
“VIPs only. You weren’t invited.”
“Does that mean I no longer need to post guards there?”
“No, I appreciate the extra sets of eyes, but maybe you could include me in the text chain. Any creepy crawlies come through the gate, your guards alert both of us.”
West contemplated the request. “They won’t like that.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re the alpha, remember? You give the orders.”
“You know I operate more democratically than that.”
I regarded him across the table. “West, I get that you want to distance yourself from the kind of alpha Orson is, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t lead your pack at all. You can still be a good, decent alpha and occasionally issue orders that not everybody likes.”
West was so afraid to lose another pack that he sometimes went too far the other way to appease them. No fairy girlfriend. No commands. No trust.
He cracked a smile. “Then I guess you can still be a good, decent goddess and occasionally scare the shit out of someone who deserves it.”
“Touché, Davies. Touché.”
After West left, I continued to sit at the kitchen table, lost in thought. I glanced up to see Sian lingering in the doorway.
“Your friend is gone?”
“Yes.”
“Is the matter resolved?”
“As much as it can be.”
“Have you heard from Sarah Peele yet?”
“Not yet.”
Sian scrutinized me. “You do not seem concerned.”
